<http://972mag.com/from-prisoner-releases-to-gaza-beaches-a-week-in-photos-february-7-13/66114/> PHOTOS: From prisoner releases to Gaza beaches<http://972mag.com/from-prisoner-releases-to-gaza-beaches-a-week-in-photos-february-7-13/66114/> Activestills <http://972mag.com/author/activestills/> +972blog <http://972mag.com/author/972blog/>Jerusalem's refugee camp: Abandoned by the state<http://972mag.com/jerusalems-refugee-camp-abandoned-by-the-state/66201/>
<http://972mag.com/jerusalems-refugee-camp-abandoned-by-the-state/66201/>Published February 17, 2013 | 3 Comments http://972mag.com/as-palestinian-hunger-strikes-come-to-a-head-world-begins-to-take-notice/66264/ By Michael Omer-Man <http://972mag.com/author/michaelom/> |Published February 18, 2013As Palestinian hunger strikes come to a head, world begins to take notice *Four Palestinian prisoners are on hunger strikes to protest their administrative detention and the conditions in which they are being held. While the EU calls on Israel to respect its obligations toward Palestinian prisoners human rights, an Israeli NGO reports they are being treated unethically in hospital.* <http://972mag.com/a-week-in-photos-january-10-16/64041/08-8386395374_902ec2c4df_o/> An Israeli prison guard escorts Samer Issawi, a Palestinian political prisoner on hunger strike, out of his court hearing in Jerusalem, January 16, 2013. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org) All anyone in Israel has spoken about for the past week is Prisoner X, the Jewish-Israeli-Australian Mossad agent held secretly by his own country, who supposedly took his own life in prison two years ago. But only a few miles from the Israeli newsrooms in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, outrage over a different type of prisoner in Israeli jails has been mounting for months and is coming to a head. Four Palestinian men in Israeli prisons are currently in the late stages of prolonged hunger strikes protesting the legal basis of their imprisonment: administrative detention and military committee sentencing decisions based on secret evidence <http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=573>. Both amount to imprisonment without knowledge of what they are accused of or the right to a trial. In recent days, the prisoners have reportedly intensified their hunger strikes, refusing all medical treatment, including vitamins and minerals. Their health is said to be rapidly deteriorating. Thousands of Palestinians have taken to the streets throughout the West Bank<http://972mag.com/palestinians-injured-in-prisoner-related-clashes-throughout-west-bank/66169/> in recent weeks, leading to violent clashes with the IDF and including protests that shut down the Ramallah offices of the Red Cross<http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/nonviolence/3930-red-cross-office-in-ramallah-will-remain-closed> and UN. [image: Tear gas outside Ofer prison (Oren Ziv / Activestills)]<http://972mag.com/palestinians-injured-in-prisoner-related-clashes-throughout-west-bank/66169/ofer-oren/> Tear gas outside Ofer prison (Oren Ziv / Activestills) Hundreds of Palestinian citizens of Israel have also protested in solidarity with the hunger strikers<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1252261/1/.html> on the other side of the Green Line. <http://972mag.com/from-protest-villages-to-hunger-strikes-a-week-in-photos-january-31-february-6/65543/06-8445568758_3e9522c43a_c/> Demonstration in front of Ramle prison in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, February 4, 2013. Issawi is currently held in an Israeli medical detention center in critical condition. (Photo by: Keren Manor/Activestills.org) European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Quartet envoy Tony Blair have both called on Israel to respect the human rights of Palestinian prisoners<http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/news/entry/tony-blair-comments-on-palestinian-prisoners-hunger-strike/> in accordance with its obligations in international law. Responding to the hunger strikers deteriorating health condition, Ashton said Saturday<http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:mRcNetCigd8J:www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/135506.pdf+&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk>, Under international law, detainees have the right to be informed about the reasons underlying any detention and to have the legality of their detention determined without undue delay. The Arab League has demanded the international community take responsibility<http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/international/3945-arab-league-calls-on-international-community-to-support-striking-prisoners> and break its unjustified silence over the injustices Israel subjects Palestinian prisoners to. In its preparations for U.S. President Obamas upcoming visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah, the Palestinian government is also reportedly pushing the issue of prisoners<http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=303552> to the top of its agenda. The longest of the hunger strikes is reported to be around 200 days. Samer Issawi was released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in October, 2011, having served 10 years of a 30-year sentence. He began his hunger strike nine months later, shortly after the IDF re-arrested him. Issawi is protesting the legal mechanism that put him in prison without access to due process. He was re-sentenced by a military committee using secret evidence that neither he nor his lawyers can see, and therefore cannot mount a defense in court. Ayman Sharawna was also re-arrested and sentenced under similar conditions using secret evidence, thereby denying him the ability to defend himself in court. Two other prisoners on hunger strike, Jafar Azzidine and Tareq Qaadan, are being held in administrative detention; they were never charged with a crime, told what they are accused of or given a chance to defend themselves or clear their names. Administrative detention, which is permissible under international law only in extreme cases to prevent immediate and grave dangers, is widely abused by Israel to imprison Palestinians. During a mass, 1,400-prisoner hunger strike last year to protest the practice, Israel was said to be holding over 300 Palestinians in administrative detention. Acknowledging the legally problematic nature of the practice, even the most senior Israeli security officials have admitted it is unnecessary<http://972mag.com/israel-admits-administrative-detention-unnecessary/44673/> . But beyond the highly problematic and illegal (under international law) mechanisms for detaining them, Israels treatment toward the hunger strikers defies its own laws and regulations, medical ethics and international conventions, Israeli NGO Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) wrote in a statement Sunday<http://www.phr.org.il/default.asp?PageID=116&ItemID=1701> . After petitioning Israeli courts to demand visits with the hunger striking prisoners, PHR recently met with and examined them. The hunger strikers are being kept shackled in their hospital beds and are being denied family visits, despite being in danger of dying, it said. Israels use of administrative detention based on military regulations to incarcerate individuals without trial is evidence that this is but one more tool used to repress residents of the occupied territories, PHR asserted. The fact that medical personnel are also involved, the violations of the right to health and the courts failure to preserve the inmates rights is evidence of Israels widespread and systemic moral, ethical and professional failures, the statement added. Israeli courts are set to hear appeals by Issawi in the coming days. Also on Monday, a PLO official reportedly said U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro promised him Israel would release 550 Palestinian prisoners ahead of Obamas visit in the coming weeks, according to Israeli daily *Maariv*<http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/437/298.html?hp=1&cat=404>. (Hebrew) *Read a recent letter by Samer Issawi describing the reasons for his determination to continue his hunger strike here<http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/news/5998-samer-issawi-no-going-back-i-am-owner-of-right.html> .* [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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