This publication is the first major transnational examination of prison hunger strikes. While focusing on Palestine, the research is enriched by extensive interviews and conversations with South African, Kurdish, Irish, and British ex-prisoners and hunger strikers. This study reveals in unprecedented detail how prison hunger strikes achieve monumental feats of resistance through the weaponization of lives.
How do prison hunger strikers achieve demands? How do they stay connected with the outside world in a space that is designed to cut them off from that world? And why would a prisoner put their lives at risk by refusing to eat or, at times, drink? This research shows that sometimes prisoners' need for dignity (karamah) and freedom (hurriya) trump their hunger pangs and thirst.
Prison Hunger Strikes in Palestine evaluates the process of hunger striking, including the repressive actions prisoners encounter, and the negotiation process. It analyzes differences and similarities between individual and collective strikes, and evaluates the role and impact of solidarity actions from outside the prison walls.
The work's critical and grassroots understanding of prison hunger strikes fully centers the voices of hunger strikers. The analysis results in actionable takeaways that will be as useful to prison activists as they will be to their allies around the world.
Author(s): Malaka Mohammed Shwaikh, Rebecca Ruth Gould
Series: ICNC Monograph Series
Publisher: International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) Press
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 116
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Glossary of Abbreviations
Introduction: Hunger Strikes and Prison Resistance
Research Focus
The Process of Hunger Striking
The Roles of Hunger Strikers
Repression
The Negotiation Process
Success and Impacts of Hunger Striking
Background to the Israeli Imprisonment of Palestinians
Roadmap
Chapter 1. Hunger Strikes in Theory and Practice
Research Approach and Methodology
Clarifying Key Concepts
But is Not Self-Harm Violent?
On the Weaponization of Life
‘Political Prisoners’ and ‘Common Criminals’
Negotiating for Political Imprisonment
Immediate Successes and Larger Effects
Chapter 2. Resistance and Motivations
Types of Hunger Strikes
Collective Hunger Strikes
Individual Hunger Strikes
Awni al-Sheikh
Etaf Elian, Mona Qa’dan, and Hana Shalabi
Khader Adnan
Samer and Shireen Issawi
Summary
Chapter 3. Hunger Strikes from Start to Finish
Planning and Coordination
Thaqafa: The Culture of Hunger Striking
Unity
Leadership
Sustaining Participation
Communication Tactics
Prisoners’ Letters to the Outside World
Chapter 4. Prison Repression
Force-Feeding
Remote Prisons in the Negev
Environmental Conditions
Collective Punishment
Solitary Confinement
Banning Communication
Hunger Strikers’ Response to Repression
Chapter 5. Negotiating During Hunger Strikes
Chapter 6. The Efficacy of Hunger Strikes
Efficacy of Hunger Strikes During the Post-Oslo Prisoners’ Movement
The 2004 Palestinian Hunger Strike
Lessons and Takeaways
Three Lessons for the Public: Resistance, Solidarity, and the Social Context
Takeaways for Sympathizers and Allies
Join or Organize Popular Solidarity Campaigns
Engage the Media
Use the “Political Prisoner” Designation as Narrative
Takeaways for Prison Activists
Frame Participants as Political Prisoners
Direct the Narrative Away from Self-Harm
Time Strikes to Maximize Mobilization
Hold Awareness Sessions
Minimize the Risks
Recommendations for Future Study
Appendix: List of Interviews
Works Cited
1. Legal Documents
2. Film and Video Sources
3. Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Table 1: Israeli Prisons
Table 2: Duration, Demands, and Results of Collective Hunger Strikes
Table 3: Duration, Demands, and Results of Individual Hunger Strikes
Table 4: Comparison of Individual and Collective Hunger Strikes
Figure 3: The Process of Hunger Strikes
Figure 4: A Few Changes in Israeli Prison Cells as a Result of Palestinian Hunger Strikes
