RAMALLAH,
Palestinian Territories: The
wife of the leader of a
hunger strike by hundreds of
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has written to
pope Francis calling on him to
intervene "before it is too late".
Fadwa Barghouti,
wife of
Palestinian leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, has called on the
pope to "speak up, because freedom and dignity are God given rights, and ** human group should deprive a**ther of these rights."
"Your call for respect of the rights of the
Palestinian people, including the rights of our political prisoners, would allow the voice of those placed in isolation to reach the world," the letter says.
The Vatican has recognised Palestine as a state.
The
hunger strike began on April 17, led by Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences over his role in the second
Palestinian intifada.
Israeli authorities say 894
Palestinian prisoners have kept up the strike, though
Palestinian officials say it is more than 1,000.
Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel for a range of offences and alleged crimes.
Around 500 are being held under Israel’s system of administrative detention, which allows for imprisonment without charge.
Palestinian prisoners have mounted repeated
hunger strikes, but rarely on such a scale.
Israel has vowed **t to negotiate with the
hunger strikers, with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan calling them "terrorists and incarcerated murderers".
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