Regards, Ivan
Posted on 08/17/2004 2:25:31 AM PDT by MadIvan
ISRAEL declared psychological war on hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners yesterday saying it would barbecue meat outside their cells to try to break their spirit.
The 1,700 inmates, seen by Palestinians as symbols of resistance to Israeli occupation, want wardens to stop strip searches, allow more frequent family visits, improve sanitary conditions and install public telephones, supporters said.
But Israeli officials insist the protest, launched on Sunday, is a ploy to secure easier communication with militant groups waging an almost four-year-old uprising, and have vowed to fight the prisoners’ liquids-only fast.
The prisons service said it would draw on tactics used in hunger strikes by jailed Northern Irish militants in the 1970s and 1980s, such as withholding basic amenities.
"Among the methods we plan to employ is holding barbecues outside the walls of the affected prisons," a spokesman said.
B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, said about 7,000 Palestinians, excluding common criminals, are being held in Israeli civilian prisons or military jails. About half are either being detained without charge or until the end of criminal proceedings against them. The other half have been convicted of security-related offences.
Recent sweeps for militants in the West Bank and Gaza have swollen the prisoners’ ranks.
"We declare, in the name of God, our national decision to launch an open hunger strike," the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a statement. It accused Israel of "robbing us of all our rights, treading on our dignity and treating us like animals".
In Gaza, 3,000 Palestinians held a rally in support of the prisoners. Khaled al-Batsh, a senior leader of the militant Islamic Jihad group, said gunmen should kidnap "Zionist soldiers and settlers to be swapped for our prisoners".
The hunger strike was praised by Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian president, himself a virtual prisoner of Israel who has been confined to his West Bank compound for months. "The president hailed our heroes in Israeli jails for being steadfast," a Palestinian government statement said.
The Palestinian government yesterday called on its people to hold a one-day solidarity fast tomorrow.
Issa Qaraqe, a prisoners’ rights activist in Bethlehem, has said the hunger strike would spread from Israel’s main prisons to military detention camps.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
I looove bacon!!
Brisket will work!
But slow roasted leg of lamb will drive them insane, oops...insaner (more insane), aw heck,, it'll have them cutting their own heads off!! <|:-)~~
Just grill NOTHING BUT PORK!! (And be sure to offer it to the Palis at every opportunity.)
No, I really want brisket, its been way too long... =o)
So what is the problem, here?
If these prisoners want to starve to death, isn't that their problem?
If the Israelis were withholding food I could see how the international
crybaby community might have a gripe.
Going to Carnegie deli for lunch today. Will make sure I have a brisket on rye in your honor. Granted it isn't BBQ, but it is the best I can do with the BBQ laws in NYC.
Bacon, ribs, pork steaks...anything for a cause.
Bbq pork ribs, yummmmm!
Tme for the Pal's to sit in on an ol'fashion pig pick'en bbq. Jest might civilize the scum!
OK...here's the deal:
1. From now on, no inmate will be clothed; searches will continue as normal, but no more stripping will be necessary.
2. All family members will be arrested and imprisoned with the inmate in the same cell; therefore family visits will be a "constant".
3. All inmates will be washed thrice daily with high pressure fire hoses (including all family members) thereby dispensing with the need for additional sanitary conditions.
4. OK...one public PAY telephone will be installed per 10,000 inmates. Calls will be outbound only. Inmate must show correct change to guard before being allowed to use said pay phone.
See??? Simple!
Oh, the inhumanity!
FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel ping list.
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
I didn't see this the first time round. So they're drinking "Slim Fast."
That's not a hunger strike, that's a "weight loss" program.
Where is Bobby Sands to show them what a real hunger striker is like?
Me tooooooo! Just had a BLT for breakfast! When tomatoes are in season, I'm doing BLTs all week long!
Have you ever deep-fried bacon strips?
Re 9 (photo): This little piggy had roast beef...
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