Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli Border Guards detained a Palestinian man from the Gaza Strip on Sunday, after pursuing him through the streets of the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, police said.
During the chase, police claimed, the suspect attacked an officer, causing bruising. As a result, backup forces were called to the scene, and fired warning shots in the air before detaining the man, reportedly working illegally in Israel.
An Israeli police spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Human rights group issues report on Palestinian prisoners' reality in Israeli jails
Vienna, April 5, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Friends of Humanity International issued on Saturday "Behind the Sun"-- a detailed report describing the Palestinian prisoners’ reality in Israeli jails during 2009, confirming that 2009 was exceptionally one of the worst years: Israeli prison administration practiced new methods against them, to increase both the psychological and physical pressure on them and continue locking them up in an exceedingly difficult environment, with the aim of rendering them soulless bodies, to guarantee they cannot live afterward. The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) also sought to destroy the Palestinian prisoner’s psyche, affecting his family as well, through oppressive policies such as preventing families from visiting their jailed relatives for very long periods of time.The human rights group said that the Palestinian prisoners are still setting rare examples throughout humanity history, in terms of patience and endurance; where under tragic circumstances, tens of thousands of the Palestinian prisoners were forced to undergo months under torture and whips of occupation executioners in the dungeons of investigation, that they have long suffered years of oppression at the hands of prison guards and Shabas. The prisoner‘s ability to withstand these conditions and survive is a great meaning in the course of defending the right to life.
The organization pointed out that the number of prisoners in Israeli occupation jails has reached 7286 male and female prisoners over the past year, of whom 36 are females, as well as 20 ministers and deputies, in addition to 250 children under the age of 18, whose detention has been accordingly prohibited by laws. Occupation authorities also arrested 319 prisoners since before the Oslo peace accords signed by the Palestinian and Israeli sides in 1993, known as long-term prisoners (old prisoners), 115 of whom have now been held for more than twenty years, including three prisoners now being held for more than thirty years: Nael Al-Barghouthi, Fakhry Al-Barghouthi and Akram Mansour.
Because Israeli occupation authorities refuse to release them in prisoner exchange deals with the Palestinians, the focus of this report is on the Palestinian prisoners, originally from Jerusalem and areas beyond the Green Line, who have continued to be marginalized by Israeli occupation authorities. Last year’s statistics showed that the number of both sexes Jerusalemite prisoners was 273. The Palestinian captive Fuad Al-Razim from Silwan neighborhood in the occupied Jerusalem is considered the dean of Jerusalemite prisoners, arrested 29 years ago. The number of Jerusalemites who died in Israeli prisons was 14, the first of whom was Qasim Abdullah Abu Aker, died in 1969 as a result of torture during interrogation in the prison "Al Maskoubiya". The last one was captive Joma’a Keyalah, who died nearly a year ago, after having spent 13 years in Al Ramlah prison hospital.
According to the organization, there are 31 Jerusalemite prisoners; some of them sets of brothers, inside Israeli jails who are still suffering bitter conditions. Among those prisoners are 3 brothers--Mousa, Khalil and Ibrahim Sarahneh who have been sentenced to life imprisonment since 2002. Regarding solitary confinement prisoners, there are two of them, both from Jerusalem: Abed Al-Naser Al-Hulaissi who has been isolated for more than 13 years, and Mo‘taz Hijazi, isolated for nine years. There is also Jerusalemite deputy-prisoner Mohammed Abu Teir, who spent more than 25 years in Israeli jails.
According to the human rights organization “Friends of Humanity”, there are four Jerusalemite females prisoners in Israeli jails: Ibtisam Issawi, resident of Jabel Al-Mukaber and sentenced to 14 years; Amna Mona, the oldest female prisoner, resident of the Old City, and is sentenced to life imprisonment; Sana‘a Shehadeh, a resident of Qalandia refugee camp, also sentenced to life imprisonment; and finally captive Nada Derbas, resident of Issawiya town and received a 4-year sentence.
Presenting the conditions of Jerusalem’s prisoners, the organization recalled the sixty-year-and-a-half-year-old Ali Hassan Abed Rabu Shallaldah, the eldest among prisoners from the occupied Jerusalem, held prisoner for 19 years and is currently serving a sentence of 25 years. He has 12 children, 8 of whom got married while he was languishing in captivity.
The organization stated that Wael Mahmoud Qassem, from Silwan town in the occupied east Jerusalem, received the longest ever sentence of a total of 35 life sentences in prison in addition to 50 years. He is married with four children. Brothers Ramadan and Fahmi Mashahreh have been sentenced to 20 life sentences. Israeli occupation forces also demolished their homes. The organization also named the two Jerusalemite prisoners Dr. Abed Al-aziz Amro and Alaa Al-Din Al-Bazian, both sentenced to life imprisonment.
For the Palestinian female prisoners, the human rights organization asserted that 36 Palestinian women are in Israeli jails toiling in harsh conditions, 27 of whom from the West Bank, 4 from Jerusalem, 4 from Palestinian areas inside the Green Line, and only one from the Gaza Strip. Also, there are five mothers along with sons in detention, with sentences ranging from 13 to 3 life sentences and thirty years. Their names are: Irena Poly Sarahneh, a mother of two daughters; Ibtisam Abdul Hafiz, with six sons; Qahera Said Al-Saadi, with four children; Iman Mohammed Gazzawi, a mother of two; and finally Latifa Mohammed Abu Thera’, who has seven children.
According to the organization, among the Palestinian prisoners, there are 250 delinquents in Israeli jails, aged less than 18 years old. These children are equally abused as their elders, and subjected to torture, unfair trials, inhuman treatment and violations of their fundamental rights.
The organization noted that Israeli occupation authorities discriminate against the prisoners from the Palestinian areas inside the Green Line. They consider them Israeli citizens; nevertheless, they do not treat them the same way they deal with Jewish prisoners, due to Israel’s prevailing racist policy. Furthermore, Israeli government refuses to include their names in any prisoner swap deals. There are 109 prisoners from both sexes in different Israeli jails; the 78-year-old Sami Younis who was arrested 27 years ago is considered the dean of all prisoners.
Considered as the most dangerous move, Israeli government formed a ministerial committee in March 2009, to intensify violations against the prisoners. It sought to study and appraise the situation of Palestinian prisoners, with the aim of choking them. Indeed, the committee has since adopted several decisions and unjust procedures, to crush them. There are more than 1000 prisoners in Israeli jails, suffering chronic diseases, and are subjected to medical negligence. There are also more than 1500 Palestinian prisoners and others from the West Bank who have been deprived of seeing their families for long times, including 775 prisoners from the Gaza Strip denied family visits since Israel imposed the siege on the Gaza Strip in 2006, under the pretext of maintaining security.
New Israeli violations were documented; such as using detainees as human shields during the recent assault on the Gaza Strip and forcibly keeping them in holes amid heavy firing. Israeli occupation forces also turned Palestinian-owned houses into military barracks while locking up the entire family in one room only.
Also, Gaza’s fishermen were a direct target for Israeli aggression. The number of Gazan fishermen who constantly were attacked by Israelis increased, as Israeli navy forces, almost every day, arrested them, confiscated their boats and tools, and humiliated and blackmailed them. Israeli occupation forces also arrested patients at Beit Hanoun crossing ‘Erez’ kept them for interrogation, and put pressure on them to collaborate with Israeli intelligence. The organization confirmed that all people arrested were subjected to torture and humiliation, and that inflicting all kinds of torture on the prisoners is an integral part of Israel’s policy against them.
In its report, “Friends of humanity” said that the prisoner is detained under administrative detention for many years without charging him, and it may extend longer than five years. Also, there are prisoners who were transferred to administrative detention after they had served long sentences. The prisoner Fathi al-Hayek, head of Zeta Jammai'n (Nablus) village, is the oldest administrative prisoner, imprisoned for more than four years. However, the organization noted that there was a significant decrease in the number of administrative detainees during the last year, where only 280 administrative detainees remained in detention.
The organization referred to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which clearly stipulates the illegality of the continuing isolation of the prisoner more than thirty days, regardless of the offense he made. However, this was not honored by occupation authorities. They held so many prisoners in long-term isolation instead. For example, prisoners Mahmoud Issa, Abdullah Barghouthi and Hassan Salameh have been isolated since 2002, Mo'taz Hijazi and Ahmed Al-Mughrabi isolated since 2004 and Jamal Abu Al-Hija isolated since 2005.
Unprecedently, Israeli occupation authorities have arrested since mid-2006 51 Palestinian MPs and ministers, and gave most of them harsh sentences. Later, many of them were released after having spent nearly four years in captivity, but the other remaining 20 are still in different prisons under very difficult conditions.
In 2009, Israeli prison authorities tried to impose the orange uniform instead of brown. Therefore, they clearly wanted to make resemblance between them and prisoners in American prisons at Guantanamo Bay. So if one saw the Palestinian prisoners in such clothes, it would come to his mind the intended similarity between the two groups. But the decision was rejected by the prisoners, despite all punishment and strangulation, and then prison administration realized that it would not be able to implement the decision. So they had to postpone it.
“Friends of Humanity” said that 15 arrests were recorded last year, most of whom were from the Gaza Strip arrested during Israel’s war on Gaza. The majority of them faced unjust decisions mostly labeling them as ‘illegal fighters’. After they had served their sentences, they, however, were not released and continued to live under miserable conditions. Undoubtedly, this is a flagrant violation of human rights and standards of just trial as well, where the Palestinian prisoner is unable to defend himself, and is detained indefinitely without a specific charge.
By: Fuad Al Khoffash (Researcher) and Ghassan Obaid (Human Rights Activist)Translated by: Mohammed S. El-Nadi
Photo by: Pam Bailey
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Hamas MP meets Red Cross representative over prisoners
| [ 01/04/2010 - 09:30 AM ] |
 |
| BETHLEHEM, (PIC)-- Hamas MP in Bethlehem Khaled Tafesh on Wednesday discussed with the Red Cross representative in the city the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails. The lawmaker said that a number of those prisoners suffer serious health problems and are in need of special care on the part of the Red Cross. He also raised the issue of depriving prisoners of family visits for alleged "security reasons", and the suffering of prisoners during transportation from jails to courts and vice versa. Another MP Marwan Abu Ras concluded a visit to Mauritania where he met with many lawmakers, partisan leaders and took part in many activities and met with religious scholars and the press. |
Hamas prisoner exiled to Syria
Saleh Al-Aruri was freed from Israeli prison and forced into exile along with his wife and mother, according to Al-Qassam's Web site.
Jordanian officials refused to accept Al-Aruri two weeks ago, and the three were forced back into the West Bank until they received permission to travel to the Syrian capital, the site reported.
Al-Aruri spent 18 years in prison on charges of organizing resistance to the occupation of the West Bank.
Israel implementing Shalit deal?
Al-Aruri's name is among those detainees which Hamas demanded in exchange for a captured Israeli soldier, raising questions that Israel and Hamas had confidentially implemented the a deal.
Issa Qaraqe, the West Bank-based prisoners minister, told Ma'an that accepting the exile decision was unacceptable, if confirmed. "How can a prisoner exile himself?" he said, insisting that Fatah has refused a number of times the prospect of releasing someone to exile.
Qaraqe said that "approving the exile opens wide the door to implementing the occupation's policy of renewing their offers for the prisoners." These offers are nationally unacceptable, Qaraqe added, especially if the person is forced to exile himself.
Omar Abdul Razzaq, head of the Change and Reform bloc, said the decision was personal and not Hamas' official stance. He dismissed reports that the exile "has anything to do with the Shalit deal."
Hamdan: The release of prisoner Aroori is not part of any swap deal |
| [ 01/04/2010 - 08:45 AM ] |
 |
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan categorically denied that the release of prisoner Saleh Al-Aroori and his travel to Damascus was part of the swap deal, affirming that the deal is still stalled because of Israel’s intransigent attitude. “I should make it clear that there is nothing new regarding the prisoner swap deal which was hampered by the [Israeli] occupation, so there is no progress in the deal,” Hamdan said in a press statement published on Wednesday by Quds Press. The Hamas official accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah of working on aborting the swap deal. “I believe that some parties [in the PA] were concerned about the prospects for the success of the deal and did not want it to succeed; they also demanded not to release specific names,” he underlined. Director of Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies Fouad Al-Khafsh also denied news reports claiming that prisoner Aroori was released in the context of a swap deal between Israel and Hamas. In a press release, Khafsh stated that Aroori was released after he lodged many appeals with the Israeli military court against his administrative detention without leveling any charge against him. He added that every time, the Israeli military court turned down his appeals and told him that he could be released from prison if he accepted to be exiled outside occupied Palestine, the thing which was rejected by Aroori, but lately his lawyer reached a formula for his release, that were accepted by both parties, stipulating that he would be allowed to return to his family and home for a while before allowing him to travel abroad in order to complete his higher studies. In another context, the director of Ahrar center urged Palestinian officials in charge of the prisoner swap deal to warn Israel that every month its soldier Gilad Shalit spends in captivity would prompt his captors to change and increase their demands for his release. |
Ghoul: Jerusalem captives in any prisoners swap deal
| [ 31/03/2010 - 06:38 PM ] |
 |
GAZA, (PIC)-- Minister of prisoners and justice in Gaza Mohammed Al-Ghoul has affirmed that any prisoners exchange deal with the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) must include Jerusalem and 1948 occupied Palestine captives. He told a rally held on Wednesday in solidarity with the prisoners of Jerusalem and the 1948 occupied lands that the IOA would eventually acquiesce to the resistance's demands. The minister said that prisoners of the 1948 occupied lands are "freedom fighters" and fight occupation of their land with bare chests. |
IOA imposed house arrest on journalist for exposing crimes
| [ 31/03/2010 - 05:52 PM ] |
 |
| OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has been imposing house arrest on the Israeli journalist Anat Kam for three months for leaking secret information regarding the IOA deliberate killing of two Jihad activists in Jenin district. The British Independent newspaper published on Tuesday said that Kam, who used to work for Walla news agency, had leaked secret documents during her service in the army that detailed the assassination crime and the legal violations involved. The report said that the charges leveled against Kam, 23, would entail prolonged incarceration if she is indicted for photocopying secret documents while in service. It said that two of the Islamic Jihad movement cadres were killed in Kufr Dan village, west of Jenin, in June 2007 while they could have been arrested alive. |
Hamas: Palestinian prisoners to stage a general strike in April
| [ 31/03/2010 - 05:08 PM ] |
 |
| OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The higher committee of Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails on Wednesday declared that the Palestinian prisoners of all political spectra will soon organize a general strike in protest at the ongoing Israeli violations of their rights. In a statement issued in this regard, the committee said that this general strike, which was approved by all factions, is aimed to pressure Israeli jailers to stop their inhuman practices against Palestinian female and male prisoners in all prisons and detention centers. The committee emphasized its full support for this strike which will take place in April, noting that this general strike will include a number of protest steps, where the prisoners will refuse to receive visits from their families and will stage a mass hunger strike during all visit days. It added that these steps will also include special events on the Palestinian prisoner day which marks April 17. In a related context, the prisoners of Hamas in Negev jail deplored the prison administration for removing the MBC channel from the list of channels allowed to be seen in prison because of its broadcast of a Turkish TV series called “A stone cry” which illustrates some aspects of the Palestinian people’s suffering under the Israeli occupation. For his part, Fouad Al-Khafsh, the head of Ahrar center for prisoners' studies, said that the decision is part of the arbitrary policy pursued by the prison administration which aims to suppress the Palestinian prisoners. He added that the Israeli prison authority decided to block the channel after it saw all Palestinian prisoners mesmerized in front of screens watching the Turkish series that almost ruined the Israel-Turkish relations. |
Shrapnel still in body of Palestinian captive after 20 years of detention
| [ 31/03/2010 - 09:11 AM ] |
 |
| QALQILIA, (PIC)-- The family of Palestinian captive Iyad Abu Khaizaran from Tobas in the West Bank said that their son was suffering from shrapnel that still existed in his body almost 20 years after his detention. They said in a message published by the prisoners' center for studies on Tuesday that Abu Khaizara was hit with 11 bullets in his hands and feet during an attack on Israeli soldiers in 1991. The detainee underwent several surgeries to extract the resulting shrapnel from his body but some of them remained until the present day, the message went on. The family appealed for an end to the suffering of their son, who is currently held in Hadarim jail. Ra'fat Hamdona, the head of the center, said that the Israeli occupation forces demolished the home of Abu Khaizaran in 1992 and he was sentenced to life plus 25 years in jail. He noted that Abu Khaizaran had been held in solitary confinement for long periods. |
Palestinian captive loses eyesight as prisoners agree on strike next month
Palestinian Information Center
 |
March 30, 2010 RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- A Palestinian captive went blind in Israeli occupation jails due to the medical neglect of his case on the part of the Israeli prisons authority (IPA), a released prisoner told the Palestinian center for the defense of prisoners. The center in a statement on Monday said that the captive was primarily diagnosed with spring conjunctivitis but the IPA did not offer him the proper treatment and refused to let a doctor check him, which led to deterioration of his condition few months later at the end of which he lost his eyesight. It warned of the continued IPA deliberate medical neglect of Palestinian prisoners, describing it as "intentional slow death". The center quoted chairperson of the Mandela institution catering for prisoners Buthaina Dukmak as saying that a number of prisoner patients held in Ramle prison hospital were anticipating death as they suffer critical conditions without any proper medical treatment. She said that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) was incarcerating more than 1,600 sick patients in its jails, adding that they are in dire need of check up by specialized doctors. The center said that the IPA deliberate medical neglect was in violation of international norms and treaties specially the fourth Geneva convention that stipulated among other things a dignified captivity for prisoners. It championed the formation of a regional and international pressure lobby to demand the release of prisoners especially the sick, children and women. Meanwhile, the Palestinian prisoners of all factions agreed on refusing visits during the month of April and on three days of hunger strike, which they specified at 7-17-27 of April. The prisoners said in a statement that the strike is to protest their bad imprisonment conditions, the IPA escalation against them and their relatives on all levels especially preventing family visits, which the Gaza prisoners were deprived of for the past four years. They would also protest the humiliating searches and treatment of relatives when on their way for visits in the West Bank along with banning entry of books, depriving students from accessing Palestinian secondary exams, and barring Al-Jazeera TV network. They said that a number of prisons would go on five days of hunger strike such as the Nafha internees to cope with their special demands. Ra'fat Hamdona, the head of the prisoners' center for studies, urged local and international institutions to launch supportive programs of those prisoners' demands. |
Egyptian forces detain 12 Gaza children
Al-Arish – Ma'an – Egyptian authorities detained 12 Palestinian children attempting to enter Egypt on Monday, through Gaza's subterranean tunnel complex.
Egyptian police said they seized the boys, aged between 10 and 17, after ambushing them to reveal the location of the tunnels in use. The boys told Egyptian forces that they were attempting to flee the dire economic situation in the Gaza Strip, police said.
Meanwhile, Egyptian forces raided a warehouse used to store goods for smuggling into Gaza in the Al-Barahma neighborhood near the Egyptian-Gaza border to the south.
Egyptian police said they seized the boys, aged between 10 and 17, after ambushing them to reveal the location of the tunnels in use. The boys told Egyptian forces that they were attempting to flee the dire economic situation in the Gaza Strip, police said.
Meanwhile, Egyptian forces raided a warehouse used to store goods for smuggling into Gaza in the Al-Barahma neighborhood near the Egyptian-Gaza border to the south.
CPT report corroborates family account of child arrest
Published Tuesday 30/03/2010 (updated) 31/03/2010 17:24
A photo of Suhad provided by her father [MaanImages]
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A report from Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron confirmed reports of the detention of a 13-year-old girl by Israeli forces last week.
At the time, an Israeli military spokesman said he had no knowledge of the incident, which was left uncorroborated until a CPT report was released on Thursday.
According to the report, "At about 5:45pm , CPTers followed four soldiers as they entered the girl’s home and ordered the entire family to the roof. Once on the roof, a fifth soldier from a permanent post on a neighboring Israeli settler home ordered the family’s three teenage daughters to one side of the roof.
"The soldier singled out the 13-year-old and accused her of throwing a stone. The girl’s mother protested saying that minutes before she had notified this soldier of settlers throwing stones at her as she hung her laundry and that he had seen settlers throwing stones. She was dumbfounded that the soldier’s response was to call another unit of soldiers to detain her daughter.
"Two more units of soldiers arrived at the house before escorting the girl out of her home. The girl’s aunt attempted to prevent the soldiers from taking the girl by linking arms with her and refusing to let go. After a five-minute stand off, soldiers stated that the aunt could accompany the girl and the group of eighteen soldiers escorted them both away to a military jeep. Israeli police arrived, arrested the girl and took her and her aunt to a police station for questioning and fingerprints."
Ma'an had identified the child as Suhad Al-Ewaiwi, whose father contacted the Palestinian Prisoners Society shortly after his daughter was taken from their home. Lawyer with the society, Muhammad Shahin, said he called Israeli police, who told him settlers accused the girl of throwing stones at them.
At the time, an Israeli military spokesman said he had no knowledge of the incident, which was left uncorroborated until a CPT report was released on Thursday.
According to the report, "At about 5:45pm , CPTers followed four soldiers as they entered the girl’s home and ordered the entire family to the roof. Once on the roof, a fifth soldier from a permanent post on a neighboring Israeli settler home ordered the family’s three teenage daughters to one side of the roof.
"The soldier singled out the 13-year-old and accused her of throwing a stone. The girl’s mother protested saying that minutes before she had notified this soldier of settlers throwing stones at her as she hung her laundry and that he had seen settlers throwing stones. She was dumbfounded that the soldier’s response was to call another unit of soldiers to detain her daughter.
"Two more units of soldiers arrived at the house before escorting the girl out of her home. The girl’s aunt attempted to prevent the soldiers from taking the girl by linking arms with her and refusing to let go. After a five-minute stand off, soldiers stated that the aunt could accompany the girl and the group of eighteen soldiers escorted them both away to a military jeep. Israeli police arrived, arrested the girl and took her and her aunt to a police station for questioning and fingerprints."
Ma'an had identified the child as Suhad Al-Ewaiwi, whose father contacted the Palestinian Prisoners Society shortly after his daughter was taken from their home. Lawyer with the society, Muhammad Shahin, said he called Israeli police, who told him settlers accused the girl of throwing stones at them.
French FM calls for release of Palm Sunday detainees
Published Tuesday 30/03/2010 (updated) 31/03/2010 12:49
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs representative called for the release of Palm Sunday detainee Abbas Zaki and his compatriots detained by Israeli forces during a peaceful protest.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday a representative said "Abbas Zaki, member of Fatah Central Committee, was arrested Sunday with a dozen other people during a peaceful march from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to the Checkpoint of the 'Tomb of Rachel.'
"The march was organized by a Christian NGO, to protest against the restrictions of access to Jerusalem imposed on Palestinian Christians during the Palm Sunday.
"We call for the release of Abbas Zaki and people arrested during a peaceful demonstration in support of freedom of access to the Holy City for a major Christian religious holiday."
Christians denied entry into Jerusalem because of a West Bank closure on the occasion of Jewish Passover demonstrated Sunday against Israel's infringement on their freedom of worship. Peaceful protesters crossed the separation wall when a steel door in the barrier opened to let military vehicles into the West Bank. More than a dozen were detained and remain in Israeli custody.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday a representative said "Abbas Zaki, member of Fatah Central Committee, was arrested Sunday with a dozen other people during a peaceful march from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to the Checkpoint of the 'Tomb of Rachel.'
"The march was organized by a Christian NGO, to protest against the restrictions of access to Jerusalem imposed on Palestinian Christians during the Palm Sunday.
"We call for the release of Abbas Zaki and people arrested during a peaceful demonstration in support of freedom of access to the Holy City for a major Christian religious holiday."
Christians denied entry into Jerusalem because of a West Bank closure on the occasion of Jewish Passover demonstrated Sunday against Israel's infringement on their freedom of worship. Peaceful protesters crossed the separation wall when a steel door in the barrier opened to let military vehicles into the West Bank. More than a dozen were detained and remain in Israeli custody.
Prisoner families to suspend visits for 1 month
Nablus – Ma'an – A committee representing relatives of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody announced Monday that family visits would be suspended for one month in protest of Israeli policies.
The committee said the strike would start on 1 April and end on 1 May in protest of "Israeli arrogance" toward families visiting their relatives in prison. They also highlighted that several families were deprived of visits, predominantly those of prisoners from the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the committee explained that the strike came in protest of Israel's confiscation of permits from certain families when they passed through checkpoints in addition to strip searches during prison visits.
Meanwhile, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails say they will go on hunger strikes on 7, 17, and 27 April.
The committee said the strike would start on 1 April and end on 1 May in protest of "Israeli arrogance" toward families visiting their relatives in prison. They also highlighted that several families were deprived of visits, predominantly those of prisoners from the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the committee explained that the strike came in protest of Israel's confiscation of permits from certain families when they passed through checkpoints in addition to strip searches during prison visits.
Meanwhile, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails say they will go on hunger strikes on 7, 17, and 27 April.
ECHO program helps rehabilitate former child prisoners
Published Tuesday 30/03/2010 (updated) 30/03/2010 22:42
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Since its launch almost one year ago, an EU commission child rehabilitation program has offered its intervention services to almost 500 ex-detainee children under the age of 18, and 291 parents.
Save the Children Sweden with funding from the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) and in partnership with YMCA have held an event at the premises of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Ramallah marking the completion of phase I of the Post-trauma Rehabilitation of Palestinian Ex-detainee Children program, a statement read.
The program was launched almost one year ago in eleven districts of the West Bank; the second phase is due to commence in early April 2010.
"It's been quite a full year for the Post-trauma Rehabilitation Program!" said Eyad Al-Araj, country director of Save the Children Sweden.
"We at Save the Children believe in a world that is free of violence against children, where children have hope and opportunity, and we are working to achieve this vision for Palestinian child ex-detainees through this program," he added.
Herve Caiveau, head of ECHO office in Jerusalem said: "The project aims at rehabilitating and re-integrating young child ex-detainees into their families and their society through individual and group counselling as well as career guidance. Additionally, project activities are directed towards mitigating stigmatisation and marginalisation of this target group."
The program provides individual and group counseling sessions to ex-detainee children and their families. Beneficiaries of the programme also obtain vocational and academic guiding sessions, and are engaged in structured ventilation activities, where they get to interact with each other and release some of the stress and anxiety caused by their detention experience in a stimulating and safe environment.
The event also featured the launch of a short documentary entitled Coming Home, produced as part of the program to shed light on the challenges facing Palestinian ex-detainee children after their release from prison and to introduce the intervention tools available through the Post-trauma Rehabilitation Program. The event was preceded by a photo exhibition encompassing a selection of 25 photos captured by ex-detainee children and young adults. The photos reflect the impressions, feelings, and thoughts of the ex-detainees in relation to their post-release reality.
Save the Children Sweden with funding from the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) and in partnership with YMCA have held an event at the premises of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Ramallah marking the completion of phase I of the Post-trauma Rehabilitation of Palestinian Ex-detainee Children program, a statement read.
The program was launched almost one year ago in eleven districts of the West Bank; the second phase is due to commence in early April 2010.
"It's been quite a full year for the Post-trauma Rehabilitation Program!" said Eyad Al-Araj, country director of Save the Children Sweden.
"We at Save the Children believe in a world that is free of violence against children, where children have hope and opportunity, and we are working to achieve this vision for Palestinian child ex-detainees through this program," he added.
Herve Caiveau, head of ECHO office in Jerusalem said: "The project aims at rehabilitating and re-integrating young child ex-detainees into their families and their society through individual and group counselling as well as career guidance. Additionally, project activities are directed towards mitigating stigmatisation and marginalisation of this target group."
The program provides individual and group counseling sessions to ex-detainee children and their families. Beneficiaries of the programme also obtain vocational and academic guiding sessions, and are engaged in structured ventilation activities, where they get to interact with each other and release some of the stress and anxiety caused by their detention experience in a stimulating and safe environment.
The event also featured the launch of a short documentary entitled Coming Home, produced as part of the program to shed light on the challenges facing Palestinian ex-detainee children after their release from prison and to introduce the intervention tools available through the Post-trauma Rehabilitation Program. The event was preceded by a photo exhibition encompassing a selection of 25 photos captured by ex-detainee children and young adults. The photos reflect the impressions, feelings, and thoughts of the ex-detainees in relation to their post-release reality.
Ukrainian detainee denies deportation reports
Gaza – Ma'an – Irena Sarahna, a Ukrainian detainee in Israeli custody, on Thursday told lawyer Taghrid Jahshan that the Israel Prison Service had not informed her of any decision to deport her, countering news reports that her deportation was imminent.
Jahshan, a lawyer for the Women's Organization for Political Prisoners, visited Sarahna at the Hasharon prison on Thursday.
"The deportation news reports are completely baseless and false. I haven't received any official notice by the Israel Prison Service that I will be deported to the Ukraine," Jahshan quoted her client as saying, countering recent remarks by a Palestinian official.
On Wednesday, Prisoners Affairs Minister Issa Qaraqe described the supposed Israeli decision to deport Sarahna as "dangerous and tyrannical," and a violation of human rights and international law.
Sarahna appealed to all media outlets to double-check such claims before publishing news reports about her case, explaining that the recent news about her deportation has had a negative influence on her and her husband.
Irena Sarahna was born in the Ukraine and is married Ibrahim Sarahna from the Duheisha refugee camp in Bethlehem. Her husband is serving a concurrent sentence of six life terms plus 45 years.
The couple was detained in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, and charged with transporting a Palestinian who detonated a bomb strapped to his chest in Rishon Letzion in 2002. The explosion killed two Israelis and injured 50.
The Israeli intelligence service Shabak, known as the Shin Bet, claimed both suspects admitted that they transferred Issa Bdair from the West Bank city of Beit Jala, as well as another Palestinian girl from Beit Sahour, who intended to undertake another operation.
Irena was initially sentenced to three years and was given the option of either being deported back to the Ukraine or serving a jail sentence. Her lawyers appealed but lost the case and her sentence was extended to 20 years.
The couple has two daughters, seven-year-old Ghazala, who lives with her grandparents in Duheisha, and nine-year-old Jasmin, who lives in Russia with her maternal grandmother.
Jahshan, a lawyer for the Women's Organization for Political Prisoners, visited Sarahna at the Hasharon prison on Thursday.
"The deportation news reports are completely baseless and false. I haven't received any official notice by the Israel Prison Service that I will be deported to the Ukraine," Jahshan quoted her client as saying, countering recent remarks by a Palestinian official.
On Wednesday, Prisoners Affairs Minister Issa Qaraqe described the supposed Israeli decision to deport Sarahna as "dangerous and tyrannical," and a violation of human rights and international law.
Sarahna appealed to all media outlets to double-check such claims before publishing news reports about her case, explaining that the recent news about her deportation has had a negative influence on her and her husband.
Irena Sarahna was born in the Ukraine and is married Ibrahim Sarahna from the Duheisha refugee camp in Bethlehem. Her husband is serving a concurrent sentence of six life terms plus 45 years.
The couple was detained in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, and charged with transporting a Palestinian who detonated a bomb strapped to his chest in Rishon Letzion in 2002. The explosion killed two Israelis and injured 50.
The Israeli intelligence service Shabak, known as the Shin Bet, claimed both suspects admitted that they transferred Issa Bdair from the West Bank city of Beit Jala, as well as another Palestinian girl from Beit Sahour, who intended to undertake another operation.
Irena was initially sentenced to three years and was given the option of either being deported back to the Ukraine or serving a jail sentence. Her lawyers appealed but lost the case and her sentence was extended to 20 years.
The couple has two daughters, seven-year-old Ghazala, who lives with her grandparents in Duheisha, and nine-year-old Jasmin, who lives in Russia with her maternal grandmother.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
