BEIRUT, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's former Prime Minister Salim Hoss announced Tuesday hunger strike to express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, the LBCI TV said.
According to the report, Hoss' decision was made to "stimulate" people to acknowledge the sufferings of the Palestinian people and to "press for" Arab rights.
The former prime minister, 88, "wants to act and not just deliver verbal solidarity speeches."
Hoss was first named Prime Minister of Lebanon during the reign of former President Elias Sarkis in 1976, then he headed a controversial government before the end of the tenure of former President Amine Gemaye in 1988.
Hoss was elected MP to represent the Beirut district in 1992.
After losing the elections of 2000, Hoss announced the end of his political career.
Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel for a range of offences and alleged crimes, while around 500 are being held under Israel's system of administrative detention, which allows for imprisonment without charge.
