Mass hunger strike launched by 1,500 Palestinians in Israeli prisons
Palestinian inmates launch large-scale protest to demand better conditions and more contact with relatives
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are due to begin a hunger strike this week, in the biggest coordinated protest of its kind.
Paramilitary leader Marwan Barghouti, who is serving time for murder, said 700 prisoners were joining him on the hunger strike, but the number could eventually rise to more than 2,000.
Barghouti is seen as the only Palestinian leader credibility with both Hamas and Fatah, and therefore the sole candidate to negotiate a peace deal with Israel. He was arrested in 2002 and given five life sentences.
The hunger strike, which could see prisoners being force-fed by Israeli military personnel, has been planned to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the occupation, and includes both secular and Islamist prisoners.
It has the backing of the Palestinian leadership in both Gaza and the West Bank, including Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Organisers say that while Israel allows one family visit every two weeks, family members must apply for permits every time, and these are often refused. They are also asking for more phone-calls to family members.
A Hamas spokesman said: “We warn the Israel Prison Service against bringing any harm to the hunger strikers. Any delay in answering their just demands will explode the situation inside all prisons. All prisoners will unite in the face of all those who might harm prisoners and their dignity.”
Writing in the New York Times, Barghouti said a hunger strike was “the most peaceful form of resistance available,” adding that Israel sought to “break the spirit of prisoners… by inflicting suffering on their bodies, separating them from their families and communities, using humiliating measures to compel subjugation”.
Israeli Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the strike was “motivated by internal Palestinian politics and therefore includes unreasonable demands,” in reference to the battle to succeed Mahmoud Abbas, who is due to step down shortly.
Erdan added: “I have instructed the prison service to act in any way to contain the strike within the walls of the prisons and the Israel police to prepare and provide any help needed to the prison service for any scenario that is likely to develop.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
