Israel offers to free Palestinian hunger striker in exchange for exile

Lawyers of a Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike petitioned Israel's Supreme Court Monday for his release, rejecting an offer to exchange his freedom for his exile.

The State Attorney's Office told the Supreme Court that Israel is willing to consider releasing Mohammed Allen, who has been on a 63-day-long hunger strike protesting his administrative detention without trial, "if he will leave the country for four years."

The offer was rebuked by Allen's lawyers, Jamal Khatib and Adala who run a legal center for Arab minority rights in Israel, and they demanded his unconditional release.

Tom Mehager, a spokesman with Adala, shot down the proposal as a "dangerous precedent," saying Israel is attempting to force Allen to choose between prolonged imprisonment without trial or ostracism, illegal under international law.

The petition to the court asking for Allen's release on health grounds was filed after he slipped into a coma Friday. His life is in immediate danger, according to his lawyers and international human rights groups.

Internal Security Minister, Gilad Erdan, tweeted on his Twitter account that the petition was "ludicrous," claiming Allen's life-threatening condition is self-inflicted.

The judges made no ruling, saying they will decide Wednesday. In the meantime, they asked both sides to try reaching a compromise on the matter.

A spokesperson for Barzilai hospital in Ashkelon, the city in southern Israel where Allen is hospitalized, said he is on a ventilator receiving intravenous fluids, his first medical treatment since the start of his hunger strike.

Allen, 31, a lawyer from the from the West Bank village of Einabus and an alleged member of the Islamic Jihad group, refused food, vitamins and minerals, yet drank water before he slipped into a coma.

He went on a hunger strike protesting his November 2014 administrative detention without charges. So-called administrative detentions allow for indefinite imprisonment without trial for renewable periods of six months.

Riots broke out outside Barzilai hospital after its management declined to promise not to feed Allen against his will Sunday. At least 15 Palestinians and Israelis were arrested, said an Israeli spokesperson.

Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails regularly go on hunger strikes, especially those held under administrative detention.

The Israeli government is deeply concerned that Palestinian prisoners who go on hunger strikes die in prison, instigating a protest wave in the West Bank.

The forced-feeding bill was approved less than a month after Israel was compelled to release Khader Adnan, a famous former Palestinian prisoner, whose 56-day-long hunger strike brought him to the brink of death.

The bill was strongly denounced by Israel's Medical Association as they consider force-feeding a form of torture, urging doctors not to participate in prisoner-forced-feeding. Endit