Jews Fasting Today To Mock Palestinian Hunger Strikers

“It’s not only the hunger-striking prisoners in Israelis jails that the people who fast are mocking, but also the ones in Palestinian prisons.”

Jerusalem, August 14 – Advocates for the welfare of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel are calling today’s Jewish observance of a fast day an offensive mockery of the prisoners’ suffering.

A group of activists took to social media this morning to denounce the practice of Tisha B’Av, or the ninth of the month of Av, as a tasteless, hateful institution aimed at dehumanizing Palestinians who refuse to eat in protest over their treatment.

“It’s disgusting,” charged Aideena Nabbettine, whose brother is serving a six-year sentence for stabbing and wounding a Jewish teenager last year. “They must know about the hunger strike of the prisoners – it’s been all over social media and the Arabic press.” Her remarks appeared on the Facebook page of the advocacy group Yesh Din.

International activists have also taken an interest in the case. “This is just another example of poisonous Israeli attitudes toward oppressed Palestinians,” said Jacob Burns of Amnesty International. “But in fact it’s even worse than most people imagine. It’s not only the hunger-striking prisoners in Israelis jails that the people who fast are mocking, but also the ones in Palestinian prisons.”

Burns explained that he took the rare step of invoking Palestinian Authority treatment of Palestinians because it was a clear instance of being able to trash Israel by doing so. “Normally, I would steer clear of bringing attention to the horrific conditions and torture that the Palestinian Authority metes out to anyone accused of a crime such as planning to sell land to Jews, or being thought a homosexual,” he noted. “But here is a golden opportunity to badmouth Israel, so I’m willing to make this unusual exception to serve that end.”

Jews participating in the fast denied any intent to mock. “We’ve been observing this fast day since the destruction of the First Temple,” said Yehuda Glick, a notorious activist who has the gall to suggest Apartheid has no place on the Temple Mount. “That was 2,500 years ago,” he added, giving a perfectly reasonable explanation that was somehow too convenient.

“That’s what they said last year,” retorted Nabbettine. “And the year before. At some point, if you go far back enough, you’d probably be able to pinpoint the origin of this paltry excuse, and debunk it once and for all. I’ll actually bet anything you’d find it with all sorts of other nefarious ideas in the Talmud, or that corrupted version of history those Jews have in their so-called Bible.”