PALESTINIAN prisoners and journalists held separate rallies on Thursday in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian journalist Muhammad al-Qiq.
In Israel’s Eshel prison, Palestinian prisoners held a ‘day of disobedience’ in Section 10 of the jail, banging on jail doors and screaming in solidarity with al-Qiq, who has been on an open-ended hunger strike for 86 days. Israeli forces in response put prisoners in Section 10 on lockdown.
Prisoners of the section have said they would retaliate with an escalation in disobedience if al-Qiq dies before being released. The Palestine Prisoners’ Centre for Studies meanwhile warned that the Israeli authorities would be held completely responsible if al-Qiq’s strike led to his death.
In the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron, dozens of journalists took to the streets also marking their solidarity with al-Qiq. Journalists, members of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, the PA Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, Palestinian teachers and a number of political factions were in attendance.
Al-Qiq is in critical condition after having been on hunger strike for 86 days against his administrative detention. Unlike other well-known hunger strikers, al-Qiq has refused to take salt or minerals, and is only drinking water.
The Israeli Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition by al-Qiq to be moved to a Palestinian hospital. Al-Qiq told his lawyer he would not end his strike until he was both released and brought to a West Bank hospital. Amnesty International slammed the court decision shortly after, demanding al-Qiq’s release.
Al-Qiq is one of at least 650 Palestinians being held by Israel under administrative detention, a practice that the UN and Amnesty International have repeatedly argued Israel uses excessively and in contravention to international law.
Amnesty International on Wednesday demanded Israeli authorities transfer hunger-striker Muhammad al-Qiq to a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
As the 33-year-old Palestinian journalist entered his 85th day on hunger strike against his administrative detention by Israel, Amnesty said in a statement that al-Qiq, on the verge of death, has the right to treatment by doctors of his choice as ‘an unconvicted detainee’.
Visitors to al-Qiq in recent days told Amnesty that he remains conscious, but his medical condition is ‘extremely grave and his vital organs could fail at any time’. The Israeli Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition by the detainee to be moved to a Palestinian hospital. Al-Qiq told his lawyer he would not end his strike until he was both released and brought to the Ramallah hospital.
Amnesty criticised the court decision, saying that the ‘decisions of Israeli courts on Muhammed al-Qiq, including the latest Supreme Court decision, fit a wider pattern. ‘The Israeli courts have failed, over many years, to provide effective legal recourse to the thousands of Palestinian administrative detainees held without charge or trial on the basis of secret “evidence” withheld from them and their lawyers, under orders that can be renewed indefinitely,’ the group said.
Al-Qiq’s lawyers have argued that while a previous Israeli court decision ruled to suspend his administrative detention, the Israeli authorities have no legal grounds for confining him to a certain location or limiting his freedom in any way.
‘The conditional suspension, which can be revoked by the Israeli authorities if and when al-Qiq’s health improves, and the latest Supreme Court decision did not address the legality of his detention without charges, and have not upheld his rights,’ Amnesty added.
Evidence against al-Qiq is still being withheld from his lawyers, but a military judge at the Ofer Military Court said that last month that the file against him ‘accuses him of “incitement”, of working with media associated with Hamas, a Palestinian political faction with an armed wing, and also of being a “threat to the security of the area”.’
Members of al-Qiq’s family said during the earlier stages of his strike that they believe he is being held due to his work as a journalist. Doctors continue to warn that al-Qiq is in critical condition and could face irreversible damage if he does not receive treatment soon.
His medical team at HaEmek hospital this month has respected his wishes not to receive treatment, but last month forced treatment on the detainee for four days, bringing international condemnation.
Birzeit University’s administration, Workers’ Union and students on Thursday organised a sit-in at the university campus in Birzeit town, north of Ramallah, in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian detainee Mohammad al-Qiq.
The protesters called for immediate and unconditional release for al-Qiq, a former Birzeit University student and head of students’ council, who has been on a hunger strike for 85 days in protest of being detained by Israeli authorities without a charge or trial.
They demanded all academic institutions and international organisations to work together to implement campaigns of boycott and sanctions against Israel and its illegal measures against Palestinians.
President of the university, Abdul-Latif Abu Hijleh, said during the sit-in, ‘Palestinian journalists have always been on the frontline, and al-Qiq is now experiencing forceful and abusive measures from the Israeli occupation because he practiced his normal right of speech and freedom of expression.’
On behalf of the Workers’ Union, Salem Thawaba demanded that officials should urgently intervene to end al-Qiq’s torture. He stressed the importance of unity and reconciliation for al-Qiq whose health has deteriorated to the point of facing imminent death.
• A United Nations official has called on Israel to immediately halt the destruction of Palestinian-owned properties in the occupied West Bank. In a press release on Wednesday, the UN official said Israeli forces have destroyed, confiscated, or dismantled hundreds of Palestinian homes and other structures since the start of the year.
‘The number of demolitions for just the first six weeks of 2016 is greatly alarming,’ UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance and Development Aid for the occupied Palestinian territory, Robert Piper, said. Piper added that 283 homes and structures have been destroyed or confiscated between January 1 and February 15.
‘Most of the demolitions in the West Bank take place on the spurious legal grounds that Palestinians do not possess building permits,’ said Piper, ‘but, in Area C, official Israeli figures indicate only 1.5 per cent of Palestinian permit applications are approved in any case. So what legal options are left for a law-abiding Palestinian?’
He added that 404 Palestinians, including 219 children, have been displaced during this time period, a figure equivalent to half of the total number of Palestinians displaced in all of 2015. According to Piper, another 1,150 Palestinians have also been affected.
Reports indicate that Palestinian Bedouins have particularly been hit hard by the Israeli demolitions. Earlier this week, the European Parliament (EP) called for an immediate end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories as well as the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and demolition of Palestinian homes.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
