February 21, 2012
Palestinian prisoner ends 66-day hunger strike
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A Palestinian covers his face with a poster depicting jailed Islamic Jihad leader Khader Adnan, who was on hunger strike to protest against his detention by Israel, during a rally supporting him in Gaza City on Feb. 21. Photo by REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
A Palestinian held in an Israeli jail without charge agreed to end his 66-day hunger strike.
Khader Adnan, 33, ended the hunger strike Tuesday after the State Prosecutor’s Office agreed that it would not renew his administrative detention, which is set to end on April 17.
Adnan has been held in administrative detention since his arrest on Dec. 17, 2010, on the basis of “secret evidence” that he is a threat to regional security. A prisoner can be held in administrative detention, without charges being brought, for up to four months.
He reportedly is a member of Islamic Jihad.
The deal was announced early Tuesday afternoon before Adnan’s scheduled appeal before Israel’s Supreme Court. The hearing was cancelled at the last minute.
Doctors had warned Israeli officials that Adnan could die at any moment, according to reports. He was taking liquid infusions of salts, glucose and minerals. It reportedly was the longest hunger strike ever undertaken by a Palestinian prisoner in Israel.
Adnan was set to be transferred to a hospital in the West Bank to recover from the hunger strike.
