Israeli statements against striking detainees similar to those of the Nazis: Qaraqe’

Head of the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs (CDA), Issa Qaraqe’, on Wednesday said that the statements made by the Israeli ministers against Marwan Barghouthi calling for his execution and inciting against the detainees, are very similar to the statements of Nazi leaders representing hatred, racism and corruption.

Qaraqe’ pointed out that these statements, accompanied by arbitrary and repressive measures against strikers represented in the isolation of the leaders, opening new sections for collective isolation, confiscating personal belongings. All these measures indicate official political decision of Israel to suppress the strike and break the will of strikers. This decision will lead to an escalation inside and outside prisons.

He added that the occupation is responsible for the consequences of the hunger strike, and that the existing authority in Israel has become a threat to the security and peace in the region, and that the extremist inciting statements against detainees calling for throwing them into the Dead Sea violate the International Humanitarian Law.

Qaraqe’ stressed that the Palestinian detainees are legitimate strugglers for freedom and dignity, and that the Israeli occupation practices organized terrorism and supports the terrorism of Jewish settlement against Palestinian people.

1500 Palestinian prisoners in different Israeli jails started a hunger strike on 17th April, looking forward to improve their life conditions in the Israeli jails. The demands of the Palestinian detainees revolve around the right to have proper visits by their families, having proper health care, ending the solitary confinement, changing the inhume way of transportation between prisons and other similar basic needs issues.

Israeli authority prevented lawyers from the Commission and Prisoners Society and some other human rights organization from visiting prisoners who are in hunger strike. A case in point, what had happened at Jalama prison, where lawyers weren’t allowed to visit Marwan Barghouti and Naser Owes. Both of them were transferred yesterday from Hadareem prison to Jalama prison. The excuses were that Barghouti and Owes are unable walk because of the hunger strike.

In Ofer prison (located in West Bank near Ramallah), the prison administration transferred the prisoners who participated in the hunger strike to sector 11 (started to be used as an isolation sector). Prison administration confiscated all the personal belongings of prisoners.

In Ashkelon prison, some sick prisoners joined the strike; prison administration took their blankets and gave them dirty ones instead. In addition, prison administration started to confiscate personal belongings such as electrical heaters, clothes, blankets, and threating prisoners with more punishment if they continue their hunger strike.

However, lawyers from both CDA and the Prisoner’s Society decided to boycott the Israeli Military courts for tomorrow Wednesday 19th April as a protest against Prisons Administration, because it prevented them from visiting prisoners who are on hunger strike.