Palestinians protest to support prisoners on hunger strike

Palestinians near the West Bank city of Ramallah are staging a sit-in protest to show support for hunger-striking prisoners in Israeli jails. The sit-in protest, organized by the Palestinian Prisoners Club and Supreme Youth Committee, is held in front of al-Bireh municipality, outside of the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday. The protesters say they want the prisoners who’ve gone on hunger strike since months ago to be set free, including Samer al-Awsawi who has been on a seven-month strike.   Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been subject to human rights violations such as the use of torture during interrogations. The administrative detention, often implemented by the Israeli regime against Palestinians, means a prisoner can be held for up to six months without trial or charge. However, the detention order can be renewed for indefinite periods of time. Independent rights groups say Israelis frequently put Palestinian detainees in solitary confinement, allowing very few family visits, and often forcing them to go through regular strip searches. According to an April 1, 2012 report published by the non-governmental Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, at least 4,610 “political” Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli jails. Independent sources, however, put the number of Palestinian inmates in Israeli jails at 11,000.