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Khader Adnan - Death or Freedom, Death for Freedom

Khader Adnan will die, soon. In doing so he will be liberated from his oppressors and inspire all of us. He is heroically embarking on his sixty-third day of hunger strike. The idea of going without food for sixty-three hours is a testing one, sixty-three days is incomprehensible. Khader Adnan’s steely resolve is unbreakable, death or freedom, death for freedom.

The Israeli army arrested Khader Adnan on December the 17^th, 2011. Armed men raided his family home on the West Bank. He was then subjected to abusive, brutal interrogation. He was beaten and stripped, his religion was mocked, and sexual remarks were made about his wife.

The Israeli state accuse Khader Adnan of being a leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a small militant organisation classified by the west as a terrorist group. The PIJ fight for Palestinian sovereignty and freedom from Israel. The state argues that Khader Adnan is a threat to regional security. Therefore they can detain him indefinitely under Administrative Detention, without providing charge or evidence. There are currently three hundred and seven Palestinians held under Administrative Detention. Khader Adnan’s hunger strike is a selfless act in protest against this wholly immoral system.

Khader Adnan appealed to stand trial, knowing the state have no evidence to support their accusations. A military judge rejected the appeal. Khader Adnan is not a member of the PIJ. He is a member of the Palestinian Reconciliation Committee, seeking to unite the various Palestinian factions. A united Palestinian front is a worrying prospect for the Israeli leadership. This is why he was arrested. This is why the state is prepared to detain him indefinitely. This is why he will die, emaciated and shackled to a hospital bed.

While Khader Adnan’s brave defiance is inspiring, the blatantly deliberate lack of coverage in the western mainstream media is sickening. If Khader Adnan were anything but Palestinian the western media would be pressuring his oppressors to release him. Social media is alive and awake to his cause, to his struggle. The mainstream media closes its eyes, covers its ears and remains silent.

The plight of the Palestinian people is continually censored and ignored. We have to make our voices heard. We have to make their voices heard. We can break the silence. Please continue to raise awareness, blog and tweet in solidarity with Khader Adnan, contact Israeli consulates and embassies, and confront them with the questions they don’t want to answer. We can make a difference.