Siblings of hunger-striker Samer El-Issawi sentenced to prison

The Israeli Central Court in Jerusalem handed down prison sentences on Monday to siblings Medhat El-Issawi and Shireen El-Issawi on charges of providing funds to Palestinian prisoners.

Amjad Abu Asab, head of the committee of Jerusalem prisoners’ families, told Quds Press that the Israeli court sentenced Shireen, who is a lawyer, to four years in prison. Medhat was sentenced to eight years.

The siblings were charged with contacting Palestinian prisoners and providing them with funds, which Israel describes as terrorism.

The two are siblings of Jerusalemite detainee Samer El-Issawi, who nearly died when he undertook one of the longest hunger strikes in history.

Samer El-Issawi was sentenced in 2002 to 30 years in prison. He was freed ten years later under a prisoner swap deal.

He was later arrested once again under the pretext of violating the conditions of his release. He went on an open hunger strike until Israel released him. He was arrested again in June 2014.