Israel punishes hunger striking prisoners by transferring them to other end of country
Approximately 80 political prisoners have been transferred from Gilboa prison to Nafha prison in the Naqab [Negev] desert, according to the news site Arabs48. The transfer follows a solidarity hunger strike undertaken by the prisoners, which I reported in my blog of 28 February. I wrote that the prisoners in Gilboa prison welcomed the call for an international day of action on 17 April, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day. The prisoners in sections 2, 4 and 5 participated in a one-day hunger strike on 13 February for which they were immediately punished by the prison authorities. The political prisoners from section 4 were transferred to Nafha prison this week. They are residents from Jerusalem, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. Nafha prison is located in the south of Israel — a large distance from Gilboa prison in the north.