Feb
Palestinian prisoners take hits from their own government
PHOTO: Palestinians march in Tulkarem in support of prisoners, International Solidarity Movement-North Carolina, flickr.
Al Jazeera reported that Palestinian prisoners have complained of torture by the Palestinian Authority after the death of a Hamas religious leader, Majd al Barghouthi. PA authorities deny this claim, but four men who were arrested with al Barghouthi say they were all ill-treated during their detentions.
Al Barghouthi was one of hundreds of Hamas supporters who were arrested after Hamas’s take over of Gaza in June. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is not a big fan of Hamas, a group that has garnered support in Gaza because of his government’s inability to provide basic services and protection. Palestinian journalist Laila El-Haddad, who divides her time between the U.S. and Gaza, discusses some of the challenges Gaza faces on her blog.
Their dissatisfaction with his government has led to a great deal of animosity and Abbas has frequently shunned and criticized Hamas for causing unrest.
Palestinian prisoners already face a lot of unsolved issues without their own government’s mistreatment. Israel holds about 11,000 Palestinian prisoners and their fate is often a deal breaker when negotiations happen.
Whose responsibility is it to arrest and detain Palestinians? What rights do they have under their own government and under Israel?
