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by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Report

Palestinian detainees imprisoned by Israel started on Tuesday an open-ended hunger strike demanding an end to all violations carried out against them by the Israeli Prison Administration, and demanding their internationally guaranteed rights.

The Palestinians started marking April 17 as the Palestinian Prisoners Day, on April 17, 1974, the day Israel released Mahmoud Bakr Hijazi, in the first ever prisoner-swap deal.

The detainees , of all political affiliations, stated that they they formulated their plan for the open-ended hunger strike in order to achieve their legitimate rights, and decided that April 17 is the most suitable date for the launching of this strike.

They said that hunger strike is the only means available to them to achieve their rights and to pressure the Israeli government into negotiating with their representative in order to end all sorts of violations against them.

“Our main demands are; ending all sorts of solitary confinement as numerous detainees spent dozens of years in solitary, in tiny cells that lack the basic living recruitments, we want an end to all physical and emotional abuse”, the detainees stated, “We want the families of Gaza Strip detainees to be able to visit their detained sons, they have been denied this right since six consecutive years”.

The detainees are also demanding Israel to improve their living conditions, and an end to all illegal “laws” against them, such as the “Shalit Law” that denied the detainees their legitimate rights, including the right to education, in addition to preventing them from receiving newspapers, certain TV channels, books, and the right to education.

They are also demanding Israel to stop the illegal strip search practiced against their families, the night raids against the detainees’ rooms, and all sorts of collective punishment.

It is worth mentioning that 202 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons since 1967, following Israel’s occupation to the rest of Palestine (The West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights).

Hundreds of detainees died after they were released suffering from serious illnesses and medical conditions resulting from extreme torture and abuse in Israeli prisons.

70 detainees died in prison due to extreme torture, 74 were executed by the soldiers after being arrested, 51 died due to the lack of medical treatment, 7 detainees died due to excessive force by the soldiers, and after being shot while in prison, former political prisoner, head of the census department at the Ministry of Detainees, former political prisoner, Palestinian researched specialized in detainees’ affairs, Abdul-Nasser Farawna stated in a recent report.

The Following statement, titled number 1, was issued by the detainees on April 16, 2012, through that Coordinating committee of Palestinian prisoners conducting a massive hunger strike starting on April 17.

Statement No. 1

Issued by the Higher National Leadership Committee of the Prisoners’ Struggle

"To our great Palestinian people -

We believe in our right to liberty, our dignity, and the recovery of our stolen land and rights, and we announce the first spark of the battle in the occupation prisons (the battle to fulfill our promise) at the break of dawn on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day.

We promise our martyrs, former detainees, and the entire Palestinian nations, that we will continue this struggle until achieving all of our rights, and until ending the illegal practice of solitary confinement, or until we die as martyrs.

Therefore, we call upon you to support us, to support our struggle, locally and globally, until we achieve victory or martyrdom. We have firm trust in you."