Palestinians make urgent plea to save Khader Adnan as more join hunger strike

posted on: Jun 22, 2015

Palestinians are calling for urgent international intervention to save the life of Khader Adnan who has been on total hunger strike for almost 50 days to protest his detention without charge or trial by Israel.

Last week, Adnan’s family sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini urging pressure on Israel to free him.

Meanwhile, at least three more Palestinians jailed by Israel have started open-ended hunger strikes.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has also urged the “international community to put pressure on Israeli forces for the immediate release of Adnan who has been under administrative detention without a trial.”

But previous appeals to Mogherini on behalf of Palestinian prisoners, including by dozens of European Parliament members, have not resulted in the staunchly pro-Israel EU breaking its complicit silence.

“After the deterioration of his health condition, Adnan has been recently admitted to Assaf Harofeh Hospital in Israel, while being handcuffed to his bed all day long,” PCHR stated.

Adnan, who has lost a large amount of body weight, is now reported to be suffering additional serious symptoms, according to PCHR, which cited the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club whose lawyer recently visited him.

“The more [the Israelis] torture me, the stronger and more determined I become,” Adnan reportedly told the lawyer.

“Loves life”
Earlier this month, Budour Youssef Hassan visited Adnan’s family in their home village of Arrabeh, near Jenin, and reported for The Electronic Intifada on the “arduous journey” his wife Randa, his young children and his elderly parents have taken with him as a result of Israel’s persecution.

Adnan’s father, Adnan Mousa, told The Electronic Intifada that while the family had received messages of solidarity from all over the world, the Palestinian Authority had done nothing to support his son.

He also reaffirmed his son’s love of life and freedom. “Khader is not a nihilist,” Adnan Mousa said. “He’s not doing this because he wants to die and because he wants to hurt himself. On the contrary, he’s going through this because he loves life and believes that this is the only way to achieve freedom.”

Source: electronicintifada.net