The Palestinian nationalist forces and prisoners’ advocacy groups said today that they plan a number of activities in solidarity with the Palestinian freedom fighters incarcerated in Israel as they get ready to start tonight an open-ended hunger strike demanding their rights.
Wasel Abu Yousef, head of the Popular Organizations department in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said after a meeting at his Ramallah office that there will be popular activities in support of the freedom fighters as soon as they declare that they will go on hunger strike this evening.
He called on the public to take part in the activities that will take place in support of the prisoners.
Qadri Abu Bakr, head of the Prisoners Affairs Commission, said the strike is a step to achieve the prisoners’ legitimate demands,
He said there are official, diplomatic and international efforts to pressure the Israel Prison Services (IPS) to meet the demands of the prisoners.
Activists said there will be a massive reaction in all the cities and at points of contact with the Israeli soldiers to show support for the prisoners once they declare the hunger strike.
At least 1000 of the more than 4500 Palestinian prisoners in Israel will start a hunger strike tonight after their negotiations with the IPS to regain their rights have failed to yield any results.
The protests in the prisons started last week with the prisoners refusing to stand for the security checks or receive their meals on certain days of the week as they were negotiating with the IPS, warning that if the negotiations fail, they will embark on an open-ended hunger strike starting with 1000 prisoners to be later increased to eventually include all the prisoners.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)