(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) prisoners held by Israel have received wide coverage. They are in prison because many of them were involved in major terror attacks against Israel, including murder, though some international media refuse to call them terrorists, but rather "militants" or "political detainees." Yet there is hardly any mention of prisoners and detainees held by the PA security forces in the West Bank. A Palestinian who goes on a hunger strike in a Palestinian prison can only dream of being noticed by a foreign journalist or a human rights organization. A Palestinian who declares a hunger strike in an Israeli prison knows that within minutes, the whole world will learn about his "grievances." The Palestinian Authority continues to hold many Palestinians without trial and denies them basic rights such as meeting a lawyer or family members. Many are suspected of affiliation with rival groups, such as Hamas and PIJ. Most of these detainees are never formally charged or brought to trial. Those now being held in Palestinian prisons are undoubtedly wishing that they could be in Israeli prisons, where they would be better treated and win international sympathy.
2021-10-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive