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Sent: Monday, September 06, 2004 2:18 PM<br><br>
<a href="http://www.mandela-palestine.org/en_strike2004/press.htm" eudora="autourl">http://www.mandela-palestine.org/en_strike2004/press.htm<br><br>
</a>Press Statement 46<br><br>
2 September 2004<br>
For Immediate Release<br><br>
In an interview with Mandela's lawyer Buthaina Duqmaq at Ha Darim Prison
on<br>
2 September 2004, inmates Houssam Khader and Samir Qanttar affirmed<br>
negotiations with the Israeli Prison Authority have actually begun on
day<br>
one of the hunger strike contrary to what Israeli media has been
reporting.<br>
They asserted the popular and organized solidarity movement with
the<br>
prisoners forced Israeli authorities into negotiations with the
striking<br>
prisoners. Both inmates emphasized the prisoners' high spirits to
challenge<br>
the status quo and their coalescence with the committee leading the
strike<br>
coerced the Israeli side into marathon-like negotiations to lessen
the<br>
negative impact of the strike on Israeli image. Khader and Qanttar
affirmed<br>
the committee is made of the following prisoners:<br>
Sheikh Mohammad Abu-Tair, Tawfic Abu-Na'im, Houssam Khader*, Samir<br>
Qanttar**, Walid Daqqa, Yahia Senoir, Hassan Maqadmah, Younis Ershaid,
Rouhy<br>
Mushtaha, Wael Fannouna, Taher Zayyoud and Abdul-Khaleq Natsha.<br><br>
On 21 August 2004, Israeli prison authorities placed Tawfic
Abu-Na'im,<br>
Houssam Khader and Mohammad Abu-Tair in solitary confinement at Ovik
Prison.<br>
Their cells lack the basic minimum standards for human life. Other
members<br>
of the committee were placed in two poorly-ventilated rooms and shed
heavy<br>
spotlights at<br>
them.<br><br>
Mr. Khader and Mr. Qanttar informed Ms. Duqmaq that Mr. Gibson, Head
of<br>
General Security in the Israeli Prison Authority, Mr. Itzaq Jabay,
Director<br>
of Prison Intelligence and the Commander of the so-called Southern<br>
Command -known as Nazim- and began negotiations with the prisoners'<br>
committee. No agreements were reached. The Israeli authorities
transferred<br>
the leadership committee to Jalama Prison.<br><br>
Director of the Israeli Prison Authority, deputy and wardens of
Israeli<br>
prisons came to meet the leadership committee at Jalama on 31 August
2004.<br>
The meeting lasted from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM. An agreement was
reached<br>
whereby the Israeli side agreed to the prisoners' demands regarding<br>
improvement of humanitarian conditions. The Israelis promised to
examine<br>
other demands which they consider of security<br>
nature two weeks after the end of the hunger strike.<br><br>
The Israeli Prison Authority agreed to transfer every committee member
that<br>
was placed in solitary confinement back to the prison he was originally
in<br>
to brief the prisoners of the outcome of negotiations. Accordingly,
this<br>
part of the deal was executed on Wednesday 1 September 2004.<br><br>
Following the transfer of inmates Khader and Qanttar to Ha Darim
Prison,<br>
prisoners there decided to adjourn their hunger strike until Sunday
5<br>
September 2004 but will continue o take liquids only. This decision
applies<br>
to all Israeli prisons except Beer Shiva' as its representative
Tawfic<br>
Abu-Na'im and the Beer Shiva' administration had failed to agree on
certain<br>
issues during their meeting at Jalama prison. The HaDarim
administration<br>
allowed Mr. Qanttar to telephone Tawfic Abu-Na'im to discuss the
disputed<br>
issues. No agreement regarding adjournment of the strike at Beer Shiva'
was<br>
reported.<br><br>
Following is a letter from inmates at HaDarim Prison to the Arab
and<br>
Palestinian masses engaged in popular and organized solidarity
activities<br>
with the striking prisoners.<br><br>
"The spirit of challenge and steadfastness which characterized our
masses on<br>
the outside and the prisoners' movement on the inside had proved that
the<br>
prisoners' will could overcome the policies of oppression and tormenting
we<br>
had faced for years. We strongly declare that we did not stop our
hunger<br>
strike but only adjourned it in order to start negotiations to improve
the<br>
prison conditions and to ensure dignified living for our colleagues. We
hope<br>
to reach a genuine understanding with the prison authority and close
several<br>
files which if left open could trigger more strikes and could let
an<br>
atmosphere of tension prevail".<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
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