BY HASSAN TAHSIN Two Palestinian prisoners -Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahlah - who had refused food for 78 days were close to death. They even dictated their will in preparation for death. These prisoners took a firm decision not to eat until the administrative detention of Palestinian prisoners was lifted. At least 1,200 Palestinians in Israeli jails joined them in a mass hunger strike that was ended following a deal mediated by Egypt three days ago. Israeli officials have promised to ease prison conditions in exchange for the end of the fast. Bilal and Thaer started their hunger strike for the cause of hundreds of Palestinian men and women who have been arrested without any charges and put behind bars without any trial. They have been denied basic human rights in Israeli jails. The Israeli modus operandi for breaking the resistance of Palestinians and demoralizing them is simple and is based on “Administrative Detention”: Firstly, arrest Palestinian men and women and put them in jail without any charges. Then frame charges against them. And if a Palestinian is tried on a fabricated charge, he may not even know anything about it. Sometimes, he may be kept in jail and his fate may not be known for a long period of time while he has been subjected to the worst kind of torture in prison. This is the style of Israeli rule! The Israeli law of administrative detention, in which Israel can hold prisoners indefinitely without charge or legal recourse, is virtually a copy of the US law. According to the law, enacted by US authorities in 2001, an individual from any nation can be detained for at least 100 days on US soil without any investigation being conducted. Then, he can be referred to a military court outside the United States. There are 2,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails. These prisoners saw jail as their gateway to Paradise when they staged a hunger strike unto death so as to meet their God at the end of their fight for the cause of their religion and nation. They believed that their imminent death would be the price for the independence of Palestine and martyrdom in protest against Jewish atrocities. In the beginning, the prisoners simply demanded their basic human rights inside the prison cells. Quite naturally, the demands were rejected by the Nazis of the 21st century. Hence, the prisoners decided to stage a hunger strike until their demands were met. The most significant demand was that they should be treated as prisoners of war and not as terrorists. It is interesting to note that the United States only started using this term against Muslims and Palestinian resistance fighters. The French resistance fighters against the German forces were honorable heroes. Those who resisted the German aggression and invasion in East and West Europe were considered heroes. However, when it comes to those resisting Israeli aggression and invasion, they are branded as terrorists. A delegation, comprising 10 released Palestinian prisoners, expressed hope that the new Egyptian leadership would take the issue of Palestinian prisoners to the international arena to satisfy their demand to be treated as prisoners of war and not as those who have been imprisoned for a crime. The delegation raised this demand as a result of the ongoing Egyptian efforts to secure the release of all Palestinian prisoners. Israel was forced to deliver significant concessions to end the mass hunger strike by the Palestinian prisoners on Monday, in a deal that was hailed as a victory by Palestinian leaders. Before clinching the deal, an Egyptian source said: “The prisoners have a genuine demand to be treated as human beings. We are now talking about their detention and living conditions in prison. Despite the negotiations, the prisoners' demands have yet to be met.” According to well-informed Israeli sources, there have been sharp differences of opinion in Israeli political and security circles about their position toward the hunger strike after it inflicted damage to Israel's reputation around the world. Israeli diplomacy has had to confront mounting pressure as a result of the international demand to end the plight of the Palestinian prisoners, according to Israeli radio reports. But we are not convinced by such Israeli media reports as these are part of Israeli political maneuvers to turn attention away from their contemptible positions. There were demands from various parts of the world asking international organizations to intervene to solve the problems of Palestinian prisoners and put an end to Israel's arbitrary detention of Palestinians but to no avail. This situation raises several questions. Where is the world's public opinion? Doesn't the international community, whose leaders speak of freedom and democracy, know anything about the atrocities of Israel, which was founded on the blood of Palestinians? Why aren't civil rights and human rights societies taking up this issue? Are they only for serving the interests of the West and threatening the East, and not for the entire world? Where is the United Nations Charter that ensures fundamental human rights? The preamble of the charter asserts: “We the peoples of the United Nations determined .... to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.” Is the International Declaration for Human Rights, issued on December 10, 1948, no longer effective after the United States used it as a weapon to threaten nations instead of making it a weapon to protect a human being from the oppression of his imperialist brother? – Hassan Tahsin is an Egyptian writer and political analyst. He can be reached at htahsin
