In an interview with Mandela’s lawyer Buthaina Duqmaq at Ha Darim Prison on 2 September 2004, inmates Houssam Khader and Samir Qanttar affirmed negotiations with the Israeli Prison Authority have actually begun on day one of the hunger strike contrary to what Israeli media has been reporting. They asserted the popular and organized solidarity movement with the prisoners forced Israeli authorities into negotiations with the striking prisoners. Both inmates emphasized the prisoners’ high spirits to challenge the status quo and their coalescence with the committee leading the strike coerced the Israeli side into marathon-like negotiations to lessen the negative impact of the strike on Israeli image. Read more about Prisoners adjourn hunger strike until Sunday
In an interview with advocate Buthaina Duqmaq, Abdul-Salam Shukry and Mohmoud Haskour, two Palestinian prisoners, affirmed inmates at Nafha Prison have high spirits and vow to continue the hunger strike until their humanitarian and just demands are realized. They asserted any deal between the prisoners and the Israeli prison authorities must be concluded only with prisoners’ leadership. Israeli military authorities have scattered prison leaders among several isolation sections to create a wedge among inmates. Advocate Duqmaq learned that several infirm cases were reported at Nafha Prison. “We are solely responsible for our safety and wellbeing should we continue the hunger strike”. Read more about Prisoners at Nafha prison boycott clinic
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has today protested to the Israeli Government at the ongoing closure of the Erez Crossing into the Gaza Strip. The closure, which began on Tuesday 31 August, seriously damages UNRWA’s ability to carry out its humanitarian mandate in the occupied Palestinian territory. In an unprecedented and serious development, the Israeli authorities have barred Peter Hansen, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General and an Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, from leaving Gaza to carry out his duties in the West Bank. It is unheard of for the executive head of a UN agency to have his freedom of movement flagrantly curtailed by a member state of the UN in this way. Read more about Israel bars UN refugee agency head from leaving Gaza
Mandela’s lawyer Buthaina Duqmaq affirmed Israeli prison authorities effected a series of transfers between Galbou’ and Shatta prisons. Duqmaq was made to wait for two and a half hours at the prison gate until she could meet with Yasser Abu-Bakr for five minutes. The administration claimed they were in the middle of moving inmates between the two prisons. Abu-Bakr affirmed the administration transferred 50 infirm prisoners from Galbou’ to Shatta and 90 inmates, on hunger strike, from Shatta to Galbou’. He explained the administration carried out several transfers within the same prison to create a sense of instability among the prisoners. Read more about Striking prisoners boycott prison clinic
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel petitioned the Supreme Court: The route of the barrier in this area entraps more than a thousand residents in an isolated enclave, has a disastrous impact on the residents’ lives, and is liable to empty the area of Palestinian residents. ACRI urged the Supreme Court to dismantle the section of the barrier that was constructed in the Alfei Menashe enclave to the south and east of Qalqilya, and completely surrounds the residents of five villages cutting them off from the rest of the West Bank. Read more about Supreme Court petitioned on Separation Barrier near Qalqilya
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and Adalah submitted a petition to the Supreme Court yesterday on behalf of seven attorneys and additional human rights organizations against the Israel Prison Service. The petition demands that the court order the IPS to allow prisoners who are classified as security prisoners or detainees, and are currently on hunger strike, to meet with their attorneys. The first hearing of the petition, which was submitted by Adalah Attorney Orna Kohn and ACRI Attorney Sonia Boulos, is on Wednesday at 11.30 am. At the beginning of August the prisoners and detainees declared their intention to begin a hunger strike in protest of the poor and deteriorating prison conditions. Read more about ACRI and Adalah petition High Court on hunger strike prisoners
For the 13th day of the hunger strike, the Israeli government continues to refuse to engage in negotiations with the prisoners or their representatives. Instead, Israeli officials have responded with various forms of punishment designed to break the will of the prisoners to maintain the strike. Prison officials have ordered Jewish prisoners in the Nafha prison to prepare barbeques for the strikers in hopes that the smells would force the men and women to cave in. The Israeli Prison Service has so far refused to transfer any sick prisoner to hospitals outside the prisons. Israeli hospitals are prevented from allowing striker prisoners in. Read more about Palestinian prisoners press on with hunger strike
The International Committee of the Red Cross has continued to conduct its activities in Israeli places of detention during the current hunger strike by Palestinian security detainees. In particular, over the last 10 days the organization has begun a round of visits to all prisons housing detainees on strike, while maintaining close contact with their families and groups representing them. The ICRC plans to strengthen its team of medical doctors visiting places of detention, with a view to stepping up its monitoring of health conditions and access to medical care there. During the visits, the doctors will stress the possible health consequences of the strike. Read more about Red Cross visits detainees on hunger strike
This week Israeli forces killed 6 Palestinian civilians, including a child and an elderly man. Israeli forces razed 60 donums of agricultural land in Wadi al-Salka and 45 donums in al-Moraq. Israeli forces demolished 17 homes in the Gaza Strip. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories and construction of Israel’s apartheid wall continues despite international consensus against the wall. Palestinian and Arab prisoners initiated a hunger strike in Israeli prisons with a call to improve conditions of their confinement, seeking respect for minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
Over 2,000 Palestinian political prisoners are currently participating in a hunger strike to protest their detention conditions and treatment by Israeli prison authorities. These include demands for public phones, the removal of partitions that separate inmates from visiting family members, and a halt to strip searches. They are also demanding the right to be able to hold their children during visits. Israeli prison authorities have resorted to new measures to end the open hunger strike that entered its 11th day today. EI’s Arjan El Fassed reports. Read more about Palestinian prisoner hunger strike continues, despite Israeli repression
