Striking Palestinian prisoners, Anas Shadid and Ahmad Abu Fara, ended their hunger strike on Thursday, 22 December after 90 days without food after reaching an agreement. Under the agreement, Shadid and Abu Fara, who have been imprisoned without charge or trial since August 2016, will be released in May 2017 after one four-month extension each of their administrative detention orders. Shadid, 19, from the town of Dura, and Abu Fara, 29, from the town of Surif, both near al-Khalil, launched their hunger strikes on 25 September after nearly two months in Israeli prison without charge or trial.
Both of their detention orders have been “suspended” by the Israeli supreme court due to their health situation; however, such “suspensions” are contingent on their continuing poor health. Both are suffering from an array of very serious health problems, including kidney and liver issues, massive weight loss, and pain throughout the body. Both have experienced major deterioration in their vision. They are held in Assaf Harofeh hospital and have been repeatedly denied transfer to a Palestinian hospital.
This development came one day after fellow administrative detainee Ammar Hmour of Jaba, Jenin, announced that he was suspending his hunger strike after 32 days until next Wednesday, 28 December. He has a court hearing on that date and has reportedly received reassurances that his detention without charge or trial will not be renewed. He was transfered from isolation back to the Negev desert prison after this announcement. Kifah Hattab, in Nafha prison serving a life sentence, is still on hunger strike after 27 days. He is demanding recognition of his status as a prisoner of war.
The conclusion of Abu Fara and Shadid’s strike came as Israeli occupation forces arrested former long-term hunger striker and administrative detainee Muhammad Allan, a Palestinian lawyer who won his freedom from administrative detention in a lengthy hunger strike, and detained him for several hours. Allan was seized at 3:00 am on Thursday, 22 December by occupation forces, one month after he refused as a lawyer to participate in interrogation at the Huwwara detention center. Allan, 30, was released after a few hours and reported to Asra News that he was threatened by occupation forces.
In addition, occupation forces raided the homes of former prisoner Mona Qa’adan and former long term hunger strikers Jafar Ezzedine and Tareq Qa’adan, ransacking their homes and confiscating their electronics and belongings, in the pre-dawn hours of 22 December.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network extends its warmest congratulations and strongest solidarity to Anas Shadid and Ahmad Abu Fara on their achievements and steadfastness through three months of lengthy hunger strike. We salute their courage and leadership and that of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement, which continues daily to struggle with bodies on the front lines against occupation and oppression in all forms. We urge intensified international action to end the practice of administrative detention and free all of the over 700 Palestinians imprisoned without charge or trial, and for the freedom of all of the over 7,000 Palestinian political prisoners behind Israeli bars.
