Samer Issawi, who is allegedly near death from being on a hunger strike for 200 days, is due to be released next month. Issawi was sent to an Israeli prison by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court after being found guilty of violating the terms of his release under the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap in 2011. He has already been in jail for more than six months. He has claimed to be striking against Israel’s ‘administrative detention,’ which allows authorities to detain Palestinians without charge or trial indefinitely.
Over the past week, more than a thousand Palestinians have demonstrated at the border of the Gaza Strip in support of Issawi and three other prisoners also on a long term hunger strike.
“I think today there is a greater outpouring of support than that which was felt last year for Khader Adnan,” said Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian parliament member.
Issawi’s rapidly deteriorating health has heightened support for his cause and drawn international attention to Israel’s detention policies. Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said: “Persons detained must be charged and face trial with judicial guarantees in accordance with international standards, or be promptly released.”
