Toulouse demonstration demands end to siege on Gaza, freedom for Palestinian prisoners

9 July 2017

Report translated from the original French at Coup Pour Coup 31:

In Toulouse, France, on Saturday, 8 July 2017, a rally in solidarity with Gaza was organized by several organizations, parties and collectives. The gathering brought together more than 50 people in a city square.

Lebanese, Moroccan and Palestinian activists and representatives of Toulouse organizations and collectives were present. Hundreds of leaflets were distributed demanding the lifting of the siege, receiving much support and solidarity from passers-by. Organizers also emphasized the call for the immediate release of Palestinian leaders Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin.

The PFLP in the Gaza Strip welcomed the event with a statement.

Coup Pour Coup 31, the anti-imperialist collective, spoke at the rally:

In Gaza, 2 million Palestinians, many of them children, live confined between land and sea, encircled by the Zionist occupation. Every day, the Palestinian population suffers humiliation and persecution with the constant fear of a military bombing or raid.

As of the beginning of July 2017, it has been three years since Israeli forces launched a new attack, known as Protective Edge, which lasted for two months and killed thousands. Today, with the electricity cuts in the Gaza Strip, the barbarity of the colonial power continues. But the assassins know that they can act with impunity: the United Nations still has not implemented the slightest sanction against Israel, despite its trampling on all resolutions passed by the Security Council since 1948.

The various international powers support the war of terror waged by Israel, and the new Macron government will follow its predecessor in unconditional support for Israel.

The Palestinians can only rely on their extraordinary resistance and the international solidarity among peoples.

Our responsibility here and now is to denounce Zionist barbarism and to support the Palestinian Resistance and in particular the progressive Resistance. In this regard, we denounce the imprisonment of Palestinian leaders, including Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin, a feminist activist, since last Sunday.

To support the resistance here is to clearly denounce the offender: Zionism. Since 1948, in the name of this colonialist and racist ideology, wars have come after yet more wars, massacres upon massacres. This region will only experience peace through the dismantling of colonialism.

As supporters of the Palestinian people, we must also denounce our own imperialism, French imperialism. France has long been an unconditional ally of Israel. And for one simple reason: Israel is one of the advanced bases of the imperialists in the Middle East and that is the reason for its existence. Let us recall once more that France holds in its prisons a struggler in the Palestinian resistance since 1984, Georges Abdallah. Supporting the Palestinian Resistance must include the struggle for his liberation!

Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people against colonialism!
Freedom for Georges Abdallah, Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin!
Freedom for all Palestinian Prisoners!
Gaza, we will not forget you!

Palestinian women in Madrid lead protest to free Jarrar and Saafin

9 July 2017

*Photo: Alkarama Palestinian Women’s Movement*

Protesters gathered in Madrid, Spain on Friday evening, 7 July, to demand freedom for Palestinian leaders Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin, imprisoned by Israeli occupation forces since Sunday, 2 July.

The protest was organized by Alkarama Palestinian Women’s Movement, an organization of Palestinian women in diaspora in Spain. It took place outside the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging action on the cases of Khalida, Khitam and their fellow Palestinian prisoners.

Khalida Jarrar, a prominent Palestinian parliamentarian, national leader and a feminist and leftist struggler for Palestinian political prisoners, and Khitam Saafin, president of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, were seized from their homes on 2 July by Israeli occupation forces in pre-dawn raids.

Approximately 9 other Palestinians were also hit by similar raids on the same evening. Since that time, their detention has been extended as international and Palestinian outrage has grown at the ongoing imprisonment of these two Palestinian women leaders in the struggle for national and social liberation. On Sunday, 9 July, Saafin was ordered to three months in administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial.

Speakers at the event included several Alkarama members, including Jaldia Abubakra, who also organizes with Unadikum, BDS Madrid and the Women’s Boat to Gaza, and Majed Dibsi, lawyer and journalist, and member of the leadership committee of the Union of Palestinian Communities and Organizations in Europe.

The protesters also read a statement from Alkarama demanding the release of Jarrar and Saafin. English translation follows below (Spanish at Alkarama website):

Urgent Statement from Alkarama, Palestinian Women’s Movement in Diaspora: Demand Freedom for Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin, Palestinian leaders seized by Israeli occupation forces.

Freedom Now!

From the Alkarama Palestinian Women’s Movement, a Palestinian, feminist, secular and anticolonialist organization whose main objective is to generate a new space for raising the voice of Palestinian women in the diaspora, we call upon all people and groups in solidarity with the Palestinian cause to act on the 2 July abduction by the Israeli occupation forces of our comrades Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin as well as nine other people seized that same night.

[/caption]Israeli occupation forces arrested the prominent Palestinian left-wing parliamentarian and advocate for Palestinian prisoners, Khalida Jarrar, along with Khitam Saafin, president of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees and at least nine other people, including Ihab Massoud, released for less than six months from Israeli prisons, and four other community leaders in a raid on al-Aroub refugee camp on Sunday, 2 July. We join the appeal of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network calling for urgent international action to demand their immediate release.

Jarrar was last arrested on 2 April 2015; she was ordered to administrative detention, imprisoned without charge or trial. International protest over her case led to the cancellation of her administrative detention. However, her case was transferred to the equally illegitimate military tribunals of the Israeli occupation.

Khitam Saafin, General Coordinator of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, has participated in various global events, including the World Social Forum, linking women’s struggles at the international level with the struggle of Palestinian women for national and social liberation . The UPWC has organized and hosted numerous international delegations that have created solidarity with Palestinian women and the Palestinian people.

At least seven other Palestinians were seized by Israeli occupation forces in pre-dawn raids on 2 July. Among them was Ihab Massoud, who was released on 12 February after 16 years in Israeli prisons. A leader in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, he participated in multiple hunger strikes inside Israeli prisons.

Alkarama Palestinian Women’s Movement in Diaspora joins with Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network to urge international mobilization and action to demand the immediate release of Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin, prominent progressive and feminist Palestinian leaders and committed fighters for the freedom and liberation of their people. The detentions of Jarrar and Saafin clearly come as an attempt by the Israeli occupation to attack Palestinian popular movements and suppress them through fear, intimidation, and arrests carried out by a massive armed occupation force.

We call on all friends of Palestine and the Palestinian people to join us in reactivating the Solidarity Campaign with Khalida Jarrar as well as the campaign in solidarity with Khitam Saafin. These detentions represent an attack on the political activity and popular organization of the Palestinian people. We must combat this attack with intensified solidarity to demand the freedom of Khalida Jarrar, Khitam Saafin and the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in prisons of the Israeli occupation.

FREE PALESTINIAN PRISONERS KHALIDA JARRAR AND KHITAM SAAFIN!
NO TO THE OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE!
BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS ON ISRAEL!

Palestinian leader and women’s organizer Khitam Saafin ordered to 3 months in administrative detention

9 July 2017

*Photo: Plataforma de Mujeres Artistas contra la Violencia de Género*

Khitam Saafin, president of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees and prominent Palestinian human rights defender, was ordered to three months in administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial, in an order signed on 9 July by the Israeli occupation military commander over the West Bank.

Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association reported that a hearing to confirm the administrative detention order against her will be held at the Ofer Military Court on Wednesday, 12 July. Saafin was seized by Israeli occupation forces who raided her home in a pre-dawn attack simultaneous with a similar raid on the home of Palestinian national leader and leftist parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar and multiple other Palestinians.

She is a well-known international advocate for Palestinian women and freedom and justice for the Palestinian people. She has spoken around the world about the struggle of Palestinian women, including at the World Social Forum, and is the chair of the Global Women’s March Palestine.

Administrative detention orders are issued in one- to six-month periods and are indefinitely renewable. Issued on the basis of “secret evidence,” these orders can be renewed over and over again. Many Palestinians have spent years behind bars without charge or trial under administrative detention orders. Currently, there are approximately 500 Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails under administrative detention out of a total of 6,200 Palestinian political prisoners.

International protest and outrage has grown to demand the release of Saafin and Jarrar. Protests have taken place in Beirut, Madrid, Berlin, Toulouse, Belgium and elsewhere to express solidarity and call for the freedom of these imprisoned women leaders in the struggle for Palestinian national and social liberation.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges international mobilization and action to demand the immediate release of Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin, prominent Palestinian progressive and feminist leaders and strugglers committed to the freedom and liberation of their people. The arrests of Jarrar and Saafin clearly come as an attempt by the Israeli occupation to attack Palestinian popular movements and suppress them through fear, arrests and intimidation carried out by a massively armed occupation force.

We urge all friends of Palestine and the Palestinian people to join us in reactivating the Khalida Jarrar Solidarity Campaign as well as the campaign in solidarity with Khitam Saafin. These arrests represent an attack on the leaders, the political activity and the popular organizing of the Palestinian people. They must be met with intensified solidarity to demand the freedom of Khalida Jarrar, Khitam Saafin and all of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners behind bars in Israeli occupation prisons.

Take Action to support Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin:

1. Sign the petition! Sign and share this petition, demanding freedom for Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin immediately.

2. Contact your Member of Parliament, Representative, or Member of European Parliament. The attack on Khalida is an attack on Palestinian parliamentary legitimacy and political expression. The arrest of Khitam is an assault on the Palestinian women’s movement. Parliamentarians have a responsibility to pressure Israel to cancel this order.

3. Use the Campaign Resources to inform your community, parliamentarians and others about Khalida and Khitam’s case.

4. Protest at the Israeli consulate or embassy for Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin. Bring posters and flyers about Khalida and Khitam’s case and hold a protest, or join a protest with this important information. Hold a community event or discussion, or include Khalida and Khitam’s case in your next event about Palestine and social justice.

5. Boycott, Divest and Sanction. Hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. Don’t buy Israeli goods, and campaign to end investments in corporations that profit from the occupation. Learn more at bdsmovement.net.

Protest in Berlin urges freedom for Jarrar, Saafin and all Palestinian prisoners

8 July 2017

Protesters in Berlin, Germany gathered in Breitscheidplatz on Friday, 7 July, to demand the release of Khalida Jarrar, Khitam Saafin and all Palestinian prisoners.

Organized by the Democratic Palestine Committees, the protest brought together Palestinian community organizers and supporters of Palestine to demand freedom for Palestinian political prisoners. The protest highlighted the cases of Jarrar and Saafin, prominent Palestinian women political leaders seized by Israeli occupation forces on 2 July.

Jarrar, a prominent Palestinian national leader, is a parliamentarian, feminist and leftist. A prominent advocate for Palestinian political prisoners, she is the chair of the Palestinian Legislative Council’s prisoners commission and vice-chair of the Board of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association.

She was imprisoned by Israeli occupation forces from April 2015 through June 2017, including a period held in administrative detention without charge or trial. On the morning of 2 July, her family home was invaded in a pre-dawn raid.

Khitam Saafin, president of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, was also seized in a pre-dawn raid on her Beitunia home on Sunday, 2 July in the same series of coordinated attacks, in which Israeli occupation forces seized at least nine other Palestinians.

Saafin also chairs the Global Women’s March – Palestine and is known around the world for her feminist advocacy and organizing of Palestinian women for national and social liberation. She has spoken internationally at numerous events, including the World Social Forum and welcomed many international delegations to Palestine.

The protesters carried signs and banners demanding freedom for Jarrar, Saafin and fellow Palestinian prisoners, as well as demanding the end of administrative detention, the imprisonment of Palestinians without charge or trial under Israeli military orders.

There are currently approximately 500 Palestinians held under administrative detention orders, out of a total of 6,200 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Palestinians can spend years at a time jailed under indefinitely renewable administrative detention orders.

The protest in Berlin is accompanied by multiple statements, protests and events around the world demanding freedom for Khalida Jarrar, Khitam Saafin and their fellow Palestinian prisoners, including events in Toulouse, Madrid, New York, Beirut, Belgium and elsewhere.

New York City protesters demand freedom for Muhammad Allan on 30th day of hunger strike

8 July 2017

Protesters in New York City gathered to support Palestinian prisoners and demand the freedom of imprisoned lawyer Muhammad Allan on his 30th day of hunger strike in Israeli prison on Friday, 7 July. Organized by the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, the protest took place outside the Best Buy electronics store in Manhattan’s Union Square.

Protesters at Best Buy also distributed information to customers and passers-by about the growing campaign to boycott Hewlett-Packard (HP) products, including laptops, tablets, printers and printing supplies. HP Enterprise holds a number of contracts to provide the IT infrastructure of the Israeli occupation, including services for Israeli checkpoints, ID cards, the Israeli navy maintaining the siege of Gaza and even the Israel Prison Service. People and organizations around the world, including trade unions in England, Ireland and elsewhere, have declared themselves to be HP-free zones.

The campaigners focused on the case of imprisoned Palestinian lawyer Muhammad Allan, who entered his 30th day of hunger strike as the protesters gathered. Allan, 33, was seized on 8 June by Israeli occupation forces in his home in Einabus near Nablus in a pre-dawn raid by occupation forces. He had earlier been released from Israeli prison in November 2015 following a 66-day hunger strike against his imprisonment without charge or trial under administrative detention.

Since his release, Allan has been actively involved in campaigns of support for fellow Palestinian prisoners, including administrative detainees and other prisoners on hunger strike for justice and freedom. After his arrest, he started his hunger strike immediately and has been transferred repeatedly from prison to prison and held in isolation in an attempt to break his strike.

On Wednesday, Allan was accused in an Israeli military court of “incitement” for posting on social media and attending demonstrations in support of Palestinian prisoners. He emphasized that he is continuing his hunger strike and that he rejects any attempt to transfer him to administrative detention without charge or trial.

Currently, approximately 500 of the 6,200 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are held without charge or trial under administrative detention. Administrative detention orders are indefinitely renewable and issued on the basis of “secret evidence.” Palestinians have spent years at a time imprisoned without charge or trial under repeatedly renewed administrative detention orders.

As Samidoun members protested in New York City, chanting for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, other Samidoun activists traveled to Philadelphia to participate in a demonstration for justice for Mumia Abu-Jamal outside the office of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office.

The demonstration demanded the DA’s office turn over documents connected to the involvement of Ron Castille in the conviction of Abu-Jamal; despite his work for the prosecution, Castille, who is now a judge, has refused to recuse himself from appeals in the case.

New York Samidoun activists including Steve Millies, who designs Samidoun protest signs, Christian Cobb and Taryn Fivek participated in the demonstration for Abu-Jamal, demanding the DA’s office follow through with its obligations to turn over the documents in question.

Samidoun organizes weekly protests in New York City on Fridays at 5:30 pm outside the Best Buy in Union Square to demand freedom for Palestinian prisoners and support the boycott of HP products until it ends its contracts with Israeli occupation; the next scheduled protest will take place on Friday, 14 July. All supporters of justice for Palestine are welcome to join.

Palestinian journalists demand freedom for Jihad Barakat, jailed by PA

7 July 2017

Palestinian journalist Jihad Barakat was detained by Palestinian Authority Preventive Security forces on Thursday, 6 July, accused of “taking photos” of the motorcade of PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah near a checkpoint east of Tulkarem. Palestinian journalists and activists have launched a social media campaign demanding the immediate release of Barakat.

Barakat, a well-known young journalist, will remain detained at least until next Sunday, as his detention was extended by the security forces. Palestinian organizers have emphasized the ongoing repression against Palestinian writers, journalists and activists by PA security forces, especially those who have been critical of PA officials and their ongoing “security coordination” with the Israeli occupation.

The arrest of Barakat is the latest in a series of arrests carried out by PA security forces targeting journalists, writers and other critical voices under the pretext of allegations of “insulting” PA officials, inciting “sectarianism” for posting about PA involvement with Israel, and now allegations of illegally photographing the PA prime minister driving on the street.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate joined in the call for the release of Barakat on Friday, 7 July, noting that the arrest reflects ongoing serious violations by the government and security services against journalists’ rights and freedom of expression. The syndicate noted that Barakat is well-known for his commitment to journalism and to Palestine, rejecting the flimsy justifications provided by the PA for his arrest.

The Journalists’ Syndicate also noted that political pledges about press freedom are devoid of credibility in light of these ongoing and daily violations against media work and public freedoms, demanding that Barakat and photographer Ahmed Khatib be immediately released and that the PA lift its bans on media websites.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network denounces the arrest of Jihad Barakat and demands his immediate release and that of fellow Palestinian political detainees in PA prisons. We join our voices with Palestinian organizations and organizers demanding an end to Palestinian Authority security coordination with the Israeli occupation and an end to the repression of Palestinian media, websites and expression by the PA.

Israeli military courts issue 34 more administrative detention orders

7 July 2017

Israeli occupation military courts issued 34 administrative detention orders in between 14 June and 29 June, reported Palestinian lawyer Mahmoud Halabi.

25 of the orders were renewal orders directed against Palestinian prisoners who were already imprisoned without charge or trial, while the remaining orders were newly issued.

There are nearly 500 Palestinians imprisoned without charge or trial under administrative detention, out of a total of approximately 6,200 Palestinian political prisoners. Administrative detention orders are issued on the basis of secret evidence. They are indefinitely renewable; Palestinians have spent years at a time jailed with no charges and no trial.

Among the orders issued in that time period was the three-month renewal order against Sabah Faraoun, a Palestinian seamstress held in administrative detention. She was held in solitary confinement in Damon prison for at least a week in late June and early July along with other women prisoners subject to repression. Also included in this group of orders was a two-month renewal order against Dr. Essam al-Ashqar, a Palestinian physics professor at An-Najah University suffering from poor health.

The following were the 34 administrative detention orders:

1. Sahib Jamil Shahib, from Ramallah, 4 months, new order
2. Mahmoud Jamal Sajdiya, from Qalandiya, 6 months, extension
3. Mohammed Younis Zaghari, from Bethlehem, 6 months, new order
4. Moataz Mohammed Shariat, from Bethlehem, 6 months, new order
5. Nabil Fakhri Hmouz, from Qalandiya, 6 months, new order
6. Alaa el-Din Khaled Ali, from Ramallah, 6 months, extension
7. Wasfi Izzat Mustafa, from Jenin, 6 months, new order
8. Saeb Fahmi Salem, from Ramallah, 4 months, new order
9. Ibrahim Nasser Hammad, from Ramallah, 6 months, extension
10. Eimarah Abdel-Latif Fashafsha, from Jenin, 6 months, extension
11. Mohammed Khaled Abu Sal, from al-Khalil, 4 months, extension
12. Mahmoud Suleiman Abu Shihab, from Qalqilya, 6 months, extension
13. Musab Saher Barghouthi, from Ramallah, 6 months, extension
14. Sharif Mohammed Masalmeh, from al-Khalil, 6 months, extension
15. Walid Mohammed Humaidan, from Bethehem,4 months, extension
16. Essam Rashed al-Ashqar, from Nablus, 2 months, extension
17. Walid Daoud Bastanji, from Bethlehem, 4 months, extension
18. Ahmed Musa Matar, from Qalandiya, 4 months, extension
19. Ashraf Zeidan Jada, from Burqin, 4 months, extension
20. Rami Ayman Sharida, from Tubas, 3 months, extension
21. Bassel Ahmed Dudeen, from al-Khalil, 4 months, extension
22. Ismail Khalil al-Zeer, from Bethlehem, 2 months, extension
23. Ahmed Diab Braish, from Ramallah, 4 months, extension
24. Salameh Fathi Matriyeh, from al-Bireh, 4 months, extension
25. Fadi Monzer Radwan, from Tulkarem, 2 months, extension
26. Dirar Mohammed Abu Manshar, from al-Khalil, 6 months, new order
27. Sabah Mohammed Faraoun, from Jerusalem, 3 months, extension
28. Thaer Said Abu Rmouz, from al-Khalil, 4 months, new order
29. Saadi Mohammed Khdeirat, from al-Khalil, 4 months, extension
30. Mohammed Ghassan Najdi, from Tulkarem, 4 months, extension
31. Bahaa Taha Najjar, from al-Khalil, 3 months, extension
32. Hassan Hussein Shouka, from Bethlehem, 3 months, extension
33. Ibrahim Abdel Mohsen, from Ramallah, 4 months, extension
34. Nadim Ibrahim Sabarneh, from al-Khalil, 6 months, extension

Protests in Nablus and Beirut demand freedom for Jarrar and Saafin

7 July 2017

Dozens of women in Nablus took to the streets to participate in a rally demanding the immediate release of Khalida Jarrar, Palestinian political leader and leftist, feminist parliamentarian, and Khitam Saafin, the president of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees. Both were seized by Israeli occupation forces in violent pre-dawn raids on their Ramallah homes on Sunday, 2 July.

The Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees in Nablus organized a protest to demand their release; participants carried photos and posters of Jarrar, Saafin and other women Palestinian prisoners, demanding their liberation and an end to the political arrest campaign targeting Palestinian leaders.

Esmat Shakshir of the UPWC spoke at the rally, saying that the occupation is exploiting Arab and international preoccupation with regional wars to intensify its violations of Palestinian rights. She emphasized that women are half of Palestinian society and an essential element in the struggle. Israel believes that if women are frightened, society as a whole can be silenced, but these arrests do not frighten us, Shakshir said. “We are committed to the cause of our homeland. We want freedom and the occupation must end.”

Another event in support of Jarrar and Saafin took place in Beirut, Lebanon, outside the headquarters of ESCWA, organized by the Progressive Women’s Union. Representatives of Palestinian and Lebanese political parties and organizations participated in the rally, including many women from the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

Samira Salah spoke at the event, denouncing the imprisonment of Palestinians by the Israeli occupation and demanding the liberation of all Palestinian prisoners. She urged Arab and international action to free Jarrar, Saafin and fellow prisoners.

Palestinian professor Essam al-Ashqar ordered to two more months in administrative detention

7 July 2017

Palestinian professor Dr. Essam al-Ashqar’s imprisonment without charge or trial was extended for two months for the third time in a row, despite his difficult health situation.

Al-Ashqar, 57, from Nablus, has been imprisoned without charge or trial under administrative detention since 24 November 2016. The physics professor at An-Najah University in Nablus was seized by occupation forces in a pre-dawn raid on his home. He was shortly thereafter ordered to administrative detention for four months. The order was then renewed for another four months; now it has been renewed for two months.

Administrative detention orders are indefinitely renewable. There are nearly 500 Palestinians held without charge or trial under administrative detention. His imprisonment without charge or trial has been extended repeatedly despite his dangerous health condition.

In April, his health condition worsened while he was held in the Ramle prison clinic; he was transferred to the Ramle prison clinic within two weeks of his arrest due to his fragile health.

Al-Ashqar is one of 15 prisoners held consistently in the Ramle prison clinic, struggling against medical neglect and mistreatment. He is imprisoned in Ramle with Mohammed Marash, Khaled Shawish, Mutassam Raddad, Bassam al-Sayeh, Ayman al-Kurd, Ashraf Abu Huda, Hussein Yousef Dardan, Izzat Turkmen, Saleh Omar Saleh, Mutassem Abu Hadid, Mansour Muqtada, Mohammed Abu Khader and Faisal Shaheen. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Commission warned on 5 July that the health and lives of prisoners in the Ramle clinic remain at risk, especially given crowded conditions in the clinic and the constant risk of medical neglect.

Al-Ashqar has been seized by Israeli occupation forces on several previous occasions and spent over two years in administrative detention in the past. Among other health conditions, he suffers from chronic high blood pressure, headaches, stiffness and narrow arteries. He has experienced strokes in the past and is at extreme risk of future strokes and resulting disability.

He is married with six children and studied in the United States to receive his Ph.D. in physics. He has participated in or written hundreds of studies that have been published in scientific journals.

Al-Ashqar’s family once again expressed their deep concern for his life, urging his immediate release, upon the reports of the renewal of his administrative detention. They emphasized that the Israeli occupation bears full responsibility for his health and life, urging international scientific and humanitarian institutions to speak up about his case and demand his release.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network demands the immediate release of Essam al-Ashqar from Israeli prison. In his deteriorating health condition, this respected physics professor is being held without charge or trial under administrative detention. He is accused of no crime even in the illegitimate military courts of the Israeli occupation and yet his detention has been renewed for the third time. We demand an end to the policy of administrative detention and the immediate release of all administrative detainees – and all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Muhammad Allan on 30th day of hunger strike for freedom

7 July 2017

Palestinian lawyer Muhammad Allan is now on his 30th day of hunger strike against his unjust imprisonment by the Israeli occupation. Allan, 33, earlier conducted a 66-day hunger strike in 2015 when he was imprisoned without charge or trial under administrative detention, winning his release in November 2015.

Now, he is once again imprisoned by Israeli occupation forces, and he launched his hunger strike on 8 June, the same day occupation forces invaded and ransacked his home in the village of Einabus near Nablus, seizing him. After a week of hunger strike, he was transferred to solitary confinement in Megiddo prison. He was then transferred to Shatta prison, then Gilboa prison and then returned to Megiddo, all in isolation. The Israel Prison Service uses frequent transfers as a form of pressure on Palestinian prisoners, particularly those on hunger strike.

On Wednesday, 5 July, the Salem Military Court once again extended his detention. On Sunday, the military court indicated that he will be charged with “incitement” for posting on social media about politics and for participating in demonstrations to support Palestinian prisoners and demand their freedom. He has declared that he is determined to strike until it is clear that he will not be ordered to administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial.

Allan has spent over three years in Israeli prisons over the years, under administrative detention and accused of membership in a prohibited organization, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He is a practicing lawyer.

In New York City, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network will protest on Friday, 7 July for Allan’s release as he enters his 30th day of hunger strike. Protesters will also urge the boycott of Hewlett-Packard (HP), computer and printer products, as HP has multiple contracts to provide the technological infrrastructure for apartheid, including database services for Israeli prisons.

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