PRESS RELEASE 

PLO Executive Committee 

Department of Culture and Information

March 20, 2014

Dr. Ashrawi: “All Palestinians are living in a prison”

PLO Executive Committee member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, met with a European Parliament ad-hoc delegation on Palestinian prisoners in Ramallah at the PLO Headquarters, and welcomed them to Palestine.

Dr. Ashrawi said, “We thank the European Parliament for sending this fact-finding mission to investigate the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, particularly the recent deaths of Palestinians in detention.  It is our hope that this mission will help uphold prisoners’ rights in ways that are in line with international humanitarian law, and that prevent the further injustice and torture of Palestinian prisoners.”

Both parties discussed Israeli measures pertaining to the Palestinian prisoners’ situation, the abduction and arrest of Palestinian parliamentarians, the urgent need for the application of international and humanitarian law in the imprisonment of Palestinians, and the need for Israel to held accountable.

In the meeting, Dr, Ashrawi welcomed the European Parliament resolution of March 14, 2013 that called “for the immediate release of all imprisoned members of the PLC, including Marwan Barghouti.” 

Dr. Ashrawi stressed, “With the arbitrary arrests of Palestinians and the torture of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Israel is in direct violation of international law and the basic norms of human rights. There is a global rule of law, and Israel must be subject to it.”

 “We call on members of the international community that are signatories to the Fourth Geneva Convention to act on the basis of truth and justice and hold Israel accountable for its grave breaches of international law and conventions.  It is high time for all states to put an end to Israel’s systematic devaluation of the basic rights and lives of the Palestinian people.  For there to be peace, there must be a recognition of parity of rights.”