PA official: Palestinian prisoners are heroic men who deserve recognition

"Director-General of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture, Abd Al-Nasser Saleh, called upon international organizations, foremost among them the Red Cross, to protect the Palestinian prisoners… He emphasized, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, the Writers' Union, and all our nation's intellectuals, inside the country and outside of it, that the heroic prisoners have taken their lives in their hands in order that we may live in dignity; [they] have sacrificed their best years and their future so that our people can taste the taste of freedom. He added that the time has come for us to give them a little of what we owe them, by coming to their aid and standing unified around their legitimate demands to live in freedom and dignity, because they are seekers of justice, freedom, and peace. The poet [and Director-General of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture] Abd Al-Nasser emphasized that the courageous prisoners have resolved to continue with their battle under the slogan, 'Either we will live in dignity, without oppression and humiliation, or we will return to our families as Martyrs (Shahids), fragrant with the perfume of Paradise.'"