BICOM

Tension simmered in the West Bank this week with Palestinian demonstrations expected to continue over the ongoing hunger strikes of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.

Four Palestinian prisoners are continuing their hunger strike in protest of their detention. Samer Issawi, who has refused food for over two-hundred days, and Ayman Sharawna were originally convicted of terror offences, but were released as part of the prisoner exchange in October 2011 which saw the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Issawi and Sharawna were subsequently taken back into custody by Israel, having violated the terms of their release. Meanwhile, Tareq Qaadan and Jafar Azzidine, two other hunger strikers, are being held in administrative detention for plotting acts of terrorism against Israel. Yesterday, Israel’s Supreme Court rejected an application for release on bail by Issawi. Meanwhile, according to the Los Angeles Times, Israeli prison spokeswoman Sivan Weizman said of the hunger strikers, “If necessary, they will be removed to a hospital, but for now they are in prison.’’

A reported eight hundred additional Palestinian prisoners began to refuse food on Tuesday in solidarity with the four long-term hunger strikers. This has been accompanied by a number of large-scale and sometimes violent demonstrations by Palestinians in the West Bank. On Tuesday, demonstrators marched towards the Hawara checkpoint near Nablus and students from Ramallah’s Bir Zeit University clashed with Israeli soldiers north of Jerusalem. Palestinian Minister of Prisoners Issa Qaraqi warned, “No one can predict the street reaction if any of the prisoners dies.” Meanwhile, according to the Times of Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that the release of the prisoners is at the top of his agenda and that he intends on raising the matter with the United Nations and European Union.