Arab League: Israeli law allowing force-feeding of prisoners

The Arab League condemned an Israeli law that was passed by the Knesset on Thursday allowing the force-feeding of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike who refuse to eat as an act of political protest.

In a press release, the Arab League deemed the law as racist and violates the privacy and right of prisoners to stage hunger strikes.

The law will only fuel hatred and hostility, threatening the security of the region, it said.

It urged the international community and civil society organizations to move immediately to prevent the enforcement of the controversial law, which aims to break the will of Palestinian prisoners and promotes discrimination.

It also called on international medical institutions to decry the practice of "force-feeding" and warn Israeli doctors from getting involved.

Hunger strikes are a tool used by Palestinian prisoners, usually held without trial under the so-called administrative detention, to draw attention to their cause and pressure Israel to release them.