Roundup: Palestinians rally for detained hunger-striking journalist in Israeli jail

In a show of solidarity Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza demonstrated on Sunday in support of a Palestinian prisoner who has been on an 82-day hunger strike.

Mohamed al-Qiq, a 33-year-old Palestinian journalist from the southern West Bank city of Hebron, was admitted into an Israeli hospital in critical condition after his health deteriorated.

A few days following his detainment in November, al-Qiq went on hunger strike protesting his incarceration without a trial.

Observers warned that if al-Qiq is left to die in an Israeli hospital, his death would sooner or later be declared during growing tensions and violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Al-Qiq, who subsists only on water and salt, has been held under Israeli administrative detention, which permits Israeli authorities to keep prisoners jailed without court proceedings and charges can be renewed every six months.

Heba Masalha, the Commission of Prisoners' Affairs in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s lawyer, currently in al-Afula Hospital in Israel where al-Qiq is, said, "Al-Qiq's health has become very critical and doctors say he suffers from serious symptoms which may lead to his death."

Al-Qiq works as a television reporter for a Saudi Arabian TV station.

He decided to go on a hunger strike after he was manhandled and tortured by Israeli prison services, according to Masalha, adding that "he began his hunger strike following his solitary confinement."

As his health deteriorated following his discharge from solitary confinement and transfer to the Israeli hospital, calls for his release have been growing along with cancelation of the Israeli administrative detention law against Palestinians.

European Parliament Members said during a news briefing following a two-day visit to the West Bank last week, that administrative detention against Palestinians "is extremely worrying as there are 500 people, including children, still imprisoned under this law."

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also expressed concerns over Al-Qiq's deteriorating health.

His New York office said in an official statement that Ban is following up on those who are under Israeli administrative detention with deep concern.

Israel usually justifies administrative detention by linking it to security concerns.

However, an Israeli supreme court decided to suspend the administrative detention of al-Qiq, allowing his family members to visit him in hospital, yet Israeli security guards remained outside his room.

Israeli rights groups slammed the court's decision, deeming it vague and meaningless as it allows his family to visit him, yet Israeli authorities refuse to give his family permits to cross from the West Bank to Israel.

According to Israeli B'tselem rights group, Israel arrested 527 Palestinians under administrative detention in 2015, adding that it is the highest number of administrative detainees ever since 2009.

It said "most of them were arrested without charges."

Al-Qiq's attorneys have so far failed to convince Israeli courts to release him immediately.

Eassa Qaraqe'a, head of the Palestinian prisoners' affairs in PLO, said, "The Israeli army attorney is expected to issue his final decision on transferring al-Qiq to a Palestinian hospital within the coming hours," adding "we don't depend on the Israeli attorney, because al-Qiq entered into the final stages and is facing death any moment now."

Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah, called for an urgent and immediate international intervention to rescue al-Qiq's life.

He warned that keeping al-Qiq imprisoned until his death would ignite a larger wave of violent confrontations throughout Palestinian territories.

Al-Qiq's family sent an urgent appeal through social media to Palestinian leaders to boost their efforts to release him as soon as possible, before his death.

Islamic Jihad leader, Khaled al-Batsh, told Gazan reporters during a rally supporting al-Qiq that the fastest way to free him is not through rallies, "but through Israeli public pressure and massive protests in the West Bank including blocking roads and attacking settlers."

In solidarity with al-Qiq, some prisoners and members of the Islamic Hamas movement announced Sunday they too will start a hunger strike, starting gradually with 16 prisoners then increasing step by step until all prisoners join. Endite