JERUSALEM: The Palestinian man who died in custody in an Israeli jail on Saturday showed obvious signs of torture, a senior Palestinian government minister said, calling for an independent, international investigation into his death.



Israel’s Ministry of Health said the initial autopsy results cannot – at this stage – indicate the cause of death.

Palestinian relatives and friends mourn over the death of Arafat Jaradat, who died in an Israeli prison, after his body was handed over by Israeli authorities on February 24, 2013 at a hospital in the West Bank city of Hebron. Credit:AFP



Israel’s treatment of the 4500 Palestinian prisoners it holds in custody – all of whom took part in a mass hunger strike on Sunday – has prompted angry demonstrations across the West Bank over the last three days as protesters clashed with Israeli Defence Forces.



The allegations that 30-year-old Arafat Jaradat had been tortured before he died look set to guarantee the protests will spill over into a fourth day, prompting calls from Israeli politicians for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act to prevent any further escalation in tensions.