The Palestinian National Council (PNC) called for the support of the Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons, who began their open hunger strike after the Israeli occupation failed to respond to their demands, such as removing the jamming devices, and to restore visiting of Gaza Strip residents to their imprisoned children, ending the isolation of prisoners in the Negev desert prison, and stop the incursions, abuses and medical negligence against the prisoners, in addition to other demands.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Palestinian National Council said that the issue of prisoners and detainees is a national issue on the public and official level, where the leadership of Palestinian people is at more than one level handling the honorable battle to defend and take care of the prisoners’ legitimate struggle. The prisoners are on the top of our priorities, and are the vanguard of our national struggle and freedom fighters. PNC is calling for the implementation of all prisoners international conventions and treating them as prisoners of war.
PNC said also that the Israeli occupation authorities have escalated the procedures of solitary confinement, repression, harassment and restrictions on prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons. Prisoners’ number is about 6,000 prisoners, including 750 prisoners suffering from serious and chronic diseases, whereas the Israeli prison authorities deliberately do not provide them with the medical care.
PNC said that the prisoners began their hunger strike two days ago, "The battle of dignity 2" demanding the implementation of the prisoners’ rights guaranteed by the related international laws and conventions, and asking to stop all punitive and inhuman measures taken against the prisoners.
The Palestinian National Council called on all international bodies, human rights and humanitarian organizations, especially the International Committee of the Red Cross, to immediately intervene to rescue Palestinian prisoners and detainees and to pressure the occupation authorities to provide conditions of detention that comply with the principles of humanity.
The Palestinian National Council concluded by stressing that the solution to the issue of prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons is to release them immediately and return them to their families to live in dignity in an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.