RAMALLAH, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority on Thursday threatened to take a series of measures to press Israel to stop recent policies against Palestinian prisoners.
Minister of Prisoners Affairs, Eissa Qaraqe, said that the PNA would boycott the Israeli judiciary system and prisoners would stop appearing before Israeli courts.
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have boycotted the Israeli courts as a symbolic protest that could end with issuing default judgment.
The Israeli judiciary "is a tool to provide legal covering to the acts that violate humanitarian and international laws," Qaraqe said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Israel Prison Service decided to ban Palestinian prisoners from registering for academic study but allowed those who had started studying to continue.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered to clamp down on prisoners, mainly those affiliated with Hamas, because the Islamic movement refused an international call to prove that a captive Israeli soldier held in Gaza since 2006 is still alive.
Israel holds nearly 7,000 prisoners and Hamas wants it to release at least 1,000 detainees in exchange for Gilad Shalit.
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