Arab leaders in Israel stage hunger strike in protest against events in palestine

Leaders of the Arab community in Israel are preparing for a three-day hunger strike beginning next Sunday in the heart of Jaffa. The initiative, called by the Higher Follow-Up Committee, is a protest against Israeli practices in the Gaza Strip and the related actions occurring in the West Bank.

A working team within the Follow-Up Committee was formed to organize the participation of as many leaders as possible in the strike and to invite progressive Jewish forces in Israel to visit the strike location and join, even partially.

Additionally, diplomatic delegations will be invited, and a multilingual statement will be prepared explaining the reasons behind the hunger strike. The committee also called on “political forces within our Palestinian people at home, in exile, and worldwide to join the strike.”

This move follows a recent visit by a delegation from the Higher Follow-Up Committee on Monday to Tulkarm and the Tulkarm and Nour Shams refugee camps, after which they returned with harsh impressions. The committee announced a hunger strike by Palestinian community leaders, popular and academic figures inside Israel, beginning July 27 for three days, in response to the siege and mass starvation campaign in Gaza, and to draw attention to covert and overt actions occurring in the West Bank.

The hunger strike will be centered at the “Association for the Care of the Arabs of Jaffa” headquarters in Jaffa, with a demonstration planned on the final day opposite the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

During their visit to the Tulkarm and Nour Shams refugee camps, the delegation affirmed the unity of the Palestinian position against the Israeli occupation’s plan to eliminate the right of return by demolishing Palestinian camps and besieging Palestinian and international bodies supporting refugees. They called for discussions on practical measures to bolster the resilience of camp residents amid enforced displacement, according to a committee statement.

Mohammad Barakeh, chairman of the Follow-Up Committee, said: “The scenes coming out of Gaza are unimaginable to the human mind. Yet, the crimes do not stop in Gaza alone, even though they are the largest and most severe. The scenes we witnessed in Tulkarm and Nour Shams camps reveal that the occupation’s crimes have created catastrophic conditions for our people that defy reason, conscience, and humanity.”

Summarizing the visit, Barakeh stated: “The Israeli plan to annihilate the rights of our Palestinian people, foremost among them the right of return, requires all our people and supporters to unite their efforts and provide all necessary resources to foil this plan.”

He added: “This delegation was not only to show solidarity and learn about our people’s issues but also to deliberate on the practical steps required from us. We return burdened with harrowing testimonies about camp evacuations, the violation of all homes, and the distortion of their landmarks by dividing them into small residential blocks that facilitate military control after demolishing no less than 40% of their homes.”

ANHA