Following prisoners' plan to go on hunger strike, prison authority says no inmates refused meals; MK: "Prisoners can strike as much as they like."
By YAAKOV LAPPINPalestinian prisoners in Israel's Ketziot prison 311 (R)(photo credit: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)
There is no evidence of a hunger strike by Palestinian security prisoners at any of the country’s prisons, a Prisons Service spokeswoman told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.The comments came after several reports appeared on Sunday claiming that a Hamas body responsible for prisoners had coordinated a hunger strike in response to steps by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to limit certain conditions for the prisoners, such as highspeed Internet access, frequent family visits, and courses resulting in MA and PhD degrees.RELATED:Hamas: Revoking prisoners' privileges is against int'l law We are leaving Gilad Schalit for dead, MK Cabel saysNetanyahu announced the steps after Hamas refused a Red Cross request for a sign of life from abducted soldier Gilad Schalit or access to him.“There have been no reports of a hunger strike or a return of meals,” the Prisons Service spokeswoman said.Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said he was not concerned by the threat of a hunger strike, Israel Radio reported.“They can strike as much as they like,” he was quoted as saying.Aharonovitch spoke during a ceremony to launch an urban policing initiative.
