Palestinian prisoners end hunger strike as agreement reached with Israeli officials

[Scurrilous]

Sources within the Palestinian Prisoners Club claim that agreement regulates administrative detainees, solitary confinement policy, and visits from family members residing in Gaza.

<snip>

"Israel Prison Services reported on Monday that Palestinian prisoners have agreed to end their hunger strike. Senior sources within the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club told Haaretz that an agreement was forged between the Israel Prison Services and the prisoners, containing three main chapters concerning administrative detainees, solitary confinement policy, and visits from family members residing in Gaza.

Earlier Monday, it was reported that a disagreement arose between the prisoner’s delegation and prison service officials at Ashkelon prison, concerning administrative detainees. According to the report, a senior Egyptian Intelligence official was summoned to Israel in order to resolve the disagreement. After hours of feverish negotiations that included intervention from the Egyptian Intelligence official, an agreement was reached and signed by the Israel Prison Service and prisoner representatives.

A Fatah Central Committee member, Azxam Al Ahmad, said that the agreement between the committee representing the prisoners and the Israel Prison Services responded to the prisoner’s demands. Al Ahmad, a resident of Cairo, said that he met with senior Egyptian officials that served as mediators for the negotiations. According to Ahmad, senior Egyptian Intelligence officials, Rafaat Shehata, and General Nader Al Asar led the mediation efforts.

Over the last few days, progress began on prisoner demands as the negotiations between prisoner representatives and Israeli officials advanced, in a bid to end the widespread hunger strike that has lasted nearly a month. Roughly 1,600 prisoners among the 4,600 prisoners held in Israel are participating in the strike. Three prisoners have refused to eat for more than 70 days, and concern for their lives has been raised."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-prisoners-end-hunger-strike-as-agreement-reached-with-israeli-officials-1.430437

[oberliner]

1. Good news?

What's your take on this?

[azurnoir]

2. After deal, Israel still jailing Palestinians without charge

An Egyptian-brokered deal that ended a mass hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has failed to meet hopes that Israel would change its policy of detention without trial.

In the two weeks since some 2,000 inmates agreed to end their hunger strike, more than 25 prisoners have either been rearrested after their release or had their six-month "administrative detention" terms renewed, Palestinian officials said on Monday.

The new detention figures, relating to Palestinians suspected of security offenses, are largely in line with past statistics during a two-week time frame, the officials said.

Under the deal, Israel agreed to reduce solitary confinement and increase family visits. The agreement contained no explicit mechanisms for ending detention without trial, but prisoners and negotiators believed it compelled Israel to curtail the practice and refer more cases to open courts.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=490164

[shaayecanaan]

3. To be honest, I never thought that this would work...

I thought Israel would be perfectly content to let them starve.

[oberliner]

4. It did work and they didn't starve

Your thoughts about Israel are ridiculous.

[shaayecanaan]

5. Britain let Bobby Sands starve...

and your average Brit probably thinks better of Irish Catholics than the average Israeli does for Palestinians.

Then again, Bobby Sands was judicially tried and convicted of actual crimes.

[oberliner]

8. How'd that work out for them?

Perhaps Israel has learned from Britain's mistakes?

[shaayecanaan]

9. re

Perhaps Israel has learned from Britain's mistakes?

It would certainly be a red letter day if they did.

[azurnoir]

6. apparently you did not read the Ma'an article n/t

[oberliner]

7. Did you?

It indicates that the changes the hunger strikers requested were granted.

They achieved their goals - and no one starved to death.

[azurnoir]

10. Mahmoud al-Sarsak who is still on hunger strike

but your right he is not dead-yet and the deal was did meet Israel's goal in that it took international attention from this episode off of Israel