Israel will give in over jailed Palestinian journalist al-Qiq: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Richard Silverstein, a journalist and political commentator, about Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qiq, who has been on hunger strike in an Israeli jail for over 60 days.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What do you make of this situation now? We have one more Palestinian prisoner who has basically not been charged and he is a journalist and yet now he has been on hunger strike for months and still Tel Aviv refuses to release him. Now Hamas has said that this is their red line that Mohammed al-Qiq would be their red line. How do you see the situation playing itself out? It appears that Tel Aviv does not want to back down, and on the other side of things, it seems like the Palestinian side also does not want to give in any longer in this situation.

Silverstein: Well, the issue is the administrative detention, which of course is illegal under international law, and it means that you detain someone without charge and there is no crime that they’re being charged with.

Physicians for Human Rights-Israel attempted to have an independent doctor visit him yesterday and the hospital refused to permit this physician to visit him.

This is also a violation of medical ethics, and the media reports that I have read... said that the Shabak was actually the reason why this visit was refused. So, in effect, Shabak is dictating the medical care and treatment of this prisoner, which itself is bizarre.

I also wanted to tell your viewers that there’s been a new initiative. Seven hundred physicians from around the world, 43 countries, have signed a letter demanding that the World Medical Association expel the Israeli Medical Association from this body because of their collaboration with the intelligence and security forces in using torture on prisoners.

And so, this is all part of an escalating situation in which Israel is being pressured more and more for its violation of human rights of this prisoner and all of the other Palestinian prisoners.

Press TV: Why do you think we’ve seen more international pressure in dealing with Israel specifically on this subject as far as administrative detention?

Silverstein: Well, I think that the pressure is a gradual process. It takes a long time. I think anyone who hopes that there will be drastic radical change happening overnight, we’ve had these situations for decades and change is evolutionary and the pressure increases. It’s sort of like tightening the screws on something that you’re working on in a shop. And the pressure has to build up gradually; and eventually there is a tipping point and we will get to that tipping point.

I don’t think that the Israelis will permit this prisoner to die. To do it would be a huge stain on their record internationally, and they have compromised in the past with other prisoners in the past who have been on the verge of death.

It’s a shame that it has to get to such a drastic situation as this, but I hope that they will concede the point and release him before something as terrible as that happens.

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