Prisoners’ collective resistance against Israel is central to the anti-colonial struggle

Last month, Ma’an news agency reported that Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti will be leading a mass hunger strike in which Fatah-affiliated prisoners would be participating. The hunger strike aims to operate on two main fronts: collective resistance instead of individual negotiation by prisoners with the Israeli Prison Service (IPS); and a collective demand for prisoners’ rights, such as proper medical treatment, visitation rights, humane treatment during transfer between prisons and court and an end to administrative detention and solitary confinement.

The mass hunger strike is scheduled to commence on 17 April, which marks Palestinian Prisoners’ Day. Yesterday, Ma’an said that Palestinian prisoners from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) have pledged to join the latest joint action. A statement by the Palestinian Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs also confirmed that the 120 Palestinian prisoners held in Hadarim Prison, affiliated to Fatah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, the PFLP and the DFLP, will also be participating in the initiative.

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According to Muhammad Abbad, a Fatah leader imprisoned in Gilboa, the hunger strike will be “a historic opportunity to reunite and bring the prisoners’ issue to the forefront under Barghouti’s leadership.” Haaretz has already taken the view that this implies some personal political gain “to restore the status of Marwan Barghouti” as a possible successor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas. If the hunger strike degenerates to such an intention, then organised Palestinian resistance will suffer a setback, despite Barghouti’s popularity among the population at large.

Organised Palestinian resistance is one of Israel’s greatest fears. The Israeli narrative in this case might favour an exaggerated focus upon Barghouti, thus isolating and diminishing the importance of hundreds of prisoners, regardless of political affiliation, uniting for a common cause. It is important, therefore, to emphasise the collective resistance efforts above all else. The role of the organiser should merge with the commitment exhibited by the prisoners themselves. Tying any possible success to the glorification of one individual deters recognition of this struggle, at a time when Palestinian politics have dictated complete subjugation in order to ensure that there is no departure from the impositions that have shackled the people of Palestine for decades.

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Israel cannot dismiss the fact that prisoners still form the bulwark of Palestinian resistance, hence the increasing violations against them, particularly the refusal to refrain from administrative detention as a form of collective punishment upon detainees and their families. The hunger strike also carries the potential for Palestinians to unite and ensure that it resonates beyond the prison walls.

Given the lack of organised resistance outside of prison, the initiative can provide a new foundation for Palestinians to articulate their collective struggle. Palestinian political factions should also ponder their diminishing roles and pay attention to a new structure which is actively combating Israeli colonial violence, unless it is their wish to be confined to mere historical footnotes.

Palestinian prisoners occupy an ambiguous space in the political spectrum. There are few exceptions to the norm of being included in political rhetoric, hailed as heroes when convenient and also exploited as bargaining chips during negotiations. With or without Marwan Barghouti, the forthcoming hunger strike should assert the centrality of Palestinian prisoners to the anti-colonial struggle.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.