Palestinian Hunger Strikers Cut Off from Communication

PALESTINE - ISRAEL, 8 May 2017

Charlotte Silver | The Electronic Intifada – TRANSCEND Media Service

Israeli Border Police arrest a Palestinian protester during a demonstration in support of hunger striking prisoners in Jerusalem on 29 April. Faiz Abu Rmeleh ActiveStills

2 May 2017 – As Palestinian prisoners enter day 16 of their mass hunger strike, Israeli authorities are said to be obstructing negotiations and severely impeding communication from the strikers to the outside world.

As many as 1,600 Palestinians are refusing food in protest of ill treatment by Israeli prison authorities, including medical neglect and reduction of family visits.

Israel has attempted to prevent information on the striking prisoners from reaching the public by transferring protest leaders into solitary confinement and blocking visits by families and lawyers.

On Saturday, the Israel Prison Service reportedly ordered mobile phone companies to block reception in the western area of the Naqab desert in the south of the country to prevent Palestinians on strike in the Ketziot and Nafha prisons from communicating.

The blackout was partially lifted after Israeli residents in the area complained of service disruptions.

The cellular blackout was apparently coordinated by public security minister Gilad Erdan, who has taken a hard line against hunger strikes. Erdan pushed for the legalization of force-feeding in 2015 by calling hunger strikes a “new sort of suicide bombing to threaten the state of Israel.”

In an op-ed published by The New York Times on Monday, Erdan states that Israel will not “surrender to terrorism,” and the hunger strike has nothing to do with the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Attacks on Solidarity Protests

Throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli forces attacked gatherings and demonstrations in solidarity with hunger striking prisoners.

In the northern West Bank village Sebastia, soldiers fired tear gas at a sit-in on Monday, causing the protest tent to catch fire, two days after tear gas fired by Israeli forces caused a blaze in the village of Beita, south of Nablus.

The Israeli military used violent force against a coordinated “day of rage” throughout the West Bank on Friday.

Protesters were injured by tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition.

While lawyers have been banned from hunger strikers at most detention centers, attorneys with the rights group Addameer have been able to visit with non-striking prisoners, who have given updates on the progress of the strike.

Addameer’s lawyers were told that Israel has continued to impose punitive measures on strikers, including transferring them to solitary confinement, prohibiting them from participating in group prayer on Fridays and banning them from washing their clothing.

Salt Confiscated

A prisoner told Addameer that prison officials seized salt from hunger strikers, which they consume to stabilize and prevent long-term damage to their health.

A lawyer from the Palestinian Authority committee on prisoners’ affairs accused Israeli officials of “psychological torture” by putting food in front of the striking prisoners.

Last week, the Palestinian Authority body and the Palestinian human rights group Adalah filed a joint petition to Israel’s high court over the Israel Prison Service’s ban on meetings between hunger strikers and their lawyers.

The court is scheduled hear the petition on Wednesday.

The groups state that the Israeli prison authorities are violating a 2004 high court ruling which states that it is illegal to bar meetings between prisoners – including those on hunger strike – and their lawyers.

The health of several hunger strikers is said to have deteriorated, but information is difficult to confirm due to communication restrictions.

Israel is meanwhile reportedly impeding negotiations by conditioning them on the exclusion of Marwan Barghouti.

Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah party who is serving multiple life sentences since his arrest in 2002, launched the mass hunger strike on 17 April, which marks Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, though the campaign has generated widespread support among Palestinians from multiple political factions.

Go to Original – electronicintifada.net

Join the BDS-BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, SANCTIONS campaign to protest the Israeli barbaric siege of Gaza, illegal occupation of the Palestine nation’s territory, the apartheid wall, its inhuman and degrading treatment of the Palestinian people, and the more than 7,000 Palestinian men, women, elderly and children arbitrarily locked up in Israeli prisons.

DON’T BUY PRODUCTS WHOSE BARCODE STARTS WITH 729, which indicates that it is produced in Israel. DO YOUR PART! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

7 2 9: BOYCOTT FOR JUSTICE!

Share this article: email mastodon facebook 🔗 copy link

DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Comments are closed.