Israel's approach to prisoners unethical, says PLO
PLO Executive Committee Secretary Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of dealing with the Palestinian prisoners' issue in an unethical and inhumane way.
Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, said that Israel violated the Wye River agreement regarding the prisoners' issue. He said that the Palestinian leadership considers the prisoners issue a vital matter, a red line and a human and political necessity for the peace process.
Commenting on the wave of unrest and demonstrations all over the Occupied Territories, Abu Mazen said they were a human message to the international community demanding the immediate release of the Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel. Abu Mazen himself came under fire from demonstrators in Gaza two weeks ago as they blamed him for the Palestinian government's failure to secure an Israeli pledge to release the political and security prisoners held behind Israeli bars.
Meanwhile, the International Solidarity for Human Rights noted that the number of Palestinians arrested by Israel between 1967 and 1987 is approximately 535,000. According to statistics issued by the committee recently, Israel has arrested some 175,000 Palestinians since 1987, when the Palestinian uprising broke out against the Israeli military occupation.
At the time of the Oslo Accords' signing on September 13, 1993 there were around 12,500 prisoners. The number of Palestinians who died, or were killed, in Israeli prisons since 1967 is 119, while since the uprising broke out, there have been 49 Palestinians who were killed or died in prison. The research showed that the longest term currently being served in an Israeli prison is that of Khalil Raal of Gaza, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1974. At present Israel holds some 3,500 prisoners, of whom 1,000 are criminals and the rest are political and security prisoners.
Other statistics showed by the research were as follows: 350 cases of sick prisoners, including 100 cases that need immediate medical treatment; 100 prisoners who are under the legal age (juveniles), 100 prisoners still under administrative detention; 900 out of the 2,500 political and security prisoners are serving long sentences (over 10 years); including 550 serving life sentences; 50 prisoners still have their cases deliberated by Israeli military courts and they are expect to be sentenced to life imprisonment too.