“Epitome of Freedom” Palestinian Hunger-Strike Prisoners

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In response to "Israel's" tightening restrictions, Palestinian prisoners detained by "Israel" have declared an open-ended hunger strike given the bad conditions of prisons.  

Historical Perspective: Palestinians as Political Prisoners

Those who are imprisoned and incarcerated because of their identity, opinions, or political actions are referred to as political prisoners. Political prisoners in the Palestinian context refer to those arrested as a result of "Israel's" occupation. Sadly, for Palestinians, imprisonment is an all-too-common reality. Since the occupation began, around one-fifth of the population has been detained at any point. Thousands of Palestinians have been held in administrative detention without being charged or even informed of the crimes they are suspected of committing. According to a local NGO, almost one million Palestinians have been imprisoned by Israeli forces since 1967.

"Israel" occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria’s Golan Heights, and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula during the 1967 Six-Day War, which was ultimately returned to Egypt via the 1979 Camp David Accords. Palestinian prisoners are held in terrible conditions and are subjected to brutal abuse in prison. Various forms of physical and psychological abuse have been documented by human rights organizations. 

Moreover, from family visits to due judicial process, they are denied a wide variety of basic rights. Hunger strikes are their sole option for retaliation for these detainees in protest of their imprisonment in solitary confinement, at least 250 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have started a hunger strike. The current strike, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, is in protest of the isolation of Islamic Jihad prisoners into designated cells, separating them from the majority of the group's members. "Israel" is currently holding about 4,600 Palestinians. Senior resistance members convicted of killing Israelis, political activists who took part in rallies, and youngsters jailed for throwing stones at Israeli soldiers are among the detainees.

In nonviolent resistance movements, hunger strikes have a long history. People fast as a form of political protest, to bring attention to their condition, or to challenge oppressors. The frequency of hunger strikes reflects the despair of the convicts. They would sooner die by refusing to eat than accept their heinous treatment, which includes solitary confinement, humiliating strip searches, sleep deprivation, and brutal beatings (Remix of Palestine, 2021).

Palestinian Prisoners on Hunger Strike

Six Palestinian detainees managed to flee the heavily guarded Gilbao Israeli jail in the early morning hours of September 6, 2021. Later on, they had been captured by the Israeli police. This is unusual in Palestinian history, there have been just a few successful jail breakouts, the most famous of which occurred in 1987 from Gaza Prison when six inmates cut the iron bars and escaped. In Israeli jails, Palestinian prisoners are subjected to inhumane treatment. Israeli jailers torture them physically and psychologically, and they have little or no legal assistance (Tayyaba, 2021).

According to organizations involved with prisoners’ welfare, there are approximately 4,850 Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons, including 40 women, 225 children, and 40 administrative detainees. The majority of Palestinian prisoners are from the occupied West Bank, which "Israel" captured in the 1967 war and which Palestinians want to be the heart of their future state. Palestinian prisoners go on an open hunger strike, surviving primarily on water and salt. 

Most importantly, two of the prisoners, Kayed Al-Fasous and Miqdad Al-Qawasmi, are claimed to be in imminent danger of death, according to the rights experts. Furthermore, Miqdad al-Qawasmi, a prisoner who has been refusing food and drink for 110 days, has been transferred to the Israeli Kapla hospital. His lawyer stated that his condition had drastically deteriorated and that he is on the verge of death. Significantly, Qawasmi's father has stated that his son is on a hunger strike to secure his release. "Those who are on hunger strike are the epitome of freedom”.

The head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS), Qadura Fares stressed, "This struggle, our heroes endure, is the struggle of every Palestinian. "Israel" wants to turn us into a population that demands civil rights rather than national rights, hundreds of prisoners are on the verge of joining a hunger strike”.  when Qawasmi was transferred to hospital, his mother pledged that her son would "continue his hunger strike until he achieves freedom”.

UN experts call on "Israel" to free or charge five Palestinians who are now on hunger strike in Israeli jails and are critically unwell, as well as to halt its illegal practice of administrative detention. The experts stated that "Israel" continues to detain over 500 Palestinians, including six children without accusations, trials, or verdicts.

"Israel" has routinely disobeyed its legal obligations under the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, according to the experts. UN calls for "Israel" to comply with its obligations. Administrative detention is only permissible in extreme circumstances and for short periods under international law (AP News & UN, 2021).

Following similar lines, many international organizations increased their pressure on "Israel" to stop discriminating against thousands of Palestinian prisoners. The International Committee of the Red Cross has called for persons aged 65 and older, as well as those with health problems, to be released.