ISSAWIYA, EAST JERUSALEM — As Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi continues his hunger strike past the 210-day mark on Feb. 18, his family, friends and neighbors living in the East Jerusalem village of Issawiya have condemned what they say is an Israeli policy of collective punishment against them.
“My brother Shadi was arrested yesterday. We didn’t know anything about [his condition] at this moment because they didn’t allow anyone to visit him. They demolished my brother Rafat's house on Jan. 1 at 5 a.m. without an order from the court. They also cut the water to our house the same day. Still now, we don’t have any water. We take water from the neighbors,” Samer Issawi’s sister, Shireen, told Al-Monitor.
