Palestinian Prisoner Freed After 56 Days of Hunger Strike

Date:

Khader Adnan being welcomed by his daughter. Google image
Khader Adnan being welcomed by his daughter. Google image

JERUSALEM (Agencies) – TEL AVIV: Israel on Sunday released a Palestinian prisoner who staged a 56-day hunger strike which brought him near death in a protest against the controversial procedure allowing detainees to be held indefinitely without charge.

Khader Adnan was greeted to a hero’s welcome in his village near Jenin, in the northern West Bank, that included fireworks, songs and flags for Islamic Jihad, the movement to which Israel says he belongs.

Residents wore shirts donning Adnan’s picture.

The bespectacled 37-year-old, thin and with a long beard, was released before dawn in an apparent effort to limit attention to the move, initially expected at midday.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli Prison Authority confirmed the release but provided no other details.

Islamic Jihad congratulated Adnan in a statement for his “victory” and said a celebration was being organised in his village of Arraba for Sunday evening.

Adnan had been held for a year under administrative detention, which allows imprisonment without charge for renewable periods of six months indefinitely.

Of the 5,686 Palestinian prisoners currently held by Israel, 379 are detained under the procedure.

His hunger strike, which had brought him near death by the time it concluded last month, had sparked warnings from the Palestinian government that it held Israel responsible for his fate.

Regular protests were organised in support of him.

Adnan ended his hunger strike on June 28 after Israel agreed to release him, at which point he was transferred to an Israeli hospital.

An Israeli official said at the time that the deal was made possible after Adnan withdrew his demand that Israel undertake never again to place him under administrative detention.

The official said Adnan’s deteriorating health and appeals from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestinian Authority had contributed to the decision to release him.

He was detained a year ago, shortly after the kidnapping and murder of three young Israelis, which triggered the arrests of hundreds of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The killings were part of an upsurge in violence in the run-up to the 2014 Gaza war. Adnan had previously gone on hunger strike for 66 days in 2012 to protest against his detention.

He was released at the end of the protest, during which he had ingested vitamins and salt.

He refused to swallow anything except water during his most recent detention.

A long list of Palestinian prisoners have gone on hunger strike, including nearly 2,000 in 2012 to protest against the administrative detention policy.

Separately, Israeli police on Sunday said they have arrested several Jewish suspects over an arson attack last month at a shrine where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of loaves and fishes.

“Several Jewish suspects have been arrested for the burning of the church and the Nazareth court has decided to extend their detention for the purposes of the investigation,” police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement of the overnight arrests. Police did not provide a number, but an ultra-nationalist organisation said three young Jews had been arrested.

Another police spokesman said the arrests followed an undercover investigation also involving the Shin Bet internal security agency.

The Israeli government in mid-June renewed efforts for legislation that would allow prisoners to be force-fed when their lives are in danger, sparking criticism from health experts and rights groups.

theclarionindia
theclarionindiahttps://clarionindia.net
Clarion India - News, Views and Insights about Indian Muslims, Dalits, Minorities, Women and Other Marginalised and Dispossessed Communities.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

spot_imgspot_img

Popular

More like this
Related

Security Beefed up Ahead of INDIA Bloc Protest in Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday had said...

UN Expert Says She Faces Threats after Israel-Gaza Genocide Report

GENEVA - A United Nations expert who published a report saying...

ICJ Tells Israel to Ensure Urgent Assistance in Gaza

THE HAGUE - The world’s top court on Thursday...

Mukhtar Ansari Dies in Banda Jail, Security Tightened in UP

Ansari had earlier told the court that he was...