Ref: 70/2011

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
strongly condemns the decision taken by the Israeli Prisons Administration on
Wednesday, 20 July 2011, to stop the higher education program provided to the
Palestinian prisoners.  PCHR calls on the
international community to exert pressure on Israel and compel it to respect
international law and put an end to the systematic and continued inhumane and
degrading treatment of more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails
and detention centres.

The gravity of this decision is that it forms part
of a series of measures taken by Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian
prisoners following actual orders given to the Israeli Prisons Administration by
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of last month to reduce
what he termed as “advantages granted” to Palestinian prisoners.  Other measures taken against prisoners include
intensifying
searching prisoners after forcing them to take off their clothes and placing Palestinian
leaders, in Israeli jails, in solitary confinement.  Palestinian prisoners have responded by
declaring a set of actions in protest of such escalations. Prisoners went on a hunger
strike for 10 sporadic days over the past two months.

This decision by the Israeli Prisons
Administration is part of a general policy adopted by Israeli occupation
authorities against Palestinian prisoners who are subjected to cruel living
conditions as well as inhumane and degrading treatment, including torture,
deteriorating health conditions and medical negligence towards prisoners – including
those suffering from serious illnesses. This has, in some cases, led to death. This
decision is extremely serious because it is based on instructions given from
the top of the Israeli political establishment.

Israeli occupation authorities have
unprecedentedly intensified their arbitrary measures against Palestinian
prisoners following the capture of an Israeli soldier Gilat Shalit in June 2006
by members of the Palestinian resistance.  Recent measures taken against Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails are a continuation of threats voiced by Netanyahu to
stop the “advantages” granted to Palestinian prisoners in response to Hamas’
continued refusal to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to
visit Gilat Shalit.

In addition to denying hundreds of Palestinian
prisoners in the West Bank their visitation rights, Palestinian prisoners from
the Gaza Strip have been denied their visitation rights for five years.

There are more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners
in 22 Israeli jails and detention centres mostly established inside Israel – a clear
violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, especially Article 76 which compels
the occupying State to hold detainees from the occupied territory in the
occupied territory until serving their sentences therein, if convicted. There
are approximately 700 Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza Strip in Israeli
jails (including six prisoners detained in accordance with the Unlawful
Combatants Law). There are 400 Palestinian prisoners from Jerusalem and
Palestinian communities inside Israel. Palestinian prisoners include 251 children
and 37 women as well as 307 prisoners who were arrested before signing the Oslo
Accords in 1993. There are also 126 prisoners who have served more than 20
years in prison, including 27 prisoners who have served more than 25 years in
jail.  There are 214 Palestinians and 19 members
of the Palestinian Legislative Council, mostly from the Change and Reform Bloc
affiliated to Hamas, who are placed in administrative detention.

Since its establishment, PCHR has systematically
and continually followed up the cases of thousands of prisoners in Israeli
jails.  PCHR has provided legal aid to
prisoners and their families.  PCHR has
built relevant legal files and submitted them to international forums aimed to improve
prisoners’ conditions and release them, as well as to prosecute Israeli
officials, at both political and security level, for crimes committed against
Palestinian prisoners.

PCHR strongly condemns these measures which
constitute reprisals and collective punishment prohibited under international
law, including Article 33 of the Geneva Fourth Convention Relative to the Protection
of Civilian Persons in Time of War, and calls upon:

1. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to submit reports
on the situation to the Human Rights Council in order to exert pressure on
Israel to stop its practices against Palestinian prisoners.

2. The UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights to intervene in order to put an end to punitive measures taken by Israeli
occupation authorities against Palestinian prisoners.

3. International human rights
organizations to follow up cases of Palestinian prisoners and request their
governments to exert pressure on Israel to stop its arbitrary practices against
Palestinian prisoners and release them.