Dozens of Palestinian detainees of Al Aqsa martyrs brigades imprisoned in the Palestinian Authority prison in the West Bank city of Jericho announced, on Friday, that they intend to quit Fateh and join Hamas movement, if they were not released.
The prisoners said that they demand to know the reasons behind their arrest, and to be afforded lawyers to represent them.
The members of the armed resistance group, the military wing of Fateh movement, were arrested a month ago.
Abu Mahmoud, the spokesperson of the prisoners reported that they conducted recently a five-day hunger strike, and that they will strike again next month.
They said that the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, should order their release since "they are imprisoned upon direct orders from him", according to their announcement.
Abu Mahmoud also said that the prisoners are not treated as part of the resistance and Fateh movement.
"They are treating us as criminals", he said, "We should not be imprisoned, we are resistance fighters".
There are some 70 political prisoners in the PA jail which is guarded by the British and American guards.
Among the prisoner, 28 from members of the Al Aqsa Brigades, and 22 members of the Islamic Jihad,.
Political detainees in Palestinian prisons are demanding the P.A to release them and enable them to live in Jericho if it was not possible to send them back home.
Meanwhile, Raed Khdeirat, in charge of the prisoners’ files in the Ramallah headquarters, Moqata’a, said that the prisoners were detained for civil offences.
The prisoners in the Moqata’a said that they were arrested for breaking the cease-fire agreement by carrying their weapons, and demanded to be treated as political detainees. At least two of them are 17 years old; the two are identified Jamal Ammar, 17, and Mohammad Qassam, 17 years old.
