PA Prisoners’ Affairs Director: Terrorism is justified by the occupation, Palestinian prisoners are ‘freedom fighters’

Official PA TV program Topic of the Day, on the prisoners’ hunger strike planned to begin on April 17, 2017, hosting Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Karake 

Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Karake: "(Discusses his belief that the prisoners are facing danger because their rights are being denied.–Ed.) Why all of this? Israel wants to say that [the prisoners] are terrorists, criminals, that they are not legitimate fighters, not prisoners of freedom, and not victims of the occupation. Why are there thousands in prison? Because of the presence of the occupation. They resisted the occupation – and that is a legitimate right of every people that is subjected to occupation – they resisted the occupation and were imprisoned. Israel wants to label them with terror. In other words, the Palestinian people is prisoners, Martyrs (Shahids), or injured. If all of these groups represent the history of the people throughout the Palestinian national struggle for more than 50 years of this occupation, if all of this is terror, this means that the entire Palestinian people is terrorist and our cause is not just and is not a cause of right and a [national] project."

Palestinian terrorist prisoners launched a hunger strike on April 17, 2017, which ended on May 27, 2017, after an agreement was reached. While the prisoners had issued a list of demands, reportedly only the demand to have the Red Cross reinstate a second monthly family visit for prisoners was agreed to. Nevertheless, the PA has claimed the development as a victory.