More Than 2,000 Protest In Support Of Hunger-striking Palestinian Prisoners

HEBRON, West Bank, Aug 24 (AFP) - More than 2,000 people took to the streets of this southern West Bank city Tuesday in a show of support for an ongoing hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Brandishing Palestinian flags and green banners in support of Islamic movements, the protesters brought the center of the city to a halt at one stage by burning tyres on the roads.
Around a half of the estimated 8,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons are observing an open-ended hunger strike now into its second week.
The prisoners are demanding an across-the-board improvement in their conditions, including statutory visiting rights and an end to "intrusive" body and cell searches.
The protest in Hebron came as the Palestinian Authority declared a general shutdown in support of the prisoners, which was widely observed by shopkeepers and government employees but did not stop public transport.