In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Mass Hunger Strikes by Palestinians
Palestinians are acutely aware of the power of peaceful protests of the Arab Spring, discussing them as a strategy for themselves. The hunger strikes represented a new emphasis on nonviolent dissent and reflected some of the characteristics of the Arab awakening: They were well organized, had massive support among the Palestinian public, and occurred over a period of time and on a large scale.
Most of the 1,600 prisoners, a third of the 4,800 Palestinians in Israeli jails, began refusing food April 17 although a few had been fasting much longer - up to 77 days.
It all started when a lone prisoner, Khader Adnan initiated a hunger strike to protest his abusive arrest and administrative detention on December 17. Israeli authorities had not laid any formal
charges against him, but said he was arrested for "activities that threaten regional security.“ He was released on 18 April 2012 after being on hunger strike for 66 days.
What they want are; more family visits, an end to solitary confinement and administrative detention, a practice that has drawn international criticism on human rights grounds
Tracing back the cause for this , relatives’ visits from Gaza were suspended after Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinians and taken to Gaza in 2006. He was released in October in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The Nonviolent Victory against Zionism
Israel yesterday agreed to relax significant elements of the regime for Palestinian prisoners in an eleventh hour deal which ended a mass hunger strike that had threatened to unleash widespread unrest across the West Bank.
This most recent wave of hunger strike was ended with agreements to allow family visits and to terminate “administrative detentions” – imprisonment without charges or trials – a practice that has drawn international criticism on human rights grounds. In return, prisoners agreed not to engage in criminal or terror activities from their cells.
Israel also agreed to improve other conditions of detention and to free administrative detainees once they complete their terms, unless they are brought to court.
Gaza’s Hamas leaders hailed the strike as a successful campaign against Israel. Celebrations quickly spread to the streets, where motorists honked horns, and passers-by embraced and shouted “Allahu Akbar”.
“This is a first step toward liberation and victory,” said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman.
However Zionist regime did not say whether it would free any administrative detainees, but pledged an inter-ministerial team would look at prisoner requests and issue recommendations.
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