Palestinian Prisoner Detained by «Israel» Dies after Cancer Battle

By Staff, Agencies

A Palestinian prisoner died Tuesday in “Israeli” custody after battling cancer, the “Israeli” entity’s prisons service said, ahead of demonstrations in the occupied West Bank planned before his death.

The protests, dubbed a “day of rage” by organizers, are against the US announcement last week that it no longer considers “Israeli” settlements in the West Bank to be a violation of international law, reversing four decades of American policy. The protests were also set to call for Sami Abu Diak’s release.

In a statement, the entity’s prison service said Abu Diak, 35, died in an “Israeli” hospital early Tuesday while serving three life sentences.

The Palestinian Authority and Abu Diak’s family had asked for his release to allow him to die at his family’s side, but “Israeli” officials denied the request. The Palestinians also reached out to European countries and the Red Cross to apply pressure on the “Israeli” entity to release him.

Previous deaths of terminally ill Palestinian prisoners have sparked protests and accusations of medical negligence by “Israeli” authorities.

Tuesday’s protests were called before Abu Diak died. The demonstrations were set to protest the Trump administration’s embrace of a hardline “Israeli” view on settlements at the expense of the Palestinian quest for statehood.

Schools, universities and government offices will close their doors just before midday and rallies will be held in city centers around the “Israeli”-occupied West Bank, with marches expected to move to “Israeli” checkpoints where confrontations with “Israeli” security forces are expected.

“Israel” welcomed the US decision last week, while Palestinians and other nations warned that it undercut any chance of a broader deal.

The Palestinians and most of the world say the settlements undermine hopes for a so-called two-state solution by gobbling up land sought by the Palestinians. The “Israeli” entity says the fate of the settlements should be determined in negotiations, even as it steadily expands them.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had announced that the US was repudiating the 1978 State Department legal opinion that held that settlements in the occupied territories are “inconsistent with international law.”