Only hunger strikes get results: ex-Palestinian prisoner

[oberliner]

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Hunger striking is the only way for Palestinian prisoners to achieve their demands, said a former inmate who was freed by Israel and exiled to Gaza after refusing food for 43 days.

In an interview with AFP on the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners' Day, Hanaa Shalabi paid tribute to the 10 prisoners who have been on hunger strike for several weeks, two of whom have now gone 50 days without eating.

"The prisoners will continue their hunger strike until their demands are met because it is the only way, as my experience shows, and that of Khader Adnan," she said, referring to an Islamic Jihad prisoner who refused food for nearly 10 weeks until Israel agreed not to extend his detention without charge.

Adnan, who is set to be released later on Tuesday, went on hunger strike for 66 days in protest against his being held without charge under a procedure known as administrative detention.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5guDp_TwB8CBYW2KKYC84utX4EALw?docId=CNG.c08c8e622e39bd7dadcc8f751204f895.4f1

[Jefferson23]

1. 1600 Detainees To Declare Hunger-Strike on April 17

1600 Palestinian political prisoners, held by Israel, declared they will be starting an open-ended hunger strike on April 17th in protest to their illegal detention, and demanding basic rights.

Palestinian Minister of Detainees in the West Bank, Issa Qaraqe’, stated that the situation of the detainees in Israeli prisons is very difficult, and dangerous, especially amidst the ongoing Israeli violations and attacks against them.

Qaraqe’ added that the detainees are fighting a battle to defend their dignity and to improve their living conditions.

He further called for massive solidarity campaigns, and called for declaring April 17, the Palestinian Prisoners Day, as a day for solidarity and massive nonviolent protests in all parts of the occupied territories.

The Maan News Agency reported that a committee formed by the Israeli Prison Authority, headed by Yitzhak Gabai, visited a number of detention facilities, listened to the demands of the detainees, and “promised” respond to these demands this coming week.

Some of the demands presented by the detainees are;

1. Ending Administrative Detention.
2. Ending Solitary Confinement.
3. Reinstating the right to education.
4. Halting all invasions targeting detainees’ rooms and sections.
5. Allowing family visitations, especially to detainees from the Gaza Strip.
6. Improving medical care to ailing detainees.
7. Halting the humiliation, and body-search of the families of the detainees.
8. Allowing the entry of books and newspapers.
9. Halting all sorts of penalties against the detainees.

Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons are subject to harsh and illegal treatment that violates International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.

The Palestinians started marking April 17 as the Palestinian Prisoners Day, on April 17, 1974, the day Israel released Mahmoud Bakr Hijazi, in the first ever prisoner-swap deal.

202 Palestinian detainees died after being kidnapped by the Israeli forces since 1967, following Israel’s occupation to the rest of Palestine (The West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights).

Hundreds of detainees died after they were released suffering from serious illnesses and medical conditions resulting from extreme torture and abuse in Israeli prisons.

70 detainees died in prison due to extreme torture, 74 were executed by the soldiers after being arrested, 51 died due to the lack of medical treatment, 7 detainees died due to excessive force by the soldiers, and after being shot while in prison, former political prisoner, head of the census department at the Ministry of Detainees, Abdul-Nasser Farawna reported.

http://www.imemc.org/article/63305

[oberliner]

2. Interesting website

Especially the map icon on the top banner.

Wonder what that is meant to suggest.

[azurnoir]

3. well why don't you give your take on it?

or are you truly in the dark as to what that signifies?

[oberliner]

5. Israel is Palestine?

Not sure though.

What is yours?

[azurnoir]

9. my take is that it signifies one state

something that as time passes and settlements continually grow becomes more of a reality, so much so that even those who in the past championed the two state 'solution' such as Sari Nusseibeh are abandoning that as a dream that no longer can come true

[Jefferson23]

4. I like the website. n/t

[oberliner]

6. It's certainly not neutral

Can we at least agree on that?

[Jefferson23]

11. They have been cited by publications such as the Christian Science Monitor, so for

accuracy, you believe they are not reliable? As far as supporting two states, looks like one state may
be inevitable, in their estimation..if that is what you mean as not being neutral.

I like the website, it gives the situation from the perspective of the Palestinians.

Recently: Mansour: “Israel Is Destroying Two-State Solution”
Tuesday April 10, 2012 09:45
author by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Report post

http://www.imemc.org/article/63289

[oberliner]

12. I really don't think Saed Bannoura represents the "perspective of the Palestinians"

He maybe represents the perspective of one segment of the Palestinian population, but hardly the perspective of the Palestinians.

He was after all nearly shot to death by Israeli forces while participating in the first intifada and is paralyzed for life. One could imagine why he might have a bit of a jaundiced perspective on the conflict.

[Jefferson23]

13. I don't think his concerns reflect that of the minority. n/t

[pelsar]

7. this reminds me of the Koran in the toilet incident.....

after the muslim detainees in Gitimo complained about the "koran in the toilet" it got world wide attention and condemnation, they tried that in israel too.

the reaction from the prisons services was something to the affect of "so?"

"end of incident.."
_____

so the people in the prison object to having their cells searched? object to having their visitors searched?..clearly this is no more than a PR stunt and not to be taken seriously..and i doubt the prison services will as well.

one or two may go on strike and get some sympathy, but if they all do....no dice, they wont be turning the prison in to a country club.

chalk this up to another PR stunt
____
as far as websites go... a little bit of reading and you discover a few outright lies...i.e. no credibility:
the classic:
.... has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

its 2012, you have to be preaching to the crowd or the ignorant to pretend that egypt does exist on the gaza's southern border, and that israel doesn't control it...but then again, thats probably the goal.

[azurnoir]

8. well it is interesting indeed that you compare Israeli imprisoning of Palestinians to Gitmo

however here again is the list

1. Ending Administrative Detention.
2. Ending Solitary Confinement.
3. Reinstating the right to education.
4. Halting all invasions targeting detainees’ rooms and sections.
5. Allowing family visitations, especially to detainees from the Gaza Strip.
6. Improving medical care to ailing detainees.
7. Halting the humiliation, and body-search of the families of the detainees.
8. Allowing the entry of books and newspapers.
9. Halting all sorts of penalties against the detainees.

there is a difference between a regular and a strip or body search perhaps you did realize that

[pelsar]

10. the difference in searches

one is not as complete as the other.....its like those TSA rules which state you can (could?) search the person but not his crotch...well duh, so the bomber hides the bomb in his crotch....gosh that was really a surprise wasn't it? I doubt the Palestenians and their visitors are any "less smart."

as far as the people being in prison...thats the concept, they lose their freedom and the rights that go with it.....