Solidarity with Khader Adnan: Israel
Wants Him Dead - Major Media Response
10 Feb 2012By Stephen
Lendman
Day 62 and counting. Adnan's hunger strike continues.
On February 15, Israel let his wife Randa see him for
the second time.
She said "(h)is health has drastically deteriorated
from the last time I saw him" a week ago. "I expect
the worst. He insists on continuing with the hunger
strike." He wants to live but will die for justice.
PLO official Saeb Erekat said Abbas pressed Russia,
China, Britain, and EU authorities to help during
meetings with acting EU representative to Palestine
John Gatt-Rutter, UK Consul-General Vincent Fean,
Russian representative Alexander Rudakov, and Chinese
PA ambassador Yang Wei Guo.
He also contacted Washington, EU Secretary-General
Thorbjorn Jagland, and France. Nothing so far
materialized. Western leaders provide one-sided
support for Israel. Expect nothing from them for Adnan.
He's held administratively without charge. He
committed no crimes yet faces imminent death. He lost
over a third of his weight. His life force is slowly
ebbing. His muscles, heart, stomach, and immune system
are dying.
His entire system could stop functioning any time.
Israel wants him dead. So far, pleas on his behalf are
ignored. The Palestinian Council of Human Rights
Organizations (PCHRO) called for emergency action to
save him. So did Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner
Solidarity Network. It demanded his immediate release
before it's too late.
On February 16, the Carter Center "called on the
Israeli government to immediately charge or release"
Adnan. His "case highlights the inconsistencies of
Israel's administrative detention policies with
internationally recognized rights to due process."
On January 24, the Carter Center denounced Israel's
arrests of Palestinian legislators, including PLC
Speaker Aziz Dweik. Uncharged, he and others were
sentenced to six months administrative detention.
Jimmy Carter said:
"These men are guilty of nothing more than winning a
parliamentary seat in an open and honest election,
which was monitored by the Carter Center in (January)
2006."
"The detention of Speaker Dweik and other Palestinian
legislators appears to be an attempt to hamstring the
PLC in order to prevent Palestinian reconciliation and
a prospective election later this year. We urge that
(they) be released."
In contrast, Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU High
Foreign Affairs and Security Representative Catherine
Ashton issued a weak-kneed statement, saying:
"The EU requests the government to do all it can to
preserve the health of Mr. Adnan and handle this case
while abiding by all legal obligations under
international law. The EU reiterates its longstanding
concern about the extensive use by Israel of
administrative detention without formal charge."
EU countries express concerns without teeth. As a
result, Israel breaches international law with
impunity.
Arbitrary administrative detention (AD) is illegal.
Prisoners may be held indefinitely. They aren't told
why. Alleged secret evidence is unavailable to defense
lawyers. They can't dispute it, examine witnesses, or
present contradictory evidence refuting it.
AD's permitted only "in time of public emergency which
threatens the life of the nation," and only for the
shortest possible time.
Israel uses it indiscriminately. Hundreds are
imprisoned this way. AD should never substitute for
customary criminal proceedings, except during
short-term emergency conditions.
Adnan's one of hundreds of victims. After Friday
prayers, thousands rallied supportively for him in
Gaza. Crowds chanted, "We are all Khader Adnan."
Hundreds also demonstrated in Jenin and other West
Bank cities and towns. So did hundreds more in Israeli
prisons.
Islamic Jihad (IJ) said his death won't go unnoticed.
It promised to respond violently if he dies and
continue resisting. IJ leader Nafez Azzam accused Arab
states and Western powers of ignoring him, saying:
"Shame on the nations of hundreds of millions (of
Muslims) for the fact that Khader Adnan is still in
prison."
An IDF spokesman lied saying Adnan "threaten(ed)
regional security." In fact, he owns a bakery, fruit
and vegetable shop. Calling himself a local leader, he
served as Islamic Jihad's spokesman. He committed no
violence or other crimes.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said:
"The Palestinian people, with all its components and
its factions, will never abandon the hero prisoners,
especially those who lead this hunger strike battle."
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel said his health
remains at risk even if he starts eating because his
system's acclimated to no food.
Major Media Response
US major media scoundrels ignore him. They support
Israel's worst crimes. Others abroad noticed
belatedly. On February 16, London Guardian writer
Harriet Sherwood headlined, "Palestinian hunger
striker Khader Adnan 'near death' in Israel
detention," saying:
After two months without food "shackled to bed in an
Israeli hospital," he risks imminent death.
Petitioning Israel's High Court for help, one of his
lawyers, Mahmoud Kassandra, said:
"This is the last chance. The medical report says he
could die at any minute. We hope this will succeed but
I am not optimistic."
So far, no Court hearing's been scheduled. It rarely
intervenes in these type issues, but can convene on
short notice other times.
Hundreds of Palestinians are held administratively
without charge. "Many protesters say Adnan has become
a symbol of Israel's occupation and its treatment of
prisoners."
On February 17, London Independent writer Donald
MacIntyre headlined, "Khader Adnan: The West Bank's
Bobby Sands," saying:
In mid-December, Adnan was seized violently "at 3:30am
by some scores of Israeli military and security
personnel who surrounded the family home" south of
Jenin.
Weak after two months without food, he faces
"immediate danger of death." Though activist for
years, "his family insists that he has never been
involved in violence; nor has he been charged with it.
Indeed, on this occasion, he has not been charged with
any crime."
He's Palestine's Bobby Sands and an Arab Street hero.
He declares his honor's "more precious than food." His
sister Maali called him a model father who "loves
life" and "wants to end administrative detention."
His wife Randa said he told one of his lawyers, "I do
not want to go to oblivion or death. But I am a man
who defends his freedom. If I die it will be my fate."
A Final Comment
In a letter written earlier, Adnan said the following:
"I started my battle offering my soul to God almighty
and adamant to go ahead until righteousness triumphs
over falsehood. I am defending my dignity and my
people's dignity and not doing this in vain."
"The Israeli occupation has gone to extremes against
our people, especially prisoners. I have been
humiliated, beaten, and harassed by interrogators for
no reason, and thus I swore to God I would fight the
policy of administrative detention to which I and
hundreds of my fellow prisoners fell prey."
"Here I am in a hospital bed surrounded with prison
wardens, handcuffed, and my foot tied to the bed. The
only thing I can do is offer my soul to God as I
believe righteousness and justice will eventually
triumph over tyranny and oppression."
"I hereby assert that I am confronting the occupiers
not for my own sake as an individual, but for the sake
of thousands of prisoners who are being deprived of
their simplest human rights while the world and
international community look on."
"It is time the international community and the UN
support prisoners and force the State of Israel to
respect international human rights and stop treating
prisoners as if they were not humans."
A supportive Voice from Palestine letter to him said,
in part:
"Dear brother, dear comrade,
As you continue to defy oppression and as you continue
to struggle for freedom, in your name and in the name
of every Palestinian and in the name of every
conscientious human, listen to the voices around you."
"Listen to the voices of the walls of the dungeon that
hold you captive. Listen to their silent whisper,
shameful of imprisoning your dignified spirit,
shameful of burying you alive, shameful of you and
your steadfastness. Listen to your body break the
limits of hunger, break the limits of pain."
"Listen to your willpower break the walls of the
dungeons. Listen to your courage defeat oppression.
Listen to your voice break the silence. And listen to
the voices beyond your dark cold cell; listen to the
voices rising high and growing strong with every day
and every hour. Listen to them chant your name. Listen
to them demand your freedom. Listen to them repeat
your words: my dignity is more precious than food."
"Listen to the thousands of Palestinian prisoners
locked up behind Zionist bars. Listen to them in
interrogation cells, defying the torture, refusing to
surrender and say: we are Khader. Listen to them in
dark dungeons, defying harassment, fighting against
injustice and say: we are Khader."
"Listen to them on sick-beds, defying the pain,
defying medical negligence and say: we are Khader.
Listen to them in isolation cells, defying time and
place, defying death and say: we are Khader. Listen to
their voices penetrate the walls of the dungeons, cut
distances between one Zionist jail to another and
unite all Palestinian prisoners."
"Listen to them say: Khader, you are not alone, your
message is ours, your struggle is ours, your pain is
ours, your hunger is ours."
"Listen to your "Zionist jailers.....Listen to them as
they sweat cowardice with every minute of your hunger
strike. Listen to their faces cracking. Listen to
their fear. Listen to their silence. Listen to their
disgrace. Listen to their inhumanity."
"They wish you to lose your willpower. Tthey wish you
to surrender. They wish you to die, because with every
day, with every hour, with every minute of hunger
strike you expose them, expose their hypocrisy, expose
their lack of conscience."
Palestinians, the Arab Street, and thousands worldwide
support him in solidarity. We're all Khader Adnan.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be
reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit
his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on
the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive
Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and
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http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/
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