While the 40-day hunger strike by Palestinians in Israeli prisons recently ended, it's no secret that the Palestinians were not satisfied with the level of official support the prisoners received. At one time, Fadwa Barghouti, the wife of Marwan Barghouti, who was leading the hunger strike, protested the lack of support from President Mahmoud Abbas and senior leaders. She held a vigil May 22, along with other wives and mothers of prisoners, at the grave of the late Palestinian National Authority President Yasser Arafat.
A survey by the Ramallah, West Bank-based Awrad polling agency conducted May 21-23 found that more than 60% of Palestinians were not satisfied with the amount of support that the prisoners were receiving from Palestinian leadership. Yet soon after the strike ended May 27, Fatah prisoners sent a glowing letter to Abbas thanking him for his support of the striking prisoners.
