The following prisoner solidarity statement was issued on 18 August by New York City Students for Justice in Palestine. Join NYC SJP at 4 PM on 18 August at Dag Hammarksjold Plaza outside the UN in New York City for an emergency protest to free Muhammad Allan!
New York City Students for Justice in Palestine calls for solidarity with Muhammad Allan, a 31 year old Palestinian Lawyer who is being detained by israel without charge or trial. Allan has been hunger striking for his release for over 60 days, since June 14th, 2015. Despite his loss of eyesight, hearing, and all strength in his body, israel has made certain to keep his ankle and wrist cuffed to his hospital bed, and has continually denied his release.
The israeli parliament passed a bill at the end of July that allows the force-feeding of hunger striking Palestinian prisoners. Since then, Allan has been transferred to two different hospitals in the effort to have doctors force-feed him. Both hospitals refused to partake in this practice because it is widely acknowledged to be unethical, life threatening, and a form of torture.
Zionists scapegoat expressly militant youth such as Lina Khattab to justify administrative detention and imprisonment, regardless of the actual content of their actions. Yet it is clear that all Palestinians are subject to inhumane treatment by the israeli ethnocracy, even (and in some cases, especially) when they attempt to use existing channels such as academia and the law that purport to reflect universal liberal values in their pursuit of justice.
Allan’s case does not exist in a vacuum; as of July, Israel was holding 5,442 Palestinian political prisoners and detainees. Such treatment of Palestinians by the occupation is routine. Concurrently, we must recognize that the brutal treatment of Palestinian political prisoners does more than simply underscore the occupation’s indefensible moral standards—it is a manifestation of Zionist logic itself. Zionism requires this treatment because it is predicated on the erasure of the Palestinian people and the denial of their right to self-determination.
We join thousands of people of conscience around the world in calling for Allan’s immediate release along with all other administrative detainees, and for the end of force feeding. Justice for Muhammad Allan and all political prisoners in Palestine, the United States, and across the world!
