Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 18-04-2017
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation says it supports the actions of Palestinian political prisoners, who have embarked on a hunger strike.
Over a thousand Palestinians began an indefinite hunger strike in Israeli jails yesterday marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day.
The hunger strike has been spearheaded by jailed Palestinian leader, Marwan Barghouthi. Known as the ‘Palestinian Mandela’, Barghouthi was last year nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
On April 15, Barghouthi marked his 15th consecutive year in prison after being sentenced to five life terms in jail by Israel.
In 2013, anti-apartheid struggle veteran Ahmed Kathrada and Barghouthi’s wife, Fadwa, launched a global campaign on Robben Island calling for the release of Barghouthi and all Palestinian political prisoners.
The Ahmed Kathrada’s Neeshan Balton, says a hunger strike is not only the most peaceful form of resistance,but is also the last resort by a prisoner to demand basic human rights.
“The mass support for the hunger strike amongst prisoners is a show of unity and is symbolic of the courage that has become synonymous with simply being Palestinian. Barghouthi himself, in an opinion piece about the hunger strike, wrote: ‘Our chains will be broken before we are, because it is human nature to heed the call for freedom regardless of the cost.’”
Balton says that the struggle of Palestinian political prisoners, was one that South Africans could understand in context of our own apartheid past.
“Kathrada would often talk about the sadistic behaviour of some of the apartheid warders who raided their cells in May 1971, while they were on hunger strike in solidarity with SWAPO prisoners.”
Over the last five decades about 800 000 Palestinians have been jailed by Israel; some 6500 are currently behind bars.
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