Palestinian Hunger Striker Earns Release Date in April

An Israeli justice ministry official has said that a deal has been struck to release hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan in April reports The Associated Press.

The 33-year-old Palestinian, a leader with Islamic Jihad, has been on hunger strike since he was apprehended in December last year from West Bank.

Tuesday marks his 65th day of refusing food in protest of his detention and Israel’s policy of holding Palestinian “administrative detainees” for months on end without being charged or tried.

The case has attracted worldwide attention and put into the spotlight the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Adnan is the longest Palestinian detainee hunger strike in history. His doctors warned he may die before the hearing reported AP.

According to the Palestinian Maan News Agency, Adnan has not confirmed he intends to end the hunger strike, but prisoners’ rights group Addameer said one of his lawyers has negotiated a deal with the Israeli military prosecutor freeing him on April 17 instead of in May 8.

Adnan has also received guarantees the term will not be extended, Maan reported.

“There is a deal. (Khader Adnan) will stop his hunger strike. They will not extend his administrative detention and he will be free on April 17,” an Israeli Justice Ministry spokeswoman told Reuters.

Israel is holding 309 Palestinians in prison without charge, a sharp increase from last year, says B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group.

The group said 80 of those being held had been detained for between six months and a year, another 88 had been held for between one and two years, and 16 of them had been behind bars for between two and four-and-a-half years.