Khader Adnan

Khader Adnan
خضر عدنان
Born
Khader Adnan Mohammad Musa

(1978-03-24)24 March 1978
Died2 May 2023(2023-05-02) (aged 45)
Ayalon Prison, Ramla, Israel
Cause of deathStarvation by hunger strike
NationalityPalestinian
Known forHunger strikes against his administrative detention by Israel
Children9[1]

Khader Adnan Mohammad Musa (Arabic: خضر عدنان محمد موسى, romanizedKhaḍr ʿAdnān Muḥammad Mūsā‎; 24 March 1978 – 2 May 2023) was a Palestinian activist and prisoner in Israel who died after an 87-day hunger strike in protest of his detention without trial. By the time of his death, he had been arrested 12 times by Israel. He became prominent as a figure after a 66-day hunger strike in 2011 that led to a mass hunger strike among Palestinian prisoners and his ultimate release.[1][2][3]

In the early 2000s, Adnan was a spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ),[4][5] a group that militantly opposes Israel, and Adnan was convicted for his role with the group. In 2012, his wife claimed that he had not been involved with PIJ for four years, and never had any role in militant activities.[6][7]

In December 2011, Adnan was arrested and held under administrative detention, and the following day, to protest the conditions of his arrest, Israel's policy of administrative detention and its treatment of Palestinians under Israeli occupation, went on a hunger strike. Whilst mass hunger strikes had previously been carried out by groups of Palestinian prisoners, Adnan became the first to go on an individual hunger strike.[8] According to Adnan, an International Committee of the Red Cross visit was canceled after Israeli officers insisted on being present and that Adnan remain tied to his bed.[9] On 21 February 2012, Israel agreed to release Adnan on 17 April 2012, and he agreed to immediately end his hunger strike at 66 days, then the longest in Palestinian history.[10][11][12][13][14]

Adnan was detained for the final time on 5 February 2023, and immediately began what was to become his longest hunger strike.[8] Israeli journalist Amira Hass wrote that his intent was "to expose the basic injustice in Israel’s military justice system and its casual denial of basic freedoms".[8] He died in prison on 2 May, having spent approximately eight cumulative years in Israeli detention.[2]

  1. ^ a b "Palestinian hunger striker Khader Adnan dies in Israeli prison". Al-Jazeera. 2 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Palestinian Khader Adnan dies in Israel jail after 87-day hunger strike". The Guardian. 2 May 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Palestinians rally in support of hunger strike prisoner". BBC News. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Islamic jihad leader held in West Bank; Israeli troops kill one man in Gaza". Al Arabiya. 17 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Islamic Jihad rallies in Ramallah". Middle East Online. 24 June 2005. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Levy2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (2 May 2023). "Senior member of Islamic Jihad dies in Israeli prison after 86-day hunger strike". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Hass, Amira (4 May 2023). "Adnan's Lone Strike Exposed the Difficulties of Collective Palestinian Struggle - Israel News". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 6 May 2023. The fact that he reached 86 days without food or medicine – his longest hunger strike – indicates not only his determination, but also Israeli authorities' conscious decision to avoid compromising with him even if it leads to his death… Since 1967, there've been several mass hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners in protest of harsh prison conditions. At the end of 2011, Adnan was the first to go on a personal hunger strike against his administrative detention. His strike received a tremendous amount of attention, and he was eventually released – only to be arrested again three years later, and then again in 2018 and 2021… Adnan's mission to expose the basic injustice in Israel's military justice system and its casual denial of basic freedoms… His individual strikes have been successful to some extent: His 2011-2012 individual hunger strike led to a general hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners demanding an end to administrative detentions and an improvement to deteriorating prison conditions. This strike led to a decrease in the number of Palestinians in administrative detention that year, from about 310 in January 2012 to 160 in November. Yet since then the number has climbed again.
  9. ^ "Adnan: 'The more they torture me, the more determined I become'". IMEMC News. 16 June 2015. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cassel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Glickman, Aviad (20 June 1995). "Palestinian detainee Adnan ends hunger strike – Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  14. ^ Alsaafin, Linah (21 April 2012). "'Hunger strike a signal to world's oppressed' – Features". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2023.