Israel: Is The Agreement With The Palestinian Prisoners Empty Of Content?

Demonstration of support for Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons on 16 April 2017 in Nablus, West Bank.

Nearly 1,000 Palestinian detainees held in Israel ended their hunger strike on Friday (May 26th). After 40 days without feeding to denounce their conditions of detention, an agreement was reached with the Israeli penitentiary services. However, some details of the agreement were revealed by the Palestinians on Sunday. It seems to be actually empty of content.

Although Palestinian officials claim that 80 percent of the prisoners' requests are met, there is no mention of the main claims of the detainees in the final terms of this very mysterious agreement, except for extended visitation rights. Indeed, it provides that prisoners will be entitled to two visits per month against one before the beginning of the strike.

Measures will also be taken in favor of women and minors, but the agreement does not mention other prisoners' claims, such as the end of "  medical negligence  " and isolation, access to public telephones and To television stations in prisons.

These various points remain to be negotiated. A committee composed of the leaders of this strike will be set up to continue discussions with the Israeli prison administration, say the Palestinians. The Hebrew State, for its part, continues to affirm that it did not negotiate with the detainees directly, but with the Palestinian Authority.