Marches in Qods and Nablus in solidarity with hunger striker

A rally and a sit-in were staged in al-Aqsa Mosque after Friday prayers in solidarity with Muhammad Allan who has been on a hunger strike for 59 uninterrupted days to protest his administrative detention.

The demonstrators raised Allan’s photos and chanted slogans calling for releasing him and ending his administrative detention.

Hundreds of Palestinians participated in a march that started from a mosque in Nablus city, to the north of the West Bank, after Friday prayers in support of Allan.

Quds Press said that many human rights activists, representatives of Palestinian factions and forces, and hundreds of activists participated in the march along with a wide popular participation to call for intensifying official and popular support to save the hunger striker’s life.

The participants delivered speeches addressing the critical health condition of Allan, who has been in coma since yesterday, and that he might die at any moment.

In a related context, the European Union for the rights of Palestinian prisoners has warned of the sharp deterioration in Allan’s health status.

“Allan might die at any moment; his health condition reached a very critical stage,” The Union said. It held the international community and the Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) fully responsible for Allan’s life.

The statement also said: “It is a shame on the Israeli government and on the entire world that a captive had to go through all this suffering to demand his legitimate right to freedom while the whole world is watching in silence.”

Commenting on Allan’s exacerbated health status, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHR-I) organization said in a statement: “Once Alan lost consciousness, medical ethics requires that his doctors act in accordance to their understanding of the patient’s will and their discretion. PHR-Israel hopes and believes that the doctors in Barzilai Hospital have acted with respect and in accordance with Allan’s will.”

The statement also charged: “The situation we are now facing could have been avoided. It was possible to hold a dialogue and reach an understanding that would have prevented this deterioration.”

“It is time for the Israeli political leadership to reach a decision to release Allan from administrative detention and enable his doctors to concentrate on fighting for his life,” the statement said.