Gaza, West Bank unite to protest Israel for "dying" hunger striker

Several thousand Palestinians rallied in Israel-besieged Gaza and occupied West Bank on Friday in support of jailed activist Khader Adnan, who is on the 62nd day of a hunger strike to protest against his detention by Israel without any charge. "We are all Khader Adnan," chanted crowds gathered in the Gaza Strip, with activists from the main political parties joining forces in a rare display of Palestinian unity. Adnan, 33, has been refusing to eat since mid-December following his arrest in the occupied West Bank. He is being held under so-called "administrative detention", which means Israel can detain him indefinitely without trial or charge. The Physicians for Human Rights group in Israel (PHR), which has been monitoring Adnan's condition in an Israeli hospital, said on Friday he was "in immediate danger of death", adding that he had suffered "significant muscular atrophy". The Israeli army has said in a statement that Adnan was arrested "for activities that threaten regional security". It has not given further details. Adnan owns a bakery and a fruit and vegetable shop in his West Bank village, Arabeh. He has served as a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad, which describes him as a local leader. More hunger strikers At least 5,000 people took to the streets of Gaza, waving a mix of black Jihad flags, the green flags of Hamas and the yellow flags of the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Witnesses said hundreds had also demonstrated in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Palestinian officials said many other prisoners in Israeli jails had started hunger strikes to support Adnan, including Hassan Salama, a senior armed commander of Hamas who is serving life terms. Palestinian prisoners have regularly staged hunger strikes in the past to try to gain better conditions or to denounce the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories. However, such protests usually end quickly and officials said no-one had persisted for as long as Adnan, who is married with two children and whose wife is expecting a third infant. The Islamic Jihad's Azzam accused Arab states and Western powers of ignoring Adnan's protest. "Shame on the nations of hundreds of millions (of Muslims) for the fact that Khader Adnan is still in prison," he said in his Friday sermon. Hamas, which governs Gaza, said it was pushing the Arab League and Egypt to press for the release of Adnan. "The Palestinian people, with all its components and its factions, will never abandon the hero prisoners, especially those who lead this hunger strike battle," said Hamas's top authority in the Mediterranean territory, Ismail Haniyeh. The PHR rights group said Adnan could die even if he broke his fast. "There is a risk to his health even if he starts eating now because his system has got used to not having any food at all," a spokesman said.