The prisoners said in a letter addressed to the Palestinian Minister of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Issa Qaraqi’ that they are considering a hunger strike against what they described as “serious and arbitrary violations that contradict the basic principles of human rights.”

The Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation had paved the way on Sunday for a law that its sponsors hope would speed up the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

The legislation, which would worsen the conditions of Hamas prisoners as long as Shalit remains in captivity, was approved by the committee after a deal was worked out with the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and relevant ministries.

The bill would only allow attorneys to visit prisoners as required by law. The International Red Cross would only be able to see them every three months.

Prison authorities would also be allowed to limit or suspend access to television, newspapers and educational programs, as well as extend provisions for allowing prisoners to be placed in solitary confinement.

The bill will be placed before the Knesset for a first reading on Wednesday. Some opposition lawmakers have already voiced their support for the legislation, seemingly guaranteeing that it will advance to committee hearings.

The Palestinian prisoners said in their letter that the Israeli government “tries to politically blackmail the Palestinian prisoners through the draconian laws imposed on the prisoners.”

They also held the Israeli government responsible for the deterioration of conditions in prisons.

For his part, Qaraqi’ said that the Israeli move is a “blow to the US mediated proximity talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.”

He added that the Israeli government “is the only country in the world which dare to enact laws harming human rights.”

Talab El-Sani’, United Arab List party member of the Knesset, said that the law “further distances the possibility of Gilad Shalit’s release and will bring about a third intifada (Palestinian protest).”

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the bill was an extortion attempt to try to obtain Shalit’s release for free and would fail.

“The occupation will not succeed in obtaining its goals – just the opposite,” Abu Zuhri said, adding that the Israeli government decision would cause Hamas to raise its demands for an exchange deal, not back down from any of its current demands.

On Sunday, the Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal said the United States had vetoed the execution of a prisoner exchange deal for the release of Shalit amid fears over internal Palestinian reconciliation talks.

“There is nothing new on the Shalit matter, following Zionist Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu’s withdrawal from the offer “, Meshaal told reporters in Damascus on Sunday.

According to Meshaal, the Americans intervened and asked Netanyahu not to go ahead with the deal since this would bolster Hamas and weaken Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In a related development, the Israeli security forces arrested seven Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem, including a lawyer, on suspicion that they transferred millions of dollars to Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners sitting in Israeli jails.