Israel passes law allowing force-feeding of prisoners

The Israeli parliament approved on Thursday a law allowing prisoners on hunger strikes facing death to be force-fed, a spokesman said, sparking criticism from rights groups and medical experts.

The law, which seeks to prevent imprisoned Palestinian militants from pressuring Israel by refusing food, was initially approved in June 2014 at the height of a mass hunger strike of Palestinian prisoners, during which dozens were hospitalized.

While the law does not specifically mention Palestinians, Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan said it was necessary since "hunger strikes of terrorists in prisons have become a means to threaten Israel".