A special bond between Palestine and South Africa; OCHA reports on Israel’s antagonism over humanitarian aid; deadly airstrike in Deir Al Balah; white-flag-waving grandmother killed; Israel’s bombing and climate change; Blinken claims don’t pass the smell test; ADL number-crunching; Palestinian prisoner annual report
The death of hunger striker Khader Adnan underscores Israel’s cruel, often illegal treatment of Palestinian prisoners, the overuse of administrative detention, & the decades of tyrannical military orders that keep Palestinians subjugated and miserable.
Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan, who’s been arrested 14 times and spent over 8 years in Israeli prisons, died today after an 87-day hunger strike – his 5th – in protest of his illegal administrative detention by Israel. Israel refused to allow his family to visit him even as his condition deteriorated. He was one of ~600 Palestinians held without charge or trial. The NYT didn’t report on the strike until he died.
Over 1 million Palestinians have been held in Israeli prisons over the years. Thousands have been held in “administrative detention,” which means imprisonment without a trial or even charges. More & more, Palestinian prisoners are protesting this barely-legal practice through hunger strikes. Frail, emaciated Palestinians make Israel very nervous.
Mousa Haron Abu Mehamid, from Bethlehem, was arrested for being in East Jerusalem without a permit. Since 1967, 231 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons, including dozens who have died due to medical negligence.
Beginning at age 13, Ahmad Manasra has endured years of harsh interrogations, abuse, & solitary confinement; mental health experts say his life is in danger – but Israel refuses to release him. Ahmad has served 6 years for a crime in which he did not participate.
Israel found Mohammed El Halabi guilty of diverting $50 million from World Vision, ignoring compelling facts that proved the charges against him were not just false, but ridiculous.
The Israel Prison Service holds thousands of Palestinian prisoners in isolation, including minors, for months and even years, according to figures obtained following a freedom of information request filed by Physicians for Human Rights. – Israel’s action is likely a breach of the Convention against Torture.
Children are not afraid to join protests for Palestinian Bedouin rights. Israeli soldiers and the military court system treat them just as harshly as they treat adults.
Hisham Abu Hawash ends his 141-day hunger strike with a deal to release him on March 26. More details will follow when available.