At least 1,600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails launched an open-ended hunger strike on Tuesday, upping the stakes in a protest movement that has put Israel under pressure, according to “Al Ittihad” communist newspaper. Israel has already struck deals with two Palestinian detainees this year after they staged prolonged hunger strikes and 10 other inmates have been refusing to take food in an ad-hoc campaign that has gathered unexpected momentum.
Hundreds more joined the so-called “battle of empty stomachs” on Tuesday to coincide with Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, when both the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip stage mass rallies in support of some 4,800 prisoners who are held in Israeli prisons. The Israeli prisons’ authority said 2,300 prisoners had announced they would reject their daily meal on Tuesday, while 1,200 indicated they were launching a formal hunger strike.
A protester during a protest marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day in front of the Israeli military prison of Ofer, in the occupied West Bank city of Betunia, April 17, 2012 (Photo: Activestills)
Palestinian officials said 1,600 prisoners were joining the indefinite hunger strike. Prisoners in Ofer jail said all its inmates had joined the strike, and that Israeli prison authorities have threatened to forbid family visits, close amenities, and extend solitary confinement and transfer to other jails. The hunger strikers have a long list of complaints, including the Israeli use of solitary confinement, the difficulty many having in securing family visits and the strip searches that are imposed on visitors. Palestinians also denounce so-called “administrative detention”, whereby Israel can imprison suspects indefinitely, without ever informing them of the charges they face or presenting their lawyers with any evidence. Over 300 Palestinians are held without charge in Israel.
Human rights groups called on Tuesday for international accountability for the situation of Palestinian prisoners. Al-Mezan urged the international community not to work with security corporation G4S, which equips Israeli checkpoints and jails. Meanwhile, al-Haq urged the world not to ignore four Palestinian hunger-strikers who have been hospitalized after refusing food for over a month.
The start of the mass hunger strike coincides with the expected release of Khader Adnan, 33, who refused food for 66 days before agreeing to a deal to secure his freedom. Inspired by his protest, a female prisoner, Hana Shalabi, refused food for 43 days before the Israelis decided to deport her to Gaza, barring her from returning to her native West Bank for at least three years. Eight pro-Palestinian activists who arrived in Israel on Sunday as part of the “flytilla,” and who are awaiting deportation at a holding facility in Givon prison, said they too would return their meals to identify with the Palestinian prisoners.
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