Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike since April 17 have ended their mass protest under a deal brokered by the Red Cross, Palestinian and Israeli sources said on Saturday. Some 30 of the more than 800 hunger strikers had been hospitalised in recent days, raising fears of an escalation of clashes … Read more
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Thursday he has asked the United States to mediate on a standoff between Israeli authorities and Palestinian prisoners on a weeks-long hunger strike. Speaking to senior members of his Fatah party in Ramallah after meeting President Donald Trump’s special representative Jason Greenblatt, Abbas said he had spelt out his position … Read more
Palestinians marching to remember those displaced at the time of the 1948 founding of Israel clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Monday, leaving several wounded. Annual marches are held on May 15 to mark what Palestinians call the “Nakba,” or catastrophe in Arabic. At a checkpoint on the outskirts of Ramallah, … Read more
Clashes erupted in the occupied West Bank on Thursday between Israeli soldiers and hundreds of Palestinians protesting in support of hunger strikers in Israeli jails. At least two Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets and evacuated on stretchers with bloodied legs, an AFP journalist reported. Youths wearing hoods or masks threw stones at Israeli soldiers, … Read more
The Red Cross visited the leader of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails on Thursday for the first time since the strike began, a spokesman said. A delegate from the International Committee of the Red Cross visited strike leader Marwan Barghouti on Thursday morning, the spokesman told AFP, the first such … Read more
The wife of the leader of a hunger strike by hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has written to Pope Francis calling on him to intervene “before it is too late”. Fadwa Barghouti, wife of Palestinian leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, has called on the pope to “speak up, because freedom and dignity … Read more
Palestinians called for a boycott of Pizza Hut on Tuesday after the company’s franchise in Israel was accused of mocking hunger-striking prisoners. The franchise’s Facebook page was said to have shared an image released by Israeli police which appears to show Palestinian hunger-strike leader Marwan Barghouti secretly breaking his fast. “Barghouti, if you are going … Read more
New Hamas leader Ismail Haniya pledged support for hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners on Monday in his first comments since being elected as head of the movement that runs the Gaza Strip. Haniya, who was chosen by the party as its new leader on Saturday, said the Islamist movement stood with the hundreds of prisoners on hunger … Read more
Israel’s prison authority on Sunday shared a video of what it says is jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti eating after weeks of leading hundreds on a hunger strike. His wife, Fadwa Barghouti, said the footage was “fake” and “intended to break the morale of prisoners” after more than 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails joined Barghouti … Read more
Hamas’ armed wing on Tuesday gave Israel 24 hours to respond to the demands of hunger-striking prisoners, warning the Jewish state it would face consequences for failure to act. “We warn the enemy not to ignore the just and legitimate demands of the prisoners, and we say we are giving the enemy leadership 24 hours … Read more
US President Donald Trump meets Mahmud Abbas Wednesday for their first face-to-face talks, with the Palestinian leader hoping the billionaire businessman’s unpredictable approach can inject life into long-stalled peace efforts. Abbas makes the trip to Washington while politically unpopular back home, but hoping Trump can pressure Israel into concessions he believes are necessary to salvage … Read more
Palestinians prepared for a “day of rage” across the occupied Palestinian territories on Friday in solidarity with more than 1,500 prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli prisons. A day of clashes was called for by Fatah, the political party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and the national committee to support the prisoners’ hunger strike. … Read more
Schools, banks and businesses across the West Bank were closed on Thursday as Palestinians observed a general strike in solidarity with more than 1,500 prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails. Public transportation came to a halt, and public and private institutions, including universities, were shut for the day. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners declared an … Read more
Palestinians held a general strike on Thursday in solidarity with hundreds of prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike for 11 days, with some officials calling it the largest in years. Stores were closed and roads empty across the West Bank, the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel for 50 years. In the city of Ramallah, … Read more
Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit on Wednesday urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene with Israeli authorities to halt their “abuse” of Palestinian prisoners. Abul Gheit sent a letter to ICRC president Peter Maurer requesting “the committee (ICRC) urgently intervene with Israeli authorities to stop the various abuses being committed against … Read more
Several dozen Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli forces Thursday outside a prison where detainees are on a hunger strike, while a group of Israeli hardliners nearby taunted prisoners by barbecuing. Some 1,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have joined a hunger strike against conditions that began Monday, according to the Palestinian Authority’s detainees’ affairs department. … Read more
Palestinian leaders on Wednesday denounced Israel’s refusal to negotiate with Palestinians on hunger strike in Israeli jails, warning of a “new intifada” if any of them die. Some 1,500 Palestinian prisoners have joined the hunger strike that began Monday, according to Issa Qaraqe, head of detainees’ affairs for the Palestinian Authority. Contacted by AFP, Israel’s … Read more
Palestinian officials on Sunday called for a boycott of Israeli military courts after a Palestinian freed in a 2011 prisoner exchange was rearrested and sent back to prison for life. Speaking in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian Prisoners Club head Qadura Fares called on detainees’ families and Palestinian organisations to stop taking … Read more