Press Release - May 16, 2000
There was an explosion of violent clashes on Monday, May 15, 2000, in protest against the continuation of holding Palestinian prisoners into custody. The clashes led to the killing of three Palestinians in the cities of Nablus and Ramallah, the victims were:Ayid Mustafa Alsafadi, 18, from Areef in Nablus, Bashar Al Shanteer, 18, from Askar Refugees’ Camp in Nablus, and Ahmad Jamal Auda, 22, from Dir Al Hatab in Nablus. In addition to killing two Palestinian children in Qalqilia when they were run over by an Israeli settler, the children were Mahmoud, 8 years old, and Muhamad Zeid Al Aqra, 6 years old.

 

Moreover, many Palestinians were injured during the confrontations, which took place in all Palestinian towns, including 350 people injured in Ramallah, 122 in Bethlehem, 88 in Tulkarem, 52 in Jerusalem, 50 in Hebron, 22 in Nablus, 15 in Jenin and 40 in Gaza.

 

The confrontations followed the general strike announced by the Committee for the Support of Prisoners in Israeli Prisons, which was created in order to follow-up the conditions of the prisoners during their open hunger strike. Such prisoners have been detained for many long years in harsh conditions despite the Israeli-Palestinian agreements to release them.

 

This escalation came during the time in which the prisoners movement is still undergoing an open hunger strike since May 1, 2000, in protest against their detention and the harsh living conditions within the Israeli prisons. The prisoners have demanded to be provided with many basic needs.

 

We, at ADDAMEER, view this escalation and the Israeli aggression presented in shooting civilians, as a threat to the very life of the Palestinian people.

Moreover, the refusal to release the Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israeli prisons will definitely lead to more escalation and tension in Palestine.

We demand the international community and the international human rights organizations to pressurize the Israeli authorities to abide by the international covenants regarding prisoners of war and to pressurize the Israeli authorities to provide the prisoners with basic human conditions.