Hamas-affiliated university students end hunger strike

Six Hamas-affiliated students said Sunday that they had ended a 3-week hunger strike at Hebron University after the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority pledged not to pursue them over their political activities on campus. Representative of the protesters Rami Rajoub told Ma'an the group had received a written notice from the PA Ministry of Interior guaranteeing that security forces would not summon or detain any of them for their political activities. The notice was delivered by Khalil Assaf, a member of the PLO committee for public freedoms, Rajoub said. "We pray that our case will help move forward reconciliation efforts," he added. The students began a sit-in protest over a month ago, along with seven other students affiliated with Islamic Jihad, after three students were detained by PA forces. Three weeks ago, eight of the students escalated the protest to a hunger-strike. The Islamic Jihad students ended their protest last week. Farid al-Atrash, director of the Independent Human Rights Commission in the southern West Bank, said several students had complained to the commission that they were pursued by the PA over their political affiliation and activities. The commission wrote to the PA's interior minister demanding an end to the harassment over political activities, al-Atrash told Ma'an.