RAMALLAH: On Tuesday, activists and youth, both Israeli and Palestinian, staged two demonstrations in Jaffa. The first was against sexual violence and the oppression of women, and the second was a solidarity rally for Palestinian prisoners, namely longtime hunger striker Samer Al-Issawi. Activists traveled from Haifa, Acre, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and elsewhere to participate. The first protest was part of a growing trend of discontent with the treatment of women. Some 50 demonstrators assembled in Jaffa's Clock Square, a central location, in order to express their opposition to sexual violence. The protest comes in the wake of disturbing news of sexual assaults in Egypt, India, and elsewhere. “Yesterday's demonstration was very successful and highly important to show solidarity," A'ida, an 18-year-old university student at Tel Aviv University told BikyaNews.com. “Despite that fact that our sisters in Egypt continually face sexual oppression and sexual harassment in Tahrir Square, while taking part in the ongoing revolution, they refuse to submit to the regime's systematic attempts to restrain women from participating in the political struggles." She added, “In a time where people everywhere—especially our prisoners—are in the midst of battles for freedom, I believe that all Palestinian women should stand up for freedom and liberation of the body. From here, the usurped land of Palestine, we refuse to watch in silence the spread of sexual violence and terrorism against women everywhere, especially in Egypt." “It's our duty to raise our voices in solidarity with our courageous sisters in Egypt and in the Arab World as well." Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike Also in Clock Square, the second protest, a solidarity rally for hunger striker Samer Al-Issawi and other Palestinian prisoners, drew roughly 80 people. It was one of many solidarity events for Palestinian prisoners that has taken place over the course of the last few months. Photo: A'ida Kaddan Samer Al-Issawi has been on partial hunger strike for over 200 days. A former prisoner released as part of the October 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner swap, he was rearrested after Israel said he violated movement restrictions that stated he could not leave Jerusalem. However, he is still being held in administrative detention, an archaic practice in which Palestinian prisoners are held on “secret evidence" without charge or trial, often restricted from lawyer and family visits. According to Addameer Prisoner Support Network, Al-Issawi's health is rapidly declining, and there is widespread concern that he will die. Two other prisoners, also administrative detainees, accompany Al-Issawi in his hunger strike: Jafar Ezzedine and Tarek Qa'adan, both of whom have recently surpassed 80 days. Hunger striking prisoners have been able to rally otherwise divided Palestinian factions and have chalked up a number of successes against Israel Prison Services. In Spring 2012, two administrative detainees accused of being Islamic Jihad activists sparked a wave of support: Khader Adnan launched a 66-day hunger strike that secured his release, and Hana Shalabi went 43 days without food before IPS released her into the Gaza Strip (rather than her West Bank village near Jenin). In April 2012, some 2,000 prisoners went on mass hunger strike and forced the IPS to cave in to a number of their demands, including improved education opportunities in prison and guarantees of family visits for Gazan prisoners. In recent weeks, demonstrations for the hunger strikers have taken place at Haifa University, Tel Aviv University, outside of Ramleh Prison, and across the Israeli-occupied West Bank. According to Addameer's most recent numbers, 4,743 Palestinians are in Israeli prisons. 178 are administrative detainees. 193 are children, 23 of whom are under the age of 16-years-old. BN
