Palestinians hold solidarity vigil to remember prisoners in Israeli jails

By Therezia Cooper & Tom Anderson

Palestinians held a demonstration at the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City today in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. The demonstration has been held every week since 1995 to remember the prisoners and is a focal point for organising prisoner solidarity campaigns.

The weekly vigils were initiated by Um Jaber and Um Ibrahim, two women who both had sons imprisoned by Israel and wanted to do something to act in solidarity. To read more about the weekly vigil click here.

International companies are profiting from providing services to the Israeli prison system. One such company is G4S, the British/Danish security firm which has held a contract to provide services to the Israeli Prison Service since 2007.

For more information on G4S see Corporate Watch’s company profile.

Hussam Association, a Gaza based organisation of current and former Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, has recently released a statement calling for the prosecution of G4S.