Israel has TORTURED and KILLED another Palestinian in prison! Maan News Agency reported on Sunday that political prisoner Arafat Jaradat was beaten and hanged for many hours while in Israeli custody, this according to his lawyer, Kameel Sabbagh. An autopsy conducted in Israel in the presence of Palestinian officials revealed that the 30-year-old Jaradat had six broken bones in his neck, spine, arms and legs and did not die of a stroke or cardiac arrest as claimed by the Israeli prison officials. Arafat Jaradat was being detained for throwing stones at an Israeli soldier.
The Israeli government has no respect for international law and the just treatment of prisoners. Do Palestinian lives have any value to the U.S. government?
Samer Issawi continues on his hunger strike now in its 218th day, until he wins an absolute agreement that guarantees his release. We need to continue to put pressure on the US government to demand his release.
We also must not forget the other Palestinian prisoners still on hunger strike – Tarek Qa’adan and Jafar Azzidine, who have been without food for 91 days in protest of their detention without charge or trial; Ayman Sharawna, who has been on hunger strike since July 1, 2012, except for a brief reprieve in January 2013 when he believed that his case was moving in a positive direction; and the hundreds of other Palestinian prisoners who are striking in solidarity with these men.
We again call on all activists, especially those in the U.S., to call President Obama and the State Department on Friday, March 1 from 8 AM to 4 PM CST, to take action.
“My name is _____ from __________ and I demand that:
– the US administration condemn and sanction Israel for the killing of Arafat Jaradat and
– intervene for the immediate release of Samer Issawi, the other hunger strikers, and all the Palestinian administrative detainees and political prisoners held by Israel.”
1) Call President Obama at 1-202-456-1111
2) Call US Secretary of State John Kerry at 1-202-647-4000 (pick option 4 for the operator and ask to leave a message for Kerry) and the Office of Near East Affairs at 1-202-647-7209 (you will get transferred to Marguerite Pickett to leave a message)
There will also be a campaign on Twitter, as there has been for multiple days, at 1PM CST, to demand the release of Samer Issawi. Check @samerissawi1 for the hashtag to use.
For updates on the worldwide campaign, follow “The Free Samer Issawi Campaign” page on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/
Issawi had been detained by Israeli authorities without any charge whatsoever. He had been released from prison in October 2011 as a part of the Shalit prisoner swap, but was detained again without charge on 7 July 2012 and has been refusing food since August 2012 to protest his detention. He is still in critical condition. He is losing his vision, vomiting blood and lapsing in and out of consciousness.
In Chicago, there will also be an action in support of the Palestinian prisoners on Weds. March 6 at 4:30PM at the Israeli Consulate.
https://www.facebook.com/
Sponsored by:
Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG) – Chicago
U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) – National
USPCN – Chicago
Committee Against Political Repression (CAPR)
Coalition to Protect People’s Rights (CPPR)
Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR)
Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) – Chicago
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) – Chicago
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) – Chicago
Chicago Movement for Palestinian Rights (CMPR)Students for Justice in Palestine – DePaul University
Students for Justice in Palestine – University of Chicago
Students for Justice in Palestine – Northwestern University
Students for Justice in Palestine – Loyola University
Chicago Movement for Palestinian Rights (CMPR)
Students for Justice in Palestine – Northeastern Illinois University
Ma’an reported 
Ma’an reported on February 27 that Tareq Qa’adan and Jafar Ezzedine suspended their hunger strike after their hearing on that morning, at which the military prosecutor said that their detention orders will not be renewed after their current orders expire on May 21, but they may resume their strikes depending on the outcome of their next hearing, March 6:
Samer Issawi is one of 4,812 Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons. Nearly every Palestinian family is affected by political imprisonment – for example, in the West Bank and Gaza, 1 out of every 4 Palestinians has spent time in an Israeli prison. Some of these prisoners are held under administrative detention, without charge or trial, while others are placed before military courts with a 99.74% conviction rate. Issawi is a former Palestinian prisoner who was freed on October 18, 2011, only to be re-arrested on July 7, 2012 under a military order allowing former prisoners to be arbitrarily re-arrested on the basis of secret evidence. He has been on hunger strike for over 200 days in protest of his detention. Tareq Qa’adan and Jaafar Ezzedine, two prisoners held under administrative detention, and Ayman Sharawna, a re-arrested former prisoner in a similar situation to Issawi, are also engaged in lengthy hunger strikes. Their efforts come on the heels of hunger strikes by dozens of prisoners – and a mass hunger strike in April 2011 that involved thousands of prisoners – demanding dignity, freedom and justice.
On Friday, February 22, 2013, over 1,000 internationals joined in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners with a 24-hour hunger strike in support of Samer Issawi, Ayman Sharawna, Tareq Qa’adan, and Ja’far Izzidine, along with other Palestinian prisoners who have heeded the call for the hunger strike to protest their inhumane and illegal detainment.