Palestinians held in an Israeli detention centre went on hunger strike yesterday in support of a demand for Israel to release prisoners belonging to the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups, a Palestinian organisation said. A group of 200 of the 1,200 inmates of the Meggido centre in northern Israel started the protest and would be joined by a further group every day, the Bethlehem Prisoners' Club said. They are protesting at "the discrimination shown to detainees" of the radical groups after Israel announced last week it would release 350 of the 6,000 Palestinians held in its jail but would not consider setting members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad free.
| "Us crazed killers got rights, too, y'know!" |
An Israeli military spokesman confirmed that the 200 prisoners had begun a hunger strike. "For the time being there have been no incidents to report and we are simply keeping a watchful eye on the situation," the spokesman said.
| "Want some of this sandiwich? I can't eat it all..." |
|