RAMALLAH: On Saturday a Palestinian prisoner reached the 193rd day of a partial hunger strike. Despite limited media coverage, 32-year-old Samer Al-Issawi's case has drawn significant attention from activists and human rights organizations. Addameer Prisoner Support Network, a vocal advocate for the rights of Palestinian prisoners, has called for the release of all hunger striking prisoners, including Al-Issawi. A recent press release read, “Addameer calls on the international community to pressure the Israeli Prison Service for the immediate release of the hunger striking prisoners and ensure that Israel upholds international human rights and humanitarian law." In December, Physicians for Human Rights in Israel condemned what it alleged as violent treatment of the hunger striker by Israeli Prison Services (IPS) during a court hearing, stating that guards escorting Samer violently prevented him from establishing contact with his family members present in the court. This behavior is especially perturbing as it ignores his vulnerability following [his] hunger strike, the fact that his life is at risk and he is almost completely incapable to move and uses a wheel chair. Release and re-arrest Al-Issawi is one of many Palestinians who were released in the 2011 Gilad Shilat prisoner exchange only to be arrested gain shortly after. According to Electronic Intifada, he was originally arrested in Ramallah in April 2002, when Israeli forces launched offensives against several West Bank cities during the height of the Second Palestinian Intifada, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the possession of weapons and involvement in armed militias A march in Ramallah for prisoners. April 2012. After a decade of toiling behind bars in an Israeli military prison, Al-Issawi was released in October 2011, along with 1,027 other prisoners freed in exchange for the return of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. As part of this deal, the Israeli government forced many prisoners to sign agreements to restriction on their movement. On July 7, 2012, Al-Issawi was re-arrested for violating this agreement by leaving Jerusalem, Israel claimed. Controversy quickly ensued. Although East Jerusalem is recognized as occupied Palestinian territory under international law, Israel annexed the territory following the June 1967 War. According to Maath Musleh, the area where Al-Issawi was arrested falls within the territory that Israel formally defines as Jerusalem: “According to the Israeli definition, the boundaries of the municipality of Jerusalem extends north to include the Palestinian village Kufr Aqab. Issawi was captured in a location within the Israeli-defined boundaries of Jerusalem, midway between Kufr Aqab and the center of the city." Palestinian prisoners and hunger strikes According to a Red Cross medical examiner, Al-Issawi, whose partial hunger strike hit 193 days on Saturday, is in danger of death. After threatening to intensify his hunger strike, Al-Issawi ceased accepting vitamins on January 17. Less than a week later, on January 22, he also stopped drinking water for five days. “Samer was then examined by a Red Cross doctor on 27 January 2013 who explained that his life was at risk and suggested that he at least begin drinking water again," Addameer said. “Following the doctor's advice Samer started drinking water. Samer continues to suffer from various health conditions including low heart rate; heart pain; sever kidney pain; chest pain; muscle pain; severe headaches; and pain in his left eye." Posters in Ramallah call for solidarity. Three other prisoners are presently refusing food. Jazzer Azzedine and Tarek Qa'adan, both of whom are being held without charge in “administrative detention," have passed 66-days. Akram Rikhawi stopped taking food again on January 24. Rikhawi ended a 102-day hunger strike in July 2012, when Israeli Prison Services (IPS) agreed to release him on January 24 this year in exchange for ceasing the strike. When he was not released on the 24th, Rikhawi launched a new hunger strike. He has vowed not to eat until he is released from detention, Addameer stated. Hunger striking is not a new tool in the Israeli-Palestinian context. Following the successful hunger strikes of administrative detainees Khader Adnan and Hana Shalabi, some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners launched a mass hunger strike in April 2012 and captured international media attention, eventually forcing IPS negotiators to concede to several of their demands. As of January 1, Addameer estimates that 4,743 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons. From that total, 193 are children, 23 of whom are under the age of 16. Another 178 were being held on “secret evidence" without charges or trial in administrative detention. 12 were members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. BN
