Eid Al Fiter (a Muslim holiday that marks the end of the holly month of Ramadan) comes this year amidst ongoing suffering of Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.
It also comes amidst Israeli disregard to its obligation under prisoners swap agreement.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) rearrested 13 Palestinians who were recently released.
The IOF continues its abuse to some families of the ex-detainees who are transferred to the Gaza Strip regardless its obligation not to abuse them and their families.
Moreover, the IOF continues to deprive most of the detainees from meeting their children and relatives in violation of their rights.
  In April 2012, more than 1,600 Palestinian detainees started a collective open hunger strike.
The detainees specified the demands linked to their strike as follows: an end to the arbitrary use of administrative detention and solitary confinement; an end to the frequent and arbitrary storming of prisoners’ cells; improvement of detainee health services; allowance for young detainees to take the Tawjihi (pre-college) exam; allowance for prisoners to continue their academic education in Palestinian or Israeli universities; abolishment of the “Shalit Law,” in order to allow families from the Gaza Strip to visit their relatives in prisons; an end to the policy of imposing fines on detainees; and allow for entry of clothes .
  On 15 May 2012, an agreement reached between Palestinian detainees and Israel Prison Service (IPS) to end a mass hunger strike in exchange for the Israeli’s implementation of their just demands.
The IPS promised to allow family visits for first degree relatives.
On 16 July 2012, Israeli authorities allowed 40 persons to travel via Erez crossing to visit 25 detainees held in Israeli prisons.
According to Al Mezan’s documentation, this is the first such visit since July 2007.
  However, the Israeli authorities impose several restrictions on family visits; first degree relatives; husband/wife, father/mother, son/daughter, and brother/sister are allowed to visit their relatives.
The visits are once each two weeks and for 45 minutes.
A transparent wall separate between the detainee and his relative.
They have contact by telephone.
Detainees who are classified as “security detainees” are subject to another restrictions.
They are not allowed to have contact with the outside people.
They are not allowed to use cell phones just in the demise or illness of their first degree relatives.
They are also not allowed to send more than two letters a month.
        The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the Israeli violations against Palestinian detainees.
It also expresses its solidarity with them in their struggle for their dignity and their basic rights.
  Al Mezan calls on the international community particularly the contracting parties to the Geneva Convention to exert pressure on Israel to uphold its legal obligations and duties to respect detainees’ rights, to treat detainees humanely in keeping with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners issued in 1955, and to provide for detainees’ needs, including the right to family visitation in Eid Al Fiter.
    Al Mezan calls on national and international human rights organizations and civil society groups to express their solidarity with Palestinian detainees, to end the Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law, and to enable detainees to meet their relatives in Eid Al Fiter.
   End