Palestinians’ hunger strike over TV channels

SEVERAL ministers, including Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed they would heed a call to action and embark on a solidarity hunger strike along with ordinary citizens according to the Weekend Argus report headlined “Cyril to fast in solidarity with jailed Palestinians”.

As a service to readers who won’t – or do not have the time for – research what I regard as fake news, I submit the following.

The current hunger strike by security prisoners is an attempt to paint the conditions of prisons in Israel negatively. In reality, the conditions in Israeli prisons are better than those in the Palestinian Authority, Gaza, South Africa, and even in much of the West, not to mention non-democratic countries.

The Israeli Prison Service protects the rights of, and respects, prisoners in Israeli jails. But Palestinian prisoners are currently on strike for: “Access to satellite channels tailored to the needs of prisoners”.

Of the approximately 6 100 security prisoners, one-third are serving sentences for convictions that include direct responsibility for murder. Prisoners receive a monthly salary based on the severity of their crime. Eg. A murderer responsible for the deaths of civilians can receive up to 12 000 NIS a month (about R45 000).

NGOs have claimed Israel has arrested between 750 000 and 800 000 people over almost 10 years, yet their own weekly arrest statistics show this figure is false.

Security prisoners in Israel are entitled to a number of basic rights, and additional benefits, including: regular visits from the International Red Cross; family visits; medical treatment; religious rights; education; meeting with an attorney; access to newspapers; the opportunity to read and have books in their possession; buying goods from the prison’s canteen (run by inmates); watching television, and having electrical appliances; REGARDING the letters from AD Borwick and Dave Butcher, who pointed out the repeat of puzzles. When I have pointed out such errors, my letters were not published.

May I suggest that we, as regular readers, be given a bonus page of Saturday puzzles?