Hunger striker Khader Adnan, held by Israel, in “shocking” condition as solidarity grows

Ali Abunimah Rights and Accountability 8 February 2012

Adnan Khader, the head of the Islamic Jihad Movement in the West Bank, talking to the media after a meeting with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Muqata in the West Bank town of Ramallah June 28, 2005.

Mushir Abdelrahman Maan Images

The wife and children of Khader Adnan were allowed to visit him as the husband, father and baker completed 53 continuous days of hunger strike against his detention without charge or trial since Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank arrested him on 17 December.

Randa Adnan told Ma’an News Agency:

“Adnan is being targeted for a slow process of assassination” she said. She says she was “shocked” at her husband’s condition, and that he told her he feels he’s living the last moments of his life, she said.

“A lot of the hair on his face and head has fallen off. He has not been allowed to shower or wash during all his time in detention, nor is he allowed to wear warm clothes in this cold weather.”

She added that “during my visit, my husband’s heart swelled up and a medical crew neglected him for half an hour.”

The Palestinian prisoner support group Addameer added through its Twitter account:

More than a week ago, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, who examined Adnan, said he could face imminent death due to his deteriorating condition.

Israel continues to obstruct due process

Meanwhile, according to Addameer, Israel continues to obstruct legal challenges to Adnan’s “administrative detention”:

Growing solidarity

Khader Adnan’s case has become widely known through social media, as Jalal AbuKhater wrote yesterday, people all over the world tweeted to the #Dying2Live hashtag to draw attention to Adnan’s struggle.

Action alerts have been issued calling on people to contact US or Israeli authorities to call for his release.

Amnesty International had previously issued two action alerts calling on Israel to release or charge Adnan. According to Amnesty, there were 307 Palestinian “administrative detainees” held by Israel as of 31 December, including 21 elected members of the Palestinian legislative council.

Meanwhile, protests and solidarity actions are being planned or staged:

If you know of others, please leave a comment below.

“International community” ignores Adnan and other Palestinian prisoners

While grassroots outrage is growing over Adnan’s condition, official voices remain mute. The EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton, who frequently called on Palestinians to release the Israeli prisoner of war (POW) held in Gaza until last October, has remained silent.

Meanwhile, as France ignores the fate of Adnan and thousands of other Palestinian prisoners, including almost 200 children in Israeli jails, President Nicholas Sarkozy today met with the former Israeli POW.

Last week, Palestinians in Gaza protested and refused to meet with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon because while the latter also had met with the family of the Israeli ex-POW, he refused requests to meet with families of Palestinian prisoners.

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Ali Abunimah

Co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine, now out from Haymarket Books.

Also wrote One Country: A Bold-Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Opinions are mine alone.