PALESTINIAN GOVT. WARNS OF ISRAELI RESOLVE TO FORCE-FEED HUNGER STRIKERS

Gaza, 14 Sya’ban 1435/12 June 2014 (MINA) – The Palestinian Ministry of Information warned of the Israeli resolve to force-feed the hunger striking Palestinian detainees to frustrate their internationally observed move.

The Prisoners and Jerusalem Unit of the ministry said in a press statement that high-profile Israeli authorities and officials, first and foremost the head of the government himself, are pushing for the legislation to be law.

Putting the force-feeding into effect would emphasize the criminal mentality of the Israeli occupation state, ALRAY, Palestinian Media Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The bill has already passed the first of three readings in the Israeli parliament and came in opposition the Israeli Medical Association (IMA).

The statment indicated that several human rights and medical organizations fought the force-feeding procedure which violates the human rights principles.

A 2006 report by the United Nation Commission on Human Rights stated that “The forced feeding violates international law, citing three grounds for this procedure illegal : First, Forcefeeding violates an international law principle of autonomy; second, certain methods of forced feeding amount to torture; third, the participation of doctors in forced feeding violates medical ethics and international law principles.”

The ministry added that the World Medical Association prohibited force-feeding in the Declarations of Tokyo and Malta, adopted in 1975 and 1991.

While Human Rights Watch (HRW) considers that “Force-feeding the prisoners contradicts medical ethics,”

Signed by 20 organisations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Constitutional Rights and NYU School of Law’s Global Justice Clinic, the letter to Hagel says the force-feeding of competent prisoners constitutes “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.

Ministry of Information called on the countries that backed Malta and Tokyo Declarations, and the United Nations agencies, which objected the use of this procedure, to intervene to stop Israeli occupation from going on with ratifying and applying it.(T/P04/E01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)