Israeli Occupation Interrogates Released Prisoner Khader Adnan

On Wednesday 10th October, Israeli occupation forces raided at dawn a bakery where the released prisoner Khader Adnan works in after his release in the village of Qabatiya, south of Jenin in the West Bank.

The forces interrogated Adnan and took some pictures for him before leaving the place.

Local sources said that a force from Israeli army stormed at dawn, the work place of Khader Adnan, surrounded the place and put a military checkpoint at its main entrance.

The sources added that the soldiers interrogated Adnan and the workers, searched the bakery and took some pictures for the released prisoner and the place.

It's worth noting that Khader Adnan, 33, is a leader and spokesman of the Islamic Jihad movement, and the first prisoner that launched a hunger strike which lasted for 66 days. He encouraged and urged other Palestinian prisoners to follow his path in the strikes. He was released after several months of being under administrative detention; without a charge or trial.

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Empty Stomach Warriors (I): Hasan al-Safadi Time and Time Again

Palestinian women shout slogans during a protest calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails in Gaza City on 25 April 2012. (Photo: AFP - Mohammed Abed)

By: Linah Alsaafin

On Wednesday April 25, 33-year-old Hasan al-Safadi entered the 52nd day of his hunger strike in protest of not just administrative detention (a form of internment where a prisoner is held indefinitely without ever knowing the charges against him or her), but the Israeli occupation’s policy of imprisonment in general.

Safadi was arrested for the seventh time by Israel on 29 June 2011. He spent 60 days under interrogation, and was only allowed to meet with his lawyer Mohammad al-Abed for the first time after 30 days.

Safadi was in Megiddo prison when he began his hunger strike, which the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) responded to by transferring him to Gilboa prison.

"Safadi is no stranger to spending time in Israeli prisons. He was first arrested when he was just 16 years old."

 

Prisoners who are transferred from one prison to another suffer immensely due to the harsh conditions they travel under, which include having their hands and feet shackled inside a metal ridged vehicle. The process of transfers, referred to as bosta, turns a two-hour trip into a torturous journey that could take up to three days. 

 After refusing to eat or drink water for five days in Gilboa, Safadi was taken back to Megiddo. After it became clear that he would not end his hunger strike, he was placed in solitary confinement in Jalameh prison. Ten days later, Safadi’s health deteriorated rapidly, and he was taken to the Ramleh prison hospital where he has remained since.

Safadi is no stranger to spending time in Israeli prisons. He was first arrested when he was just 16 years old, in 1994. From 2007 to 2010, he became the longest administrative detainee in Israeli prison, with his detainment renewed every six months over and over again.

After his release, he was arrested by the Palestinian Authority for 48 days and spent the next five months being summoned for interrogation regularly. Prior to his arrest by Israel in 2007, he had spent 43 months in prison. In total, Safadi spent 10 years as an administrative detainee in Israeli prisons, without ever once being sentenced or charged officially.

In the living room of his family’s house in the old city of Nablus, photographs of Safadi taken over the years cover the coffee table. Framed pictures of his oldest brother Farid, who was killed in 1996 in the Battle of the Tunnel near Joseph’s tomb, and of his sister Nelli, imprisoned for 18 months back in 2010, adorn the walls. Nelli was finally able to travel to the Gaza Strip to be reunited with her husband Obadah Saeed Hakam, also an ex-prisoner, who was freed in the October Hamas-Israel prisoners’ deal but exiled to Gaza.

The day before Israeli forces came to arrest Safadi, his mother recalls, was a good one. She had gone to see a bride for Safadi, and was planning on going back again with Safadi.

Instead, later that night the Safadi family was rudely awakened by an explosion that blew the front door off its hinges at 2am. Suddenly the house was teeming with soldiers, with more coming down from the roof. They took Safadi and as his mother began crying out and screaming at the soldiers, they beat him up on the way to taking him to the jeep.

Safadi had studied maintenance but could barely keep a stable job, due to his frequent summoning for interrogations by the Palestinian Authority and Israel, which sometimes lasted for days on end.

He is adamant that he will not break his hunger strike unless he attains freedom and rejects the notion of exile unequivocally.

His sister Najiyeh, whose four young sons are all wearing t-shirts emblazoned with their uncle’s face, elaborates more. “The Israeli authorities have presented Safadi with the chance to go into exile as opposed to the continuous arrests and harassment he faces from them since 2004,” she said. “They offered him exile again in 2007, and the Israeli intelligence officer’s exact words were, ‘It’s better for you to go to a different country instead of rotting here in Palestine.’”

"Safadi family was rudely awakened by an explosion that blew the front door off its hinges at 2am."

 

Safadi’s detainment was extended by another six months on December 2011. None of Safadi’s family members have seen him since last June, or were allowed the courtesy of speaking to him by phone. Safadi has reportedly lost 20kg so far.

 Safadi’s mother shook her head slowly. “I support his hunger strike,” she said, “but it’s extremely difficult watching your own son dying.”

Despite her age, Safadi’s mother went on hunger strike for 15 days in solidarity with her son. She almost collapsed, and had to be taken to the hospital where she was forced to end her strike.

“I don’t want Safadi to know of my hunger strike,” she said speaking softly. “I don’t want him to worry about me. One of my grandchildren wanted to write on his Facebook about my hunger strike but I forbade him from doing so.”

She added, “He’s a compassionate person. Quick tempered, but the most loving of my 11 children. Safadi has told me time and time again, in and out of prison, that he gets his strength from me. If he sees my crying on TV for example, he tells me it’s like I’ve placed him inside another prison.”

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Khader Adnan to Hunger Strikers: Go Forth and Be Victorious

Former Palestinian hunger strike prisoner Khader Adnan (L), a senior member of Islamic Jihad who was jailed in Israel, is greeted by members of the crowd in the village of Arraba near the northern city of Jenin, in the Israeli occupied West Bank on 18 April 2012. (Photo: AFP - Saif Dahlah)

By: Fadi Abu Saada

Published Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Ramallah – Khader Adnan defied everything related to the Israeli occupation, its prisons, and jailers. He rose up against interrogators and informants, and against all kinds of intimidation and humiliation. He put his body on the line with a 66-day hunger strike until the occupation relented. Adnan spoke to Al-Akhbar about the details of his historic hunger strike.

Fadi Abu Saada: Why did you decide to go on the hunger strike the day of your arrest?

Khader Adnan: I decided to go on a hunger strike based on four main reasons. The first reason concerns the period before I was detained. There were several failed attempts to arrest me through requests by the Israeli secret service calling for a meeting. But I refused. Being humiliated and having to see Israel flexing its muscles does not disturb me at all.

The second reason concerned being abused during my arrest, including when the jailers assaulted me physically.

The daily search was always “amusing” because I used to confront the jailers who conducted the search.

 

The third is the type and methods of interrogation.

The fourth and last reason is my repeated administrative detention without reason. My rejection of administrative detention complements my rejection of the occupation itself and my search for dignity which was stolen from us by the Israelis.

FAS:What is administrative detention?

KA: I believe Britain is responsible for this type of detention and its idea. It comes from the British mandate in Palestine. They used to call it the “emergency regulations.”

This type of detention starts with a letter from the intelligence officer in a particular region. He would send it to the region’s military commander requesting the arrest of a particular person based on “secret information” that cannot be divulged. In other words, it is “information received from a collaborator with the occupation.”

This type of detention can be renewed several times. In the case of brothers Mohammad Jaradat, Usama Barham, and martyr Ayman Daraghmeh, it was up to five or six years. Renewal is like a hammer hanging over the heads of the detainee and his family. The psychological torture has no equivalent and the worst thing is that the detainee and his family know that there will be no specific date for his release.

FAS: How did you spend your day during the hunger strike?

KA: I did not just stop eating. I also took a vow of silence for more than 20 days and refused to bathe for 65 days.

I prayed a lot and read the Koran when I was able to get a copy. I never slept during the day. People thought that was strange, but I preferred to sleep at night and wake up for morning prayers.

The daily search was always “amusing” because I used to confront the jailers who conducted the search.

FAS: How did they try to break your will and pressure you to end the hunger strike?

KA: They basically tried this by transferring me from one Israeli hospital to another for tests. First they took me to Ramleh hospital, then to “Tal al-Rabi” in Tel Aviv, then to occupied Jerusalem, then Safad, then the isolation in Ramleh again. It was very exhausting.

Then they turned the hospitals where they took me into courts for my case.
The main method they used was isolating me from the outside world and assigning three or four jailers in my room to pressure me.

They deliberately tied one of my hands and one of my feet for hours, even when I had to use the bathroom. They said it was so I would not escape, even though there is no window or exit anywhere.

The occupation soldiers tried to provoke me by turning my confinement cell into a “restaurant” full of all kinds of food that one might crave.
They tried to break my will but I was stronger, thank God.

FAS: What about threats to your family and friends?

The occupation soldiers tried to provoke me by turning my confinement cell into a “restaurant” full of all kinds of food that one might crave.
 

KA: True, a secret service officer came to me and told me, “Say hello to your father.” He had said the same thing when they came to arrest me once. They threatened to arrest all my family and friends and actually arrested four of my friends from my town, Arrabeh, a few days before my release.

Occupation soldiers are not satisfied with all of that. They criminalize everyone who speaks about me or my experience.

The best example is what happened with the Mufti of Jerusalem Mohammed Hussein who mentioned me in his Friday sermon at al-Aqsa mosque.

The Israeli government responded by starting a felony case against him, as if he was a criminal, just because he spoke about me.

FAS: What do you say to the 2,000 detainees who followed your path and are now in their second week of a hunger strike?

KA: I tell them, go forth under the grace of God for you shall be victorious. You named it the “battle of dignity,” so do not fail your families or the remaining prisoners. Continue until you are granted your demands.

A hunger strike is a matter of destiny and it is of utmost importance. We ask God to grant us victory.

I conclude my message by saying, do not drop the banner of the eight knights, especially Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahla. They have been on a hunger strike in detention for 58 days, continuing the battle of Sheikh Khader, Hana Shalabi, and the others.

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

 

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Palestinian woman in Israeli jail enters 15th day of hunger strike

Hana Shalabi, a Palestinian woman currently being held in administrative detention by Israel, entered the 15th day of her hunger strike today in protest of the maltreatment she suffered during her arrest. Her elderly parents and two Palestinian prisoners have joined her hunger strike.

Sign at protest for Khader Adnan reads "Release our male and female prisoners" (photo: flickr/Activestills)

According to Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Israeli authorities detained Shalabi, from the village of Burqin near Jenin, on February 16. She was allegedly beaten during her arrest—as was her brother when he tried to stop an Israeli soldier from hitting her—and began the hunger strike on the same day in protest.

Shalabi was released from administrative detention in October 2011 during the swap that saw Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit freed in exchange for over 1000 Palestinian prisoners. She had been held by Israel since September of 2009, without trial or charges, under the pretense that she posed a security threat and that she was planning a terror attack.

Following her 2009 arrest, Shalabi was subject to solitary confinement, beatings, and sexual harassment, Addameer reports:

Hana was held in solitary confinement at Kishon Detention Center for eight consecutive days, in a cell measuring six square meters that contained no windows or natural sunlight. The cell contained only a mattress and a bathroom, and was reportedly very dirty. Hana was subjected to exhausting interrogation sessions every day, which lasted from 10:00 a.m. until the late evening hours. The lack of natural sunlight during this period caused her to lose all sense of time and she was often unable to determine whether it was night or day. As this period of isolation and disorientation coincided with the holy month of Ramadan, Hana was unable to monitor time in order to respect her fast. As a result, she decided not to eat at all, refusing meals and drinking water only during the entire eight day period.

Hana was also subjected to sexual harassment and physical violence during her interrogation. Hana told Addameer attorney Safa Abdo of an incident that occurred at end of an interrogation session, in which she did not confess to committing a crime, as her interrogators had expected. In a move that Addameer contends was an effort to provoke Hana, one of the Israeli interrogators called Hana “habibti” (Arabic for “darling”) in a provocative manner. Feeling humiliated and angry at the interrogator’s offensive use of an intimate term, Hana started shouting at him. The interrogators responded by slapping her on her face and beating her on her arms and hands. The guards then took her back to her cell where they tied her to the bed frame and continued humiliating her by taking pictures of her laying in that position.

Addameer filed a complaint regarding these violations and only received a reply two years later from the district prosecution in Haifa that they were closing the file for “lack of evidence,” without informing her lawyers what process had taken place to investigate the complaint. Most complaints of this kind are similarly closed due to the unclear claim of “lack of evidence,” showing a consistent policy that they are not taken seriously by the Israeli courts.

Shalabi’s 65-year-old mother and 67-year-old father have joined their daughter’s hunger strike.

Maan News Agency reports that two Islamic Jihad members—Bilal Dyab and Thaer Halahla—began hunger strikes today in support of Shalabi and that they will continue to refuse food as long as Israel continues holding Palestinians in administrative detention.

A judge at the Ofer military court will hear Shalabi’s case on March 3.

The 66-day hunger strike of Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan recently brought international attention to Israel’s use of administrative detention, the policy of holding Palestinians without charges or trial on the basis of secret “evidence” that is not revealed to the detainee or his or her attorney.

 http://972mag.com/palestinian-woman-in-israeli-jail-enters-15th-day-of-hunger-strike/36886/

Qaraqie Announces International Campaign Against Administrative Detention

Hana' Mother Carrying Her Picture

by Ghassan Bannoura

The Palestinian Minister of Detainees, Issa Qaraqie, announced today that his ministry is organizing an international campaign against Israeli administrative detentions, and their ill-treatment of Palestinian political detainees held in Israeli jails.

 “This campaign an open invitation to all human-right groups and supporters of the Palestinian cause, governmental or non-governmental associations, to sign a petition that calls for pressuring the Israeli occupation to end its policy of administrative detention, since it's illegal under international law and inhuman practice.” Qaraqie told the IMEMC on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons said on Thursday that they are going to boycott Israeli military courts in protest of administrative detention orders, and the ill-treatment by their captors.

The recent developments come as political detainee, Hana Ash-Shalabi, entered her 15th day of hunger striking. Ash-Shalabi was arrested at her home on February 16 by Israeli troops. She is protesting the army order of holding her under Administrative Detention for six months.

“Hana is losing a lot of weight; she can barley stand. I hold the Egyptian mediators of the prisoner-swap deal responsible for the wellbeing of my daughter,” Yihiya Ash-Shalabi, Hana’s father told the IMEMC on Thursday from the protest tent outside his home in the village of Borqeen, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Ash-Shalabi was released last October after spending two years under Israeli administrative detention. Her release came as part of the Egyptian mediated prisoner-swap deal between Palestinian groups and Israel.

Israel uses Administrative Detention to hold Palestinians without charges, a sentence that could amount to years in some cases. Ayman Karajja is a researcher for Al Dameer association for human rights. He explained to the IMEMC the workings of Administrative Detention.

“Basically, administrative detention orders deprive the defendant and the lawyers the right to refute the charges because there are no charges presented by the military prosecutor,” Karajja stated. He added that “The file is usually inaccessible by the lawyers under the pretext of being classified. The court justifies the secrecy of the files as a high security need of the occupying state.”

There are 4,500 Palestinians that are currently being held by Israeli as political detainees, 300 of whom are under administrative detention.

Ash-Shalabi is following the footsteps of detainee Adnan Khader, who reached a near death condition and organ failure after 66 days on hunger strike, also protesting his illegal detention. Khader ended his strike last month after Israel pledged to release him in April.

 http://www.imemc.org/article/63089

Khader Adnan stable after surgery

Published Tuesday, February 28, 2012

 

Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan is in stable condition after late-night surgery on Monday following the ending of his hunger strike.

Adnan, who began to accept food again last week following 66 days of protest against his continued detention without trial, underwent surgery due to problems with his digestive system.

Prisoners' rights group Addameer, which has been dealing with Adnan's case, said doctors from the Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) had been able to visit him in hospital before and after the operation.

"Khader Adnan went through surgery at Ziv Hospital, due to problems in his digestive system," a statement said.

"PHR-Israel's volunteer doctor reached the hospital immediately to speak to Khader and his doctors before the operation. He reported to us today that the operation went well and that Khader's condition is currently stable. Khader is now in the surgical wing of the hospital," it said.

However the group said via Twitter that Adnan, who is severely weakened with little strength in his body, was chained to his bed while being moved to surgery.

Hunger strikers are in serious danger of irreparable organ damage if they go beyond 60 days. Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands died after 66 days, the same number Adnan completed before agreeing to the deal.

Under the deal struck last week Adnan is due to be released when his so-called administrative detention ends in April.

Under the system Palestinian prisoners can be held indefinitely without trial and without their lawyers being able to access the evidence they are held under.
Addameer estimate that 310 Palestinians are currently being held on administrative detention charges.

Adnan's strike increased international awareness and criticism of the system and forced Israel to strike a deal.

The brother of 13-day Palestinian hunger striker Hana Shalabi yesterday told Al-Akhbar that, taking inspiration from Adnan's struggle, she would not stop her protest until freed.

 http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/khader-adnan-stable-after-surgery

Detainee “Adnan” Undergoes Surgery

by Victoria Awad 

 Sheikh Khader Adnan, who ended his hunger strike last week after 66 days after Israel agreed to release him this April, was under a night-long Gastrointestinal surgery at the Zeef Hospital in Safad due to blockage in his intestines.

 Former political detainee, Rafah Hamdouna, called on the Palestinian Prisoners Society, human rights groups, and several medical and human rights group to follow-up on Adnan’s case, and to ensure that Israeli allows Palestinian medical teams to visit him.

Adnan faced a near-death condition during his hunger strike but he insisted on not halting his strike until Israel orders his release especially since he is held without any charges.

Although Adnan agreed to begin taking food again last Tuesday, his health is still at risk, due to the length of time he was without food. Medics have warned that his body may reject the food, and he could still die of organ failure.

 http://www.imemc.org/article/63072

PCHR Weekly Report: 25 Palestinians wounded, 21 abducted in 74 Israeli incursions

Protesters in Nabi Saleh

by Saed Bannoura

 In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 16 – 22 Feb. 2012, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that 25 civilians were wounded this week, and 21 abducted in 74 incursions by the Israeli military into Palestinian territory.

Israeli forces have continued bombardments and shootings in the Gaza Strip, including 5 airstrikes and 9 missiles that wounded 14 civilians, including 2 women and 3 children. A metal workshop was destroyed and several houses and civilian establishments were damaged.

Israeli forces have continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank. 7 protesters, including an Israeli peace activist, were wounded. 5 of the wounded were participating in Kafr Qaddoum protest and 2 of them were participating in al-Nabi Saleh protest.

4 protesters were wounded in front of 'Ofer prison, southwest of Ramallah, in a protest in support of Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan.

Israeli attacks in the West Bank:

Israeli forces conducted 74 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they abducted 21 Palestinians in the West Bank.

The abducted Palestinians include 4 Palestinians who were released from Israeli jails in the recent prisoner swap, and including the wife and daughter of a Palestinian who was released from Israeli jail in the recent prisoner swap and who was abducted again during the reporting period.

Also this week in the West Bank, Israeli forces wounded 11 protesters, including an Israeli peace activist. Seven of the Palestinians wounded in the West Bank were wounded in peaceful protests of the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities while 4 Palestinians were wounded in peaceful demonstrations organized in support of Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan. Two were wounded in the weekly protest in al-Nabi Saleh on 17 February 2012, and 5 wounded in the weekly protest in Kafr Qaddoum also on 17 February. Additionally, dozens of protesters suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Israeli forces raided houses of members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and the office of PLC members of Hamas Change and Reform Bloc.

Israeli forces abducted 3 Palestinians at checkpoints in the West Bank.

On Monday, 20 February, at approximately 12:50, an Israeli forces undercover unit kidnapped Umar Khaled Abu Rweis, 23, from al-Am'ari refugee camp, west of al-Bireh. The members of the undercover unit severely beat Abu Rweis while transferring him to Qalandia checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, and then to an unknown destination. According to investigations made by PCHR, at approximately 12:50, an Israeli forces undercover unit consisting of five armed members traveling in two vehicles, a white Mercedes bus and a white lorry, with Palestinian registration plates, stopped near the main entrance of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in al-Bireh on the main road between Ramallah and Jerusalem. Then the white Mercedes bus parked in front of PRCS main gate. Abu Rweis who works as a guard at PRCS walked to the driver to tell him that he was not allowed to park in front of the gate. At that moment, all the five armed members of the undercover unit stepped down and kidnapped Abu Rweis at gunpoint. They took him to the bus and drove to Qalandia checkpoint. They severely beat Abu Rweis with their hands, legs and gun butts throughout the body.

The Israeli Municipality's District Committee for Planning and Building in Jerusalem approved a plan to construct a large building in the yard of the al-Buraq Wall (the Western Wall) opposite to the western wall of the al-Aqsa Mosque and near the Mughrabi Gate Bridge. The building will be called "Beit Halibah". According to the plan, the building area is estimated at approximately 3,700 meters squared, consists of three floors and two underground floors. The building was prepared for use by Jewish settlers and foreign tourists, as well as an information center and exhibition grounds.

During the reporting period, many peaceful demonstrations were organized in support of and in solidarity with Khader Adnan , the Palestinian prisoner who has been holding an open-ended hunger strike in an Israeli jail since 17 December 2011. Israeli forces used excessive force against participants in these demonstrations which were called for by the student movement in Birzeit University, in front of "Ofer" prison, southwest of Ramallah. As a result, 4 Palestinian civilians were wounded.

At approximately 13:00 on Tuesday, 21 February 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians and families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails gathered to organize a peaceful demonstration in support of the Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails Khader Adnan . The demonstration was called for by the student movement in Birzeit University. The demonstrators headed to "Ofer" prison in the southwest of Ramallah, and then they walked towards the gate of the prison. Israeli forces closed the gate. Before the demonstrators arrived at the gate, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets, metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators who threw stones at Israeli forces. As a result, 4 students from Birzeit University were wounded. The wounded students were transferred to Palestine Medical Compound in Ramallah for treatment. Additionally, many participants suffered from tear gas inhalation including Nawal Jamil Abdul Hamid, 52. Israeli forces also abducted Nidal Ahmed Abu 'Ein, 20, and Mahmoud Ghasan Dar al-Sheikh, 22, and took them to "Ofer" prison.

Israeli forces have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying in the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

There are approximately 585 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank.

At least 65% of the main roads that lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by Israeli forces.

There are approximately 500 kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without permits issued by Israeli forces. Such permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes launched 5 airstrikes at civilian targets and training sites used by groups of the Palestinian resistance. In these airstrikes, Israeli forces fired 9 missiles. Additionally, Israeli forces fired 2 artillery shells at a site of the Palestinian National Security Service. As a result, 14 Palestinians, including 2 women and 3 children, sustained bruises and wounds by shrapnel wounds. Additionally, the destructions and damages were caused to the targeted places and their surroundings.

On Thursday, 16 February, at approximately 22:10, Israeli forces an Israeli forces warplane fired two missiles at Zuhdi Ashor & Sons Metal Workshop, east of al-Zaytoon headquarters in the east of Gaza City, which is owned by Eyad Zuhdi Rashad Ashour, 38. As a result, the workshop, which measures 600 meters square, was totally destroyed. The windows of the house of Eyad Zuhdi Rashad Ashour which is built on top of the workshop were crushed as well. Additionally, Mohammed Salim Ramadan Ashour, 27, sustained light wounds.

Israeli forces abducted 2 Palestinians in the south of the Gaza Strip while they were getting ready to hunt birds.

Israeli forces detained a Palestinian patient at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for several hours as he was on his way to al-Maqased hospital for treatment.

Israeli Annexation Wall:

When completed, the illegal annexation wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, confiscating more Palestinian land.

During the reporting period, Israeli forces used excessive force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians, international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Wall and settlement activities in the West Bank, and in protest to the establishment of a buffer zone in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces attacks on peaceful demonstrations resulted in wounding 7 civilians, including an Israeli peace activist. Additionally, dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders participating in peaceful demonstrations suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Following the Friday Prayer on 17 February 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians, international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, protesting the construction of the annexation wall, marking the seventh anniversary of the popular resistance in Bil'in and in support of Khader Adnan, the Palestinian prisoner who has been holding an open-ended hunger strike in an Israeli jail. They raised the Palestinian flag and the photos of the PLC member in Israeli jails Marwan al-Barghouthi and Khader Adnan. They called for ending the political division and for releasing all the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. They then moved towards areas of Palestinian land, which the Israeli High Court ordered to be returned to their Palestinian owners. Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, a number of Palestinians sustained bruises and suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Also following the Friday Prayer, on 17 February 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians, international and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Ni'lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest against the construction of the annexation wall and in support of the Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan. They chanted slogans calling for Palestinian reconciliation, adherence to the Palestinian inalienable rights and resistance of the occupation. They clashed with Israeli troops positioned near the annexation wall. Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Also following the Friday prayer on 17 February 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders gathered in the center of al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to start the weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities and in support of the Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan. They raised the Palestinian flag and the photos of Palestinian Prisoner Khader Adnan and other prisoners. The protesters walked towards the gate erected by Israeli forces near the entrance of the village and leading to Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby "Halmish" settlement are trying to seize. Israeli soldiers, who had been extensively deployed in the area and near all the entrances of the village since the morning, began to confront the protesters who wanted to walk towards the affected lands. Israeli soldiers fired live and rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters. As a result, 2 Palestinians (PCHR maintains their names) sustained wounds. In addition, dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Also following the Friday Prayer, at approximately 12:45 on the same day, dozens of Palestinian civilians, international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Kafr Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest against closing the eastern entrance of the village. The demonstrators headed towards that entrance. Israeli soldiers fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, 5 demonstrators including an Israeli peace activist, were wounded. (PCHR) maintains of the names of the wounded.

At approximately 12:30 on Tuesday, 21 February 2012, Israeli forces positioned in watchtowers at the border fence near Beit Hanou (Erez) crossing, north of the Gaza Strip, fired at a group of demonstrators and Palestinian and international activists in the vicinity of the crossing. The demonstration was comprised of approximately 80 protestors, including 63 international activists, 10 journalists and representatives of Palestinian resistance groups. When they approached to a distance of 150 meters from the border, Israeli forces opened fire, but no injuries were reported.

Saber al-Za'neen, Coordinator of the Local Initiative in Beit Hanoun and the supervisor of the demonstration, said that at approximately 11:30 on the said day, a demonstration headed to the northern area. When they reached the cement wall, at approximately 12:30, an activist planted the Palestinians flag. In response to this act the Israeli soldiers positioned in the watchtower opened fire. The demonstrators were terrorized and fled out of the area. No injuries were reported.

Recommendations to the international community:

Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the international community pressure Israel to lift the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its occupation forces on access for international organizations to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The PCHR reiterates that any political settlement not based on international human rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful and just solution of the Palestinian question. Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and instability in the region. Any peace process or agreement must be based on respect for international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law.

For the full text of the report, click on the link below:

palestine | human rights | news report saed at imemc dot org

Related Link(s): http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_...d=183

Under-Reported Palestinian Political Prisoners: an Urgent Matter for Peace

Political prisoners illegally held in Zionist dungeons

By Alessandra Bajec

The situation of Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails gets very little coverage in the mainstream media, in contrast to political prisoners in other parts of the Middle East and beyond. The reported arrests of Palestinian MPs, Mohammed Totah, Khaled Abu Arafeh, Aziz Dweik, or the current detention term of hunger striking prisoner Khader Adnan are only the most recent cases in Israel's ongoing campaign of arrests across the occupied West Bank.

Why this subject goes under-reported by the established media? And why the political status of Palestinian prisoners is still ignored in the press today?

Anat Matar, senior lecturer in philosophy at Tel Aviv University, sees the main problem in the reporting by international media being largely based on Israel's perspective, which in turn tends to silence the issue. "I have been involved in many political activities in the last 40 years, certainly the least popular subject in Israel is that of Palestinian prisoners", she observes.

Ms Matar, who also chairs the Israeli Action Committee for Palestinian Prisoners, points out that Palestinians are presented in the Israeli press as 'security prisoners', rather than political, and portrayed by the mainstream media as 'criminals'. In her view, this tag used by Israel for Palestinian prisoners, seen as a threat to its security, is crucial in that it denies their political nature justifying Israel's need for self-defence and its mass detention policy. "When I insist on calling Palestinian prisoners 'political', it brings so much criticism from the Israeli society, they don't want to acknowledge this", Matar explains.

Murad Jadallah, legal researcher at Addameer -Prisoner Support and Human Rights Organization, suggests that the media tend to wrongly report the situation in Palestine as if it was a post-conflict scenario. "We still live under military occupation. Israel detains up to 7,000 Palestinians every year, with an average of 11 to 20 Palestinians arrested every day. There are 123 veteran prisoners kept in Israeli jails since before the Oslo accords", Jadallah states.

Abeer Baker, private human rights lawyer and public defender in prisoners' cases, maintains that prisoners' issues attract limited media attention, and this is particularly true for Palestinians. "It is obvious that, with very rare exceptions, the public opinion will never be interested to hear about these thousands of people", she stresses. Ms Baker also explains the justification for Israel's denial of the political nature of imprisonment. "To acknowledge this would mean admitting that Palestinians are fighters for justice and self-determination. Criminalizing Palestinians, instead, turns them into 'terrorists' making the Israeli people feel like persecuted victims forever", the human rights lawyer concludes.

Israel's attitude to criminalise and de-politicise Palestinian prisoners is then reflected in the mainstream media.

The prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, reached earlier last year, was the first time that we saw intensive media coverage on Palestinian prisoners. Ms Baker, also former senior lawyer with Adalah -Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, criticizes the news reporting throughout that period. She recalls the media were busy covering the case of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit rather than the one thousand Palestinian prisoners, and focussing on certain prisoners and their crimes. "The impression was that nobody from the media could stand the idea that political prisoners were released. The stories of these prisoners, their families, and what they had faced during the years in jail were totally ignored", Baker comments.

Ms Matar similarly highlights the unbalanced reporting by the major media. "Palestinian prisoners themselves were treated by the international media as masses, not individually and not politically", she stresses. Jadallah reminds there are still at least 4,500 Palestinians in Israeli jails, and condemns the media in never mentioning about the more than 8,000 Palestinians who have been detained by Israel since 1967. "Last year, Addameer documented that over 3,700 Palestinians were arrested, and in 2010 only in Silwan more than 1,200 children were rounded up by Israeli forces, some of them several times", the legal researcher also reports.

Based on Addameer's media monitoring, as part of its advocacy work, the response from the mainstream media proves to be largely disappointing. "We invite foreign journalists to military courts so they can attend trials on cases of political prisoners, and report what they witness, but in many instances they refuse to go", Jadallah denounces.

Similarly, Matar urges more involvement from the foreign media in covering trials concerning organisers of demonstrations. "If they wanted, they could go and draw attention on their cases. Very often, I have seen several EU representatives attending trials, but I don't remember ever seeing international media there", the philosophy lecturer emphasizes.

One striking example of media neglect, which Jadallah remembers well of, goes back to 2010, when Addameer documented five sexual cases of abuse by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian child detainees. "We issued a report on our website, I myself contacted the BBC, and they refused to cover the story", he says with dismay.

Jadallah appears to be familiar with the international media's work in the West Bank. As Israel maintains a heavy control over the media coverage, he underlines, foreign journalists prefer to hide the truth from occupied Palestine. While Israel refuses to abide by international conventions regarding the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, the silence of international media may risk allowing Israel to continue to breach international humanitarian law. "Why can they not cover what's going on in Palestine? By not showing the reality, they are covering up Israel's crimes. This is not professional, this is not human", Jadallah asserts.

Anat Matar and Abeer Baker are co-editors of 'Threat: Palestinian Political Prisoners in Israel', a collection of essays written by prisoners, ex-prisoners, human rights defenders, lawyers and academic researchers, that shed light on the subject of Palestinian prisoners from a variety of perspectives. Matar refers to the personal testimonies, the legal analysis on Israel's breaches of international treaties, and the exchange release deals as some key parts of the book. Despite the many endorsements and some good reviews, Ms Matar regrets there was marginal interest in the subject from the mainstream media. "We tried to raise media attention in both the Israeli and international press, unfortunately we were not successful", she says disappointed.

Ms Baker finds the reaction the book got was good, but agrees it had a limited scope. "It showed how little people knew about Palestinian prisoners, many were interested to hear more, but still I don't think we had a 'flood' of writings", she admits. In addition, Baker observes that prisons are a place in which Israel uses its full control over prisoners, their families and children. "The prison is used as a tool to hinder their struggle and silence their voices. No one will ever be able to understand the Occupation if he or she knows little about Palestinian prisoners", the human rights lawyer states.

One of the main issues that should be presented by the media in relation to Palestinian prisoners is administrative detention. Addameer legal researcher expresses concern regarding this practice used by Israel against human rights defenders, journalists, legislators, as well as peace activists, women, children, elders. "Why the need to arrest masses of Palestinians? It's a punishment for prisoners, for their families, and the Palestinian society. What Israel is doing to Palestine is 'social genocide'", Jadallah condemns. Likewise, Ms Baker sees administrative detention as a major question that should be addressed. "This practice of detaining Palestinians without charges and based on classified evidence shows the easy way to get the freedom from innocent people solely for political purposes", she argues. In particular, Ms Matar notes that the arrest campaign of political leaders and activists (namely leaders of popular resistance committees) is left under-covered in the media. "This issue includes that of child prisoners, accused of stone-throwing, since many children are detained in order to criminalize leaders and organisers of peaceful demonstrations", Ms Matar adds.

Like Baker, Jadallah regards solitary confinement another primary issue of concern. There are prisoners who have been in isolation since many years. Some of them have died in prison, some others have been released just before dying. "We want to stop this policy, it is a crime, it is against the law and against the Israeli prison service regulations", he adds.

One of the minimum demands of the Palestinian people to return to the negotiating table is that all the political prisoners should be released. Ms Matar believes this issue will be addressed more by the media in time. "If Israel wanted peace -and if the US and Europe did too- demanding a gradual release of all political prisoners, in line with the implementation of the peace process, would be so critical", she voices. Ms Baker thinks that the demand for releasing prisoners will be highlighted in the next peace talks, though to a lesser extent than the issues of borders, refugees, and East Jerusalem. "How can Israel make peace if it doesn't want to release prisoners of war? There cannot be peace in the Middle East without the release of all the Palestinian prisoners", Jadallah argues.

 http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/prisoners/926-under-reported-palestinian-political-prisoners-an-urgent-matter-for-peace

My husband, Khader Adnan, has shed a light on Israel's disregard for human rights

Randa Musa

 The name of my husband, Khader Adnan, has now become known across the world. Four months ago he was unknown outside of our homeland, Palestine. His hunger strike of 66 days has transformed him into a global figure and a shining symbol of my people's struggle.

Our life was turned upside down on 17 December 2011 when Israeli troops raided our home in Araba village, south of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. It was about 3am when they broke down the doors and stormed into our house.

The havoc they wreaked would always remain etched on the minds of our two daughters, Ma'ali, aged four and Baysan, one and a half years old. I would not be surprised if even our unborn baby which I now bear will also be affected. Such was the trauma that accompanied the Israeli raid.

Khadar has been a student activist for many years. He is no shadowy figure; an outspoken local leader against the Israeli occupation. He is well known to both the Israeli occupation authorities and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. Both have detained him for various periods without charge.

This constant harassment has stood between Khadar and the completion of his master's degree in economics. Yet, we remain a normal couple, yearning for the much-needed stability and freedom to raise our children; to give them the happiness that is the entitlement of every child. With my own university degree, I have no doubt that, as parents we are well equipped to realise our ambitions. But life under Israel's military occupation has turned our dream into a nightmare.

Not for the first time, Khadar has used hunger strike, his powerful form of peaceful protest, to great effect. When the Palestinian Authority forces detained him in 2010 he went on a hunger strike for 12 consecutive days; forcing the Ramallah authority to release him.

Likewise, he staged several hunger strikes in the occupation's detention camps. The last of these was carried out in 2005, which lasted nine days in solitary confinement.

What drives my husband to pursue this dangerous and difficult form of resistance? I have no doubt it is the unjust nature of the "administrative detention" and its notorious methods of torture and humiliation. From the moment he was bungled into their military vehicle in December, insults and veiled threats were thrown at him. They even tried to unhinge him psychologically by claiming I was unfaithful, a vicious calumny he dismissed with scorn.

I know my husband well; I love him, and will always remain faithful to him. He knows this and this is why he spurned the cheap talk of his tormentors. Khadar was never motivated by personal hurt or inconvenience. He, like thousands of other young Palestinians, is determined to see an end to the occupation. He is driven by a higher logic: to expose to the world the plight of 300 Palestinians held now in administrative detention; and another 4,000 sentenced by the occupation. Since 1967, more than 650,000 Palestinians have passed through Israeli jails, many of them in "administrative detention", an average of one in every four in the occupied territories.

Administrative detention is a nebulous and vindictive measure used by the occupation against our young men and women. It is one of the cruel legacies of the old British mandate in Palestine. Today, in the absence of any deterrent or condemnation from the international community, Israel uses it with increasing frequency against university students and lecturers, young professionals and even elected parliamentarians. It is part of an immoral policy used to keep Palestinians in a state of perpetual poverty and under-development.

When a military commander issues an order for administrative detention, no evidence is produced. No charges are brought against the victims, and the occupation has no obligation to give reasons for the detention. This is by no means a legal mechanism. It is simply an arbitrary draconian measure used to inflict psychological and physical harm on its victims. When they are fortunate enough to be brought before a judge, he can detain them for periods of six months that can be extended indefinitely. The prisoners' problem is so prevalent today that Palestinians have had to create a special ministry for prisoners' affairs.

I know my husband is not selfish. This is why I supported him every step of the way. As with any devoted wife, I am duty bound to help him bear the burden of our oppressed people. Our relatives and extended family have supported us with equal fortitude. Indeed, I would not be telling a lie if I say that all Palestinians across the whole political spectrum and millions of freedom-loving people in the world have also stood with us.

Now that the occupation has decided under pressure to free my husband in April, hundreds more would continue to languish in putrid cells under the same illegal inhuman scheme. Khadar has, however, delivered his message to whom it concerns. That, this long night of tyranny and inhumanity will come to an end.

We are well aware that the Israelis may try to renege on this week's agreement - as they have done with the recent prisoner exchange deal - by re-arresting the freed prisoners. But for every occasion there will be a response, and I have no doubt my husband would not hesitate to resume his stoic struggle, with even more strength and determination.

For me, the most difficult part of this ordeal has been the knowledge that at any time I could receive a phone call announcing that my husband is dead. But this is the price for our freedom. It is the indispensable sacrifice needed so that our children would enjoy a life of freedom and dignity.

To the free world, the millions who heard of Khadar and supported him by calling for his release, I extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation.

Source: Guardian

Israeli decision to release Palestinian detainee in April ‘insufficient’

Demonstriations calling for Khader Adnan's release have been held in the West Bank on Tuesday

 

The Israeli authorities’ decision to release a Palestinian detainee by mid-April is insufficient, Amnesty International said amid reports that he has agreed to end his 66-day hunger strike.

The organization has urged Israel to release Khader Adnan immediately to allow him to receive urgent medical treatment. The 33-year-old baker – allegedly affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement – is at immediate risk of death after more than 10 weeks on hunger strike.

“A deal which will see Khader Adnan released on 17 April unless significant new evidence emerges is insufficient when he needs urgent medical treatment to save his life now,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Interim Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Even if reports that Khader Adnan has agreed to end his hunger strike are true, this does not mean he is out of danger nor does it lessen the need for highly specialized medical care.

“He cannot constitute a ‘security threat’ in his current condition and should be released from custody immediately. The Israeli authorities have revealed no evidence justifying his continued detention.”

Khader Adnan was given a four-month administrative detention order on 10 January. Israeli military orders allow the Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians from the occupied West Bank without trial indefinitely if they are deemed to be a “security threat”.

The Israeli Supreme Court had been due to address Khader Adnan’s appeal on Tuesday, but the hearing was cancelled following a reported agreement between his lawyer and the Israeli authorities.

Both the Palestinian Authority and Israeli governmental spokespeople have reported that Khader Adnan has agreed to end his hunger strike, something Amnesty International has not been able to verify independently.

“Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to release Khader Adnan and other Palestinians held in administrative detention, unless they are promptly charged with internationally recognizable criminal offences and tried in accordance with international fair trial standards,”, said Philip Luther.

Khader Adnan was arrested on 17 December last year at his home in the village of Arrabe near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli security forces burst into his house in the early hours of the morning.

His prolonged hunger strike was begun in protest against his ill-treatment, the conditions of his detention, and the policy of administrative detention.

Amnesty International has called on Israel to end the practice of administrative detention because it violates the internationally recognized right to a fair trial which must be upheld for all detainees, even during states of emergency.

The baker has been hospitalized since 30 December as his health deteriorated. He is currently being held in the Ziv hospital in northern Israel under armed guard.

As of 19 February, doctors from Physicians for Human Rights - Israel reported that he was still shackled to his hospital bed, despite commitments by the Israel Prison Service that the shackles would be removed.

Some 309 Palestinians, including more than 20 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council are currently being held in administrative detention. One man has been held for over five years. 

 http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israeli-decision-release-palestinian-detainee-april-insufficient-2012-02-21

NY Times Inadvertently Admits Israel is Apartheid State

One of Khader Adnan's achievements with his 66-day hunger strike is he has backed the New York Times into a corner, forcing it to admit (even if only inadvertently) that Israel has a double-tiered system of justice—one for Jews and one for Palestinians.

Or in other words, that Israel is an Apartheid state.

The following appeared on the Times website February 20. Take special note of the words highlighted in yellow:






"A decades-old Israel practice employed almost exclusively against Palestinians." What does this in effect mean?

A double-tiered system of justice is one of the definitions of Apartheid under the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1973. Article II of that convention lists nine "inhuman acts committed for the purpose" of establishing dominance of one racial group over another. Two of these are:

1. Denial to a member or members of a racial group or groups of the right to life and liberty of person;

2. Arbitrary arrest and illegal imprisonment of the members of a racial group or groups

The New York Times has in effect admitted that Israel practices Apartheid against the Palestinians.




http://leftwing-christian.net/2012/02/21/ny-times-inadvertently-admits-israel-is-apartheid-state.aspx

PA: Khader Adnan to end strike

Khader Adnan was subjected to a violent arrest and humiliating
interrogation sessions

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority minister of prisoners affairs said Tuesday that Israel intends to release hunger striking prisoner Khader Adnan after he completes his current administrative detention term.

In return, Adnan agreed to end his strike, according to Issa Qaraqe, the prisoners minister. The term will end April 17, he said.

Adnan has not confirmed he intends to end the hunger strike, and a lawyer for the prisoner did not return calls seeking confirmation. The prisoners society said it had no information about a deal.

Qaraqe said he would hold a news conference along with the head of the Palestinian prisoners' society, Qaddura Faris, later Tuesday in Adnan's village Arraba near Jenin to discuss the details.

Protesters hold flags as they stand on a vehicle partly covered by a
banner depicting jailed Islamic Jihad leader Khader Adnan, during a
weekly demonstration against the separation wall.

 Israel's Justice Ministry confirmed the deal to end the strike.

"There is a deal. (Khader Adnan) will stop his hunger strike. They will not extend his administrative detention and he will be free on April 17," an Israeli Justice Ministry spokeswoman told Reuters.

Another Palestinian official, Ziad Abu Ein, said earlier that Israel was preparing to release the detainee, who has been hospitalized in Israel after refusing food for 66 days.

A High Court of Justice session was originally scheduled for Tuesday.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=462081

Court To Look Into Adnan’s Appeal Tuesday

Khader Adnan

by Saed Bannoura

 Lawyer of detainee, Khader Adnan, who has been on hunger strike since 65 days, stated that the Israeli Supreme Court decided to hold a session to look into Adnan’s case on Tuesday. The court also decided that Adnan does have to attend the session due to his bad health condition.

 The court will be deliberating an appeal filed by his lawyer, on Tuesday at 2 in the afternoon. It will be deciding whether to keep him under administrative detention, without any charges, or to make a decision into his case, including the option of releasing him.

Qaddoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoner Society, stated that if Israel was interested in any good-will intensions it must release Adnan immediately.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Minister of Detainees, Issa Qaraqe’, met Jordan’s Ambassador in Ramallah and handed him a letter to King Abdullah asking him to personally intervene for the release of Adnan.

Qaraqe’ stated that several officials and groups contacted different Arab and foreign countries asking them to intervene for the release Adnan, and added that he personally believe that the issue will be resolve during the court session on Tuesday.

Israeli Government spokesperson, Mark Regev, told the CNN “that the Islamic Jihad is a terrorist group not only under Israeli law, but Canadian, Australian, Japanese, British, EU and the US”, and that “such cases of terrorists take a long time”, according to Regev.

When asked about why Adnan, on the verge of death, has not faced charges yet, Regev stated that “When his case was brought before a judge, who saw all the evidence, that judge clearly stated in his ruling that that this man poses an immediate danger, and a real threat to the public”.

On Monday evening, dozens of Journalists lit 66 candles representing the days of Adnan’s ongoing hunger strike, at the Yasser Arafat Square in the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Arab Member of Knesset, Dr. Ahmad Tibi, stated the he is extremely concerned about the life of Adnan who is currently at an Israeli hospital in Safad, and insists to continue his hunger strike despite his bad health condition.

 http://www.imemc.org/article/63031

Egyptians Urged for Action as Khader Adnan Nears Death

“MY DIGNITY is more precious than food.” This is what gives Palestinian detainee Khader Adnan patience in his hunger strike struggle that entered the 64th day, the longest in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a new form of resistance, Adnan was protesting the Israeli “humiliation and policy of administrative detention” as well as the policy of detaining prisoners without charges or trial for periods of up to six months.

Shackled to hospital bed by both legs and one arm, the 33-year-old has lost at least 30 kilograms and doctors from Physicians for Human Rights who are monitoring his health each day say his condition has deteriorated so significantly that he may die at any time.

The wife of Palestinian Prisoner Khader Adnan called upon Arab masses in general and the Egyptian people, in particular, for urgent action in support for her husband who was nearing death after his health condition deteriorated. “We call upon the rebellious Arab peoples who removed the tyrants, especially our brothers in Egypt, to rise up in support of Sheikh Khader and join him in the battle of dignity, just as they did when they tore down the wall surrounding the embassy of the Israeli enemy in Cairo and broke into it last September,” Randa Adnan said.

Khader Adnan was arrested by Israeli occupation soldiers on December 17 midnight, while at his home in the Palestinian village of Arrabeh on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Jenin. After eighteen days of interrogation - during which he was tortured and humiliated by agents of Israel's domestic security forces - he was imprisoned without charge or trial in what is called "administrative detention". It’s worth mentioning that there are currently more than 300 Palestinians being held in “administrative detention” by the Zionist entity, without charge or trial, for renewable periods of six months, without any way of defending themselves.

 Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, on Saturday called on Israel to “preserve” the health of Adnan. Ashton’s office said she was “following with great concern reports about the deteriorating health condition of Khader Adnan.” “Detainees have the right to be informed about the charges underlying any detention and be subject to a fair trial,” her office said.

Adnan’s family and legal team were hoping that he would be released this week after his case went to the Ofer military court in the West Bank. However, the court rejected his appeal and ordered that Adnan must remain under administrative detention for four months which will end on May 8. The military court said “that Adnan was solely responsible for the damage to his health,” but the Israeli Supreme Court has now agreed to hear his petition, though no date has been set for a hearing.

The Israeli military has said little about why Adnan was arrested, saying his case was being handled “strictly according to the law” with “special attention being given to his humanitarian situation” which is worsening day after day.

Ma’an news agency obtained a copy of a letter by Adnan which was handed earlier to his attorney. In the letter Adnan writes: “The Israeli occupation has gone to extremes against our people, especially prisoners. I have been humiliated, beaten, and harassed by interrogators for no reason, and thus I swore to God I would fight the policy of administrative detention to which I and hundreds of my fellow prisoners fell prey. “The only thing I can do is offer my soul to God, as I believe righteousness and justice will eventually triumph over tyranny and oppression.”

Addressing the Palestinian people, Adnan said: "I starve myself for you to remain. I die for you to live. Stay with the revolution."

 http://uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.com/2012/02/egyptians-urged-for-action-as-khader.html

PCHR Calls upon the International Community to Save the Life of the Detainee Khader Adnan

by Palestinian Center For Human Rights - Press Release

 The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is concerned for the life of Khader Adnan, a detainee in Israeli jails, who has been on hunger strike for more than two months. PCHR calls upon the international community to pressurize Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to release Adnan, who has been placed under administrative detention without trial.

 Khader Adnan has been on a hunger strike since 18 December 2011, one day after his arrest by IOF, in protest to the inhuman detention conditions under which he is held. Adnan had been placed under administrative detention more than once in the past. Since he started the hunger strike, the Israeli Prison Service refused his demands and rejected his release.

He appeared before Israeli courts more than once, and the order of administrative detention issued against him was upheld. On 13 February 2012, the Israeli military court rejected an appeal filed by the Palestinian Prisoner Club Society, upholding the order of administrative detention.

Adnan is currently receiving medical treatment at Rebecca Seiff Hospital in Safed in the north of Israel. According to a physician from the Israeli Physicians for Human Rights, as of 15 February 2012, Adnan’s life is endangered because of his continued hunger strike, which has caused erosion of his muscles, including the muscles of heart and stomach.

The internal medicine physician, who checked him five times last week, stressed that Adnan’s body started to release poisons, which in light of the severe weakness of his immunity system makes more likely that he may be subjected to a sudden heart attack. The same physician noted that abstention from having food for more than 70 days inevitably leads to death.

Khader Adnan Mohammed Mousa, 33, from ‘Arraba village near Jenin, who is married and a father of two children, was arrested by IOF on 17 December 2011. The following day, he declared an open hunger strike. On 31 December 2011, he was transferred from al-Jalama interrogation center to al-Ramla Prison. An order was issued placing him under administrative detention for 4 months on 08 January 2012.

A month later, on 06 February 2012, an Israeli judge approved the administrative detention order issued by the military commander, claiming that confidential information indicated that Khader Adnan is extremely dangerous. Ultimately, on 13 February 2012, the appeal judge of Oufar Military Court refused to order Adnan’s release and upheld the administrative detention order.

During this period, Adnan and his attorney have not been informed of the charges directed against him. The Israeli prosecution provided the court with the charges against Adnan under the item of confidential information, which constitutes evidence of the arbitrariness of the administrative detention policy practiced by IOF against Palestinian detainees.

Adnan’s case highlights the conditions of more than 300 Palestinians who are currently placed under administrative detention in Israeli prisons and detention facilities, including the Speaker and 19 Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

These actions are in violation of the right of a detainee to fair trial, including the right to receive appropriate defense and to be informed of charges against him. Administrative detention is applied by an administrative order only without referring to a court, thus violating the standards of impartial judicial procedures, including fair trial.

PCHR is concerned for the life of Khader Adnan, who has been detained in Israeli jails, and:

1. Calls upon the international community to pressurize IOF to release him to avoid risking his life;

2. Reiterates its call for the international community to stop systematic serious abuses against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities;

3. Emphasizes that administrative detention is illegal and falls under the category of political arrests, constituting a violation of the detainee’s right to a fair trial, including his right to receive an adequate defense and to be informed of the charges against him.

 http://www.imemc.org/article/63028

Haneyya: Diplomatic moves being made to have hunger striker Adnan released

GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya said he gave instructions to the ministry of foreign affairs to carry out intensive contacts with different Arab and European official parties to help get hunger striker Khader Adnan released from Israeli jails.

Following the Friday prayers in the Omari Mosque, Haneyya affirmed he delegated the foreign ministry in Gaza to contact and send letters to the Arab League, the organization of Islamic cooperation, the UN, the Arab and Islamic ministers of foreign affairs, and some European officials to urge them to intervene with regard to the issue of prisoner Adnan.

He stated that the Palestinian government cannot forsake its prisoners from the Palestinian people who go on hunger strike to protest the injustice inflicted upon them by the occupation.

"We are confident that the will of Sheikh Khader Adnan and our brave prisoners shall triumph," the premier emphasized.

In a related incident, hundreds of Turkish citizens participated in a rally organized on Friday in Istanbul in solidarity with prisoner Khader Adnan, who has been on hunger strike for more than 60 days.

The protestors chanted slogans and carried banners in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails especially prisoner Adnan.

 http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

Palestinian on hunger strike appeals to Israel’s Supreme Court demanding his release

Maali Adnan, 4, holds a picture of her father Khader Adnan,
33, an Islamic Jihad member jailed in Israel who has been
on hunger strike for 63 days, during a solidarity protest in the
northern West Bank, Friday. Adnan is on a hunger strike to
protest what he says is humiliation that he faces in Israel's
military justice system.

A Palestinian waging a hunger strike for an unprecedented 63 days has appealed to Israel's Supreme Court, demanding to be released from months-long detention without trial, his lawyer said Saturday.

Khader Adnan is fighting a provision that allows Israel to hold detainees for months or even years without trial or formal charges. Israeli officials say they use so-called "administrative detention" to guard against immediate threats to the country's security.

Adnan, a member of the militant group Islamic Jihad, has continued his hunger strike longer than any Palestinian detainee before him. His doctors warned this week that the 33-year-old might die soon.

"We are hoping ... the Supreme Court hears this case urgently," said Mahmoud Hassan, one of Adnan's lawyers. "He could die before the court hearing happens."

The court has not set a date for the hearing. Hassan said in previous cases, the high court at times reduced the sentence of administrative detainees on appeal, but rarely ordered them freed outright.

The hunger strike has transformed Adnan into a Palestinian hero, with thousands protesting in support of the once obscure bearded baker. The Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad has vowed revenge if Adnan dies, possibly by firing rockets into Israel from Gaza. The group has killed dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks. Adnan was once a spokesman for the group. It's unclear if he ever participated in any attacks.

Khader Adnan, 34, was arrested by Israel
on Dec 17 in the West Bank, is a spokesman
for Islamic Jihad. He has been on hunger
strike for 63 days.

Adnan is under guard in an Israeli hospital, where officials are monitoring his condition.

He is taking liquid infusions of salts, glucose and minerals, said the Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights on Wednesday, citing his doctor. The group is overseeing his medical care.

Adnan is still lucid, but he has shed some 66 pounds, his hair is falling out, his muscles have atrophied and he is in immediate danger of death, said the group's doctor.

Adnan is serving four months in administrative detention. Israeli military judges can imprison defendants for up to six months at a time, with the possibility of renewing the detention order repeatedly. Defendants and their lawyers are not shown the alleged evidence against them.

An Israeli military judge rejected an appeal by Adnan last week, saying he reviewed the evidence and found the sentence to be fair.

On Saturday, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the bloc was following Adnan's case with "great concern."

"Detainees have the right to be informed about the charges underlying any detention and be subject to a fair trial," Ashton said in a statement.

Israeli military officials generally use administrative detention to hold Palestinians who they believe are an imminent risk to the country's security. They say if the evidence against the accused was made public, it would expose Israeli intelligence-gathering networks in the Palestinian Territories. They say the process is under full judicial review by Israel's military and the Supreme Court.

Annan began his hunger strike on Dec. 18, a day after he was seized from his home in the northern West Bank town of Arabeh.

He told his lawyers that he was beaten and humiliated during arrest and interrogation.

Also Saturday, Palestinian militants fired three rockets from Gaza into Israel, officials said.

Israeli police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby said the rockets landed in an open area, causing no damage.

A years-old understanding between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers have halted much of the rocket fire from the tiny territory.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/palestinian-hunger-strike-appeals-israel-supreme-court-demanding-release-article-1.1025211#ixzz1mo5h5ohn

UN Special Rapporteur calls for the release of Palestinian hunger strike detainee

Professor Richard Falk, has called on the Israeli
authorities to release the Palestinian detainee.

The UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Professor Richard Falk, has called on the Israeli authorities to release the Palestinian detainee, Khader Adnan, who has been on hunger strike for two months now.

On Wednesday, the UN News Centre reported that Falk had expressed grave concerns about Adnan's health. Falk described the situation as urgent and pressed the international community to intervene stating that, "In view of the emergency of his situation, the Government of Israel must take immediate and effective action to safeguard Mr Adnan's life, while upholding his rights."

"The improper treatment of thousands of Palestinian prisoners by the Government of Israel should be of utmost concern to the international community, and it is a problem that I am paying close attention to in the context of my on-going visit to the region," he added.

Adnan, a 34-year-old Palestinian from the village of Arraba near Jenin in the north of the West Bank, began his hunger strike in December approximately one week after he was taken into administrative detention. His actions are a poignant protest against the arbitrary use of administrative detention policy and improper treatment of Palestinians in Israeli custody.

 http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/3434-un-special-rapporteur-calls-for-the-release-of-palestinian-hunger-strike-detainee