Israel: Parole Hearing Delayed for Ill Palestinian Activist

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Facts

  • On Wednesday, an Israeli court postponed the parole decision for Palestinian writer and activist Walid Daqqa to May 31; Daqqa was transferred to a Tel Aviv hospital on Monday to receive treatment for advanced-stage bone marrow cancer.1
  • In 1986, Daqqa, an Israeli citizen, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murder of soldier Moshe Tamam, though this was later shortened to 37 years. In 2017, he was sentenced to a further two years for smuggling cell phones into prison.2
  • While prosecutors oppose Daqqa's early release, doctors with the Israel Prison Service have expressed concern over his deteriorating health, saying: "his days are numbered, and there is an immediate risk to his life."3
  • Previously, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council had demanded Daqqa's immediate release, claiming that his continued imprisonment violates the fundamental human rights of life, health, and dignity.4
  • Daqqa is one of 23 prisoners being held in contravention of the 1993 Oslo Accords, which mandated that all Palestinian prisoners detained before the signing of the agreement would be released.1
  • In May, Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan died in Israeli custody after undertaking an 87-day-long hunger strike to protest Israel's treatment of prisoners and its policy of administrative detention.5

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Haaretz, 3Middle East Eye, 4Peoples Dispatch, and 5New York Times.

Narratives

  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by The New Arab. By preventing the release of a man in such poor health, the Israeli government is essentially trying to assassinate an enemy of the state. Daqqa has served his sentence, and it is time for him to be released and receive adequate treatment. This is not the first time Israel has weaponized the prison system to kill activists, and Daqqa's death will be another stain on the occupying nation.
  • Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Daqqa is an unrepentant terrorist who ordered the torture and murder of an Israeli soldier and should never again be a free man. The fallen soldier's family may soon come face-to-face with the killer on the streets, as the brazen Daqqa enjoys fame and support while fomenting anti-Israel sentiment behind bars. The hearing was delayed out of respect for the family, as the nation he hates so much provides him with intensive medical care.

Predictions