[News] Palestinian Hunger Strike Update Day 6

[News at freedomarchives.org]

Day 6

The Struggle Widens

Update on Hunger Strike against the Israeli Apartheid Wall





The hunger strike held at the northern entrance to Jerusalem to protest the 
Israeli apartheid wall has entered its sixth day amid growing local and 
international support.



Today a large delegation of Palestinian judges from the Islamic Supreme 
Sharia Court, led by Chief Judge Tayseer Tamimi, himself on hunger strike, 
paid a solidarity visit to the hunger strikers.  Justices came from all 
Palestinian counties, north and south.  The Justices decided to hold their 
monthly meeting at the solidarity camp to discuss the impact of the Israeli 
Wall on Jerusalem where they issued a statement fully endorsing the actions 
called by the Central Popular Committee Against the Wall, and calling on 
people to participate in the Friday prayer at the solidarity tent set to 
take place tomorrow at noon. They also called on all national and Islamic 
organizations to set up solidarity tents in all Palestinian centers to 
rally people against the wall. Noon prayers were also held in the center of 
the tent, led by Tamimi and the rest of the delegation.



Minutes earlier the Women’s Center of Shu’faat Refugee Camp brought the 
children attending their summer camp to the solidarity tent where they 
declared their support and sang songs in solidarity with strikers.



A large delegation from the Women’s Center of Biddu, the Society for the 
Development of Rural Women also braved the checkpoints and army 
encirclements to come to the solidarity tent. The village of Biddu has lost 
four young men to the bullets of the Israeli army in their struggle against 
the wall which takes large swathes of their land.  The women expressed 
their total commitment to the struggle to bring down the wall.



Shortly afterwards the leadership of the Coptic Orthodox Church of 
Jerusalem arrived to extend their greetings of solidarity with the hunger 
strikers, emphasizing the unity between the Islamic and Christian 
communities in their unity in struggle.



Yesterday evening a teach–in and debate on the recent ruling by the Israeli 
Supreme Court was held at the solidarity tent. The court had ruled that a 
30 km section of the 700 km-planned wall should take into consideration the 
needs fo the Palestinian communities. Palestinian Attorney Muhammad Dahleh 
presented a short legal overview of the case, Mr. Jamal Jum’a, coordinator 
of the Aparthied Wall Campaign, representative from ARIJ organization and 
members of the Popular Committee Against the Wall, made detailed analyses 
of the social, economic and environmental impact that the wall will have on 
the Jerusalem area, while emphasizing the ultimately political aim of the 
wall to enclose the majority of the Palestinian within isolated cantons. In 
summing up, Azmi Bishara emphasized that the original lead in the struggle 
against the wall began with the Popular Comities in their own localities. 
In that respect, the current hunger strike represents a continuation of 
their original struggles and sacrifices.



Large groups of Palestinians from within the 1948 areas continued to pour 
in and participated in the teach-in, while hundreds of letters of 
solidarity from around the world declaring their support



Yesterday six additional people joined the hunger strike.  They are: Salah 
Abu Qteish, member of the executive committee of the Palestinian Trade 
Union Federation; the activist Ms. Amal Nashashibi; Farid Tawil, member of 
the administrative Committee of the Makassed Charitable Society; Ali Shami, 
Addameer Institute for Human Rights; Yafit-Jamileh Biso, Israeli 
activist-Ta’ayush organization; Mirielle Fanone, daughter of Franz Fanon. )







For further details please contact:

Dr. Bishara: +972 54 290 
729 
<http://us.f210.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=abishara@knesset.gov.il>abishara at knesset.gov.il 


Mosa Diab: +972 54 290 
726 
<http://us.f210.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=mosadiab@yahoo.com>mosadiab at yahoo.com 


Awatef Shiekh: + 972 54 6656 
605 
<http://us.f210.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=awatefshiekh@yahoo.com>awatefshiekh at yahoo.com 




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