RAMALLAH, West Bank, 21 April 2007 — The special rapporteur for prisoners in the Palestinian Legislative Council, Issa Qaraqi, has saluted the 60 Arab prisoners held in Israeli jails on the occasion of Arab Prisoners’ Day tomorrow. On this day, the prominent Lebanese prisoner, Samir Quntar, will have completed 28 years of imprisonment, representing the longest-serving Arab prisoner in Israeli detention.
Qaraqi said in a press statement yesterday that Arab Prisoners’ Day complements Palestinian Prisoners’ Day as they are unified in blood, fate and sufferings. He demanded that the Arab prisoners’ names be included in any prisoners’ exchange deal, and in any negotiations. He recalled that these prisoners also fought for freedom and for Palestine, and they sacrificed their youth for the Arab and Islamic national cause. He demanded that the Arab committee, which is assigned to hold direct contact talks with Israel, highlight the issue of the Arab and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Qaraqi noted that Quntar, who was born in Lebanon in 1962, has been imprisoned in Israel since April22, 1979. He is currently held in Hadarim prison. Quntar is considered one of the leaders and intellectuals of the prisoners’ movement. He is also believed to have contributed to the drafting of the Palestinian national accord document, also known as “the prisoners’ document” which was the base for Palestinian national dialogue that led later to Makkah Agreement.
Meanwhile, the European Union has agreed yesterday to contribute 66 million euros to UNRWA’s General Fund for 2007. At a ceremony in Qalandia refugee camp, close to Ramallah, the head of the European Commission Technical Assistance Office for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (ECTAO), John Kjaer, and the Deputy Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Filippo Grandi, signed the agreement for 66 million euros in EU funds.
According to a press release from the European Union office in Jerusalem, this figure represents the first installment in an agreement made between the EU and UNRWA in which the EU pledged €264 million to support UNRWA’s General Fund 2007-2010. The press release says that these funds will pay salaries for UNRWA’s teachers, doctors and social workers, “enabling UNRWA to maintain delivery of essential services to Palestine refugees.”
Kjaer said: “The EU is highly sensitive to the plight of Palestine’s refugees. We recognize that they are amongst the most vulnerable at this time of social and economic crisis. UNRWA has been at the forefront of efforts to help alleviate the daily hardships facing refugees, and the EU is proud to support UNRWA’s work.”
