Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails launch hunger strike

Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons under administrative detention started a hunger strike on Monday to protest against their poor treatment.

Head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club Qadoura Fares announced that: “Detainees at Ofer and Majeddo prisons started their strike on Monday morning. Dozens of detainees in other prisons may also start a strike later on if the prison services continue treating them badly.”

Fares confirmed that the prisoners are mainly protesting against being misled by the Israeli prison services regarding the terms of their administrative detention. He firmly blamed the Israeli occupation for the deteriorating situation in the prisons.

He also called upon the international community to intervene in order to end the suffering of Palestinian prisoners, and to demand an end to the Israeli practice of administrative detention.

B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, defines administrative detention as follows:

Administrative detention is implemented solely on the basis of an administrative order, without either indictment or trial. Under certain circumstances, this type of detention may be lawful. However, due to the substantial injury to due process inherent in this measure, international law stipulates that it may be exercised only in very exceptional cases – and then only as a last possible resort, when there are no other means available to prevent the danger. Nevertheless, Israeli authorities routinely employ administrative detention. Over the years, thousands of Palestinians have been held in Israeli custody as administrative detainees for extended periods of time.

Israeli authorities routinely use administrative detention to detain Palestinians without charge, holding them indefinitely. Over the years, thousands of Palestinians have been held in Israeli custody as administrative detainees for extended periods of time.