Palestinian Prisoner Ends Hunger Strike Following Release Deal

Published SEP 1 2022

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Image credit: AP/i24 News

The Facts

On Wed., Khalil Awawdeh, a Palestinian man who has been administratively detained by Israel since Dec. 2021, ended his nearly six-month long hunger strike after his release was agreed upon. The release date is scheduled for Oct. 2.
Al Jazeera
This comes as the alleged member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), who now weighs less than 80 pounds, declared he wouldn't engage in terrorist activities. He will remain in the hospital for treatment and supervision.
I24News
An appeal to free Awawdeh had been dismissed on Tues. by Israel's High Court of Justice, which expressed hopes he would halt his strike. His release had also been discussed as part of a Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The Times of Israel
The 40-year-old man from Idhna village, near Hebron, who denies being a PIJ member, has been arrested five times and spent 13 years in Israeli prisons – six of them in administrative detention.
Middle East Eye
4,450 Palestinian prisoners are reportedly detained in Israeli jails, with hundreds serving in administrative detentions, which authorize incarceration without charge or trial for renewable periods of three to six months.
Middle East Eye
While this practice is praised for enhancing security and protecting sensitive intelligence, Palestinians and human rights groups claim it violates the right to due process.
ABC News

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The Spin

Pro-Palestine narrative

Awawdeh's release is great news, but this systemic problem is far further reaching than just one man. Detained Palestinians face abuses and arbitrary measures carried out by Israel, where they are deprived of human rights and dignity. Israeli occupation is unjust and so is the imprisonment of political prisoners.

Middle East Eye

Pro-Israel narrative

Khalil Awawdeh is suspected of terrorism. While it's true that administrative detentions require exceptional legal procedures, efficient counterterrorism strategies focus on prevention. This practice is a last resort to protect public safety, safeguarding the right to live, to be free, and feel safe.