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Palestinian Prisoners’ Hunger Strike ‘Jihad’: Chief Judge
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A mother of a prisoner wants her son back(AFP)
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By
Atef Daghlas, IOL Correspondent
NABLUS, August 24 (IslamOnline.net) – The hunger strike staged by
thousands of Palestinian prisoners ten days ago in protest at their
deplorable conditions inside Israeli jails is a kind of Jihad and
their support is a duty on Muslims worldwide, Palestinian Chief Judge
Sheikh Taysir Al-Tamimi said.
“This
hunger strike is a sharp weapon and the most effective means to
pressure the unjust [Israeli] jailers. In doing so, they make the
voice of a myriad of suffering prisoners heard,” Tamimi said Monday
August 23, in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by
IslamOnline.net.
He
said
Israel
has violated relevant international laws and human rights in
withdrawing salt, milk and other liquids from the prison cells to
break the staunch will of the prisoners.
He
said the Israeli occupation authorities would be held accountable for
any harm done to the hunger strikers.
“If
any of them died, he would be a martyr, who breathed his last in a
battlefield, and the Israelis would be the killers,” he warned.
The
‘Empty Stomach’ “is the battle of dignity and freedom and lawful
according to Sharia’ah, but even praised by God,” he said, citing
verses from the Noble Qur’an.
Some
1700 Palestinian prisoners began
their hunger strike Sunday, August 15. On Wednesday, August 18, the
number reached 4,000 of the some 8,000 Palestinian prisoners jailed by
Israel
.
The
prisoners are demanding mandatory visitation rights as well as an end
to humiliating strip searches and the removal of glass barriers in
visitation rooms.
Palestinian
President Yasser Arafat, Tamimi and Archbishop Atallah Hana, the
spokesman for the Orthodox Church in Al-Quds (occupied
Jerusalem
), joined
Monday, August 16, a one day symbolic hunger strike.
Duty
on Muslims
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Disabled Palestinian youths take part during a Gaza rally to show support to prisoners (AFP) |
Tamimi
further said that supporting the Palestinian prisoners is a duty on
Muslims worldwide until they enjoy their inalienable human rights.
“It
is the battle of the entire Muslim nation,” Tamimi said. “There
are no place of half-hearted people and those who will let them down
are sinful.”
He
also urged Muslims worldwide to observe a one-day fast Thursday August
26, in solidarity with the prisoners and Friday sermon preachers to
speak about the sufferings of the prisoners Friday, August 27.
Hamas
urged Muslims worldwide
to fast Monday, August 23, as a show of support for the
prisoners.
For
his part, Sheikh Hamed Al-Bitawi said it is incumbent upon Muslims
worldwide to support the prisoners.
“The
Palestinian Authority and Arab organizations are doing little to
support the prisoners,” he said.
The
occupied Palestinian territories, meanwhile, were semi-paralyzed
Tuesday as the prisoners’ strike entered its tenth day.
The
prisoners said in a statement a copy of which was sent to
IslamOnline.net Monday that Israeli prison guards have accosted,
beaten and electrified them to break their staunch will and force them
to break their protest.
Israeli
prison officers set up barbecues
to tempt Palestinian prisoners into abandoning their strike and
breaking their will.
The
occupation officials were hoping that the psychological warfare
tactics would derail the protest by thousands of prisoners.
The
Israeli government said August 14 it did not care if the detainees
starved to death, imposing even more restrictive measures on the
security detainees.
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