Palestinian Prisoner Slips Into Coma 2 Months Into Hunger Strike

JERUSALEM (AP) – A Palestinian detainee who has been on a hunger strike for 60 days slipped into unconsciousness on Friday and was being treated in the intensive care unit at an Israeli hospital. Authorities said that Allan was being held for his activities in the group Islamic Jihad, which had carried out many violent attacks against civilians.

“The treatment is being administered according the ethics committee guidelines and includes respiration and intravenous fluids and saline”, the hospital reportedly said, in a statement released Friday.

Naser Allan said his son lost consciousness and was moved from a ward at Barzilai hospital into the intensive care unit of the facility in the southern city of Ashkelon.

His lawyer, Jamil el-Khatib, said his client will continue his hunger strike “because he believes that he is innocent and he is not guilty and he will continue until he gets his freedom”.

Mohammed’s brother, Amid Allan, added: “Force-feeding him would be the equivalent to murdering the prisoner”.

Israel fears the death of a prisoner on a hunger strike could trigger Palestinian unrest amid the stalled peace negotiations.

Mohammed Allan, 30, was arrested in November 2014 and detained for two six-month periods under a measure called administrative detention.

So far, no doctor has agreed to conduct force feeding on Allan, according to the Times.

Clashes with police, including stone-throwing from both sides, erupted outside the hospital where Jewish protesters also broke the windows of a Palestinian television news vehicle.

RT: Thousands of Palestinian prisoners have gone on hunger strike in protest at Israel’s administrative detention system – what is it about the practice that causes so much anger?

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) announced on Sunday it intends to prosecute Israel at the worldwide Criminal Court for killing Palestinians without trial.

“If Allaan is freed, obviously it will lead to a mass hunger strike among security prisoners, and supply a new weapon to the terrorists”, he said.

Rights group Addameer, which defends Palestinian prisoners, said force-feeding a detainee was “immoral” and “harms his dignity and puts his life in danger”.

Palestinian sports activists have claimed that Israel restricts the movement of football players to harass and disable sports clubs, citing a case from last year when Israeli troops raided the headquarters of Palestinian Football Association, in the West Bank.

Hunger strikes are, in a few instances, successful.

The Israeli government passed a law last month which allows force-feeding of hunger striking prisoners with a court order.

In his Facebook post, Erdan said Israeli physicians need to realize the security implications of their stand.