RAMALLAH, November 23, 2011 (WAFA) – Minister of Detainees and Ex-Detainees, Issa Qaraqe, said in an interview Wednesday that preparations have been completed to present a draft resolution on the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons to the United Nations.

Speaking to Voice of Palestine radio, Qaraqe said the draft resolution will be presented to the UN General Assembly, which will determine whether or not to request the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on the matter.

The prisoners’ file will be presented to the UN soon, to end Israel’s treating them as criminals, he added.

Qaraqe stressed that the conditions of prisoners in Israeli prisons are deteriorating severely, after the Israeli Prisons Administration escalated its oppressive practices by breaking into several prisons and implementing mass punishments against the prisoners.

Discussing the second group of prisoners, whom Israel promised to release according to the Gilad Shalit prisoners’ swap deal between Hamas and Fatah, Qaraqe said the prisoners have appealed for the immediate release of ill and long-serving prisoners, along with the remaining female prisoners who were not included in the first stage of the deal.

R.Q./F.J.