77 days on strike for dignity and freedom: Maher al-Akhras resists! (Samidoun News)
Samidoun – The Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network reports:
"Maher al-Akhras, Palestinian prisoner jailed without charge or trial, is currently on his 77th day of hunger strike. He launched his strike to demand an end to his administrative detention by the Israeli occupation, declaring that 'I either live freely with my children, or I am killed in the name of false justice.'"
"He is held in the Kaplan medical center, where he suffers from severe weakness, emaciation, massive weight loss, difficulty moving and frequent loss of consciousness, and he is refusing medical examinations or supplements of any kind. He has emphasized that his message is 'freedom or death.'"
"Israeli occupation forces claimed to have “suspended” his administrative detention; however, this is not the same thing as cancelling his detention."
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Five arrested after splattering Israeli arms firm's London office in red paint (Morning Star)
"Five activists were arrested after spattering red paint over the the front of an Israeli arms firm’s London office in a surprise attack during a protest on Saturday. The group of women activists from the Palestine Action network burst out of a car with fire extinguishers filled with paint, spraying the facade of 77 Kingsway, Holborn, bright red."
"Elbit supplies the Israeli military with more than 80 per cent of its drone fleet, including the Hermes 450 and 900, which have been used to bomb civilians in Gaza. Following the protest, campaigners accused officers of 'brutality' when arresting the five."
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Gideon Levy and Alex Levac write:
"The whole story in brief: Dozens of Israel Defense Forces soldiers stage a nighttime raid among the houses of a tranquil Palestinian village, some of whose inhabitants are fast asleep, as part of a training exercise. The troops don’t enter any of the homes, but wander about, armed, in backyards and streets, peeking through windows and terrifying the occupants."
"The IDF would never dream of behaving like this in any of the nearby Jewish settlements – a nocturnal drill in Maskiot? Combat exercises in Mehola? – certainly not without permission and prior coordination. But in a Palestinian village anything goes, and residents’ nights belong to them as little as the days do. Indeed, that was the case last week, on Tuesday, in the small village of Aqaba."
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Israel says US sale of F-35s to Qatar would threaten military edge (The New Arab)
Israel will oppose any US sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Qatar in order to protect its regional military superiority, intelligence minister Eli Cohen told Army Radio on Sunday. "As far as we’re concerned, security and our superiority in the region are the most significant things," Cohen said.
"For us, our region still hasn’t become Switzerland. Israel is the most threatened country, not only in the Middle East, but in the whole world, and as such, we need to preserve our superiority." Cohen's comments follow Doha's submission of a formal request to Washington for the advanced fighter jets, which are manufactured by US firm Lockheed Martin.
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Founding member of Pink Floyd and progressive rock legend Roger Waters writes to Israeli Defence Minister, Benny Gantz, encouraging fans to do the same:
"Dear Mr. Gantz,
This is an urgent appeal asking you to immediately intervene in order to save the life of administrative detainee Maher al-Akhras (49) from Jenin, a father of six, who has been on hunger strike for 77 days now. His health condition is deteriorating by the moment and he is in imminent mortal danger."
"Al-Akhras protests against the unlawful and anti-democratic procedure of administrative detention, which is used by Israel frequently. Administrative detainees are imprisoned without any kind of indictment, they don’t know what they are accused of and cannot respond and defend themselves. Their arrest may be prolonged indefinitely."
"Mr. Gantz: as Minister the Defense you have the power to save al-Akhras. You can do this in one simple order. Please use your power and do so. Give an order to release Maher al-Akhras immediately.
Roger Waters, a voice in the choir."
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Ilan Pappé writes:
"The architects of the accords assumed that the Palestinians were in no position to resist an Israeli diktat which represented the maximum that the Jewish state was willing to concede at that time. The best these representatives of the “Israeli peace camp” could offer was two Bantustans — a reduced West Bank and an enclaved Gaza Strip — that would enjoy some of the symbolism of statehood while in practice remaining under Israeli control."
"Oslo differed from the previous initiatives in several ways. The most important one was that the PLO was Israel’s partner in this recipe for disaster. It should be said, though, that the organization, to its credit, has not — to this day — accepted the Oslo Accords as a process that has been concluded."
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