Palestinian prisoners in Israel at death’s door

THE situation in Israel’s West Bank has reached a critical juncture as the health of hunger-striking Palestinian political prisoners continues to deteriorate.

Protests have rocked the territory, leaving several Palestinians dead and dozens injured in clashes with security forces.

The head of the Palestinian Committee of Prisoner Affairs, Issa Qaraqe, said all hunger-striking prisoners, estimated at 1 300, had been transferred to three Israeli prisons with field hospitals.

The authorities would not give information on the condition of the hunger-strikers, but Israeli and Palestinian media reported a number had been refusing water while the rest were subsisting on salt water.

The leader of the strike, Marwan Barghouti, also threatened to stop drinking unless the prisoners’ demands for improved jail conditions were met.

The hunger-strikers want an end to the denial of family visits, the right to pursue higher education, appropriate medical care and treatment, and an end to solitary confinement and administrative detention, among other things.

A media committee to support the strike warned the detainees were in “a critical condition,” marked by chronic vomiting, vision impairment, fainting and an average weight loss of 20kg.

“The next 48 hours are critical. The prisoners are determined and would prefer to die in dignity than remain imprisoned in inhumane conditions,” said Shawan Jabarin, the director of the internationally renowned Palestinian rights group Al Haq, based in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Fearing some prisoners may die, the Israeli government said it would bring in “doctors” to force-feed the hunger strikers.

On Tuesday, UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk said force-feeding amounted to torture, adding that administrative detention, or imprisonment without trial, was against international law.

Meanwhile, the West Bank saw deadly confrontations between Israeli security forces, settlers and Palestinians protesting in support of the strikers.

A Palestinian was shot dead and a journalist wounded in a protest march – after an Israeli settler’s car was stoned near Nablus.

He was the third Palestinian to be shot by Israeli settlers.

One was wounded near Ramallah just days earlier.

Protesters blockaded roads and intersections with burning tyres and debris throughout the territory, while entrances to UN and Red Cross offices were blocked.

Earlier in the week the Israeli navy shot a Palestinian fisherman dead off the coast of Gaza, claiming he posed a security threat.

Weeks ago, a 13-year-old Palestinian girl was shot by Israeli police near the Old City of Jerusalem when she threatened them with a knife.

The wave of violence threatened to develop into a tsunami at the weekend as Palestinians were urged to continue confronting Israeli security forces in the West Bank.

Leaders of Gaza’s political factions held a press conference to threaten a military confrontation if any hunger-strikers died. – ANA