Arun Ghandi, the grandson of the late Mahatma Ghandi, announces his plan to join the ten-day-old Palestinian prisoners’ open hunger strike on Friday the 27th of August 2004. His announcement comes in solidarity with the Palestinian plight and came after Ghandi met with Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) members and political and civil society leaders in east Jerusalem.

Ghandi called on the world to join him and other Palestinian leaders and representative of the civil society in his hunger strike on Friday in order to show support and solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners living under severe conditions in Israeli detention centers.

Member of Palestinian People Party (PPP) Bassam AlSalhi commended Ghandi for this courageous decision. “This is a very important position especially in light of the Israeli escalations against the Palestinian prisoners, as the Israeli Ministry of Health announces that it will not allow the admission of any prisoner patient for health care.”

PLC member Ahmad AlBatsh also praised this solidarity act. “This is nothing new to this family (Ghandi Family), since it was the first family in the world to lead in nonviolent resistance and it is of no surprise for Ghandi (the grandson) to show support for our prisoners and people who have learnt to resist in a nonviolent manner as taught by these leaders in such peaceful methods.”

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