BICOM

Palestinians held a general strike yesterday in support of hunger-striking prisoners during President Trump’s first day visiting Israel.

Chairman of the Popular Committee in Ramallah Isam Bakr, who helped organise the action, has identified the primary goal of the strike as showing that all Palestinians  are “standing together behind the hunger-striking prisoners”, adding “we timed this strike to take place upon the arrival of Trump. We want to send a message to the American president that he has to pressure Israel to end its settlement construction and occupation.”

As a result, many shops, restaurants, government institutions, and schools were closed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. A number of Arab-Israelis also participated in the strike.

Palestinians were showing their support for the hunger strike led by Marwan Barghouti, a prisoner serving five life sentences for organising lethal terror attacks on Israelis, in protest of conditions in Israeli prisons. Prisoners’ demands include public telephone use, air conditioning, annual medical checks and an end to solitary confinement.

More protests are expected today when Trump visits Bethlehem to meet with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, as Fatah has called to hold a “‎day of rage” today across the West Bank. In addition, processions, rallies, protest demonstrations and commercial strikes will be held during Trump’s visit in Palestinian cities and villages throughout the West Bank.

Last night President Abbas met family members of Palestinian security prisoners who are on hunger strike, and told them that he would raise the demands of the striking prisoners in his meeting with the US President. The prisoners’ family members gave the PA Chairman a letter for him to deliver to President Trump.

Also yesterday, at the same time as President Trump was visiting the Old City, there was an attempted stabbing attack in East Jerusalem.  The attacker was shot after he tried to stab a Border Police officer in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Abu Dis.