Adnan: Crowd's joy made me forget all suffering

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- “The happiness I saw on my peoples’ faces made me forget all the suffering I experienced when I was on hunger strike,” freed Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan said Wednesday.

When he arrived in Jenin, instead of going home, Adnan chose to head to the sit-in tent in Arraba village to meet with parents of prisoner Jaafar Izz Addin who is now on hunger strike protesting Israeli policies against prisoners.

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered on Tuesday night to greet the former detainee, whose 66-day hunger strike inspired others to protest administrative detention.

Adnan proceeded to visit the al-Aridha family who have three brothers in Israeli jails. Amjad al-Aridha is serving a 20-year sentence, his brother Mahmoud is serving life sentence, and Raddad al-Aridha is also detained in Israeli jail.

As time ran out, Adnan insisted on visiting the sit-in tent in Kafr Raai village after midnight to meet with the mother of prisoner Bilal Thiab who has been on hunger strike for more than 50 days.

He arrived at 3 a.m. and told Thiab's mother that when her son bid him farewell he was chanting “Allahu akbar”. Other prisoners Thaer Halhla, Hasan Safadi, Omar Shallala and Mahmoud Siksik also chanted “Allahu Akbar” from inside their prison cells because they were not allowed to bid him farewell, Adnan explained.

Asked about the last moments before he left his cell in Ramla prison for freedom, Adnan said, “It looked like an uprising as all my hunger-striking fellow prisoners began chanting 'Allahu akbar.'

"I tried to bid them farewell," he added, "but I was denied that and was moved from one detention center to another until I finally arrived at Salem center in the northern West Bank.”

Adnan highlighted that his release was delayed 16 hours as he was moved from one place to another. He was not released from Salem center, but was handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross which took him to Arraba.

“When I noted that delay, I started a hunger strike again fearing the Israelis might go back on their word.”

“They detained me in the darkness so that nobody could see them, and when they released me they did it in the darkness so that nobody could welcome me. They failed in that because I had a reception which indicates that our people are still committed to the prisoners' cause and will support them until they are all freed,” Adnan said.

Adnan pointed out that Israeli prison authorities shut down the windows of all cells when they moved him to prevent other inmates from seeing him released.

With regard to the feasibility of hunger strikes, Adnan said it would be better if it is done in stages starting first with dozens or hundreds of prisoners, then gradually others join them until all prisoners are on hunger strike. The longer prisoners continue with hunger strike, the better they can expose the occupation’s policies and injustice to the world, he said.

As for the current situation with 1,600 prisoners on hunger strike, Adnan suggested that other prisoners join them in stages with 500 joining at each stage.

“My hunger strike was not a new form of hunger strike, but the long duration gave it special importance. This is like vertical expansion where you construct a building on a small area of land, but that building benefits everybody.”

Israel frees Khader Adnan

Khader Adnan's 66-day hunger strike inspired hundreds of prisoners to take
on Israel's policy of holding detainees without charge.

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities released former hunger-striking administrative detainee Khader Adnan late Tuesday, a Ma'an correspondent reported.

Adnan arrived at his home in Araba in the northern West Bank to meet his family before returning to a tent reception where he spoke to well-wishers and officials in the village.

Hundreds of Palestinians chanted slogans in solidarity with prisoners as they welcomed the former detainee, whose 66-day hunger strike inspired others to protest administrative detention.

Under the provision, Israel can imprison suspects indefinitely, without ever informing them of the charges they face or presenting their lawyers with any evidence. Over 300 Palestinians are held without charge in Israel.

Inspired by Adnan's protest, a female prisoner, Hana Shalabi, refused food for 43 days before the Israelis decided to deport her to Gaza, barring her from returning to her native West Bank for at least three years.

On Tuesday, at least 1,200 prisoners in Israeli jails launched an open-ended hunger strike.

Hundreds joined the so-called "battle of empty stomachs" to coincide with Palestinian Prisoners' Day, when both the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip stage mass rallies in support of some 4,800 prisoners who are held in Israeli prisons.

The Israeli prisons' authority said 2,300 prisoners had announced they would reject their daily meal on Tuesday, while 1,200 indicated they were launching a formal hunger strike.

"The Israeli Prisons Authority has coped with hunger strikes in the past and is prepared to cope with it now," it added.

Palestinian officials said 1,600 prisoners were joining the indefinite hunger strike.

Human rights groups called on Tuesday for international accountability for the situation of Palestinian prisoners. Al-Mezan urged the international community not to work with security corporation G4S, which equips Israeli checkpoints and jails.

Meanwhile, al-Haq urged the world not to ignore four Palestinian hunger-strikers who have been hospitalized after refusing food for over a month.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Bilin activist Abu Rahmeh released from Israeli prison

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities released activist Ashraf Abu Rahmeh on Sunday night, the Bilin Popular Committee said.

Abu Rahmeh was detained by Israeli forces in October 2011 while participating in a weekly protest against Israeli land confiscation.

He is a leading figure in weekly non-violent demonstrations against Israel's ongoing annexation of village land for nearby illegal settlements and the separation wall.

An Israeli military court convicted him of organizing an illegal demonstration and throwing stones, imprisoning him in Ofer jail for six months. He paid 2,000 shekels ($530) to Israeli authorities upon his release, the popular committee told Ma'an.

He has been arrested several times by Israeli forces.

Both Abu Rahmeh's brother and sister were killed by Israeli forces while taking part in demonstrations.

In Jan. 2011, Jawahir Abu Rahmah, 36, died after inhaling large amounts of tear gas fired by Israeli forces who forcibly dispersed a weekly rally.

Abu Rahmah's brother Bassem was killed in April 2009 by a tear gas canister fired at his chest by an Israeli soldier during a village demonstration.

In 2008, a video emerged of Ashraf being shot in the foot by Israeli soldiers while blindfolded and bound.

The village of Bilin, west of Ramallah, has been the scene of weekly protests for years as Palestinians have fought to protect their land from annexation.

Israeli forces raid home of freed female prisoner

A Palestinian woman, with her hands chained, flashes victory signs as
she takes part in a protest calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners
from Israeli jails, near the International Committee of Red Cross offices in
Beirut, October 14, 2011. (REUTERS/Sharif Karim)

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces raided the house of a female former prisoner near Ramallah on Sunday, less than a month after she was released under Hamas' prisoner exchange deal with Israel.

Forces issued summons for Sumud Karaja, 23, to report to Israeli intelligence in the Ofer military base near her village of Saffa, locals told Ma'an.

Her identity card was also confiscated, they added.

An Israeli military spokesman said it was not an Israeli army-related incident.

Karaja among 27 female and 250 male prisoners released from Israeli jail on Oct. 18 in exchange for Hamas' return of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

She had served three years of a 20-year sentence on charges of stabbing an Israeli soldier at the military checkpoint in Qalandiya, near Ramallah.

Free at Last: Profiles of Courage

Ufree

On 18 October 2011, the first 477 of an eventual 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were released in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured five years previously. Of the Palestinians who have or will be freed, 280 were serving life sentences and 27 were women. Most had been deprived of family visits for years, and had suffered repeated torture, sentences to solitary confinement and refused access to education. The release came as more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners staged a hunger strike to protest the harsh conditions. While the release is good news welcomed throughout the occupied territories, some families will still be separated. Of the first 477 prisoners released, 110 were returned to their homes in the West Bank and 203 were deported to Jordan, Turkey, Qatar and Syria, which agreed to take prisoners who Israel insisted, must not be allowed to return home. The rest (131) were freed in Gaza -- even if they were not originally from there. The agreement is the highest “price” Israel has ever paid for a single soldier. Israel places a high value on Israeli life and freedom, and assigns little worth to Palestinians. Thus, captures and exchanges are the only way to win their release. Approximately 5,300 Palestinian prisoners remain in Israeli jails, waiting to be freed. Here are the stories of just two of the released Palestinians: Ayman Kafishah; jailed since April 1997: On April 5, 1997, Ayman was arrested by Israeli security forces and immediately transported to Ha Shikmah Prison in Israel. According to testimony he later delivered to the UN Commission on Human Rights and publicized by B’tselem, an Israeli human rights agency, Ayman was then interrogated nonstop for 36 hours. Tactics used to coerce him to talk included: Violent shaking. Forced squatting and sitting in painful, contorted positions for prolonged periods. Wrist cuffs tightened until blood flow was cut off. Sleep deprivation. Refusal of permission to use the toilet. Threats to arrest and torture his family members. Ayman was denied the right to consult with his lawyer for a full month, and was not allowed any family visits for the entire 14 years he was jailed. His daughter, Sarah, knew of her father only through photographs. Although Ayman was freed in the prisoner exchange for Shalit, his forced separation from his wife and daughter continues. He was immediately exiled to the Gaza Strip, and his family was denied permission to travel there to see him from the West Bank. They have seen him only on TV, waving to the crowds in Gaza. “I was awakened (on Oct. 18, 2011) to the sound of my mother calling me,” recalls Sarah Kafishah. “I got up and rushed towards my mother, who was sitting in front of the TV. My mother knelt on the ground and thanked God.” Sarah and her mother said in a statement that they thank the Palestinian negotiators and the Egyptian mediators for making the exchange happen. They also called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to allow Ayman’s family to leave the West Bank to visit him in Gaza. A 14-year separation is long enough. Obada Saeed Bilal; jailed since April 2002: A native of Nablus in the West Bank, Obada is the son of Saeed Bilal. Obada was studying journalism at Najah University when he was seized, during the Israeli military campaign on the West Bank codenamed "Defensive Shield." He was charged with being a supporter military activities, It was just two weeks after his marriage to Nelly AlSafadi. Obada was sentenced to 11 years in jail and subjected to intensive torture, along with a number of stays in solitary confinement -- one time longer than six months. Says Obada: “I endured many rounds of continuous interrogation, during which the physical and psychological torture was so harsh my body became exhausted and I lost consciousness many times.” Obada had always struggled with poor eyesight, but he went totally blind by the time he was released from prison. His family has paid a heavy price to the Israeli occupying force. Obada’s wife, Nelly and three brothers also served time in Israeli prisons. Nelly, who was released several months before Obada, was arrested at a roadblock while trying to enter Ramallah. Although Obada was later moved to the same prison in which she was being held, they were never allowed to be together.  Although Obada was freed in the prisoner exchange for Shalit, he was immediately exiled to the Gaza Strip and his wife Nelly was denied permission to travel there to see him. Both families are urging the international community and all human rights groups to put pressure on Israel to strop its daily integration to Palestinians on check points and crossing borders and it must immediately allow those families access through crossing borders.

Freed prisoner hospitalized after release

NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Freed prisoner Amal Jumaah, 41, has been transferred to hospital days after her release from Israeli prison, says her brother Jameel Jumaah.

Amal was hospitalized in Nablus for complications due to bleeding in her stomach. She suffers cancer of the uterus and other serious health issues complicated by her time in jail, he says.

Jameel says his sister's case was taken on by the office of the president. Her family is also asking officials to intervene and if possible send her to a hospital abroad.

The head of the prisoners society in Nablus, Imad Ishtawi, told Ma'an that he too was urging officials to examine options for helping all prisoners who require medical attention.

Amal belonged to Fatah's armed wing, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. She served nine.

Occupation bars freed captives from travelling to perform pilgrimage

[ 04/11/2011 - 08:22 PM ]

AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authorities blocked recently freed captives from the West Bank from crossing to Jordan on their way to Makkah to perform pilgrimage.
According to those freed captives, they were travelling on coaches towards the King Hussain bridge border crossing, when their coaches were stopped at a military roadblock before reaching Jericho. They were told they would not be allowed to travel except for the two women Sana' Shehada and Alya' al-Ja'bari, the others were turned back.
They further said that the soldiers manning the roadblock had a list of their names and called their names out and told them they were banned from travelling.
The freed captives were told on Wednesday morning by the Awqaf Ministry that they should go to Ramallah to get their passports and join the pilgrims in the last minute. The main event of the pilgrimage takes place on Saturday.

Freed Palestinian prisoner recounts torture and mistreatment in Israeli jails

 AIC

Mukhlis Burghal, a Palestinian prisoner who was freed in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, recalls, "[The] torture keeps changing: beatings, isolation, tear gas, suspension of family visits." And after spending over 24 years in Israeli prisons, Burghal looks towards the future.

After more than two decades in Israeli prisons, Burghal is getting used to things like cellular technology. "I want to be with my family, stay in my city, get to know it and get to know the people once again," Burghal says. (Photo: German Krimer)

Mukhlis Burghal grins like a child each time his mobile rings. He has become addicted to cellular technology since he discovered it just ten days ago.

“I´m in love with it; I have it on me everywhere I go”, Burghal, 49, confesses with a boyish smile that clashes with his white hair. His face is kind; his manners remarkably relaxed for a man who spent over 24 years in Israeli prisons. He discusses both his time in jail and his new-found freedom under the shade of lemon and tangerine trees behind his family home in Lod, not far from Tel Aviv.

On October 18, Burghal was released along with 476 Palestinians in exchange for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who as captured by Hamas more than five years ago. Burghal seems neither sad nor angry. He is far too interested in “absorbing,” as he puts it, everything: the new unfamiliar objects, like cell phones; the old things he has forgotten; and the memories that helped him survive beatings and mistreatment--people and places that are becoming alive once again.

“This is like being born again. It´s what I feel; I´m being reborn”, he says, as he glances at his five-year-old niece playing nearby.

During Burghal’s first free night, his house was full of people. Relatives, friends and neighbours had gathered to celebrate the day they had been waiting for since September 11th, 1987, when Israeli policemen arrested Burghal for throwing a grenade at a bus full of Israeli soldiers. Although the grenade did not go off and nobody died, a military court sentenced him to life imprisonment. 17 years later, his sentence was reduced to 40 years in prison.

But no one was thinking of those difficult times on the night Burghal was released.

“The most impressive and rejoicing part was seeing and feeling people. My family, all the citizens in my city, the Arab citizens, and many people from around here and from all over the country. I felt and saw happiness in the eyes of those people; this was what impressed me most and made me really happy,” he recalls, his eyes clouded by emotion.

Close to midnight, the house was still crowded, but Burghal and two of his brothers snuck away and went to their father´s grave. He died in 1991 and Burghal had never had the chance to say goodbye to him, to lay flowers on his tomb, or to or hug his mother. Burghal had not been allowed any calls, letters, or visits other than the regular 30-minute visit every fortnight (oin recent years, visits have been extended to 45 minutes).

Mukhlis had another “small dream” to achieve. In less than half an hour, the three men were barefoot, enjoying the sand of Jaffa beach. Above them, the stars and the moon projected a show of light and shadow, a show Mukhlis could only dream of for the last 24 years.

As he looks back, the grey-haired man who plays with his mobile with a shy smile does not speak with regret; nor does he make a stern statement in favor of the armed struggle or the “Palestinian revolution.”

“What will become of my life?” he wonders aloud. “The first thing I want is to spend a long time with my mother, I want to make her happy. I want to be with my family, stay in my city, get to know it and get to know the people once again. I want to reach a point where I can  feel normal in this new life. I want to visit my brothers who live abroad, too. And then, maybe in a year or two, I´ll plan something out. For the time being, I can´t make any plans. All in all, I don´t see myself too distant from the activities for the community”.

The only time Burghal’s youthful smile fades is when he remembers his friends who are still behind bars.

“The hardest thing is to know there´s not much I can do for them. After so many years of sharing hardships they become your family. Their families are my family and mine is theirs”, he says, as he looks at his brother, who visited him every month during the quarter of a century he spent in prison.

Over the last few days, his family has learned about Burghal’s suffering--the mistreatment and deprivation he had to endure inside the prison.

“The initial questioning is one of the most difficult moments, the hardest”, Burghal says, touching his head. “My head ended up with 14 stitches.”

Halfway through his jail time, he received another severe beating that resulted in 16 stitches in his head, a punctured lung, a broken rib, and a dislocated jaw.

“[The] torture keeps changing: beatings, isolation, tear gas, suspension of family visits," he recalls, with an emotional detachment that makes his story even harder to hear.

Transfers from one jail to another were another method of torture. Prisoners sometimes travel for up to ten hours, inside a metal box, with metal seats, with hands and feet cuffed together. They stop for two or three hours at each prison where, if they are lucky, guards may allow them to go to a bathroom.

“The food is thrown inside the truck in plastic bags,” he says. “I myself always avoided eating during those trips because all cuffed up and very uncomfortable, I ended up vomiting.”

But one of the most difficult mistreatment that Palestinian prisoners endure is shoddy--or no-- medical attention, given on the whim of the Israeli authorities. Burghal remembered three of his mates who died from asthma attacks and another one who caught AIDS after the prison dentist used an old needle.

“That shows how much they care for us,” Burghal says.

Burghal had to face three medical issues during his long stay in prison; one in the knee, another one in his back, and the third in his teeth. For the first two, after having all the pre-surgery check-ups, doctors decided that the operations were “not necessary.” Now, Burghal is planning to undergo surgery abroad.

His teeth, on the other hand, turned into a legal battle which left a bitter taste in his mouth: “I managed to get a doctor from outside but once the treatment started, they called it off. So now it´s not finished. I was told I had to make a new request for the treatment since they wanted to study my case once again.”

Burghal has a thousand stories to tell from his life in prison; in these 24 years the world has changed and so has he. He went in as a 25-year-old and, now, he is 49. He went in a young man with his whole life ahead of him and came out a veteran whose prison mates called “Uncle.”

But he would rather not give too much thought to the years that passed and all he missed. He wants to travel, enjoy his family, and feel normal again. At midlife, Mukhlis wants to be reborn.

Egypt releases 6 Palestinians

File photo of the Rafah crossing on the border of Egypt and Gaza.
(MaanImages/Hatem Omar)

 

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Tuesday released six Palestinians who had been detained for illegally entering Egypt without permits.

Palestinian sources told Ma'an that six men from Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza were returned to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing.

They were identified as Ahmad al-Banna, Shadi al-Qirm, Iyad Mishal, Adnan Muhsin, Samir Arraj, and Ahmad Bardaweil.

All Freed Detainees Are Now In Gaza, Ramallah

Tuesday October 18, 2011 13:50 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

All Palestinian detainees released under the first phase of the prisoners-swap deal between Israel and the Hamas movement, except those sent to Egypt, are now in Gaza and Ramallah. This article includes the speeches of President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, and Hamas leader, Hasan Yousef, standing next to him.

Gaza Strip - Detainees Welcome Cermony - Still from Al Jazeera

The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, held a conference welcoming the detainees, and said “you are freedom fighters, for God and the country”.

Abbas said that he hopes that all detainees in Israeli prisons will be freed, and will be able to return home.

The President further stated that the suffering and steadfastness of the detainees will never be wasted.

“You sacrificed, you struggled, and you will see the outcome of this struggle; a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital”, Abbas said, “Your case was always our main focus around the world, we will continue to act for the release of all detainees”.

“God willing, we will soon see, brother Marwan Barghouthi, brother Ahmad Saadat, Ibrahim Hamed, Abbas Al Sayyid, and every detainee, coming back home”, Abbas stated, and also wished speedy recovery for Ahmad Saadat after his health condition deteriorated as he and the rest of the detainees continue their hunger-strike. Saadat is the secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

He also thanked Egypt for its role in the deal and in the reconciliation agreement between Fateh and Hamas, adding that this deal was initiated by the detainees in Israeli jails “who acted for the unity of their people”.

“Brothers and sisters, we are acting to achieve an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The future state will be in the 1967 borders, and Israel must stop all of its settlement activities and violations”, Abbas said, “I won't be telling a secret when I say that there is an agreement between us and and Israel for the release of more detainees after this deal is concluded, therefore, we are asking them (Israel) to abide by their vows. if they give weight to their own promises”.

“We are building the institutions of our future state, we have strong institutions, not found in other countries”, the president added, “brothers and sister, your families and friends wherever they are, are happy for you, for your release, but, let me say, that we owe all of this, after God, to all of the martyrs who sacrificed for our country”.

Abbas also thanked Egypt for its important role in reaching the deal.

Standing next to Abbas, Hamas leader, Hasan Yousef, stated in his speech the followed Abbas' speech that, “as much as we are happy for the release of the detainees, we are also in pain, because we still have brothers and sisters in Israeli jails”, and added that the Palestinian people will always act for the release of all detainees.

Yousef further stated that the Palestinian people have the capabilities to act for the release of all detainees, and that this prisoner-swap deal is a proof that resistance is an effective measure, to be conducted side-by-side with other venues of resistance and politics.

“Mr president, we all came here, to your home, representing all factions and segments of the society, to affirm our unity, we have no choice but to unite”, he added, “Mr. President, we all stand together, united, to counter the illegal Israeli policies that deny our legitimate rights. We want to thank Egypt, for its important local and regional role, and we want to thank every side that helped in achieving this deal, we want to thank the president, and all Arab countries, we are all brothers, and we must send a special thank you for our people in the Gaza Strip”.

Thousands then started chanting “With our soul and blood we sacrifice for Palestine”, and Yousef chanted with them.

In Gaza, Ismail Haniyya of Hamas and several political and military leaders of the movement and other factions, welcomed the detainees who were sent to Gaza and affirmed that resistance fights for the liberation of its people, and managed to achieve victories.

Meanwhile, Cairo declared a state of emergency at the Cairo International Airport as 40 of the released detainees will be flown out to Turkey, Qatar and Syria, as Israel conditioned their release with their exile.

It is worth mentioning that clashes were reported at the Betunia terminal leading to Ramallah, after the Israeli army closed the terminal as thousands of residents gathered there to welcome the detainees.

Thousands of residents, and families of the released detainees gathered near the terminal awaiting to greet and welcome the freed detainees.

The army used waste-water cannons, and fired gas bombs, to force the residents away, and said that the released detainees will be sent to the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah through another terminal.

The army then said that nobody will be allowed to greet the detainees at the terminal and forced the Red Cross out of the area before attacking the residents.

There are approximately 5000 detainees who are still imprisoned by Israel, dozens of them have been imprisoned since 20, 25 years or more.

First prisoners freed in West Bank, Gaza Strip

 Ma'an

RAFAH (AFP) -- The first Palestinian prisoners freed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as part of a landmark deal for the return of a captured Israeli soldier arrived home on Tuesday, an AFP reporter said.

Israel freed 477 Palestinian prisoners, most of them to the Gaza Strip, where Hamas leaders greeted former prisoners piling off buses bearing Red Cross insignia.

"We are going home with dignity, thank God," one prisoner told Egyptian television from the bus.

"Thank God for this great achievement. The Palestinian people deserve to live in freedom like everyone else," said another freed prisoner, thanking Egypt for mediating the deal.

"This (exchange deal) is the first step towards the full liberation of the Palestinian people," he said.

Three cars belonging to the ruling Hamas movement followed by a Red Cross vehicle accompanied a convoy of eight buses carrying the prisoners to their waiting relatives in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.

"More than 200,000 people have gathered now at the Katiba (in Gaza City) to participate in the main festival welcoming the prisoners," one of the Hamas officials involved in organizing the welcome rally said.

Buses carrying the first Palestinian prisoners to be freed in the West Bank headed towards the city of Ramallah on Tuesday, an AFP reporter said.

A convoy of several buses was heading to the seat of the Palestinian presidency, the Muqataa, in Ramallah, where the detainees were expected to be greeted by President Mahmoud Abbas.

Gaza's Hamas government had earlier released captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who in an interview shortly after said he hoped the prisoner exchange could lead to peace between both sides.

Crowds gathered in both Gaza and the West Bank awaiting the return of their prisoners.

"This is the greatest joy for the Palestinian people," said Azzia al-Qawasmeh, awaiting at a West Bank checkpoint for her son Amer, who she said had been in prison for 24 years.

The landmark deal between Israel and Hamas will see Israel freeing a total of 1,027 prisoners in exchange for the release of Shalit, a soldier who has been held by Gaza militants for more than five years.

Reuters contributed to this report

Women Prisoners: WOFPP Newsletter September 2011

WOFPP

Newsletter September 2011

There are, at present, 33 women political prisoners in the Israeli jails: 17 in Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond), 16 in Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain).

Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond)

The conditions in the cells

It is very hot in the cells. There is no air-condition and, at present, many fans are out of order. Until recently, the prisoners could buy fans in the canteen but the conditions deteriorated, and the prison authorities do not allow them to buy new fans. The prison authorities also refused their request to buy cooler boxes in order to have cold water in the unbearable heat.

Punishments

Ahlam elTamimi, from Ramallah, was arrested on 14 September 2001. On 30 September 2011, at the feast of Eid Elfiter, during the women political prisoners praying, Ahlam made a sermon. The prison authorities claimed that her sermon was an "incitement sermon" and transferred her to an isolation cell for two days. The prison authorities also punished the other prisoners by forbidding them from going out of the cell for 48 hours. Even Suha Abu Manshar with her baby who stays with her in prison was not allowed to go out with him.

Health care

Wafaa elBis, from Jebalya Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip, was arrested on 20 June 2005. She had an operation on her hand. WOFPP's lawyer, Taghreed Jahshan, visited her in prison after she had returned from hospital. Wafaa told her that after the operation she should get physiotherapy treatment but she has not received any. This is the second operation on her finger. After the previous operation she did not get any physiotherapy treatment either, and maybe this is the reason why she had to undergo another operation.

Searches

Recently, during the searches, the guards confiscated all the women political prisoners' phone notebooks. The guards told the prisoners that they would never give them back because the prisoners should not have phone notebooks at all.

Lawyers' visits

The prison authorities do not allow the women political prisoners to bring a pen and paper to meetings with lawyers.

Women under administrative detention

Hanaa Shalabi, from Burqin, Jenin district, an administrative detainee, was arrested on 14 September 2009. In July 2011, the Israeli authorities extended her administrative detention an additional four months. In August after she submitted an appeal it was reduced to three months.

'Aliya J'abri, from Hebron, an administrative detainee, 30 years old, was arrested on 15 February 2011. The Israeli authorities extended her administrative detention an additional three months.

Prisoners who were transferred to Hasharon Prison

Maryam elTarbin, from Jericho, was arrested on 25 January 2005. After she was held in Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle) in a separation cell for about six months, she was transferred, on 30 August 2011, from there to Hasharon Prison.

Ramya Abu Samra , 31 years old, form Yatta, Hebron district, was arrested on 16 December 2010. On 12 September 2011, she was transferred from Damoon Prison to Hasharon Prison.

Released Prisoners

Suha Abu Manshar, from Hebron, 22 years old, mother of a baby who was with her in prison. She was arrested on 14 August 2011, sentenced to 30 days imprisonment and a fine of 25000 NIS (about 6950 USD), and released on 13 September 2011.

Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain)

Searches

About once a week, there are searches in the night. Recently, the prison authorities confiscated books from women political prisoners. These books were not returned to the prisoners, though in the past the prison authorities had allowed to let in these books.

Health care

In September, during about two weeks, there was no physician in the prison.

Handicraft

The prison authorities are still refusing to hand over the materials for handicraft that - months ago - the Red Cross had brought for the prisoners.

Women under administrative detention

Linan Abu Ghulme, an administrative detainee from Bet Furiq, Nablus district, was arrested on 15 July 2010. In August 2011, she was brought to a session in a military court. On the way to and from the court she was held for four days in a separation cell in the criminal prisoners' wing in Neve Tirza Prison. The conditions were very bad: The cell was very small without windows, the guards' attitude was very harsh, and they did not allow her to let in things that she had brought from Damoon Prison, such as sheets and shampoo.

Sentences

Somud Karaja, 23 yeas old, from Safa, Ramallah district, was arrested on 25 October 2009. On 16 August 2011, a military court sentenced her to 20 years' imprisonment.

For donations to WOFPP :
Bank account:
Women's Organization for Political Prisoners (WOFPP)
Account number: 471067
BANK HAPOALIM
Branch 532
Daniel Frisch St. 3,Tel Aviv 64078, ISRAEL
IBAN number: IL 60-0125-3200-0000-0471-067
BIC (swift): POALILIT

Address to receive the contribution:
WOFPP
Frug Street 30
Tel Aviv 63417, ISRAEL

Samir Allawi released after 49 days of illegal detention

Tuesday September 27, 2011 04:37 by http://ufree-p.net/ - The European Network to support the rights of Palestinians Prisoners

Monday afternoon, Israeli military court decided to release Al-Jazeera bureau chief in Afghanistan, journalist Samir Allawi, after 49 days in illegal detention and interrogation.

Allawi After His Release - Al Jazeera

Samir Allawi appeared at Israeli military court hearings seven times since his arrest on August 9th August however he was cleared from all accusations made against him.

UFree congratulates journalist Allawi on his determination and will follow his illegal detention by Israel at international and legal platforms in order to expose the Israeli violations against freedom of expression and movement.

Israel still detains five Gaza citizens as "unlawful combatants"

[ 21/09/2011 - 04:41 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority is still holding five Gaza citizens under the so-called law of unlawful combatant after concluding their terms in prison, the Palestinian ministry of prisoners in Gaza said on Wednesday. Riyadh Al-Ashqar, the ministry’s spokesman, said the IOA released Abdullah Abu Mughiseeb, 29, a week ago after serving a six-year sentence then two more years as unlawful combatant thus reducing the number of those detainees to five. He charged the IOA with adopting that law in 2005 after the withdrawal from Gaza Strip and after endorsing it at the Knesset to circumvent the international law. He said that the law allowed the IOA to hold Palestinian citizens in custody without charge and for unlimited period. The detainees are not allowed to know charges leveled against them, not allowed to defend themselves, and not allowed to appear before court. Ashqar called for intervention on the part of the international human rights groups to stop this crime against the Palestinian prisoners and to annul this law, which contravenes international laws and conventions, and to release all those Palestinian detainees held under this law.

Israeli court releases politician to house arrest

JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – An Israeli military court sentenced on Monday a Palestinian politician from Jerusalem to house arrest for 30 days.

The Palestinian Popular Struggle Front said in a statement that Awni Abu Ghosh was sent to house arrest Monday just after he was released from Israeli custody.

Abu Ghosh is secretary of the PPSF’s politburo and member of the central and the national councils of the PLO. He was detained in September at Atara checkpoint.

The statement slammed the decision describing it as part of a racist policy against Palestinian leaders to restrict their movement as the PA struggles to achieve recognition of statehood.

Fatah secretary released after being detained in Silwan

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Fatah secretary Adnan Ghaith was released by Israeli authorities on Thursday, Palestinian security sources said.

Ghaith had been detained by Israeli forces on Wednesday in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

The Fatah official was expelled from Jerusalem in January by Israeli authorities and banned from entering the city for eight months. He was arrested hours after returning to Jerusalem.

Israeli authorities fined Ghaith 5,000 shekels and forbid him from entering Silwan for a period of 20 days, security sources told Ma'an.

Israeli special force abducts five men south of Gaza

[ 11/09/2011 - 12:06 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- An Israeli military force abducted Saturday night five young Palestinian men east of the Israeli kibbutz  Kissufim, adjacent to the southern Gaza Strip, security sources and witnesses said in identical reports. Israeli jeeps accompanied by reconnaissance aircraft and Apache helicopters briefly entered east of Qarara in the Gaza Strip and swiftly abducted the men, covering themselves by firing heavy ammunition at Palestinians and their property, the sources said. Later on Sunday morning, three of the abductees were set free by the Israeli security forces after being severely assaulted, security sources said. The whereabouts of the other two abductees as well as the motives behind the operation remain a mystery. ---------------------

Israeli forces briefly detain 3 boys in central Gaza

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Sunday released three Palestinian boys who were detained overnight near a military base in the central Gaza Strip, a Ma'an correspondent reported.

The boys, aged between 11 and 15, were detained near Kissufim army base south of Deir al-Balah.

Witnesses said at least eight army jeeps entered Gaza near Al-Qarara village and opened fire from military towers before detaining the boys.

The detainees were interrogated for several hours and then released, a Ma'an reporter said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers apprehended three Palestinians who were trying to cross the security fence into Israel.

Hamas denounces preventive security storming of released MP’s home

[ 07/09/2011 - 07:38 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Hamas lawmakers in the West Bank have denounced the PA preventive security apparatus for storming the home of MP Sheikh Hassan Yousef who was Tuesday released from Israeli occupation jails. A statement by the lawmakers on Wednesday said that the preventive security agents broke into the home of Sheikh Yousef and confiscated the green banners and flags of Hamas in blatant violation of his immunity and in violation of the reconciliation atmosphere. Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, condemned the act in a press release on Wednesday, adding that it displayed the moral degradation of those security apparatuses. He urged PA chief Mahmoud Abbas to issue a decree binding those apparatuses with the reconciliation agreement and atmosphere or else they would continue to threaten national relations. Ismail Radwan, a Hamas leader in Gaza, also denounced the act only one day after Yousef’s release from Israeli occupation jails. He said in a press release that the security apparatus’s “shameful” behavior ran contrary to efforts aimed at applying the reconciliation agreement.

2 brothers released from Israeli custody

JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – Israeli authorities have released two brothers from Jerusalem, Hamed and Muhammad Abu Sneineh.

The brothers were on their way back home from Jordan when they were detained for several hours and taken for investigations.

The brothers told a Ma’an correspondent that they were handed a warning to see the intelligence on Wednesday.

Israel releases 2 female detainees

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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Two Palestinian woman left Israeli jail after completing their sentences, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society said Thursday.

Kefah Qatesh from Ramallah, and Aysha Ighneimat from Hebron, spoke out about their conditions in prison after being freed.

Qatesh, 38, was released from Israel's Hasharon prison after a year under administrative detention, in which no charges are filed but 6 month jail terms can be renewed by Israeli authorities for Palestinian detainees.

Female detainees in Israeli prison are suffering from difficult heath and living circumstances, that have escalated after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved to worsen Palestinian prisoners' conditions, she said.

In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the prison service to toughen conditions for Palestinian detainees in an effort to pressure Hamas to release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

The measures were widely condemned by Palestinian officials and prompted hunger strikes by prisoners in protest against the changes.

Qatesh demanded the release of Palestinian detainees, and an end to violations of prisoners' rights by the Israeli authorities.

Aysha Ighneimat, 20, was also released from Israel's Damon prison on Thursday after two years imprisonment.

Ighneimat described poor living conditions for detainees in Israeli custody, saying cells had insect problems and high humidity, and prisoners suffered from narrow yard areas and medical negligence, particularly affecting female detainees.