junger strike in the first place and should attempt to understand how such an act is part of a larger political and humanitarian context that has affected millions of occupied and besieged Palestinians.Is it possible that many in the media are wary that such dialectic could lead to more painful questions and equally uncomfortable answers?One such uncomfortable truth is that Gaza is the world's largest open prison.The West Bank is a prison, too, segmented into various wards known as ares A, B and C.East Jerusalem is cut off from the West Bank, and those within the West Bank are themselves separated from each other.Palestinians in Israel are treated slightly better than their brethen in the occupied territories, but still subsist in degrading conditions compared with the first-class status given to Israeli Jews, purely on the basis of their ethnicity.That is why the issue of prisoners is a very sensitive on for Palestinians - being a literal as well as metaphorical representation of all that Palestinians have in common, and the various facets that characterise the very meaning of a Palestinian existence.in fact, the protests igniting across the Occupied Palestinian Territories to support the current hunger strikers are not merely an act of 'solidarity' with the incarcerated and abused men and women who are demanding improvements to their conditions.They are, in essence, protests against the very reality of Palestinian life - an inhuman and unbearable, Israeli created status quo.The prisoners held captive in Israeli jails are a depection of the life of every Palestinian, trapped behing walls, checkpoints, in refugee camps, in Gaza, in cantons in the West Bank, segregated Jerusalem, like cattle, waiting to be let in, waiting to be let out. Simply waiting for their jailers and their tormentors rule their life, all the time.The 6.500 prisoners in Israeli jails include hundreds of minors, women, elected officials, journalists and administrative detainees, who are held without charge and no due process. Yet,these numbers alone hardly convey the reality that has transpired under Israeli occupation since 1967. It's worse. So much worse that it would make tough people pale. Furthermore, there is another important dimension to the story of the prisoners, within the issue of Israeli occupation. The ongoing Palestinian prisoners' hunger strike is rooted in a Palestinian political context, as much as it is in Israeli oppression and violations of international law.The strike and the public mobilisation that has thus far unified Palestinians from all backgrounds is largely championned by a branch of Fatah that has been purposely sidelined for years.As I said previously, leading the hunger strike is Marwan Barghouthi, who is by far the more popular figure within Fatah than its current leader, the ageing Mahmoud Abbas (80). No wonder why western media is trying to discredit Marwan Barghouthi to keep the obedient Abu Mazen.Despite being president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Abbas' reign is characterised by expired mandates and little popularity.In fact, his leadership has been largely predicated on several pillars. Mainly, US-Western funding, US-friendly Arab backing, and security coordination with