RAMALLAH, May 15, 2016 (WAFA) – Two Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails have been on an open-ended hunger strike for 43 days in protest of being held in jail without a charge or trial, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’’ Society (PPS).

PPS said that detainees Foad Assi and Adeeb Mafarjeh, both from Ramallah area, have been on a hunger strike since April 5, receiving only water.

The two detainees have been moved from Naqab desert prison to other prisons in Israel as a punishment for their hunger strike, the organization added.

To be noted, Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails often resort to hunger strike to protest their detention without charge or trial.

Israel routinely uses administrative detention against Palestinians. Statistics show that over the years, thousands of Palestinians have been held in Israeli custody as administrative detainees for extended periods of time.

In April 2015, the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) expressed concern by the continued and increasing use of administrative detention by Israeli authorities against Palestinians.

There are more than 500 Palestinian prisoners being held under administrative detention, a controversial Israeli practice that allows detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for up to six-month intervals that can be renewed indefinitely.

M.N