Christian Peacemaker Teams: Building partnerships to transform violence and oppression.

AL-KHALIL (HEBRON) ACTION ALERT: Fast with the prisoners of Palestine

May 11th, 2012
in:

CPTnet
11 May 2012
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON) ACTION ALERT: Fast with the prisoners of Palestine

On Monday 7 May 2012, the Israeli High Court of Justice denied the petition of two hunger-striking Palestinians against their administrative detention, meaning the Israeli authorities have never charged them with any crime or given them a trial.  The two prisoners continue their hunger strike, are now on their seventy-fifth day, and are in critical condition.  Their attorneys said they were not allowed to see classified material that the state had cited as grounds for imprisonment.

One thousand six hundred prisoners joined the hunger strike and are now in their twenty-fourth day.   The prisoners are demanding an end to administrative detention, solitary confinement and other punitive punishment measures taken against Palestinian prisoners, including the denial of family and lawyer visits, especially to prisoners from the Gaza Strip to whom the Israeli authorities have denied family visits since 2007.

Prisoners have  face harsh collective punishment from the beginning of the hunger strike.  Some have received fines between 250 (€50) and 500 (€100) shekels for each day of their  strike.  In Naqab prison, prisoners are experiencing daily random inspections that last for approximately forty to fifty minutes.  These inspections include cell and body searches.  In addition, prisoners are no longer permitted to leave their rooms for the daily break period. 

This 15 May 2012 marks the 64th anniversary of the Nakba, when pre-Israeli state paramilitary forces expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and land in 1948.  The annual Nakba fast this year is focusing on the plight of the prisoners.  CPT Palestine is gravely concerned about the health of the prisoners and in an act of solidarity, team members will be joining the fast.  The  team invites you to join the fast from 7:00 a.m. on 15 May.

Upcoming CPT Events

Title Start: End:
Palestine / Israel delegation Tue, 05/22/2012 Mon, 06/04/2012
Colombia delegation Thu, 05/24/2012 Wed, 06/06/2012
Colombia delegation Thu, 07/12/2012 Wed, 07/25/2012
Aboriginal Justice delegation - Treaty #3 Area (Northwest Ontario) Fri, 08/10/2012 Mon, 08/20/2012
Colombia delegation Thu, 09/20/2012 Wed, 10/03/2012
more

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About CPT

Partnering with nonviolent movements around the world, CPT seeks to embody an inclusive, ecumenical and diverse community of God's love.  We believe we can transform war and occupation, our own lives, and the wider Christian world through:

  • the nonviolent power of God's truth
  • partnership with local peacemakers
  • bold action

CPT places teams at the invitation of local peacemaking communities that are confronting situations of lethal conflict.  These teams seek to follow God's Spirit as it works through local peacemakers who risk injury and death by waging nonviolent direct action to confront systems of violence and oppression. 

CPT understands violence to be rooted in systemic structures of oppression. We are committed to undoing oppressions, starting within our own lives and in the practices of our organization.

Featured CPT Partner

Colombia: Federación Agrominera del Sur de Bolivar (AGROMISBO) / Southern Bolivar Agricultural-Mining Federation

The small-scale miners and farmers of AGROMISBOL have organized to defend their rights to life and land in the Sierra San Lucas Mountain Range. Their resource-rich land is targeted by multinational companies seeking to extract gold. AGROMISBO has attempted to dialogue with the authorities, but the Colombian government has not complied with their agreements. Instead the government has continued to militarize the region and persecute the AGROMISBO leaders who are harassed and assassinated by both paramilitary and military forces.

CPT’s Work: CPT Colombia has been accompanying AGROMISOBOL since 2006 in their struggle for life and to remain on the land.