Palestinian women rallied
across Gaza and the West Bank on International Women's Day on Thursday, calling
for the release of a female prisoner on hunger strike in an Israeli jail.
In Gaza City, around 1,000
women attended a demonstration that marched to the Red Cross headquarters to
call for the release of Hanaa al-Shalabi, who has been on hunger strike for 22
days.
"Yes to the immediate
release of Hanaa al-Shalabi!" they chanted, holding pictures of the
30-year-old, who has been ordered jailed for four months without charge by an
Israeli military court.
Al-Shalabi's incarceration
was also the focus of several other rallies, one at Qalandia checkpoint near
the West Bank city of Ramallah and another outside the Damascus Gate in the Old
City of Jerusalem.
At Qalandia, hundreds of
women arrived by bus from across the West Bank for a rally organized by women's
groups and local unions.
They carried posters of
al-Shalabi, who has accused Israeli forces of mistreating her and imprisoning
her without evidence.
Israeli troops used water
cannons against the protesters and also utilized the "scream truck,"
a military vehicle that emits a high-pitched noise intended to disperse
demonstrations.
Towards the end of the
demonstration, a handful of youths began throwing stones at Israeli forces, who
responded by firing tear gas.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem,
around 100 women waving Palestinian flags gathered near Damascus Gate alongside
a handful of men.
The Palestinian Authority has for several years marked Women's Day as a
national holiday, with schools and government offices closing for the day. http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=373696#\
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