14 May 2012
Palestinian hunger strikers' prison victory
SOME 1,500 to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners have agreed today to end their hunger strike about Israel’s internment laws and for better conditions for political prisoners.
The hunger strike had been ongoing since the middle of April and there were increasing fears that some of the protesters were perilously close to death after refusing food for more than 70 days.
The deal to end the hunger strikes was reached after several hours of negotiations and just hours before mass rallies planned for the West Bank and internationally for Nakba Day demonstrations tomorrow. Nakba Day commemorates the expulsion and fleeing of Palestinians from their lands as a result of the 1948 war that led to the creation of the Jewish state.
Palestinian prisoners in Israel
- Total in Israeli Prison Service (custody: 5,335
- In administrative detention (internment): 228
- Detained under illegal combatants law: 2
- Total minors detained (under 18): 211
- Minors detained under 16: 39
(All figures May 2011 compiled by B'Tselem)
Follow us on Facebook
An Phoblacht on Twitter
Uncomfortable Conversations
An initiative for dialogue
for reconciliation
— — — — — — —
Contributions from key figures in the churches, academia and wider civic society as well as senior republican figures