17 apr 2020
Seán Crowe, spokesperson for Ireland's Sinn Féin party on Foreign Affairs, EU, Brexit and Defence, sent today solidarity greetings to the thousands of Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails.
He said there is now a real concern of an outbreak of COVID-19 among the Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons, calling for their immediate release especially those highly vulnerable to the disease.
Following is the full message of Dublin South West TD:
"I want to send the solidarity greetings of myself and the Sinn Féin party to all those Palestinians, imprisoned in Israeli jails for resisting the occupation of their homeland. We also want to extend that solidarity to the thousands of families and loved ones of those prisoners; your sons, daughters, and children are not forgotten and are in our thoughts.
Since the beginning of March this year, the Israeli military have arrested over 350 Palestinians and over 1,300 since the start of 2020. This tactic of widespread arrest and arbitrary detention of Palestinians, including children, is used as a tool to suppress the desire for freedom and oppress the resistance to the occupation by the people of Palestine
For decades, Israel has been tightening its repression and trying without success to assert its control over Palestinian prisoners. There are approximately 5,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 180 children, 41 female prisoners, 6 elected members of the Palestinian Legislative Council members, and 430 administrative detainees held in jails throughout Israel
Access to health care is used to try and break the morale of prisoners. Approximately 700 of these prisoners have various illnesses with more than 200 suffering chronic diseases that need comprehensive medical care.
We share the concerns of Palestinian leaders and prisoners' representatives who have expressed their mounting concern and fear over the spread of COVID-19 inside these prisons which are overcrowded, lack adequate ventilation, not maintained to basic hygiene standards, poor nutrition and access to exercise, and which do not offer prompt and quick access to medical care.
Any outbreak of COVID-19 would be catastrophic to the prison population and the risk is only heightened by the ongoing daily arrests and detention of new additional Palestinian prisoners.
Israel needs to stop its occupation, its mass detention of Palestinians, and abide by international and human rights law. We know from our own struggle that inhumane treatment of prisoners and a vindictive prison policy will not break the Palestinian desire for independence, freedom, and self-determination.
We are thinking of you and your families today.
Stay strong, stay united and in the words of the Irish Republican Prisoner Hunger striker Bobby Sands, 'They have nothing in their entire arsenal to break the spirit of one single political prisoner-of-war who refuses to be broken."
He said there is now a real concern of an outbreak of COVID-19 among the Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons, calling for their immediate release especially those highly vulnerable to the disease.
Following is the full message of Dublin South West TD:
"I want to send the solidarity greetings of myself and the Sinn Féin party to all those Palestinians, imprisoned in Israeli jails for resisting the occupation of their homeland. We also want to extend that solidarity to the thousands of families and loved ones of those prisoners; your sons, daughters, and children are not forgotten and are in our thoughts.
Since the beginning of March this year, the Israeli military have arrested over 350 Palestinians and over 1,300 since the start of 2020. This tactic of widespread arrest and arbitrary detention of Palestinians, including children, is used as a tool to suppress the desire for freedom and oppress the resistance to the occupation by the people of Palestine
For decades, Israel has been tightening its repression and trying without success to assert its control over Palestinian prisoners. There are approximately 5,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 180 children, 41 female prisoners, 6 elected members of the Palestinian Legislative Council members, and 430 administrative detainees held in jails throughout Israel
Access to health care is used to try and break the morale of prisoners. Approximately 700 of these prisoners have various illnesses with more than 200 suffering chronic diseases that need comprehensive medical care.
We share the concerns of Palestinian leaders and prisoners' representatives who have expressed their mounting concern and fear over the spread of COVID-19 inside these prisons which are overcrowded, lack adequate ventilation, not maintained to basic hygiene standards, poor nutrition and access to exercise, and which do not offer prompt and quick access to medical care.
Any outbreak of COVID-19 would be catastrophic to the prison population and the risk is only heightened by the ongoing daily arrests and detention of new additional Palestinian prisoners.
Israel needs to stop its occupation, its mass detention of Palestinians, and abide by international and human rights law. We know from our own struggle that inhumane treatment of prisoners and a vindictive prison policy will not break the Palestinian desire for independence, freedom, and self-determination.
We are thinking of you and your families today.
Stay strong, stay united and in the words of the Irish Republican Prisoner Hunger striker Bobby Sands, 'They have nothing in their entire arsenal to break the spirit of one single political prisoner-of-war who refuses to be broken."
Hanan Ashrawi, Member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s Executive Committee, said on the occasion of the Palestinian Prisoner Day that the "Palestinian political prisoners languishing in Israeli detention centers and prisons are hostages to Israel's gratuitous cruelty and victims of its regime of oppression and subjugation."
She said 5,000 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel in deplorable conditions, including 432 so-called administrative detainees imprisoned without charge or trial, and are denied their basic rights to due process and justice.
Ashrawi renewed the call on behalf of the Palestinian leadership for the release of all Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, especially the 700 Palestinian prisoners suffering from chronic illnesses and other underlying conditions that make them especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said, "As the Palestinian people confront the challenges of colonial occupation and this vicious virus, Israel has persisted in its illegal policies against Palestinian prisoners. It has denied them access to family and lawyer visits and refused to take any preventive measures inside prisons, including testing for COVID-19, even after 1 prisoner tested positive upon release and several occupation officers in prisons have tested positive."
"Israel has also persisted in its illegal policy of arbitrary mass detention of Palestinians. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Israeli occupation forces have detained 357 Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Among those detained are 48 children," Ashrawi added.
"As an occupying power, Israel has undeniable and binding obligations under international law. It is directly responsible for the life and health of all prisoners and must face consequences for its grave violations of international law."
The PLO official called on "all human rights defenders and relevant international organizations to support our call for the release of Palestinian prisoners and their protection from this deadly virus."
She said 5,000 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel in deplorable conditions, including 432 so-called administrative detainees imprisoned without charge or trial, and are denied their basic rights to due process and justice.
Ashrawi renewed the call on behalf of the Palestinian leadership for the release of all Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, especially the 700 Palestinian prisoners suffering from chronic illnesses and other underlying conditions that make them especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said, "As the Palestinian people confront the challenges of colonial occupation and this vicious virus, Israel has persisted in its illegal policies against Palestinian prisoners. It has denied them access to family and lawyer visits and refused to take any preventive measures inside prisons, including testing for COVID-19, even after 1 prisoner tested positive upon release and several occupation officers in prisons have tested positive."
"Israel has also persisted in its illegal policy of arbitrary mass detention of Palestinians. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Israeli occupation forces have detained 357 Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Among those detained are 48 children," Ashrawi added.
"As an occupying power, Israel has undeniable and binding obligations under international law. It is directly responsible for the life and health of all prisoners and must face consequences for its grave violations of international law."
The PLO official called on "all human rights defenders and relevant international organizations to support our call for the release of Palestinian prisoners and their protection from this deadly virus."
Israeli police forces on Friday evening abducted four Palestinian youths in the Old City of Jerusalem after brutally beating them, local sources said.
According to local residents, the Israeli police stormed Qanatir Khdeir neighborhood in the Old City, assaulted four Palestinians and detained them. video
The four detainees were identified as Anas Maraqustah, Wasim Taha, Bijo Taha and Abed al-Sharbati.
According to local residents, the Israeli police stormed Qanatir Khdeir neighborhood in the Old City, assaulted four Palestinians and detained them. video
The four detainees were identified as Anas Maraqustah, Wasim Taha, Bijo Taha and Abed al-Sharbati.
The Palestinian ministry of education has called for the immediate release of Palestinian school students and children being held in Israeli jails, especially in light of the coronavirus spread.
In a statement on the occasion of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Day, the ministry said that there are about 180 children and minors are being detained in Israeli jails.
210 children under age 18 have been kidnaped by the Israeli occupation forces since early 2020, according to the ministry.
It underlined that “the practices and conditions which the child prisoners are being exposed to in Israeli jails constitutes a flagrant violation of international conventions, norms and laws.”
In a statement on the occasion of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Day, the ministry said that there are about 180 children and minors are being detained in Israeli jails.
210 children under age 18 have been kidnaped by the Israeli occupation forces since early 2020, according to the ministry.
It underlined that “the practices and conditions which the child prisoners are being exposed to in Israeli jails constitutes a flagrant violation of international conventions, norms and laws.”
The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR): Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is celebrated every year on the 17th of April, which was endorsed by the Palestinian National Council in 1974 as a national day to pay tribute to Palestinian prisoners and their sacrifices, and to support, advocate and promote their right to freedom.
Ever since, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day has been an annual day for celebration and to remind the whole world of the Palestinian prisoners’ cause and the daily violations they suffer inside Israeli prisons, which violate all international and humanitarian covenants.
Across Israeli prisons, Palestinian prisoners suffer numerous and endless violations of their rights, as Israeli occupation authorities purposefully and persistently neglect their obligations under the international humanitarian law (IHL). Certainly, these practices fall under a systematic Israeli policy to humiliate and degrade the dignity of prisoners through arbitrary measures.
The Israeli practices and violations against prisoners have enhanced and intensified the suffering of Palestinian prisoners for several decades, most prominently the:
This year, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is commemorated extremely bitter and cruel conditions under the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli occupation authorities did not suffice with their daily violations of prisoners’ rights, as it chose to intensify their suffering through its systematic policy of medical neglect against prisoners, abusing their pressing needs and right to health care in these dangerous times.
PCHR expresses its extreme concern over the catastrophic humanitarian crisis that may ensue among Palestinian prisoners, especially that the Israeli prison administration has a bad track record in dealing with Palestinian prisoners. Over decades, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners died under extremely poor health conditions due to the deliberate medical negligence policy.
In the face of the extremely grim and grave implications of the coronavirus pandemic, Israeli authorities have yet to take any of the measures it had announced for the protection of Palestinian prisoners, as the authorities’ interventions have been limited measures that are inherently discriminative and in violation of prisoners’ rights and privileges, including banning prisoners’ families from visiting their sons and preventing prisoners from meeting their lawyers.
On the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day and every day, PCHR reiterates the need to stand for the systematic and inhumane Israeli practices against Palestinian prisoners, and:
for more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12, El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
Ever since, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day has been an annual day for celebration and to remind the whole world of the Palestinian prisoners’ cause and the daily violations they suffer inside Israeli prisons, which violate all international and humanitarian covenants.
Across Israeli prisons, Palestinian prisoners suffer numerous and endless violations of their rights, as Israeli occupation authorities purposefully and persistently neglect their obligations under the international humanitarian law (IHL). Certainly, these practices fall under a systematic Israeli policy to humiliate and degrade the dignity of prisoners through arbitrary measures.
The Israeli practices and violations against prisoners have enhanced and intensified the suffering of Palestinian prisoners for several decades, most prominently the:
- Inhuman and cruel detention conditions;
- Psychological and physical torture, and solitary confinement;
- Administrative detention;
- Unjust military orders and decisions;
- Ban on visits from medical professionals; and
- Ban on visits from international organizations and investigation committees.
This year, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is commemorated extremely bitter and cruel conditions under the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli occupation authorities did not suffice with their daily violations of prisoners’ rights, as it chose to intensify their suffering through its systematic policy of medical neglect against prisoners, abusing their pressing needs and right to health care in these dangerous times.
PCHR expresses its extreme concern over the catastrophic humanitarian crisis that may ensue among Palestinian prisoners, especially that the Israeli prison administration has a bad track record in dealing with Palestinian prisoners. Over decades, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners died under extremely poor health conditions due to the deliberate medical negligence policy.
In the face of the extremely grim and grave implications of the coronavirus pandemic, Israeli authorities have yet to take any of the measures it had announced for the protection of Palestinian prisoners, as the authorities’ interventions have been limited measures that are inherently discriminative and in violation of prisoners’ rights and privileges, including banning prisoners’ families from visiting their sons and preventing prisoners from meeting their lawyers.
On the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day and every day, PCHR reiterates the need to stand for the systematic and inhumane Israeli practices against Palestinian prisoners, and:
- Calls upon the international community to intervene urgently in fulfillment of its legal and moral obligations towards Palestinians, and take effective measures to pressure Israel to comply with its obligations towards Palestinian prisoners according to the rules of international law, including the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners in addition to the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions;
- Calls for allowing the medical staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit Palestinian prisoners and monitor their health conditions to ensure that they enjoy their right to health care and medical treatment; and
- Reiterates its call for the immediate release of all prisoners, especially minors, patients, elderlies, and women.
for more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12, El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
The UN Chief Antonio Guterres has said that he asked the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nikolay Mladenov, to remain in contact with Israeli officials to ensure the protection of the Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
In a letter to the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s Executive Committee, Saeb Erekat, Guterres pointed out to ways of protecting the detainees, including reducing the number of detainees to improve public health conditions, reducing overcrowding in prisons and maintaining restrictions on family visitation and healthcare visits.
Guterres also stressed the need to conduct the COVID-19 (coronavirus) tests to the sick prisoners and to keep them away from other prisoners, since they are highly vulnerabile to the risk of infection.
Guterres's letter was in response to a letter sent by Erekat on March 30 in which he urged world leaders to pressure Israel, the occupying power, to protect the Palestinian detainees in its prisons and to release those who are highly vulnerable to the novel virus, including old people, women and sick prisoners.
In a letter to the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s Executive Committee, Saeb Erekat, Guterres pointed out to ways of protecting the detainees, including reducing the number of detainees to improve public health conditions, reducing overcrowding in prisons and maintaining restrictions on family visitation and healthcare visits.
Guterres also stressed the need to conduct the COVID-19 (coronavirus) tests to the sick prisoners and to keep them away from other prisoners, since they are highly vulnerabile to the risk of infection.
Guterres's letter was in response to a letter sent by Erekat on March 30 in which he urged world leaders to pressure Israel, the occupying power, to protect the Palestinian detainees in its prisons and to release those who are highly vulnerable to the novel virus, including old people, women and sick prisoners.
