'Pots and pans' & solidarity marches held across the globe

Hundreds of Palestinians clanged pots and pans while marching through the streets of Ramallah on Saturday night, to express solidarity with some 1,500 hunger strikers inside Israeli prisons who are calling on Israeli authorities to grant them basic rights.

A number of rallies took place Saturday in the occupied Palestinian territory, as will as in Israel and abroad, amid growing support for the hunger strikers who continue to face harsh punishments for refusing their meals.

The hunger strikers have denounced the torture, ill treatment, and medical neglect of Palestinian prisoners at the hands of Israeli authorities, as well as Israel’s widespread use of administrative detention – internment without trial or charges – which is only permitted under international law in extremely limited circumstances.

Read:  ‘It’s my right to see you’, says daughter of Palestinian prisoner

Solidarity rallies have been organised daily since the strike began on April 17, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, under the banner of “Freedom and Dignity.”

Participant of the march in Ramallah Nassim Shahin said that she joined the action to support her brother Hussam Shahin, from occupied East Jerusalem, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence. She said:

The message we aim to deliver to the public is of the necessity of supporting these prisoners on hunger strike, who have sacrificed their freedom for the freedom of others

Representative of the Palestinian National Security Forces Issam Bakir called for wider participation in West Bank marches. “The higher the participation the better, so we can more effectively deliver the prisoners’ message to the world, and exert more pressure on the (Israeli) occupation government to meet their demands.”

Yvonne Ridley: That barbecue outside a hunger strike prison exposes Israeli settlers’ blind hatred

https://twitter.com/OccPalGaza/status/856114576911368192

Support from across the globe

Solidarity protests were also held outside of the occupied territories, in support of the Palestinian hunger strikers.

New York City protest supports Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike https://t.co/jgQqVeP2nA pic.twitter.com/bwLCJZUDYe

— Joe Catron (@jncatron) April 22, 2017

Greece's Thessaloniki take to the streets in solidarity with the #Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike for the 6th consecutive day. pic.twitter.com/pVrv9LDlob

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 22, 2017

https://twitter.com/DaysofPalestine/status/855780447523139584

https://twitter.com/DaysofPalestine/status/856109673841401856