Arab American University prevents Khader Adnan, released from Israeli prison after hunger strike, from entering campus.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHPalestinians holding poster of Khader Adnan 390 (R)(photo credit: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
The Arab American University in Jenin on Wednesday prevented Khader Adnan, the Islamic Jihad activist who was released from Israeli prison last month after going on hunger strike for 66 days, from entering the campus to attend a rally in support of Palestinian inmates.Adnan had been invited by a student group that is affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad to participate in the rally and to speak about his experience in Israeli prison.The university administration said it banned Adnan from the campus because he had failed to coordinate his visit with the school.However, Adnan’s supporters dismissed the excuse and pointed out that the university was aware of the planned visit because it had been widely advertised on campus.In protest, scores of students staged a sit-in strike outside the offices of the university president.The Arab American University in Jenin was established in 2000 as the first private university in the West Bank.Since his release, Adnan has been very active in promoting the case of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.Adnan’s hunger strike has served as an inspiration for other prisoners. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are on hunger strike to demand an end to administrative detentions and punitive measures imposed by the Israeli government following the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit.Also on Wednesday, Palestinians blocked the entrance to the offices of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Ramallah, to demand international intervention in favor of the striking prisoners. The protesters called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to visit the families of the prisoners to listen to their demands.
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