The death of Palestinian Islamic Jihad activist Khader Adnan, who was on a hunger strike in his cell in Nitzan Prison, is of much interest in the Palestinian arena.
Adnan, who began his 86-day long hunger strike immediately after his arrest in early February, turned the hunger strike into a central – and in his view, effective – tool in his struggle against Israel. He was arrested many times over the last ten years and waged a hunger strike in all of them until he was released. In 2012, he waged a prolonged hunger strike that was widely covered in the Israeli, Palestinian, and international media, thereby glorifying his actions and status as a leader with a strong personality who is a role model for many. His release after more than 60 days gave him the status of a hero who stood up successfully to the Israeli security establishment.
Between his many arrests, Adnan appeared at many rallies of his organization and other resistance organizations. In the last two years, he strongly encouraged and praised the armed resistance waged by the Lion’s Den group and Islamic Jihad in the Jenin and Nablus region, and supported and encouraged Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons to go on a hunger strike.
After his death his wife said that he refused medical treatment and demanded his unconditional release due to what he defined as an arbitrary and vindictive arrest on the part of Israel. She claimed that from his past experience, he knew that he would die, and in his will, he called on others to continue the path of resistance.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which before his death warned Israel about the reaction that would come if Adnan died of starvation in prison, issued a special announcement casting him as a freedom fighter and a leader who was an example to many. Ziyad al-Nakhala, the secretary general of the organization, said that without leaders like Khader Adnan the Palestinian problem would have "dispersed in the wind." The Palestinian Authority also issued a statement of mourning, as did other Palestinian organizations. Radio Palestine, the official station of the Palestinian Authority, covered his death in a special format.
The rocket fire this morning from the Gaza Strip toward the communities close to the Gaza Strip was expected, intending to express outrage and avenge his death. This is the type of reaction familiar to Israel in recent years, which reflects the need to let off steam to express the accumulated anger and the limitations on Islamic Jihad's operation from within the Gaza Strip due to the restraint imposed by Hamas. However, this does not rule out the possibility of other revenge attacks in the Jenin area or the West Bank.
ByGSpeech
The death of Palestinian Islamic Jihad activist Khader Adnan, who was on a hunger strike in his cell in Nitzan Prison, is of much interest in the Palestinian arena.
Adnan, who began his 86-day long hunger strike immediately after his arrest in early February, turned the hunger strike into a central – and in his view, effective – tool in his struggle against Israel. He was arrested many times over the last ten years and waged a hunger strike in all of them until he was released. In 2012, he waged a prolonged hunger strike that was widely covered in the Israeli, Palestinian, and international media, thereby glorifying his actions and status as a leader with a strong personality who is a role model for many. His release after more than 60 days gave him the status of a hero who stood up successfully to the Israeli security establishment.
Between his many arrests, Adnan appeared at many rallies of his organization and other resistance organizations. In the last two years, he strongly encouraged and praised the armed resistance waged by the Lion’s Den group and Islamic Jihad in the Jenin and Nablus region, and supported and encouraged Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons to go on a hunger strike.
After his death his wife said that he refused medical treatment and demanded his unconditional release due to what he defined as an arbitrary and vindictive arrest on the part of Israel. She claimed that from his past experience, he knew that he would die, and in his will, he called on others to continue the path of resistance.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which before his death warned Israel about the reaction that would come if Adnan died of starvation in prison, issued a special announcement casting him as a freedom fighter and a leader who was an example to many. Ziyad al-Nakhala, the secretary general of the organization, said that without leaders like Khader Adnan the Palestinian problem would have "dispersed in the wind." The Palestinian Authority also issued a statement of mourning, as did other Palestinian organizations. Radio Palestine, the official station of the Palestinian Authority, covered his death in a special format.
The rocket fire this morning from the Gaza Strip toward the communities close to the Gaza Strip was expected, intending to express outrage and avenge his death. This is the type of reaction familiar to Israel in recent years, which reflects the need to let off steam to express the accumulated anger and the limitations on Islamic Jihad's operation from within the Gaza Strip due to the restraint imposed by Hamas. However, this does not rule out the possibility of other revenge attacks in the Jenin area or the West Bank.