Jordanian activists work in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers

AMMAN — As Palestinian and Jordanian prisoners in Israeli jails enter their 17th day of hunger strike, activists around Jordan joined the movement in solidarity with the prisoners and in rejection of Israeli violations against Palestinians.

Around 1,500 Palestinians in Israeli prisons started a hunger strike on April 16, demanding better prison conditions and healthcare, the right to family visits and an end to detention without trial.

Jumana Ismail from the Jordan Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) movement told The Jordan Times that “Our Jordanian and Palestinian prisoners are currently striking. They have legitimate rights in protesting the inhumane conditions of over 6,300 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including 300 children.”

Palestinian prisoners have been denied the right to trials and access to education, in addition to the right of family visits, while around 500 prisoners are in administrative detention, including 13 children.

“This great injustice, happening very close to us, is something we should not be silent about,” Ismail added.

Civil society organisations and activists, in addition to shedding light on the ongoing violations of human rights in Israeli prisons, should call on international organisations, such as the Red Cross and the International Criminal Court, to investigate the case of Palestinian prisoners, the activist said.

Jordan BDS is currently working on submitting a statement, signed by civil society organisations, urging the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to fulfill its responsibilities to political prisoners in accordance to the third and fourth Geneva Conventions.

The conventions discuss issues related to the Treatment of Prisoners of War and to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, to “ensure their protection in their legitimate fight for human rights”.

“We are also joining forces with a call by the Palestinian Human Rights Organisations Council. Issued on the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners Day on April 17, the call came out to the International Criminal Court to investigate the case of Palestinian prisoners and detainees,” Ismail said.

She added that the call is to hold the Israeli prison system and security forces accountable for torturing and illegally detaining Palestinians.

“Our role as a civil society organisation is to continue highlighting the issue itself, by creating spaces for individuals to show solidarity and participate in activities… The more aware people are, the more they get involved,” another activist said.

Preferring anonymity, another activist said that the younger generation is now interested in spreading awareness on social media, as the Palestinian cause does not get enough coverage in the mainstream media.

“It is a shame that more than 1,500 prisoners are on a strike and the international media outlets are not giving it attention. The international community should be held responsible for the injustice the prisoners face daily,” the 24-year-old told The Jordan Times.

Samia Wreikat, who is also joining the one-day strike, said the movement aims to resist the unjust conditions Jordanian and Palestinian prisoners endure.

On Wednesday, the ICRC called on Israeli authorities to take responsibility for the human rights of Palestinian prisoners, mainly making family visits more frequent for Palestinian detainees, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Head of the ICRC delegation in the occupied Palestinian territories, Jacques de Mayo, said the rules for family visits should be improved and that no further restrictions should be imposed, Petra reported.

Also on Wednesday, the Muslim Brotherhood Group and grassroots movements called on Jordanians to join its Friday march in solidarity with the prisoners, near Al Husseini Mosque in Amman downtown, according to a group’s statement.