A Note to AP and Amnesty International Are They Just Waiting for Samer Issawi to Die?
by ALISON WEIR
Are They Just Waiting for Samer Issawi to Die? » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
This article points out Samer Issawi has now lived for 33 years, 1 month, and 27 days, and has been on a hunger strike now for six and a half months. To compare it to other hunger strikes in history, Gandhis longest hunger strike was 21 days and the IRAs Bobby Sands and nine other Irish hunger strikers died in 1981, which was after strikes lasting from 46 to 73 days. His condition: His internal organs are starting to shut down, he cannot walk, he is reportedly suffering loss of vision and vomiting blood, he has difficulty talking, and he is increasingly near death. Further, he has lost over half his body weight.
More, from the article:
"One of the main ideas behind such nonviolent resistance is that world awareness will bring pressure on behalf of the sufferer. Yet, U.S. news outlets are not covering Issawis hunger strike. It appears that the Associated Press has not run a single news story on Issawis strike and refuses to answer queries on the subject. APs lack of reporting on the situation is even more inexplicable given that there has been an international campaign on Issawis behalf. There have been banner drops in Washington, D.C, Chicago, Cleveland, Austin, and other parts of the world; demonstrations and vigils in numerous cities; and Issawis plight has made it onto Twitters world-trending list at least four times this month.
The alleged crime for which Issawi is being imprisoned and may die there has been no trial is for having allegedly traveled outside Jerusalem. Issawi is one of the Palestinian prisoners released in a prisoner exchange in 2011, and such movement, Israel says, violated the terms of that release. (It is unclear whether Israel has formally charged Issawi.) However, Issawi supporters point out that Issawis travel was to an area near Hizma, and Israel does not appear to dispute this, bringing into question Israels claimed reason for incarcerating him: Hizma is within Jerusalems municipal borders. Israeli is holding Issawi under administrative detention, a system by which Israel holds Palestinian men, women, and even children for as long as the Israeli government wishes without trials or charges; sometimes for decades. Since 2000 Israel has reportedly issued 20,000 such detention orders."
The article confirms Samer broke no laws traveling inside the boundaries of Jerusalem, nor any agreements entered into by him. A further point I wish to make, restrictions on movement of those occupied inside the occupied territories themselves violate intl law, provisions on Occupation in The Fourth Geneva Convention, and international treaties.
The world's response to Injustice is silence, that has never changed in the history of mankind. But another truth is this, human beings do not have to be silent in the face of such Injustice and the world's callous response to it. We rise above it when we lift our voices to speak against it, we illustrate by such acts the potential of mankind to to elevate himself above the filth in the world and defeat it. We defeat it, even if our acts take our very own lives. We win, we have victory, when we rise up and use our voices and take our stands ahagainst Injustices like the unlawful detentions of over 4000 Palestinian political prisoners in Palestine and the Occupation by Israel of Palestine!
Americans give Israel over $8 million per day, so our tax money is helping to fund Israels actions. And this is an added reason all Americans should care about what is happening in Palestine today, we are complicit in all of the Injustices Isreal heaps on Palestinians in her over 45 year Occupation of Palestine!
Sherri
