Qaddoumi calls international community to defend palestinian captives

Chairman of the Central Committee of the Palestinian Fatah Movement called on Monday upon the international community and the United Nations to defend the Palestinian captives and detainees in the Israeli jails.

"Palestinian detainees are held in the Israeli occupation jails under very difficult circumstances that are contradicting to all international norms and charters mainly to Geneva Convention," Farouq Qaddoumi said in a statement.

He underlined the need to the Quartet committee to quickly movement to find a swift solution to the issue of Palestinian captives and detainees stressing the situation has strong links to a solution to the Palestinian issue.

He said the Palestinian captives have started an open hunger strike during the last two days as to turn the international public opinion attention to their dangerous situation and to Israel's insistence on terrorizing the Palestinian people by various criminal means.

Israel is holding about eight thousand Palestinian captives whom the Palestinians as regarding as heroes. Palestinians are calling Israel to offer them a general pardon.