Ramallah - More than 1 000 Palestinian prisoners held in
Israeli prisons have started an indefinite hunger strike to demand
better conditions, Israeli and Palestinian officials said on Monday.
Approximately 1 100 prisoners in different facilities had declared
their intention to strike, said Israel Prison Service spokeswoman
Hana Herbst, adding that the service was taking disciplinary
measures.
Israel Prison Service, which "has past experience in dealing with
hunger strikes and has the means to contain them," was transferring
striking prisoners to separate cell blocks, she said in a statement.
Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian prisoners commission, had told
local media outlets that about 1 300 prisoners were protesting over
grievances including medical negligence, administrative detention,
limited family visits and violations of the UN Geneva Convention.
The Israel Prison Service expects the number of striking prisoners to
increase in the coming days after Palestinian officials, marking
Palestinian Prisoners' Day on Monday, have called for the public to
show support at rallies throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The strike was called by imprisoned Fatah party leader Marwan
Barghouti, who is serving five life terms for his involvement in the
killing of Israelis during the second Intifada in the early 2000s.
Top Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi called on the international
community to bring an end to the "inhumane" treatment of Palestinian
prisoners. "Israel must not be given a free hand to systematically
dehumanize the Palestinian people without any serious accountability
or punitive measures," she said in a statement released on Sunday.
There are more than 6 500 Palestinians in Israeli jails, including
500 prisoners held in administrative detention, that is without
facing charges or a trial, according to the prisoners' commission.
Palestinian families seeking to visit their imprisoned relatives
require permits to enter into Israel, which are usually given
selectively and declined during Israeli army border closings.
Israel passed a highly controversial law in July that allows prison
authorities to request court permission to force-feed a prisoner. The
law has been vehemently condemned by doctors and human rights groups.