Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan ends hunger strike

 

Jerusalem

News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
From the blogs

The Photography Blog: Rise of the smartphone, but smart photography too?

Assuming Mark Zuckerberg hasn’t got his sums wrong, the market for smartphone photography is booming...

Top of the posts: Breastfeeding, vegetarians and photography

The top blogs from the past week, as determined by stats.

The age old classic of a drunken rant – immortalised on the internet

We’ve all been there at some point in our lives. You wake up on the morning after with a big black h...

Are you Mom Enough? Putting parenting choices under the microscope

Much ink has already been spilled on the recent, controversial, TIME magazine cover which features a...

The Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan ended his 66 day hunger strike yesterday after Israel agreed to release him in mid-April provided that no “significant” new evidence is found against him.

Under a deal struck by the Israeli authorities and signed by one of his lawyers, Mr Adnan, a member of Islamic Jihad, stands to be freed three weeks earlier than planned after conducting the longest ever hunger strike by a Palestinian prisoner.

The deal was struck shortly before Mr Adnan’s case was due for an emergency hearing by the Israeli Supreme Court, which had been brought forward from Thursday because of deepening concerns about the critical condition of the detainee being held under guard in an Israeli hospital.

Mr Adnan’s case had triggered protest demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza, and token hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli gaols. It had also prompted mounting international concern.

Under the deal, Israeli authorities promised not to issue a new order to extend his four month administrative detention unless additional “new significant and substantive material” is found against him. And they have agreed to include the 21 days he initially spent under investigation within the four month detention period. This means the detention period will end on April 17 instead of May 8.

Mr Adnan’s fast has focused fresh attention on the practice of administrative detention under which Palestinians are held without charge or trial and on the basis of secret  evidence which can be  shown to a military court but not to the defendant or his lawyers. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said yesterday that 309 Palestinians were currently held under the procedure, which it said violates the rights to liberty and due process. Furthermore, in December 2011, over 60 percent of those held had had their orders extended at least once, according to the rights group.

Israel’s Justice Ministry yesterday said the Khader Adnan agreement came after the case was referred to the Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein. Mr Weinstein’s involvement is suggestive of serious concerns in Israel’s government over the possible consequences of Mr Adnan’s hunger strike continuing, including widespread unrest and international censure if he had died in detention.

Mr Adnan’s sister Maali, speaking from the family home in the northern West Bank village of Arrabeh, said : “We are so happy that the hunger strike reached a good result.” She added that it was a “victory” that the 21 day investigation period had now been included as part of the detention.

The Palestinian prisoners’ rights organization Adameer yesterday repeated its calls for Mr Adnan’s immediate release and warned it was still possible that the detention could be renewed on the basis of new secret material.

But Danny Danon, a senior MP in Israel’s ruling Likud party, yesterday said the authorities had set a dangerous precedent, and “capitulated to terrorism”. He added: "this deal renders the Israeli values system meaningless.”

Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this week that Mr Adnan was a “self professed leader” of Islamic Jihad which had been responsible for killing Israeli civilians and was recognized as a terrorist group not only by Israel but by many Western countries.

But Baroness Ashton, the EU’s Foreign Affairs High  Representative,  said last weekend that the case was of “great concern” and that detainees had the right “to be informed about the charges underlying any detention and be subject to a fair trial"

Career Services

Day In a Page

The 50 Best country pubs

The 50 best country pubs

From rustic locals to stylish taverns, the out-of-town places to eat and drink
Graham Coxon: All a blur

All a blur

Grahan Coxon talks about Blur's Olympic gig and why he hates The X Factor
Ryan McGinley: Pictures of youth

Pictures of youth

The extraordinary world of photography' s golden boy Ryan McGinley
Berried treasures: Mark Hix makes the most of British berry season

Berried treasures

Mark Hix makes the most of British berry season
Difficult, moi? Feeding les enfants, French style

Difficult, moi?

Feeding les enfants, French style
Is this the end of meat?

Is this the end of meat?

These days, fake flesh looks – and tastes – just like the real thing
48 Hours In: San Francisco

48 Hours In: San Francisco

The Golden Gate Bridge turns 75 next weekend
Street treats in Shanghai

Street treats in Shanghai

It's a city of world-class fine dining,
A journey through the heart of Italy

A journey through the heart of Italy

A holiday that takes in two coasts, mountains, cookery, seaside treats and a round of golf
G8 summit: The hunger game

G8 summit: The hunger game

Broken pledges from rich nations have put millions at risk of famine
Greengrass shoots and scores with Barcelona film

Greengrass shoots and scores with Barcelona film

British director is in Cannes to sell movie celebrating recent success of Catalan side
The curse of the Kennedys

The curse of the Kennedys

The death of Mary Richardson Kennedy has once again thrown the spotlight on the goldfish bowl that is life in America's most famous family
Horticulture: Can you dig it?

Horticulture: Can you dig it?

A group of gardening guerrillas has set up a hip alternative to the Chelsea Flower Show
10 Best Salt and Pepper sets

10 Best Salt and Pepper sets

Whether they’re for hard work in the kitchen or to adorn the dining table, it’s worth getting a stylish, sturdy shaker
Ian Herbert: Fenway have identified their Billy Beane

Ian Herbert: Fenway have identified their Billy Beane

It is hard to exaggerate the extent to which Martinez has overhauled Wigan