Thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails began a hunger strike for better conditions on Sunday, but Israel's security minister said he didn't care if they starved to death. The prisoners, seen by Palestinians as symbols of resistance to Israeli occupation, want wardens to stop strip searches, allow more frequent visits from their families, improve sanitary conditions and install public telephones, supporters said. More than 7,500 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel. "We declare, in the name of God, our national decision to launch an open hunger strike," the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a statement, accusing Israel of "robbing us of all our rights, treading on our dignity and treating us like animals." The Israel Prisons Authority and Palestinian spokesmen said striking prisoners declared they would live only on fluids until their demands are met. "As far as I'm concerned they can strike for a day, a month, until death. We will ward off this strike and it will be as if it never happened," Internal Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi told reporters. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie said in a statement any progress towards peace with Israel was contingent on resolving "this central and sensitive" issue.
