Amid heavy criticism, The New York Times added an editor's note to an opinion piece penned by Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti, apologizing for having neglected to initially mention that Barghouti was convicted of multiple murders and membership in a terrorist organization. The original article, calling on Palestinian security prisoners jailed in Israel to stage a mutiny in protest of what he described as "arbitrary arrests and ill treatment," described Barghouti as a Palestinian leader and parliamentarian. The note, added on Monday, read: "This article explained the writer's prison sentence but neglected to provide sufficient context by stating the offenses of which he was convicted. They were five counts of murder and membership in a terrorist organization. Mr. Barghouti declined to offer a defense at his trial and refused to recognize the Israeli court's jurisdiction and legitimacy." As hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel took Barghouti's call to heart and staged a mass hunger strike, Israeli lawmakers were outraged by the New York Times op-ed. "Barghouti is a convicted murderer and a terrorist," said Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud). "The New York Times has provided a platform to a terrorist without noting the fact that he planned and carried out the cold blooded murder of Jews simply for having been Jews." "This is not a matter of freedom of speech. It is anarchy," she went on to say. "When a major newspaper with a reputation for responsible journalism becomes a platform for murderers, it provides legitimacy for terrorism. This is a very disappointing decision by the editors which seriously undermines the credibility of The New York Times." Construction Minister Yoav Gallant (Kulanu) said that "the Palestinian prisoners are not political prisoners, they were sentenced under the law and their treatment complies with international law." "Israel is a law-abiding country. Barghouti belongs in prison," he added. Fellow Kulanu member MK Michael Oren described the op-ed as a "media terrorist attack perpetrated by Barghouti in a popular newspaper, resulting in a manifesto for propagators of lies and boycott supporters." Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) remarked that "when a despicable murderer like Barghouti protests in prison in a bid to improve his conditions while the families of the murder victims remember and ache, there is only one solution: a death penalty for terrorists." Barghouti, 58, former secretary general of the Fatah movement in the West Bank, was convicted in 2004 of five counts of murder, several counts of conspiracy to commit murder and aiding and abetting terrorist activities. He was acquitted of 21 counts of murder, in 33 separate cases, and sentenced to five consecutive life terms and an additional 40 years. Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners heeded Barghouti's call and launched a mass hunger strike. Israel said the move by the prisoners, many of whom were convicted of attacks or planning attacks against Israel, was politically motivated. The strike, if sustained, could present a challenge to Israel and raise tensions between the two sides. Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip, now controlled by the Hamas terrorist group, in 2005, but peace talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on the establishment of a Palestinian state collapsed in 2014. In his New York Times opinion piece, Barghouti said a strike was the only way to gain concessions after other options had failed. "Through our hunger strike, we seek an end to these abuses. ... Palestinian prisoners and detainees have suffered from torture, inhumane and degrading treatment and medical negligence. Some have been killed while in detention," he wrote. As an initial punitive measure, the Israel Prison Service transferred Barghouti from the Hadarim Prison in central Israel, where he had been held, to the Kishon Prison in Haifa, isolating him from other prisoners. Additional steps were also to be taken. It is still unclear how Barghouti managed to smuggle his essay out of the prison and into the hands of The New York Times. The IPS has stepped up cell searches among security prisoners and confiscated radios and televisions and other items that the prisoners were permitted to have as a privilege. Speaking with Army Radio on Tuesday, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said that Barghouti was punished for "instigating mutiny and leading the hunger strike." "These are terrorists and incarcerated murderers who are getting exactly what the international law requires," he told Army Radio. "My policy is that you can't negotiate with prisoners such as these... There is no reason to give them additional conditions in addition to what they already receive."
Israel denies Palestinian inmates are mistreated, and Erdan said the Barghouti-led protest was "prompted by internal Palestinian politics and therefore includes unreasonable demands". Erdan has prepared the IPS for the possibility of such a strike in recent months, asking for a field hospital to be set up outside the prison to avoid having to transfer prisoners to civilian hospitals.
"I have instructed the Israel Prison Service to take all necessary action to contain the strike inside the prison walls," Erdan said. "I've instructed the Israel Police to stand by in the event of any possible development."
Several of the striking prisoners have been moved and some punitive measures have been taken.
"The Palestinian prisoners are not political prisoners. They are convicted terrorists and murderers. They were brought to justice and are treated properly under international law," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement:
Palestinian officials said some 1,500 inmates affiliated with all political factions, including rivals Fatah and Hamas, were taking part in the protest. An IPS spokesman said some 1,100 inmates at eight jails had joined the strike.
Almost 6,500 Palestinians are being held in 22 Israeli prisons, said Qadoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club that advocates on behalf of the inmates.
The Prisoners' Club said a main demand was for Israel to halt detention without trial for some 500 Palestinians currently being held, and for an end to solitary confinement.
The strikers also want better medical treatment and that disabled inmates or those suffering chronic illness be freed, access to more television channels, more phone contact with relatives and more family visits.
The strike prompted a large rally in Gaza and a protest broke out near Bethlehem, where Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli forces.
Palestinians consider security prisoners jailed in Israel as national heroes. Long-term mass hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners are rare, but in past cases of individual inmates who stopped eating for weeks, detention terms were shortened or not renewed after they were hospitalized in critical condition.
