A demonstration in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike last week ended in the illegal arrest of 17 activists. The police violence they encountered in detention - which included threats of rape and the use of electroshock Taser guns -  shows just what the authorities think of the basic right to human dignity and the freedom of expression and protest.  Last Thursday, May 3, 15 Israeli citizens - Palestinians and Jews (including one resident of Jerusalem) - as well as one American and one Canadian, were violently arrested after a demonstration outside the Ramle Prison in solidarity with Palestinian administrative…

From the River to the Sea, Palestinians are prevented from protesting freely for their rights. Yesterday, I attended my first Palestinian demonstration across the Green Line, in front of Ramle Prison. Having been to many protests in the West Bank I was eager to assess the differences between the two events and how the Israeli authorities respond to each. The day before, I had attended a demonstration in front of Ofer Prison near Ramallah. Both events were in support of the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, and therefore, relatively parallel. In the occupied West Bank, peaceable assembly…