OIC confirms support for Palestinian hunger strikers

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has stressed on its support for the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who have been on a hunger strike for more than a month.

The OIC’s committee issued a statement yesterday following a meeting held in Riyadh to discuss the issue of the Palestinian prisoners at the request of the Palestinian representative.

The final statement has called on Israel to respect prisoners’ rights in consistence with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

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The statement has also affirmed all the resolutions issued by the Islamic summits and the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers related to the question of Palestine, Jerusalem and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

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It also stressed that the practices and policies of Israel as the occupying power against Palestinian prisoners constitute flagrant violations of international humanitarian law, human rights, the standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners and other relevant international instruments.

The statement expressed deep concern over the Palestinian hunger strikers plight led by Palestinian Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi who began an open hunger strike on 17 April 2017.