A mother of a prisoner wants her son back(AFP)

By Atef Daghlas, IOL Correspondent

NABLUS, August 24 (IslamOnline.net) – The hunger strike staged by thousands of Palestinian prisoners ten days ago in protest at their deplorable conditions inside Israeli jails is a kind of Jihad and their support is a duty on Muslims worldwide, Palestinian Chief Judge Sheikh Taysir Al-Tamimi said.

“This hunger strike is a sharp weapon and the most effective means to pressure the unjust [Israeli] jailers. In doing so, they make the voice of a myriad of suffering prisoners heard,” Tamimi said Monday August  23, in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by IslamOnline.net.

He said Israel has violated relevant international laws and human rights in withdrawing salt, milk and other liquids from the prison cells to break the staunch will of the prisoners.

He said the Israeli occupation authorities would be held accountable for any harm done to the hunger strikers.

“If any of them died, he would be a martyr, who breathed his last in a battlefield, and the Israelis would be the killers,” he warned.

The ‘Empty Stomach’ “is the battle of dignity and freedom and lawful according to Sharia’ah, but even praised by God,” he said, citing verses from the Noble Qur’an.

Some 1700 Palestinian prisoners began their hunger strike Sunday, August 15. On Wednesday, August 18, the number reached 4,000 of the some 8,000 Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel .

The prisoners are demanding mandatory visitation rights as well as an end to humiliating strip searches and the removal of glass barriers in visitation rooms.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Tamimi and Archbishop Atallah Hana, the spokesman for the Orthodox Church in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem ), joined Monday, August 16, a one day symbolic hunger strike.

Duty on Muslims

Disabled Palestinian youths take part during a Gaza rally to show support to prisoners (AFP)

Tamimi further said that supporting the Palestinian prisoners is a duty on Muslims worldwide until they enjoy their inalienable human rights.

“It is the battle of the entire Muslim nation,” Tamimi said. “There are no place of half-hearted people and those who will let them down are sinful.”

He also urged Muslims worldwide to observe a one-day fast Thursday August 26, in solidarity with the prisoners and Friday sermon preachers to speak about the sufferings of the prisoners Friday, August 27.

Hamas urged Muslims worldwide to fast Monday, August 23, as a show of support for the prisoners.

For his part, Sheikh Hamed Al-Bitawi said it is incumbent upon Muslims worldwide to support the prisoners.

“The Palestinian Authority and Arab organizations are doing little to support the prisoners,” he said.

The occupied Palestinian territories, meanwhile, were semi-paralyzed Tuesday as the prisoners’ strike entered its tenth day.

The prisoners said in a statement a copy of which was sent to IslamOnline.net Monday that Israeli prison guards have accosted, beaten and electrified them to break their staunch will and force them to break their protest.

Israeli prison officers set up barbecues to tempt Palestinian prisoners into abandoning their strike and breaking their will.

The occupation officials were hoping that the psychological warfare tactics would derail the protest by thousands of prisoners.

The Israeli government said August 14 it did not care if the detainees starved to death, imposing even more restrictive measures on the security detainees.