http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/3/headlines/palestinian_hunger_strikers_near_death_as_solidarity_protests_continue Palestinian Hunger Strikers Near Death as Solidarity Protests Continue Protests are continuing in the occupied West Bank in an ongoing show of solidarity with a mass hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners. On Wednesday, Israeli troops fired tear gas at hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators marching on the military camp of Ofer. More than 1,400 Palestinian prisoners are currently on a hunger strike to protest Israel’s policy of indefinite detention without charge. A doctor with Physicians for Human Rights said at least two prisoners are near death. Graciela Carmon: "Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh, they are striking for 63 days or 62 days, and their physical condition is catastrophic." Israeli Military Clears Soldiers in Killings of Gaza Relatives The Israeli military has ended an internal probe of its killing of 21 members of a Palestinian family, concluding it was not at fault. The ordeal of the Samouni family drew international attention after it was revealed Israeli forces shelled their homes and then blocked medical aid. In addition to the 21 dead, another 45 relatives were injured, most of them children. But this week, the Israeli military said its review of the massacre had found no evidence of a war crime or deliberate targeting of civilians. Zahwa Samouni, whose husband Atiyah died in the attack, criticized the Israeli probe. Zahwa Samouni: "This is not a solution. They executed my husband in front of his children before 16 people. They executed him while he had his hands up in the air, and then they opened fire at us. I have a child who is injured, and only 10 days ago he had his last surgery." Report: U.S. Accepts Israeli Request to Thwart U.N. Probe of Settlements The Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting the Obama administration has agreed to an Israeli government request to thwart a U.N. panel investigating settlements in the occupied West Bank. The White House’s so-called "Middle East peace" envoy, David Hale, reportedly asked U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay to postpone the panel’s investigation indefinitely. The White House apparently hopes to delay the panel as long as possible in the hopes of eventually quashing it altogether.