Palestinians Rebel Against Punitive Measures in Israeli Jails

On Sunday, thousands of Palestinian prisoners complete the 20th day of the disobedience campaign inside the Israeli prisons. They are protesting against the repressive measures promoted by the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

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Civil disobedience includes the closure of the different sections of the prison, the interruption of aspects of daily life, the use of the brown prison uniform, the refusal to submit to the daily security check or the return of daily meals, the Wafa agency reported.

On Feb. 14, the Committee for Palestinian Prisoners Issues announced the start of civil disobedience actions in response to the Israeli outrages, among which is the reduction of the time that Palestinian prisoners can use the showers.

The prisoners' goal is to escalate this protest into an indefinite hunger strike that will begin on March 22, the first day of Ramadan, the holy month of Islam.

Minister Ben-Gvir, an extremist politician known for his anti-Arab attitude, also prohibited the prisoners from receiving visits from lawmakers from the Israeli Parliament (Knesset).

On Friday, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that increasing violence against Palestinians has had tragic consequences on innocent people.

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, he said that the year 2022 saw the highest number of both Palestinians killed in the past 17 years and Israelis killed since 2016.