Israel's prison service has
offered to ease restrictions on Palestinian prisoners in a bid to end a mass
hunger strike that has left several detainees close to death, sources told AFP
on Thursday.
Just under 1,600
Palestinian prisoners are currently refusing food in a wide-ranging protest
against solitary confinement, detention without charge and restrictions on
family visits, education and other privileges.
The strike has drawn
international attention, with the European Union and United Nations expressing
concern. Two of those protesting, Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahla, marked their
72nd day without food on Thursday.
But an official with
Palestinian prisoners' rights group Addameer told AFP on Thursday that
negotiations between prisoners and the Israel Prison Service (IPS) appeared to
be making progress.
"According to what we
have learned from the prisoners, there was a meeting last night in Nafha prison
[in southern Israel] between the IPS and leaders of the hunger strike,"
she said, suggesting an end to the action could be imminent.
"There might be a
positive response in the next few days."
The official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, said the IPS appeared to have "agreed to allow
visits for families from Gaza," and to revoke a range of restrictions on
prisoners, including a ban on education and other privileges.
And she added that an
agreement on moving prisoners out of solitary confinement was also on the
table.
"On solitary
confinement, in the meeting before this one the IPS offered to move all except
for three out of 19 prisoners," she said. "The leaders of the strike
refused, and said it's all or nothing. After the meeting yesterday, we have
indications that IPS might have agreed on it."
IPS spokesperson Sivan
Weizman confirmed the Nafha meeting, saying it was part of an ongoing process
of consultations between detainees and a committee examining prison conditions.
Israeli public radio also
reported signs of a deal that could end the hunger strike "in a week to 10
days," saying the IPS had agreed to examine visits from Gaza, and allow
detainees to watch Arabic-language television.
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