Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

Israeli Occupation Government Promises to End Mistreatment of Palestinian Political Prisoners, Hunger Strikes Ends

Shaikh Al-Tayib called for urgent solution for the prisoners' problem

[ 15/05/2012 - 07:05 PM ]

CAIRO (PIC) --

Shaikh Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayib demanded the Arab and Islamic world "to act in order to resolve urgently and quickly the problem of Palestinian prisoners who have been exposed to an unprecedented suffering in Zionist occupation jails."

Dr. Al-Tayib added, in a statement issued on Monday that across the world there are no governments imprisoning war or political captives for twenty or thirty years except the unjust Israeli government, which despises international law and human conscience, which the whole world adhered to"

He stressed that the Zionist entity is the most aggressive force witnessed by the civilized world, and condemned the honest people's silence about the entity's inhuman practices which he considered to be an explicit call for extremism.

The sheikh emphasized that "Al-Azhar has been always condemning the inhuman practices in the unjust Zionist occupation's jails, and calling on the whole world to denounce this oppression, that respects neither international standards nor human values. »

Ghoul calls for urgent prosecution of Israeli leaders

[ 15/05/2012 - 03:02 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Justice minister in Gaza Mohammed Al-Ghoul has called for the urgent prosecution of Israeli leaders at international courts for crimes against humanity.

Ghoul said in a statement on Tuesday that the leaked video of Israeli jailors’ quelling of Palestinian prisoners reflects the occupation’s brutality and blatant violation of international treaties and resolutions.

He said that his ministry asked the independent Palestinian authority for prosecuting Israeli war criminals to prepare a comprehensive file about Israeli violations and table it with the international criminal court.

The minister also asked human rights groups and the Red Cross to highlight the issue and give it more media prominence.

Ghoul asked Luis Ocampo, the ICC prosecutor, to assume his duties and to prosecute Israeli leaders for crimes against humanity.

UK rights group calls for recognizing Palestinian detainees as POWs

[ 15/05/2012 - 03:13 PM ]

LONDON, (PIC)--

The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Britain (AOHR) urged the international community to recognize the Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails as prisoners of war.

In a press release on Tuesday, the organization also called for binding Israel to respect the rights of Palestinian prisoners as stipulated by international law.

It also urged the Arab and Muslim nations to put the issue of Palestinian prisoners on their national agendas and champion their cause until they win their freedom.

In a related context, spokesman for the higher committee for the support of prisoners Mazen Al-Fuqaha said the Egypt-brokered agreement between the Israeli prison authority and leaders of the hunger strikers stipulated the fulfillment of all demands set by the prisoners.

Faqha told the Palestinian information center (PIC) on Tuesday that the terms of this agreement provide for, among other, an end to solitary confinement, the right of all prisoners to meet their families in prison and the release of administrative detainees after completing their prison terms without extensions.

Palestinian sources in Cairo told the PIC that minister of justice Mohamed Al-Ghoul and minister of prisoners' affairs Attalla Assabeh would meet Tuesday senior Egyptian intelligence officials to discuss the issue of Palestinian prisoners.

The meeting would focus on the hunger strike agreement that was signed on Monday in Ashkelon jail and the safeguards ensuring its implementation.

The two Palestinian ministers left Gaza to participate in a conference on the Palestinian prisoners organized by the Arab organization for human rights, the Arab lawyers' union and the Egyptian journalist syndicate.

Hamas hails hunger strike deal as "triumph of dignity"

[ 15/05/2012 - 11:15 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Hamas Movement hailed the deal between the hunger strikers and the Israeli prison authority as "the triumph of dignity" over the oppression of the jailer.

In a press release on Monday, Hamas stated that this new victory was an extension to the triumph achieved by the Palestinian resistance when it managed to extract the freedom of more than 1,000 prisoners in a swap deal with the occupation.

Hamas expressed its appreciation to all the Palestinians who supported the hunger strikers and all friends and organizations throughout the world for their solidarity efforts.

It emphasized that its leadership sponsored and followed up this hunger strike since its first day and dispatched political and national delegations to Cairo to back the cause of the hunger strikers, which culminated finally in this deal.

For his part, Hamas lawmaker Mushir Al-Masri said the Israeli submission to the demands of the hunger strikers affirmed that the option of steadfastness and challenge is the optimal way to extract the usurped rights.

Masri stated in a press release on Monday that the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails would remain one of the national priorities until all of them obtain their freedom through all options.

The lawmaker saluted all prisoners who fought the hunger strike battle and imposed their will on their jailers.

Head of the Palestinian center for human rights Raji Surani, for his part, told journalists that the struggle of Palestinian detainees for their rights is humanitarian, legal and political and described them as political prisoners par excellence.

Surani stressed that the media rallying around the hunger strikers was the main reason for the success of their battle which ended with an Egyptian-brokered deal.

Justice ministry: We will prosecute Israeli leaders at international courts

[ 14/05/2012 - 07:01 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The justice ministry in Gaza has said that Israeli occupation crimes against the Palestinian people were not subject to a time limit.

The ministry said in a statement on Monday on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of Nakba that the Palestinian people were adamant on their rights and lands from where they were cruelly and forcibly evicted by illegal means that inflicted thousands of casualties and displaced hundreds of thousands from their homes.

The ministry stressed that it would not spare any effort and would trek all means to bring the Israeli occupation leaders to trial.

It denounced the international silence toward the Israeli crimes in violation of the international and humanitarian law.

The ministry urged the Arab and Islamic countries, human rights groups, and free people of the world to stand alongside the Palestinian people until regaining all legitimate rights.