Palestinian Prisoners' Hunger Strike


Yesterday we visited my friend Basim Sbeih, who works for the
Palestinian Prisoners’ Society,in Bethlehem. It was a roller-coaster of emotions, seeing
his childhood places, Solomon’s Pools on a pine-covered hillside – 3
enormous ancient pools, now empty, where he used to swim as a child – and
beside them a hotel abandoned before construction was complete, bullet holes
on its tower, dog turds on the marble terraces, wires sticking out of the
walls. More than 200 workers have lost their jobs, “One of the disadvantages of
our intifada” Basim said. At his parents’ home in Khader village, we saw
from the roof the settler road 20 metres away, cutting them off from the green hill where Basim loved to walk. Roadblocks prevent the villagers from using the settler road. For settlers it’s five minutes to Jerusalem, for
Palestinians in this village there’s no chance to go unless they have a
special permit; for us it was half an hour or more through the checkpoint.
When the Wall comes into the village, Basim’s parents will have to pass a
gate only open twice a day, to reach their fields.

Today we moved from Jerusalem to Ramallah. The Baladna Centre, where a year
ago I met mothers of prisoners on their weekly vigil, is now the local
centre of support for prisoners on hunger strike. Out of 8000 Palestinians
in Israeli jails, between 3000 and 4000 are striking. Figures vary – we
have spoken with NGOs in Jerusalem and Ramallah – they say it’s hard to say because
they cannot have direct access to prisoners, only via lawyers, and these are
not being allowed in at the moment in many jails. Basim Sbeih said the
prisoners have 20 demands, beginning with an end to the stripping of
prisoners. They want health care, medicine, even surgery, for the 800
prisoners who are injured and ill. Families to be allowed to visit. Basim
knows one prisoner in jail for 20 years who has not seen his sons in all
that time. They want to be allowed to phone their families at times of
emergency, for example a father dying. Those in ‘administrative detention’
are held separately, without trial.

Inside the Baladna, there were about 20 beds for men fasting in support of
the prisoners. Some have fasted for a week, others a few days. I spoke to a
group who called me over; they had all been prisoners and were fasting for
their friends in jail, some for as long as 25 years, who were closer to
them than family. The one who spoke English had been in for 12 years, the
next man for 17 years, the next 13 years, the next 14 years. Why? “We asked
for a flag, a nation, identity. We want our children to live freely, like
children in other countries.”

By the 4th of September, the Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike will have
continued for 20 days. Co-ordinated by a coalition of organisations, the
hunger strike is news in every town in Palestine, with tents for supporters
to conduct their fasts. One person has died so far, not a prisoner but a
mother who was on hunger strike in sympathy – we don’t have the details yet.
The prisoners and their supporters are very keen that people in other
countries should know about their action and press their governments for
support. Their demands are for rights that all prisoners should have under
humanitarian law, and their action is non-violent – as Gandhi’s grandson
said when he spoke at the rally here last week.

Jenny, Ramallah, 1.9.04