PALESTINIANS HELD BY ISRAEL LAUNCH HUNGER STRIKE

Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli prisons launched a hunger strike Monday, in what their leader behind bars called a new step in the Palestinians’ “long walk to freedom.”

Activists said more than 1,500 of about 6,500 Palestinians held by Israel as so-called security prisoners joined the open-ended protest and that it was the largest such strike in five years. The hunger strikers’ immediate demands included better conditions, including more contact with relatives, and an end to Israel’s practice of detentions without trial.

In the West Bank and Gaza, thousands staged solidarity marches Monday to mark Prisoners’ Day in the Palestinian areas.