The Israeli daily, Yediot Aharanot, reported Tuesday morning that a meeting between the Legislative Council of Prisoners, comprised of all Palestinian factions, was held with the Al Naqab (Negev Desert) Israeli Prison Administration and a member of the Israeli government to discuss political issues since Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council elections.
However, to find out the real story, the Palestine News Network spoke with several Palestinian political prisoners in Al Naqab this morning. The Israeli Prison Administration requested a meeting with Hamas members in the Palestinian Legislative Council who are also political prisoners. The Hamas members from the PLC agreed to the meeting as it was not to discuss political issues, but rather to discuss the situation of prisoners inside Al Naqab.
PNN conducted several interviews via mobile phone Tuesday morning with political prisoners inside the Israeli Al Naqab (Negev Desert) Prison.
Most of the interviews focused on members of the Islamic Movement. One Hamas member, who asked to remain anonymous, said that a members of the Prisoners Legislative Council held a meeting with the Israeli Prison Administration to discuss the current situation.
The anonymous source told PNN, “The Prison Administration and the Legislative Council members affiliated with Hamas met, however there were no political aims behind the meeting, but rather we needed to discuss the Israeli administration storming several sections of the prison and abusing Palestinians in those sections.”
“This is normal to hold meetings in this manner to try to deal with the deterioration of our situation, yet some are trying to inflate it into a packaged political issue. The Israelis suggest this and their manipulation spreads.”
The Hamas source in Al Naqab continued, “The meeting was not called on the basis of the current political situation, which can be discussed with the political leadership of the political movement abroad.”
Political prisoners in Al Naqab who are also PLC and Hamas members include Sheikh Hassan Youssef, Azzam Salhab, Mohamed Jamal Al Natche, Fathi Qaraawi and Nizar Ramadan.
