by reham alhelsi
Palestinian women have always stood side by side with their fathers, brothers, husbands, comrades to resist the Zionist occupation, to fight for freedom and legitimate rights. They are the first to go to the streets to protest the brutality of the Israeli military occupation, the first to organize sit-ins and marches demanding the release of their children, brothers and fathers from Israeli prisons. They are the protectors, the supporters, but most of all they are the comrades in the fight for a free Palestine.
They protect their children, fathers, brothers and husbands from the Zionist invader come to kidnap, beat or kill. They support their families when their fathers, brothers or husbands are imprisoned or killed by the Israeli terrorist troops. They embrace the land and kiss the olive tree. They pave the way for resistance and shape it with their blood. They are the olive tree steadfast in the face of usurpers in Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem and Al-Jalil. They are the poppy decorating Palestinian hilltops in Jerusalem, Hebron and Safad.
They are the butterflies kissing the fields of Hebron, Jenin and Bisan. They are the fresh breeze of Haifa, Yaffa, Acca and Gaza. They are the stone, powerful, strong and only taking leave of the soil to hit the usurper in the face. They are the daughters of Palestine; fearless, steadfast, patient. They are the mother, the sister, the daughter and the comrade of the martyr, the freedom-fighter and the prisoner. They are the martyr, the freedom-fighter and the prisoner.
They are the guardians of the revolution and the symbol of steadfastness. They are Palestine embracing its children, protecting them and leading them. Since 1967 more than 800,000 Palestinians, including 15,000 Palestinian women, were detained by the Zionist entity. During the First Intifada 3000 women were detained and during Al-Aqsa Intifada more than 900 women were locked up behind Israeli bars. There are daily raids and detentions.
Sometimes the detained are released after a few days, after a few weeks or remain in detention indefinitely. Alone in June 2010 some 334 Palestinians were detained, including 4 women. Currently, there are 36 Palestinian female prisoners in the Israeli prisons Damon, HaSharon and Neve Tirza: 4 from Jerusalem, 3 from the Palestinian area occupied in 1948, 28 from the West Bank and 1 from the Gaza Strip. 6 of the prisoners await trial, 3 are administrative detainees, 27 are sentenced; of whom 5 are serving life sentences.
Palestinian female detainees, like their brothers in detention, suffer from the brutality of the Israeli Prison Authority. They are exposed to abuse, humiliation and are subjected to more than 20 forms of violations. They are tortured, beaten, harassed, insulted, tied up for hours under hot sun or under rain, deprived of sleep, isolated, punished with high fines for no reason, subjected to the continuous use of tear gas in their cells, continuously denied family visits and calls back home and letters are sent or distributed only once every 3 months.
They are also subjected to harsh and humiliating midnight raids and body searches. On 24.06.2010 Israeli special forces (Golan) in the Damon prison broke into the cells of Palestinian female prisoners in the early morning, assaulted the prisoners, searched the cells and forced them to undress, to sit in a humiliating squatting position for 4 hours under the pretext of inspection.
Also, Israeli prison authority prevents Palestinian female prisoners from acquiring more than one book, doesn’t allow them to send out or get in any embroidery work or magazines and decides the number of clothing pieces each prisoner is allowed to possess. The cells are small, over-crowded, damp, lack hygiene, no sun or fresh air enters them and they are infested with insects and mice. They are cold in winter and hot in summer. Because Palestinian female prisoners aren’t allowed to receive any items from their families, they are forced to buy what they need from the prison canteens. Water is very dirty and undrinkable and food is inedible, forcing the detainees to buy their food and water from the prison canteen for very high prices.
Not only are the prices there extremely high, the canteen also lacks many items Palestinian prisoners need. Some political prisoners are also locked up with Israeli criminals who abuse them regularly while Israeli prison forces watch. One method of punishment favored by Israeli prison forces is reducing family visitation from 45 minutes to 15 minutes, or cancelling all visitations despite the hardships the families endure to reach the prisons. Du’a’ Al-Jayyousi from Tulkarim was detained in 2002. Her only brother isn’t allowed to visit her, and when he got married, the prison authority refused to allow her to phone him.
