Wife of Palestinian hunger striker wants pope to intervene
Fadwa Barghouti calls on Vatican to ‘speak up’ on behalf of Palestinian security prisoners fasting for more rights in Israeli jails
The wife of the leader of a hunger strike by hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has written to Pope Francis calling on him to intervene “before it is too late.”
Fadwa Barghouti, wife of Palestinian leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, has called on the pope to “speak up, because freedom and dignity are God-given rights, and no human group should deprive another of these rights.”
“Your call for respect of the rights of the Palestinian people, including the rights of our political prisoners, would allow the voice of those placed in isolation to reach the world,” the letter says.
The Vatican has recognized Palestine as a state.
The hunger strike began on April 17, led by Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences over his role orchestrating deadly terror attacks in the second Palestinian intifada.
Israeli authorities say 894 Palestinian prisoners have kept up the strike, though Palestinian officials say it is more than 1,000.
Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel for a range of offenses and alleged crimes.
Around 500 are being held under Israel’s system of administrative detention, which allows for imprisonment without charge.
Palestinian prisoners have mounted repeated hunger strikes, but rarely on such a scale.
Israel has vowed not to negotiate with the hunger strikers, with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan calling them “terrorists and incarcerated murderers.”
In her letter, Fadwa Barghouti said “the Israeli courts are instruments of oppression not justice, especially Israeli military courts with their conviction rate of 90 percent to 99 percent for Palestinians.”
The Israel Prison Service said Wednesday that Marwan Barghouti will be permitted to meet with representatives from the International Red Cross organization. The meeting, which will take place in the coming days, will be the first since he began his hunger strike more than three weeks ago.
Called the “Palestinian Mandela” by supporters, he is a popular figure among Palestinians. Some see his launch of this hunger strike as a political ploy to shore up backing for a potential bid to succeed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The European Parliament has called for his release, saying he could potentially help peace efforts.
While many Palestinians view him as a hero, Israelis point to the bloody suicide attacks of the Second Intifada of 2000-2005 and his role in that uprising.
