WEST BANK: Ahead of the World Cup kick-off, Palestinians protest by donning soccer jerseys and dribbling soccer balls outside an Israeli jail where Palestinian prisoners continue a week-long hunger strike

Record ID: 565494

  • Title: WEST BANK: Ahead of the World Cup kick-off, Palestinians protest by donning soccer jerseys and dribbling soccer balls outside an Israeli jail where Palestinian prisoners continue a week-long hunger strike
  • Date: 12th June 2014
  • Summary: BETUNIYA, WEST BANK (JUNE 11, 2014) (REUTERS) PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS WEARING PALESTINIAN SOCCER JERSEYS AND HOLDING SOCCER FOOTBALLS STANDING IN FRONT OF ISRAELI SOLDIERS IN RIOT GEAR ISRAELI SOLDIERS IN RIOT GEAR PROTESTER KICKING SOCCER BALL SOLDIERS WATCHING STUN GRENADES EXPLODING AND SOLDIERS PUSHING BACK PROTESTERS PROTESTER HELPING JOURNALIST SITTING ON GROUND VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS PLAYING SOCCER AMONGST SOLDIERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ACTIVIST LEADER ABDALLA ABU RAHMEH SAYING: "We came here to highlight the fact there are prisoners dying and we, as Palestinians, have the right to enjoy, just like the rest of the world, the soccer and the sports events but without occupation, without suffering, without prisoners and Israeli prisons that expose us to all kinds of torture and humiliation. This is why we're adding salt water, and we want to have fun and we have a soccer ball and we want to enjoy just like the rest of the world, but when they release our prisoners or meet the demands of those prisoners who are on hunger strike." PROTESTERS PLAYING SOCCER SOLDIERS THROWING STUN GRENADES AND ADVANCING TOWARD PROTESTERS RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (JUNE 12, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NATIONAL FLAGS OF COUNTRIES COMPETING IN THE WORLD CUP OUTSIDE RESTAURANT VARIOUS OF DECORATIONS AND FLAGS INSIDE THE RESTAURANT FLAGS OUTSIDE RESTAURANT
  • Embargoed: 27th June 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAF3MJMMY15H8613LOAULRQQ40H
  • Story Text: Palestinian protesters wearing soccer jerseys and dribbling balls on Wednesday (June 11) faced off against Israeli soldiers in riot gear - linking an imminent World Cup kick-off to the plight of Palestinian prisoners on hunger-strike in a nearby West Bank jail.
    The Israeli forces threw stun grenades and pushed back the protesters, even as they passed soccer balls to each other, bouncing the balls on their foreheads or dribbled them off their knees. The sight of protesters wearing colourful Palestinian national team soccer jerseys before Israeli soldiers in riot gear was in sharp contrast to the more usual scene of Palestinian youths wearing masked faces and draped in the traditional Arab keffiyah.

    "We came here to highlight that there are prisoners dying and we as Palestinian people have the right to enjoy, just like the rest of the world, the football and the sports events but without occupation, without suffering, without prisoners and Israeli prisons that expose us to all kinds of torture and humiliation," said Abdalla Abu Rahmeh, a Palestinian activist leader.
    Prisoners participating in the hunger strike would now be adding salt to the fluids they take, Abu Rahmeh said. Hunger-strikers surviving only on water often add salt, as it is an essential component of the human diet.

    "We want to have fun and we have a soccer ball and we want to enjoy just like the rest of the world, but when they release our prisoners or meet the demands of those prisoners who are on hunger strike," he added.
    Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have joined a hunger strike since late April, in protest over an Israeli policy allowing indefinite detention without trial. Israel's government is backing legislation that will allow force-feeding of striking inmates.
    As the rest of the world geared up for the World Cup kick off, in the Palestinian commercial centre of Ramallah, restaurants were also getting ready for the tournament in time for Thursday evening. Establishments scheduled to broadcast the games on large screens were expecting a high turn-out and some restauranteurs said all their tables had been pre-booked.
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  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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