Statement No. 7 of the Strike Leadership

13 May 2012

Statement No. 7 by the Prisoners’ leadership was released Sunday, May 13, 2012:

Statement issued by the Central Committee of the Leadership of the Strike
Statement No. 7

We have only two options: to achieve all of our demands, or to die

Free Palestinian people, masses of our nation, free people of the world….

We have entered a stage of legendary and draining human struggle, where we face real danger which threatens our lives. We are now very close to martyrdom, which is more precious and one of the best options for us.

We are now at the state of a great test of wills and we reject completely the attempts of the Prison Service management to force us to accept partial settlements in order to bring an end to this epic humanitarian struggle for justice. Here, we emphasize the following points:

We have only two options to achieve all of the following.

First, we swear not to go back without achieving our demands. We are waiting for martyrdom for the sake of our dignity, and we have prepared ourselves to confront our only two options – the victory of our humanity and our dignity, or our martyrdom without it.

Second, we strongly and firmly swear that we will continue with our battle of the empty stomachs, whatever the costs may be, until we achieve the minimum of our demands, particularly the immediate end to the horror of solitary confinement and isolation, and to allow prisoners from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank who have been denied family visits to receive them, and to return prison conditions to their pre-2000 state.

Third, we greatly appreciate the role of our great sister Egypt with regard to compelling “Israel” to implement the second part of an agreement and fulfilling its commitments, and we are confident that Egypt is an Arab leader that will not leave us to face this battle alone. We also affirm categorically that we will not end our strike without promptly achieving our demands. We are confident of the depth of support in our nation, and particularly in Egypt.

Finally, we are ready for martyrdom. We are not amateurs in hunger. Death is easier than disrespect for our dignity, so we swear we will live with dignity or die.

The Central Committee of the Leadership of the Strike
May 13, 2012

Global day of action May 17 for Palestinian political prisoners

13 May 2012

Their Fate is in Our Hands
May 17th: 24 hours of hunger in solidarity
with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails

Coming Thursday, May 17, will mark a month to the hunger strike, with over 2,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails participating in it. As Israel refuses to accept the prisoners’ demands for their basic rights, including humane treatment, many of them face immediate risk of death as the world watches over in silence.

The prisoners have decided to live in dignity or starve to death in their isolation cells, and a global mobilization is urgently needed to break the deafening silence! A month into the hunger strike, join a

Global 24-hour hunger strike

In front of Israeli embassies, consulates and UN offices

May 17, 2012

Endorse the Palestinian civil society call for a boycott of G4S due to its complicity in Israel’sviolations of Palestinian prisoners’ rights

Click here to pledge to join the Global 24-hour hunger strike
Email us if you are organizing a sit-in in your community

Background
More than two weeks ago, some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners have launched an open-ended hunger strike and their life is in danger. Their demands are simple and the strike’s slogan, echoing through the prison walls, is just as plain- freedom or death. The lives of all prisoners on strike are currently under danger, but among them is a smaller group, which has been striking for a longer period and whose lives are under immediate threat.

Thaer Halahleh and Bilal Diab have not eaten for more than 70 days – since the 29th of February.Israeli courts have rejected their appeals and refused to free them from administrative detention where they remain without charge or trial, subject to secret evidence and secret allegations. They are in critical condition.

Hassan Safadi has been refusing food since the 2nd of March, Omar Abu Shalal, 54, since the 4th of March, Mahmoud Sarsak, the only Gazan to have been incarcerated under Israel’s Illegal Combatants Law, since the 24th of March, Mohammed al-Taj, 40, also since the 24th of March and Ja’afar Ezzadeen, 41, since the 27th of march.

The Prisoners’ key demands include:

Ending the policy of solitary confinement and isolation;
End to the use of administrative detentions;
The restoration of visitation rights to families of prisoners from the Gaza Strip, a right that has been denied to all families for more than 6 years;
Canceling ‘Shalit’ law, which restricts prisoners’ access to educational materials as punitive measure. The law remains intact despite a prisoner swap deal last October.
Ending systematic humiliation, including arbitrary strip searches, nightly raids and collective punishment.

Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike have been hit hard with retaliation from Israel Prison Services, including beatings, transferring from one prison to another, confiscation of salt (an act that could havesevere health consequences for hunger strikers), denial of family and lawyer visits, and isolation andsolitary confinement of hunger strikers.

In response, Human Rights Watch issued a statement chiding Israel’s over its administrative detention policy; it said, “It shouldn’t take the self-starvation of Palestinian prisoners for Israel to realize it is violating their due process rights.” Amnesty International also issued a call for urgent action from individuals around the world to contact Israeli authorities about Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh.

Emphasizing imprisonment as a critical component of Israel’s system of occupation, colonialism and apartheid practiced against the Palestinian people, Palestinian civil society and human rights organizations have called for intensifying the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign to target corporations profiting directly from the Israeli prison system. In particular, we call for action to be taken to hold to account G4S, the world’s largest international security corporation, whichhelps to maintain and profit from Israel’s prison system, for its complicity with Israeli violations of international law.

Statement No. 6 of the Strike Leadership

12 May 2012

The following statement was released on May 12, 2012:

Statement No. 6

The Central Committee of the Leadership of the Strike

To our Palestinian people…

We salute the popular anger and involvement in all of the streets and alleys in the homeland in support of our hunger and our just and human demands in the Friday of Anger for the prisoners who are entering their 26th day of open hunger strike.

We salute the tens of thousands who came out in Khaled, Jerusalem and Ramallah, and all of our towns and villages in our beloved Gaza Strip, our scarred West Bank, in Palestine and around the world. This has confirmed to our enemy that we are not alone in this battle of humanity and that the echo of our hunger is carried by every Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and progressive force in this world.

To the free people…

It has been echoed in various media the dangerous moments in relation to the acceptance of the Zionist prison administration of our just and humane demands. Here we affirm the following:

First, every minute of our hunger, particularly as we approach one month on this strike, is an epic achievement and a misery for each prisoner engaged in it, and is sacred.

Second, between our leadership and the Prison Services was on the night of Thursday, May 10, 2012 and we have not held negotiations with them since that time.

Third, we affirm that the only party that is authorized and responsible to speak about any developments is the Central Committee of the Leadership of the Strike, represented by its members.

We are calling upon the Palestinian media continue to report this strike at the forefont, and continue to perform their national and humanitarian duty in mobilizing support for the strike.

We are determined to persist despite our hunger. We are ready for martyrdom to achieve our demands, and every coming moment could bring one or more martyrs from us. We have prepared ourselves for this, and we promise we will live with dignity or achieve martyrdom.

The Central Committee of the Leadership of the Strike
May 12, 2012

May 14, Chicago: Candlelight Vigil in Support of Palestinian Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Israeli prisons

12 May 2012

On the 64th anniversary of Al-Nakba: there is no more time to wait, there is no more time to spare, NOW is the time for action!

https://www.facebook.com/ events/237334053037149/

WHAT: Candlelight Vigil in Support of Palestinian Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Israeli prisons

WHEN: Monday, May 14th, 2012
7:30 PM

WHERE: The Water Tower Park
806 N. Michigan Ave.
(corner of Chicago & Michigan Aves.)

WHY: In support of the prisoners’ demands:

1. An immediate end to administrative detention, the Israeli policy of imprisoning Palestinian activists and organizers for months, and sometimes years, without any formal charges.

2. An end to the policy of solitary confinement and isolation, which have been used to deprive Palestinian prisoners of their rights for more than a decade.

3. To allow the families of prisoners from the Gaza Strip to visit. This right has been denied to all families for more than 6 years.

4. An improvement in the living conditions of prisoners and an end to the “Shalit” law, which outlaws prisoners’ access to newspapers, learning materials, and many TV channels.

5. An end to the the policies of humiliation which are suffered by prisoners and their families, such as strip searches, nightly raids, and collective punishment.

Convened by the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)-Chicago, along with American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Chicago Movement for Palestinian Rights (CMPR), Palestinian American Youth League (PAYL), and Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG)

The condition of the 2500+ Palestinian political prisoners on hunger strike is rapidly deteriorating. Two of the prisoners, Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh, have passed their 70^th day refusing food, putting them in critical condition and close to death. The people of Palestine have stood in solidarity with the strikers; on May 9^th, Palestinian youth blocked the UN offices in Ramallah, demanding that the U.N. take a stand to save the lives of the striking prisoners. Take action now to support the demands of the prisoners, which are basic and all in accordance with Geneva Conventions.

The forces of the Israeli occupation in the prisons, known as the Israeli Prison Service, have done everything they can to crush the strike, including cutting off the inmates from their lawyers and refusing the strikers access to the medical clinic unless they end the hunger strike. In addition to these measures, they have also instituted a system of collective punishment of strikers, which includes solitary confinement, daily fines up to 500 NIS ($131 USD), confiscation of salt for water, denial of electrical supplies, and random body and cell searches.

Also, the prison service has unsuccessfully tried to undermine the unified Higher Committee of the Leadership of the Strike by attempting to meet individually with members of the committee. This ploy was rejected immediately and unequivocally by the committee members approached.

Despite all of this repression, the prisoners remain steadfast, most recently stating in their fourth official communication: “We vow to live with dignity or die.”

In addition, today’s report from Palestine: https://www.popularstruggle.org/content/thousands-march-support-prisoners-hunger-strike

May 13: Montreal hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners at Nakba demonstration

12 May 2012

Join the Montreal Hunger Strike
in Support of the Palestinian Prisoners on Hunger Strike for 75 days
at the Montreal 64th Nakba Commemoration Event

As Thaer Halahleh and Bilal Diab are on their 75th day of hunger strike in Israeli prisons protesting their months long administrative detention without being charged, and as they are at risk of death, a group of Montrealers are staging a hunger strike in their support during the 64th Nakba Commemoration Event in Montreal, on Sunday May 13th.

Sunday, May 13
1 PM – 4 PM
Gather at Bethune Square on Blvd Maisonneuve West & Guy, march on Saint Catherine Street all the way to Philips Square.
Speakers, street theatre, photo display, distribution of Nakba Info Sheets, and other events are planned during this event.

Facebook event:https://www.facebook.com/events/444853182197974/

We will be fasting till sunset in public – as we march in commemoration of the Nakba – in support of the Palestinian Hunger Striking Prisoners.

If you can join this action please contact Bassam Hajj (biss76@gmail.com) or Ehab Lotayef (lotayef@gmail.com) in advance to coordinate the logistics.

The Montreal Coalition to Commemorate the Nakba

The Montreal Coalition to Commemorate Al-Nakba includes: Antonio Atroso, Québec Solidaire, Coalition for Justice & Peace in Palestine (CJPP), Canadian Boat to Gaza, Palestinian & Jewish Unity (PAJU), Canadian Palestinian Foundation of Quebec (CPFQ), Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), Palestinian Canadian Congress (PCC), Canadian Friends of Sabeel (CFOS), Tadamon, the Palestinian Cultural Club of Montreal (PCCM), Canadians for a Free Palestine, FNEEQ-CSN, Rezeq Faraj Group Montréal, Ronit Milo, Naturei Karta, and Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East (CJPME) (http://bit.ly/JKoXrz). To join the coalition or for more information please contact: nakba2012mtl@googlegroups.com.

———- Français ———–

Joignez-vous aux grévistes de faim montréalais
en appui aux prisonniers palestiniens en grève de faim depuis 75 jours.
(a l’Évènement de la 64e commémoration de la Nakba à Montréal)

Comme Thaer Halahleh et Bilal Diab commencent leur 75e jour de la grève de faim dans les prisons israéliennes en protestation face à leur détention << administrative >> qui perdure depuis des mois sans qu’aucune accusation ou preuve ne soit apportée, comme ces derniers s’approchent de la mort, un groupe de Montréalais feront la grève de faim à l’appui de ces prisonniers lors de la Commémoration de la Nakba à Montréal dimanche le 13 mai 2012.

On fera le jeûne jusqu’au coucher de soleil et on marchera dans les rues de Montréal en appui aux prisonniers palestiniens en grève de faim.

Si vous voulez vous joindre à cette action, veuillez contacter Bassam Hajj (biss76@gmail.com) ou Ehab Lotayef (lotayef@gmail.com) pour fin de coordination.

La Coalition montréalaise pour commémorer la Nakba

————عربي———-

دعوة للمشاركة في الاضراب عن الطعام
تضامنا مع إضراب الاسرى الفلسطينيين عن الطعام
في تجمع الذكرى (64) الرابعة والستون للنكبة

الى جميع المؤيدين لحق الشعب الفلسطيني

يتخلل التجمع الذي تنظمه مجموعة من المؤسسات الكندية المؤيدة لفلسطين ، بمناسبة الذكرى (64) الرابعة والستون لنكبة عام 1948 فعاليات متعددة أهمها الاضراب عن الطعام لعدد من أبناء مونتريال تضامنا مع إضراب الاسرى الفلسطينيين عن الطعام والذين أشرف بعضهم على الموت بعد أكثر من 75 يوما من الاضراب

مكان وزمان التجمع : يوم الاحد 13 مايو الساعة الواحدة
(corner Guy & Maisonneuve) مقابل جامعة كونكورديا

الرجاء تمرير هذه الرسالة للاصدقاء
ولمن يرغب بالاضراب عن الطعام ، أو التقدم باي عمل يساعد على انجاح هذا النشاط ، الرد للتنسيق
(biss76@gmail.com)أو (lotayef@gmail.com)

May 11-June 1: Fasting on Fridays in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers

12 May 2012

Solidarity and human rights activists Elizabeth West and Domenica Bianca have initiated a new project, Fasting on Fridays (see the Fasting on Fridays website: http://fastingonfridays.wordpress.com/), calling for international solidarity with the Karameh Hunger Strike by fasting on Fridays.

Fasters will engage in 24-hour fasts each Friday (May 11, May 18, May 25 and June 1) or until Palestinian prisoners achieve their demands and end their hunger strike.

The site provides instructions and information about conducting a 24-hour fast, as well as an opportunity to sign a Pledge to Fast.

The fasting project began yesterday, Friday May 11, with eight fasters, who are updating their experiences via this blog. Fasters are encouraged to sign on from around the world and join the project.

The organizers say:

Yesterday, discussing this situation, we found that our hearts demanded we follow our sorrow into some form of action. Time is of the essence here; it is likely that some of the hunger strikers will begin to die in the next day or so. Ideally we would like for our actions to influence public opinion, to change the course of things, but our first and deepest wish is that the Palestinian people know that there are others, many of us Americans, who are with them as they stand steadfastly in the tradition of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and many prisoners from a multitude of nations who have chosen, over the years, to lay down their lives, if necessary, rather than to live a life stripped of both human rights and human dignity.

The Fasting for Freedom project helps to link individuals and organizations around the world standing together in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners. Learn more and get involved here.

Statement No. 5 of Strike Leadership

12 May 2012

The following statement was issued early Friday morning, May 11, by the leadership of the hunger strikers in prisons, following their negotiations with IPS officials:

Statement No. 5

Issued by the Central Committee of the Leadership of the Strike

To the masses of the Palestinian people….you are free before our nation…you are free before the world.

On our twenty-fifth day of an epic hunger strike, we continue to trust in God. Our empty stomach continue in the spirit of Palestinian steadfastness that overcomes Israeli oppression. To the free people of the world…

We have held a lengthy meeting with the leadership of the Prison Services in Nafha prison last night, including all members of the Central Committee of the Leadership of the Strike. The Prison Service attempted through prevarication and procrastination to pressure us to break the strike with unverifiable promises. After a round of stubborn negotiations between humanity and brutality, we report the following:

First – we have conveyed our position unequivocally, which is, we will not accept any partial solutions that do not guaranteed, as a minimum our demands:
a. An immediate end to the tragedy of isolation and solitary confinement
b. Prisoners from the Gaza Strip allowed family visits
c. The return of prison conditions to pre-2000 conditions.

Second – we are living through an exceptional period of struggle with a strong consensus to continue our strike at any cost and achieve our demands, and we have the highest readiness and willingness to sacrifice for that goal

Third – we have decided to refrain from taking vitamins and to boycott the prison clinic, and we are going to take bold, serious and dangerous steps that we will announce at the time. There will be unprecedented steps over the next few hours and days.

To our people and the masses of our people…

We do not review our coming steps in this statement. We do this not to rouse emotions, but because we are very serious about continuing this battle and are fully aware of the consequences. We have prepared ourselves for all stages without hesitation. We call on the masses of our people and our nation to act now and strongly before it is too late. We look forward to a unified, strong Palestinian position that is united across geographic lines and engages in concerted efforts to force the occupation government to respond to our demands with respect for our lives.

We look to Tahrir Square in sister Egypt, to our people in Jordan and in beloved Tunisia and all of our Arab and Muslim brothers and to our people in the Diaspora and around th world. Finally, we promise again that we will not retreat without securing our just human rights. We are all willing to be martyrs for the sake of our dignity and our rights, and therefore we promise you that we will live with our dignity or die.

Central Committee of the Leadership of the Strike
May 10, 2012

Letter from Thaer Halahleh to his daughter Lamar on 75th day of hunger strike

12 May 2012

A letter from Thaer Halahleh, on day 75 of hunger strike against his detention without charge, to his two-year-old daughter Lamar, who he has never seen. Translated by Jalal Najjar.

“My Beloved Lamar, forgive me because the occupation took me away from you, and took away from me the pleasure of witnessing my first born child that I have always prayed to God to see, to kiss, to be happy with. It is not your fault, this is our destiny as Palestinian people to have our lives and the lives of our children taken away from us, to be apart from each other and to have a miserable life, nothing is complete in our lives because of this unjust occupation that is lurking on every corner of our lives turning it into eeriness, a continuous pursuit and torture. Despite that I was deprived from holding you and hearing your voice, from watching you grow up and move around in the house and in your be, and that I was deprived of my rule as a human and a father with my daughter your existence has given me all the power and hope, and when I saw your picture with your mother in the sit-in tent, you were so calm staring in wonder at people, as if you were looking for your father, looking at my pictures that are hung inside the tent asking in silence why is my father not coming back, I felt that you are with me, in my sentiment and inside my mind, as if you are a part of my heartbeats, steadfast and the blood that flows in my veins, opening all doors for me spreading clear skies around me, and unleashing your free childish voice after this long silence”.

“Lamar my love: I know that you are not to be blamed and that you don’t yet understand why your father is going through this battle of the hunger strike for the 75th day, but when you grow up you will understand that the battle of freedom is the battle of going back to you, so that I can never be taken away from you again or to be deprived of your smile or seeing you, so that the occupier will never kidnap me again from you”.

“When you grow up you will understand how injustice was brought upon your father and upon thousands of Palestinians whom the occupation has put in prisons and jail cells, shattering their lives and future for no guilt but their pursuit of freedom, dignity and independence, you will know that your father did not tolerate injustice and submission, that he will never accept insult and compromise, and that he is going through a hunger strike to protest against the Jewish state that wants to turn us into humiliated slaves without any rights or patriotic dignity”.

“My beloved Lamar keep your head up always and be proud of your father, and thank everyone who supported me, who supported the prisoners in their struggle, and don’t be afraid god is with us always, and god never lets people who have faith and patience, we are righteous, and right will always prevail against injustice and wrong doers”.

“Lamar my love: that day will come, and I will make it up to you for everything, and tell you the whole story, and your days that will follow will be more beautiful, so let your days pass now and wear your prettiest clothes, run and then run again in the gardens of your long life, go forward and forward nothing is behind you but the past, and this is your voice I hear all the time as a melody of freedom”.

Addameer reports: Izzedin and Sarsak in poor health

9 May 2012

The Palestinian Information Centre reported:

RAMALLAH, (PIC)– Lawyer of Addameer association for prisoners and human rights Mahmoud Hassan, who visited on Monday the hospital of Ramla prison, said he found hunger strikers Jafar Izzeddin and Mahmoud Sarsak, in very bad shape.

Lawyer Hassan stated that prisoner Sarsak has been on hunger strike for 47 days and now he is unable to move, suffer from eyesight problems and has been throwing up for five days, adding that he also underwent pancreas tests in Asaf Harofe hospital a few days ago.

Sarsak, 25, from Rafah refugee camp in Gaza, is one of the national Palestinian soccer players and was kidnapped on July 22, 2009 at Erez checkpoint as he was on his way to Nablus to join Balata Youth club.

Soon after his kidnapping, Sarsak was taken to Ashkelon jail and exposed to 30 days of intensive interrogation. Despite the failure of leveling charges and providing evidence against him, the Israeli prosecutor decided to classify him as an unlawful combatant and keep him in administrative detention for an unlimited period.

Sarsak has been on hunger strike since March 19, 2012 in protest at his detention without any guilt. On the eighth of April, he was transferred from Negev jail to an isolation cell in Eichel jail in Beersheba and later on 16 of the same month he was taken to the hospital of Ramla prison after his health worsened.

As for the other prisoner Jafar Izzeddin, on hunger strike for 48 days, lawyer Hassan said his health status is not reassuring especially since he feels constant pain in his head, heart, thigh muscles, and kidneys and are always dizzy which cause him once to collapse and hit his head strongly on the floor.

The lawyer noted that the two detainees are determined to continue their hunger strike until they restore their freedom and all the demands of the captive movement are met.

In a related context, director of Addameer association Sahar Francis condemned the Israeli higher court for rejecting the petition filed on behalf of detainees Bilal Diyab and Tha’er Halala against their administrative detention.

She said the Israeli higher court dedicated itself to serve the Zionist colonial project through providing legal cover for the repressive policies and crimes of the occupation regime as a state above the international law.

Palestinian youth block UN building to demand action for prisoners

9 May 2012

Protests, starting in Ramallah and extending to Amman and Geneva, blocked UN offices today, May 9, in calls for the UN to take action to protect the lives of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike. The protests were organized by Palestinians for Dignity, a Palestinian youth organization. A Twitter campaign was launched to support the protesters under the hashtag #UNClosed.

Palestinians for Dignity said:

A group of Palestinian youth are preventing United Nations’ employees from resuming their work in Ramallah, demanding that the UN take immediate and practical steps to save the lives of Palestinian political prisoners on hunger strike, especially, the eight hunger strikers whose life is in eminent danger and those who need immediate medical attention. The UN should do more to pressure the Israeli occupier to accept the prisoners’ demands, all of which are in accordance with international law, as well as the Third and Fourth Geneva Accords.

This action followed up on the sending of a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, calling for action on the prisoners. (Download PDF.) Sixteen Minutes to Palestine reported that the protest grew hours after its 7:30 am start, as prisoners’ families joined the protests. Khader Adnan saluted the action and told the protesters that their protest would raise the prisoners’ morale and deliver an important message to international institutions.

Photos were posted, on Facebook:

Protests in Amman:

And in Geneva:

1...669670671...690 Page 670 of 690

Follow us on Instagram @samidounnetwork