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5 March 2012

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Palestinian hunger striker’s thanks to international supporters

Demonstrators hold a vigil in support of Khader Adnan outside Belfast City Hall

Demonstrators hold a vigil in support of Khader Adnan outside Belfast City Hall

THE WIFE of Palestinian hunger striker Khader Adnan has thanked on behalf of her husband the countless numbers of people in Ireland and across the world who highlighted his 66-day fast against being held hostage by the Israeli state.

The 33-year-old baker was arrested by Israeli troops in the West Bank on 17 December and given a four-month “administrative detention” order by a military court on 10 January. Under Israeli law, such prisoners can be held indefinitely without trial or charge He began refusing food the following day and his protest led to him being dubbed ‘The West Bank’s Bobby Sands’. He received many messages of support from Ireland, including many former hunger strikers and political prisoners.

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has said that more than 300 Palestinians are being held under administrative detention, which it says violates the rights to liberty and due process.

Since 1967, more than 650,000 Palestinians have passed through Israeli jails, many of them in administrative detention - an average of one in four in the Occupied Territories.

 

‘To the free world, the millions who heard of Khader and supported him by calling for his release, I extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation’

 Khader Adnan’s wife, Randa

The worldwide campaign to raise the injustice of “administrative detention” has forced the Israeli Government to agree that it will not renew its detention order against Khader Adnan after his scheduled release on 17 April. Campaigners fear, however, that he may have suffered irreparable damage to his health in his hunger for justice.

His wife, Randa, is thankful for the international spotlight being shone on Israeli injustice:

“The name of my husband, Khader Adnan, has now become known across the world. Four months ago he was unknown outside our homeland, Palestine. His hunger strike of 66 days has transformed him into a global figure and a shining symbol of my people’s struggle.

“To the free world, the millions who heard of Khadar and supported him by calling for his release, I extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation.”

 

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