PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
PALESTINIAN PRISONERS DAY (16 April 2007)

That this House, in marking Palestinian Prisoners Day held on 17th April, draws attention to the conditions of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and detention centres; notes that of the 9,789 prisoners, 780 are administrative detainees held without charge or trial for indefinite periods of time, 398 are 18 years old and under and 120 are women; abhors the continued detention of the 41 Palestinian Legislative Council Members since the Hamas election victory and the imprisonment of Government Ministers up until the recent Unity Government; is alarmed at the on-going accounts of violations of the right to family visits, the right to worship, the right to receive correspondence, the right to humane conditions of detention and transfer, to adequate food and medical care, and the right to a fair public trial; further notes that such violations constitute a breach of the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions; believes that the issue of Palestinian prisoners constitutes a running sore fuelling the conflict; and calls on the UK Government to apply political pressure to Israel to end its decades-long practice of arbitrary arrests and detention, in particular of democratically elected parliamentarians.

Sponsored by:
Ann McKechin (Labour)