Sunday, August 15, 2004
Elder of ZiyonTerrorists On Strike
16:35 Aug 15, '04 / 28 Av 5764
Meals are not being served today to hundreds of Arab terrorists imprisoned in Israel - because they have embarked on a hunger strike. The terrorists demand better humanitarian conditions, though no fewer than 70% of them are estimated to have Jewish blood on their hands in one way or another. The strike is expected to spread from the 3-4 prisons in which it began today to many others across the country.
"For inhumane people to demand humanitarian improvements is an absurdity bordering on contempt," said Yehudit Dasberg today. Mrs. Dasberg, who has been in the forefront in the struggle against releasing terrorists from prison, adopted her two young grandchildren after their parents - Yaron and Effie Ungar - were murdered in a Hamas terror attack in June 1996.
"As far as I'm concerned," said Public Security Minister Tzachi HaNegbi on Friday, "they can starve until they die." Prison Service officials said that they did not take this literally, and would in fact have medical staff on hand to ensure that this did not happen. Government officials have said, however, that they do not plan to give in to the terrorists' demands.
The imprisoned terrorists demand the removal of the glass walls separating them from their visitors, as well as other improvements in their visiting arrangements. They also want telephones in their cells or wings, as well as the right to have cell phones, a computer in each cell, no Value Added Tax on their canteen purchases, air conditioners in their cells, no more body checks, and more.
The Prison Service responded to their refusal to take meals by taking away the televisions from their cells, canceling all visitations and sports activities, and more.
Prison and police officials say that they will not give in on any demands that have to do with security. "The jails have become, over the past few years, top headquarters for the Palestinian terror organizations," they say. Dozens of terror attacks have been planned during this period by imprisoned terrorists, with the aid of cell phones smuggled to them by visiting relatives. Some 850 such phones were found and confiscated over the past year.
"We would rather see terrorists die of hunger than to see Israeli citizens murdered in terror attacks," unnamed prison officials said. The strike is not expected to be a short one. Jerusalem police have stepped up their preparedness to meet the threat of possible Arab violence in solidarity with the striking terrorists.
PA prime minister Ahmed Qurei took advantage of the situation to demand the release of all 8,000 PA prisoners being held in Israeli jails. "The release of all the prisoners is an essential condition for any solution or progress in the peace porcess," he said today. "The government regards the prisoners issue as being at the top of its list of priorities."
