BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Aug 24 (AFP) - The Bethlehem-based Palestinian prisoners` club appealed to Pope John Paul II Tuesday to intervene on behalf of the thousands of Palestinians on hunger strike in Israeli prisons.
In a letter to the pope, the Palestinian prisoners` association president Issa Qaraqea said that the inmates were being subjected to "a campaign of repression and unjustifiable violence".
"The policies of the Israeli government are designed to leave the prisoners to die by ignoring their demands and repressing them," the letter said.
Israel`s Public Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi has said he is willing to see the prisoners die rather than bow to their demands.
"In the name of the families of the prisoners .. we are asking you to pray for God to protect our prisoners from repression and Israeli terrorism and support efforts to put an end to the murderous policies of the Israeli government."
The pope, who last visited the birthplace of Jesus Christ four years ago, has been a frequent critic of the Israeli government`s policies towards the Palestinians, particularly over its West Bank separation barrier.
Meanwhile, more than 2,000 people took to the streets of the southern West Bank city of Hebron Tuesday in a show of support for the hunger strikers.
Brandishing Palestinian flags and green banners in support of Islamic movements, the protesters brought the centre of the city to a halt at one stage by burning tyres on the roads.
Around 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.
It 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.