Monday, August 23, 2004

BEIRUT: The solidarity movement in support of the current hunger strike being staged by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails continued in Beirut on Sunday for the second week in a row, gaining the commendation of several international nongovernmental groups, including the Mandela Institute in South Africa.

In addition, as has been the custom since the Beirut sit-in began, the Samir Qantar Freedom Tent, named after the famous Lebanese prisoner in Israel, continued to serve as the focal point for protesters, with different delegations of political parties visiting the tent in a show of support.

The high-profile visits have been bolstered by various media events around the tent: Special on-site programs ran on both the Al-Manar and Al-Jazeera stations, while Future Television station ran a live concert performed by the Palestinian Hanin Folkloric Group in support of the hunger strikers.

The sit-in also saw Hussein Atwi, of the Workers' League, read a prepared statement addressed to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. The statement referred to allegations against Israeli prison authorities who are "denying Palestinian prisoners their basic human rights." It urged Annan to press Israel to comply with the Fourth Geneva Treaty concerning the treatment and handling of prisoners and detainees.

"The prisoners went on a hunger strike to protest against violations that aim at breaking their will and humiliating them," the statement read. It also referred to official Israeli reactions to the strike, saying, "The Israeli interior minister said he did not care if they starved to death."

"In Darfur, the international community acts swiftly and demands compliance with the international laws, while Israel never respected these laws and always gets away," the statement continued.

In addition to an Amal Movement delegate, Tyre MP Nazih Mansour, Beirut MP Bassem Yamout, a representative of Hamas Prisoners' Affairs, Hashem Salameh, and a delegate of the Lebanese Peoples Conference visited the tent on Saturday.

By Adnan El-Ghoul Daily Star staff

© The Daily Star 2004