UN concerned about 2 Palestinians on hunger strike
May 3, 2012, 5:20 PM
JERUSALEM (AP) – The U.N. envoy for the Middle East has expressed concern for the health of two Palestinians who are on hunger strike in Israeli detention.
Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh have been refusing food for 66 days to protest their administrative detention.
The envoy, Robert Serry, said Thursday he was “deeply troubled” by the situation and urged Israel to “preserve the health of the prisoners.”
Sahar Francis of the Palestinian prisoners group Addameer says the two are in critical condition. A spokeswoman for Israel’s prisons service would not comment on the strikers’ condition.
Israel does not give details of suspicions against administrative detainees.
Both men belong to the militant group Islamic Jihad, which has carried out attacks that have killed Israeli civilians.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)