Rights groups petition Ashton on hunger-striking Palestinian inmates

Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups have asked EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to intervene on behalf of the 125 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails.

Seventeen rights groups and the Palestinian Ministry for Prisoners’ Affairs wrote a letter on Sunday to Ashton to bring her attention to the situation of the hunger-striking Palestinians.

The overall number of the hunger-striking Palestinians has increased to 290, out of whom 70 have been taken to hospitals over their critical health conditions.

Some 125 of the hunger strikers have been refusing food for more than five weeks. They are protesting at the Israeli “administrative detention,” which is a sort of imprisonment without trial or charge that allows Israel to incarcerate Palestinians for up to six months. The detention order can be renewed for indefinite periods of time.

“We… wish to bring to your attention the ongoing mass hunger strike involving approximately 125 Palestinian detainees and prisoners, and request your urgent intervention on their behalf,” the letter to Ashton read.

“We have reached a critical stage and unless there is immediate intervention there will be dire consequences for the health of all those on strike,” it added.

In 2012, over 1,500 Palestinian inmates staged a four-week hunger strike that came to an end after Tel Aviv agreed not to extend the jail terms of those in administrative detention.

Palestinian officials have also called on Arab leaders to urgently intervene and prevent the situation from getting worse.

More than 5,000 Palestinians are reportedly being held in Israeli prisons, nearly 200 of them under administrative detention orders.