'Jordanian imprisoned in Israel suspends hunger strike after 78 days'

AMMAN — Abdullah Abu Jaber, a Jordanian prisoner in Israel, suspended his hunger strike on Tuesday after 78 consecutive days, following promises to meet some of his demands, an activist said Thursday.

"Abu Jaber and the Palestinian Prisoner Club's lawyer, Hanan Khatib, reached an agreement with the Israeli prison administration to allow his family to visit him," said Shireen Nafe, a member of the media team supporting Jordanian prisoners in Israel, Fedaa.

They also agreed to allow the relatives of the 41-year old who reside in the West Bank to regularly visit him, the Fedaa member added.

Abu Jaber was arrested in 2000 for “resisting the occupation forces”, and is serving a 20-year prison term, Nafe said in previous remarks.

"The prison administration also promised to consider Abu Jaber's demands regarding his release after serving two thirds of the sentence or transferring him to spend the remainder of his term in Jordan," the activist told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The prisoner is currently in hospital and is in critical health condition, Nafe said, noting that he lost much of his weight and needs time to recover.

"He did not completely stop his hunger strike he just suspended it until his demands are fulfilled," the Fedaa member noted.

She added that there are some 25 Jordanian prisoners in Israel.