Rally in support of hunger strike by prisoners
(16 Aug 2004) SHOTLIST Gaza City 1. Wide shot of demonstration for Palestinian prisoners 2. Banner showing pictures of prisoners 3. Close up demonstrators marching with arms in chains 4. Wide high shot of demo 5. Mid shot protesters holding banners and Palestinian flags 6. Boys marching making victory signs 7. Khaled al-Batash, Islamic Jihad leader marching in demo 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Khaled al-Batash, Islamic Jihad leader: "Our message to the Palestinian president this day is that we are... our people support your resistance and we ask all our nations and all the humanities committees to stand up with your right of freedom." 9. High wide shot of demo Ramallah, West Bank 10. Exterior shot of Palestinian prime minister's office 11. Close up Council of Ministers sign 12. Wide shot cabinet meeting 13. Wide pan of meeting 14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed Qureia, Palestinian Prime Minister: "Of course we see and believe that there is no solution for the problem of prisoners but releasing them, and we hope they will be released very soon. The issue of prisoners will remain important and there will be no peace settlement or agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority without resolving the issue of prisoners, because these prisoners are heroes and they must be freed." 15. Wide of meeting 16. Exterior banner on building in compound of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat 17. Wide shot Arafat meeting with David Bassiouni, outgoing special representative of UNICEF 18. Close up Bassiouni, pan to Arafat, pull out to wide of meeting STORYLINE: Thousands of Palestinians marched in Gaza City on Monday in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli prisons. Prisoners' relatives held pictures of inmates and called on Israel to improve prisoners' living conditions. Some 16-hundred Palestinian prisoners started a hunger strike on Sunday in their strongest challenge against Israel, but Israeli officials countered with sanctions and a cabinet minister said he wouldn't mind if they starved to death. Organisors said the rest of the seven and a half thousand detainees were expected to join the hunger strike by the end of the week. The hunger strikers want more access to phones, a cessation of strip searches and more family visits. Many prisoners have not seen their families because an Israeli security closure bars Palestinians from Israel. Israeli officials reacted to their action by imposing additional sanctions - including banning all family visits and the sale of cigarettes and candy. Prison officials are considering psychological means, including jailhouse cookouts, to break up the hunger strike. Meeting his cabinet in Ramallah, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said there would be no peace settlement or agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority without resolving the issue of prisoners. A senior aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat promised a "strong diplomatic move" at the United Nations to put pressure on Israel to release prisoners. On Monday, Arafat met the outgoing special representative of UNICEF, David Bassiouni. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
