In all the homes of Palestine, in their Diaspora scattered all over the world, families remember today, April 17, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, their loved ones imprisoned in the prisons of Israel.

According to March 2019 data, there are 5450 Palestinian political prisoners - mostly in Israeli territory, in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention - including 205 minors (32 under 16) and 48 women. Of these, 497 are under administrative detention, without any charges. Seven members of the Palestinian Parliament were imprisoned and detained in the exercise of their mandate as Members of Parliament, three of whom in administrative detention.

The violence of the conditions to which Palestinian political prisoners are subjected has been denounced by Palestinian organisations, and also by international human rights organisations. Torture, harassment and physical and verbal threats, collective punishment, extreme isolation and deprivation of visits of relatives or even lawyers, medical negligence and the prohibition of access to education, are part of the daily lives of Palestinian political prisoners.

Against this violence, Palestinian political prisoners have recently observed a hunger strike which they called a "battle for dignity", which lasted from April 8 to 15 and which was suspended after the Israeli Government accepted various claims.

The Assembly of the Republic deliberates:

1. To express its solidarity with the Palestinian political prisoners imprisoned by Israel, welcoming the agreement reached in order to put an end to the hunger strike which began on April 8.

2. To demand the release of the elected Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council;

3. To demand the release of Palestinian children held by Israel;

4. To recall the obligations which all States have to comply under humanitarian international law, namely the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Convention against Torture.

Assembly of the Republic, April 16, 2019