The Israeli Supreme Court will consider a request by the Palestinian Authority Committee for Prisoner’s Affairs to release hunger striking Palestinian prisoner Muhammad Allan, head of the committee Issa Qaraqe said Monday.

The Palestinian official made the comments to the official Wafa news agency, without providing further details.

Muhammad Allan, 31, slipped into a coma on Friday after ingesting only water since June 18 in protest at his detention without charge by Israeli authorities.

If and when he regains consciousness — and if he continues to refuse to eat — Israel’s government must decide whether it will invoke a law passed in July allowing the force-feeding of prisoners when their lives are endangered.

It was not clear how such force-feeding would take place.

On Sunday, Israeli police said they arrested more than 10 Jews and Palestinians, including from East Jerusalem, for throwing stones at officers and disrupting public order in the southern city of Ashkelon where 31-year-old Muhammad Allan is being treated.

Palestinians had planned to stage a rally outside the Barzilai hospital, but Jewish right-wing activists confronted them, chanting racist slogans and saying they hoped Allan died.

Clashes with police, including stone-throwing from both sides, erupted outside the hospital where Jewish protesters also broke the windows of a Palestinian television news vehicle.

The clashes continued as officers began removing the Palestinians to the city’s entrance to prevent further confrontations with the Jewish protesters.

Police prevented additional busloads of demonstrators from entering Ashkelon, an AFP reporter said.

Police separated hundreds of people from each side, with the Palestinians waving flags, chanting their support for Allan and calling for his release.

(Ma’an)