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Last October, Israel agreed to swap hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for Gilad Shalit. After release, many are repeatedly hounded, monitored, and threatened. Others were rearrested and imprisoned. No one's safe in Occupied Palestine. It's a militarized armed camp.
On May 14, Bilal Diab and Thaer Halehel reached hunger strike day 77. Early reports said they'd continue unless immediately freed. Updates said both agreed to resume eating in return for release when their current detentions end.
For Thaer, it's June 5. Bilal will be freed in August. Both will receive public hospital treatment. It's unclear if all prisoners agreed to terms. Some strikes have been long-term. It's unknown if issues mattering most to everyone are resolved.
It's uncertain if Jamil Khatib was present and agreed to terms. He represents Bilal and Thaer. Israel consistently denied prisoners attorney access. Instead Jawad Boulos represented them. He arranged deals for Khader Adnan and Hana Shalabi.
Khader's free at home in the West Bank. Hana was deported to Gaza. Boulos and PA authorities said she agreed to terms. She and her father challenged official reports. She demanded clarification of issues not explained. She never got them to her satisfaction.
Currently at issue is whether deal terms represent victory or betrayal. Bilal, Thaer, and others vowed to keep striking unless freed. They're still imprisoned with no certainty what awaits them.
Moreover, thousands of Palestinians remain imprisoned. Virtually all are detained for political reasons. Among them are 220 children, seven women, and 27 Palestinian lawmakers.
Israel calls challenging occupation harshness illegal. So is belonging to the wrong political party. Virtually anything can be called terrorism. Life under occupation, in or out of prison, is cruel and unusual punishment.
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