Amal Abu Sbeitan, Women’s Rights Activist on Solidarity Hunger Strike since 10 Days

Resilient Amal Abu Sbeitan (38 years old), a Palestinian human rights and women’s rights activist, has gone on hunger strike for 10 days in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers. Over 1600 Palestinian prisoners are hungerstriking since April 17th, for improved prison conditions. The prisoners are protesting against the brutal Israeli treatment, and collective punishments, which violate their human rights, protected under the IHL and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

From her house in Deir Al Balah refugee camp in Gaza, Mrs. Abu Sbeitan, who is a mother of three, declared her hunger strike, and is constantly participating in the sit-ins, protests and demonstrations in solidarity with the prisoners. She is the first woman to go on hunger strike, and was followed by many others who joined to support the prisoners’ just cause.

Abu Sbeitan explains that her idea to hunger strike came as a response to the deafening international silence, and the scarce national mobilization. She stated that only tens of people participate in the demonstrations, and few are present at the solidarity tents. Ironically, hundreds gather on the nights of the Spanish Classico to support their favorite football teams.

Abu Sbeitan has also launched a page on Facebook to support the prisoners. She highlighted the case of prisoner Mahmoud Sursuk, a football player in Palestine’s National team, who has been in prison since 3 years and is on hunger strike since 41 days. She stressed the importance of the internet to mobilize international supporters to the prisoners’ issue. Abu Sbeitan confirmed that she would hungerstrike until her body fails. She called upon all international organization saying: Israel spent millions for one prisoner: Shalit. We have thousands of prisoners, unrecognized, unknown. We have to take their cause into the international arena, to tell their story to the world, especially through western media.