“Molkho’s” Visit to Occupied Ramallah in Light of the Prisoners Strike

May,13,2012

Occupied Ramallah- Local and international news agencies informed us last night, 12 May, that the Palestinian political establishment met with the representative of the Israeli apartheid regime, Isaac Molkho, in Ramallah to deliver the latter’s response to a previous letter that was sent by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) on 17 April. 

This visit coincides with the ongoing open-ended hunger strike waged by Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons for 27 consecutive days, in a crucial and strategic battle in which the role of the prisoners’ movement in the Palestinian national struggle is restored.  This movement is raising fair demands to guarantee the treatment of political prisoners and detainees according to international humanitarian law, especially the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions.

Rather than boycott and isolate the Israeli apartheid regime for their unrelenting crimes against our people, and foremost against our prisoners, the Palestinian political establishment decided to receive and honor the representative of the Israeli apartheid regime, the same regime our prisoners are fighting against, as if the  crimes committed against our prisoners are perpetrated by someone else.

Our political prisoners are waging an immense battle on their own, because they have no illusions that the "peace process" can set them free or guarantee their dignity. They are armed only with their willpower and unity. Neither we nor they expected the PLO to choose Palestinian Prisoners Day, 17 April, which also coincided with the day of the beginning of the hunger strike, to deliver a letter to the Israeli prime minister nor to receive a representative of the apartheid regime. 

Molkho's “visit” comes at a time when, Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh, have gone for 76 days without food in protest of the Israeli administrative detention policy.  Additionally, Hasan Al-Safadi has gone without food for 70 days, Omar Abu Shallal for 68 days, Mahmoud Al-Sarsak for 56 days, Mohammad Taj for 57 days, Jafar Ezzedine for 53 days, and Abdullah Al-Barghouthi for 32 days. 

Our political prisoners have struggled for our dignity and have sacrificed their lives to make the PLO the sole representative of the Palestinian people, and they deserve that we stand honorably to support them.   

Therefore, we demand that the PLO:

          ·         Stop all negotiations and meetings with the Israeli apartheid regime.

·         Use its political, economical and moral weight in support of the prisoners’    strike and formulate a national strategy to liberate the prisoners.

·         Respect and protect, at the next PLO Executive Committee, the free will of our political prisoners and the sovereignty of the prisoners’ movement in its decisions.

Palestinians for Dignity

UN Closed

Today a group of Activist closed the entrance of the UN offices building in Ramallah, demanding a direct and serious actions from the UN to help saving the lives of the Palestinian prisoners in hunger strike.

UN closed Poster

Before taking this actions the protesters sent a message to the UN with their demands, the message "see below" asked the Ban Ki-Moon and the UN to help saving the Palestinian hunger strikers in the Israeli prison complex. 

Their inaction triggered our action. 

Police was there

Prisoners families joined us too

Leaving marks

The Message we sent to the UN 

May 10, 2012

His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon

Secretary-General of the United Nations

New York

Dear Mr. Secretary-General,

We, Palestinians for Dignity, represent a network of movements and individuals united in the struggle to achieve equality, justice and freedom for the Palestinian people wherever they reside. In your capacity as the United Nations Secretary General and in support of the rule of International law, we are writing to urge you to take urgent action to stop Israel’s continued violations of the rights of the over 4,600 Palestinians currently held in Israeli jails.

Over 1,600 Palestinian prisoners initiated on April 17^th an open-ended hunger strike to protest abuse at the hands of the Israeli Prison Service and to demand that their basic rights be respected. Hundreds more prisoners joined the hunger strike since then bringing the number of hunger strikers up to an estimated 2,500 prisoners.  Their plight has become even more urgent with the deteriorating health condition of eight prisoners, five of whom are held under the illegal practice of administrative detention, and some of whom have been on hunger strike for over two months.

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel said yesterday that the lives of Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahla are in danger, and demanded that Israel transfer them to a civilian hospital, without moving them back and forth to the prison. Israel has thus far refused to do so, highlighting Israel’s disregard for the lives of Palestinians. The cruel, inhuman and degrading practices that Palestinian prisoners are subjected to include denial of access to medical care, torture, solitary confinement, limits to family visitation, violations of children’s rights and bans on education, not to mention hundreds of them were never charged or given legal due process and are being held in Administrative Detention..

We note with disappointment your silence ever since this protest movement began in December 2011 with Khader Adnan’s arbitrary arrest and subsequent hunger strike. This stands in stark contrast to your vocal and persistent remarks in support of formerly incarcerated Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Though Shalit has been released, Palestinian prisoners are still suffering under the so-called “Shalit Law”, which imposed harsher measures on their conditions of detention.

We remind you of your responsibilities as Secretary-General of the UN. We invoke the norms of international law that guarantee basic rights to Palestinian prisoners, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions, the UN Convention Against Torture and the World Medical Association Malta Declaration on Hunger Strikers.

We urge you to take a firm and vocal position in opposition to Israel’s abuse and violation of Palestinian prisoners’ rights and encourage, through UN mechanisms at your disposal, measures of accountability for these violations. We urge you to take an official position in linewith the Palestinian prisoners’ demands and to encourage member states to stand against these gross human rights’ violations. We await your urgent response.

Sincerely,

Palestinians For Dignity 

  

Copied:

Navanethem Pillay UN Commissioner for Human Rights

Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator of the Middle East Peace Process

...

REMEMBER: 

Bilal Diab 72 days of hunger strike

Thaer Halahleh 72 days of hunger strike 

Hassan AlSafadi 66 days of hunger strike 

Omar Abu Shalal 64 days of hunger strike 

Muhamad Taj 53days of hunger strike

Mahmoud Sarsak 52 days of hunger strike 

Jaafar Azzedien 49 days of hunger strike 

Abduallah Al Barghoti 28 days of hunger strike 

more than 1500 23 days of hunger strike