Hundreds of people took part in a "victory rally" in the Arab town of Sakhnin, in northern Israel ,on Friday night, marking the end of the Palestinian prisoners' hunger strike after over three weeks.
Among those attending were Sakhnin Mayor Mazin G'Nayem and Knesset Member Jamal Zahalka (Balad ),as well as the prisoners' family members.
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"I would like to congratulate the security prisoners on their victory," G'Nayem told the crowd. "It proves how strong they are. We will continue to fight for them, we will not forget them and together, we will celebrate the formation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."
(Photo: AFP)
MK Zahalka told Ynet that "Today, we celebrate the victory of the security prisoners, who went on a hunger strike as part of a just fight. We are happy they were given their basic rights and we will continue to fight for them.
"Some security prisoners have been held in Israel for over 30 years," he added. "That is an unjust punishment and they should be released. Today, the prisoners finally understand their own power – they understand that they can get their rights if they demand them."
Attorney Fuad Sultani, whose son is a security prisoner, told Ynet that he visited the prisoners while they were striking, "And I saw how strong they were. This day really does feel like a victory."
Mukhales Braal, a security prisoner releasedas part of the Shalit deal told Ynet that "I don't see myself as a security prisoner, but as a politician, we have to fight for the prisoners, who have been humiliated for years."