RAMALLAH: Addameer Prisoner Support Network recently released a quarterly newsletter that details the statistics regarding Israeli imprisonment of Palestinians and related issues. As of January 1, Addameer says, 4,743 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons. 178 of those were in administrative detention, an archaic procedure in which detainees are held with neither charge nor trial. 193 were children, 23 of which were under 16-years-old. 191 had Israeli citizenship. 12 were members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. During this quarter, which stretches from September 1 to January 15, “not one day passed without at least one prisoner on an individual hunger strike." Several hunger strikes were launched by administrative detainees in protest to Israel's reneging on prior agreements not to extend their administrative detention sentences. One prisoner, Mohammad Kananeh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, went on a 15-day hunger strike “to protest the fact that he was placed in a prison section for criminal offenders instead of the section for political activists." At least three Palestinians are still on hunger strike. Samer Al-Issawi has been on partial hunger strike for over 200 days, drawing the attention of Palestinian, Israeli, and international solidarity activists. Jafar Ezzedine and Tarek Qa'adan, both administrative detainees arrested in their Jenin village during the latest Israeli military offensive against Gaza in November, have been on hunger strike since November 28. According to Addameer and other rights organizations, each of them is suffering rapidly declining health. Al-Issawi has been rendered wheelchair-bound as a result of the strike. The newsletter states According to lawyer Anan Odeh, on 18 December 2012, there was a court session for hunger striker Samer Issawi. Around 11 am, Samer entered the court room and tried to greet his mother and sister, and was brutally attacked by Nahshon Unit members who beat him all over his body especially on his neck, chest and stomach. The beating was so brutal so that he would not be able to communicate with his mother or sister. Furthermore, the judge presiding over the hearing left the court room to allow the Nahshon forces to keep attacking Samer. Additionally, on Saturday the European Union called on Israel to respect the human rights of prisoners. The report also stated that over 200 Palestinians were arrested during the eight-day Gaza conflict in November. In the village of Azzoun, over 85 percent of those arrested during 2012 were under 18-years-old. BN
