[Wednesday, June 25 2014] The Palestinian “Prisoners Center for Studies” has reported that hunger striking Palestinian detainees, held by Israel under arbitrary Administrative Detention orders, announced suspending their strike after reaching an agreement with the Israeli security officials, and Prison Administration officials.In a statement, the detainees said that, as the Israeli aggression escalates against the Palestinian people, and in an attempt to give the families of the detainees some relief, following 63 days of hunger strike carried out by their detained family members, a decision was made to suspend the strike.
“To grant our families some relief, especially before the holy month of Ramadan starts, and following 63 days of ongoing hunger strike, we have decided to suspend our strike”, the statement reads, “We held meetings with Israeli officials, and will release details of the agreement after all hospitalized hunger strikers are discharged”.
On his part, former political prisoner and the head of the Detainees Center for Studies, Ra’fat Hamdouna, stated that the talks between the representatives of the detainees and the Israeli officials lasted until dawn hours.
He said the suspension of the strike is based on an agreement obliging Israel to stop the endless renewals of Administrative Detention orders, without charges or trial.
Hamdouna added that the agreement includes, but not limited to, the following points:
1. Israel to stop the ongoing and open-ended renewals of Administrative Detention orders.
2. Renewals of such orders should not exceed one year.
3. Any renewal after that should be based on official charges, filed against the detainees, not the usual “secret files” that the neither the detainees, nor their lawyers have access to.
Lawyer Ashraf Abu Sneina, and the following detainees – representatives of the detainees committee; signed the statement;
Abdul-Jaber Foqaha, Mahmoud Shabana, Sufian al-Wahadeen, Fadi Hamad, Fadi Amro, Ashraf Asfour, Daoud Hamdan, Abdul-Razeq Farraj, and Salem Dardasawy. Signed on June 25, 2014.
