Non-Aligned Movement Pledges Support for Palestinians Hunger Strike

A little girl points to a picture of Marwan Barghouti, a long-time Palestinian figure imprisoned by Israel for being considered extremely dangerous.

Bethlehem, 26 Rajab 143/23 April 2017 (MINA) – The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) expressed its solidarity with Palestinian prisoners who have been on hunger strike in Israeli prisons for six consecutive days, according to statement from the group.

NAM, which comprises a group of 120 member states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc, expressed “solidarity with the peaceful and nonviolent act, called the Freedom and Dignity strike, which has been staged in protest of inhumane treatment by Israel, the occupying authority, Ma’an News reported on Sunday.

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”NAM’s statement denounced the “illegal and oppressive” ongoing detention campaign conducted against Palestinians through overnight Israeli military raids, which are carried out nearly every day.

“Women, children, and several elected officials are currently being detained under extremely difficult and inhuman conditions, and are being mistreated both physically and psychologically,” the statement said.

NAM declared it was monitoring the “dreadful” numbers of Palestinian prisoners that have been detained since Israel occupied the Palestinian territory in 1967.

Israeli authorities have detained approximately one million Palestinians since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in 1967, according to a joint statement released last week by Palestinian organizations.

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According to prisoners’ rights organization Addameer, some 6,300 Palestinians were held in Israeli custody as of March.

NAM’s coordinating bureau reportedly called on Israel to release the thousands of incarcerated Palestinian civilians, urged the international community to coerce Israel to comply with international law, and called on Israel to allow internationals to visit Palestinian prisoners so observers may follow up on prison conditions. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)