UK Government on Brink of Being Accused of Racism as Hunger-Striking Palestinian Faces Death: Doctor Warns
A hunger strike by a 22-year-old Palestinian prisoner has sparked fears that he could die within days due to his deteriorating health conditions. Umer Khalid, who has been on strike since November, has now stopped drinking water, which doctors have warned can be fatal.
Khalid's action was taken in protest of the charges he faces for alleged break-ins and criminal damage carried out on behalf of Palestine Action. He denies the charges and is demanding they be dropped. His health condition, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, makes him particularly vulnerable to complications from his hunger strike.
A doctor, Dr Rupa Marya, has warned that Khalid's continued action could lead to death in as little as three to four days due to dehydration. The expert claims the UK government is "racist and hypocritical" for pursuing its plans for a £2bn arms contract with Israeli company Elbit Systems UK.
The decision not to award the contract, which would have trained 60,000 British troops a year, has been seen as a key victory by Khalid's supporters. However, Dr Marya has accused the Ministry of Defence of prioritizing its plans over human life and has warned that if action is not taken soon, Khalid could be dead.
Khalid's hunger strike has drawn comparisons with the longest-lived prisoner who died during a hunger strike in 1981. Heba Muraisi, one of those who ended their strike earlier this month after reaching day 72, had been following closely with Khalid's progress.
A hunger strike by a 22-year-old Palestinian prisoner has sparked fears that he could die within days due to his deteriorating health conditions. Umer Khalid, who has been on strike since November, has now stopped drinking water, which doctors have warned can be fatal.
Khalid's action was taken in protest of the charges he faces for alleged break-ins and criminal damage carried out on behalf of Palestine Action. He denies the charges and is demanding they be dropped. His health condition, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, makes him particularly vulnerable to complications from his hunger strike.
A doctor, Dr Rupa Marya, has warned that Khalid's continued action could lead to death in as little as three to four days due to dehydration. The expert claims the UK government is "racist and hypocritical" for pursuing its plans for a £2bn arms contract with Israeli company Elbit Systems UK.
The decision not to award the contract, which would have trained 60,000 British troops a year, has been seen as a key victory by Khalid's supporters. However, Dr Marya has accused the Ministry of Defence of prioritizing its plans over human life and has warned that if action is not taken soon, Khalid could be dead.
Khalid's hunger strike has drawn comparisons with the longest-lived prisoner who died during a hunger strike in 1981. Heba Muraisi, one of those who ended their strike earlier this month after reaching day 72, had been following closely with Khalid's progress.
I'm getting so anxious thinking about Umer Khalid's situation... like, what if the gov is really racist and doesn't care about his life? 
It's crazy that he's being held in prison for protesting against an arms deal that would hurt innocent people. The fact that a doctor is warning that he could die in just 3-4 days is just heartbreaking 
. I'm all for Khalid's cause and I hope the gov takes his demands seriously and drops those charges ASAP. It's like, what's more important - human life or politics? 
Dr Marya is speaking truth to power, and we should be listening and demanding change! 
i just heard about umer khalid the palestinian prisoner who's on hunger strike and its literally heartbreaking he has a disease that makes him super weak already and now hes risking his life by not drinking water 
i feel so bad for him and his family. i think its crazy that doctors are warning he could die in just 3-4 days it feels like the uk gov isnt caring about his life at all 
and dr rupa marya is totally right about them being racist and hypocritical too...i mean who trains british troops to fight but not people fighting for their rights 
anyway lets hope something changes soon and umer gets the help he needs 
how can they justify that? 
the fact that Khalid has to go through all this just because he's protesting for Palestine's rights is just heartbreaking 
doc Rupa Marya is right, human life should always come first 
3-4 days is just a blink of an eye in the grand scheme, but for Khalid and his family, it's like an eternity 
we need to keep pressure on the gov to act fast and get this guy some food and water ASAP! 
. As a doctor has warned, the risks associated with his hunger strike are very real and could be fatal in as little as three to four days 
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. While it's understandable that she wants to highlight the issue at hand, her comments may be perceived as a personal attack rather than a constructive critique 
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. I get that he's protesting for Palestine Action, but is it really worth putting his life in danger? His health condition is already pretty bad with that limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 
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... thats already bad enough but now theres a doctor sayin the gov is racist & hypocritical 4 pursuin arms deal w/ israel 
its like they dont care about ppl lifes like at all... u know khalid isnt even a citizen here he just got arrested & thrown in jail & now hes facin death cuz of it 
he's got a life threatening condition and they're not taking it into consideration 
I mean I get that umer wants to protest but this is just ridiculous 
. The doctor's warning is a stark reminder that even the smallest actions can have devastating consequences. We must listen to voices like Umer Khalid's and not just be silent bystanders 
u guys know how much "human rights" talk goes out the window when money is involved. meanwhile umer khalid is dyin over here and ppl r more concerned about some gov't deal 
. The whole arms contract thing with Elbit Systems UK does seem fishy, especially considering how much it would benefit Israel. But let's hope someone can intervene soon and stop Umer from harming himself... fingers crossed! 
I feel so bad for Umer Khalid 
this is getting more & more disturbing by the day