Several Palestinian prisoners amongst those recently released from Israeli jails have expressed that their feeling of joy [for their release] was overcome by their sadness for thousands of their other colleagues who are still behind bars and living under intolerable conditions.
On August 6, Israel released 334 Palestinian prisoners, each of which had to sign a document agreeing not to engage in any [military] activity against the Jewish State.
Israel says the release of these prisoners was a gesture of goodwill, aimed at giving the US-endorsed ‘roadmap’ a boost.
International and local media have portrayed the prisoners’ issue as an indication of whether the current truce between the Palestinian factions and Israel is consolidating, or whether it is indeed at the verge of collapse.
In the beginning, Israel stipulated that any prisoner to be released should not have been engaged in the killing of Israelis, and should also not be a member of militant Islamic movements - particularly Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. However, Israel soon backed away from the latter condition and accepted to release prisoners from those movements provided that they were not involved in the killing of any Israelis.
Ahmad Hazza’a, a released Fatah prisoner, expressed a mixture of happiness and sadness upon his release. “It is true that one feels happy to meet his loved ones and relatives after release from prison. However, we still feel sad for those whom we left behind bars, particularly those who are serving long terms and deserve to be released more than we do,” Hazza’a said.
Hazza’a, 60, spent 20 years in an Israeli prison (1969-1989) and was arrested five months after his first release. He was detained for an additional six months and was arrested again after the second release.
Hazza’a explained to Al Bawaba via telephone the difficult circumstances he faced in jail, while warning against the deterioration of living conditions amongst the Palestinian prisoners.
“The circumstances inside the prisons are extremely difficult. All the facilities we were able to secure have been confiscated by the Israeli authorities including TV’s, radios, books, notebooks and even the daily breaks,” he said. He reiterated that unless these facilities were restored, there will be a revolt inside the prisons and on the streets…there are about 6500 Palestinian prisoners in jail who have families and relatives on the outside, which means that the issue is important to the general public as well.”
Bashir Ahmad al Khairi, 62, is another prisoner who spoke to Al Bawaba about the difficult conditions he faced during his imprisonment. “The daily provocation we faced from Israeli wardens, the lack of health care and the failure to secure the most modest of living requirements made our life extremely miserable…even animals would refuse such a lifestyle. This is evidence that Israel really wants to see Palestinians as dead,” he told Al Bawaba.
Khairi, who prefers not to be considered a member of any of the Palestinian factions, was arrested on August 27, 2002 for an initial period of six months, which were later extended for another six months. He was released twenty days prior to the end of his jail term. According to Khairi, he only found out of his release two days before he was actually set free, however he admitted that he was somewhat unhappy with the news. “I do not feel happy for my release. How could I be happy while my colleagues who deserve to be released more than me are still behind bars, particularly those who are serving life sentences? I am also very sad for those Arab prisoners who left their own countries and scarified their lives for the sake of Palestine. I am very sad for the hundreds of boys and girls below 18 who are still in Israeli prisons,” he said. Khairi described the Israeli move as a theatrical play and trivial bribe.
Another released prisoner - Abdel Majeed Amarneh, 50 – describes the prisoner release as nothing more than a ‘media stunt’. “These moves are some kind of a publicity campaign rather than a true process of prisoner release, as most of those who have been released have either completed their jail terms or have not been convicted of anything at all,” he said.
Israel detained Amarneh in what it described as an ‘administrative jail’ for six months, which was later extended for another ten days and another six months after that. He was released four months prior to the end of his third jail term.
Speaking to Al Bawaba about the conditions inside Israel’s prisons, Amarneh said “Prison is a bad word, and when it has anything to do with Israelis, it is even worse. Israelis deliberately put the Palestinian prisoners under conditions that are not even suitable for animals.”
He described how Israeli wardens torture and humiliate Palestinian prisoners prior to providing them with a glass of water or a bit of food. “They give him food only when he is about to die [of starvation], and if he wants to go to the toilet, he is only permitted to do so after being humiliated and almost reaching his critical point” he said. He also added that one of his fellow inmates ruptured his appendix due to delays in getting ‘toilet permission’.
On another note, Amarneh stressed the need for greater help from Arab and Islamic states, calling on them to provide tangible support for the Palestinian prisoners rather than just moral support. “We do not know how you [Arabs and Muslims] can enjoy your food and drink while thousands of Palestinian prisoners - including men, women and children - at Israeli prisons cannot find anything to eat,” he said. He added “the Arab and Islamic states can provide support for these prisoners and their families, who get no support except through either the Red Cross or the Palestinian Prisoner Club.”
Amarneh concluded, “If no efforts succeed in releasing all the prisoners, then these countries should at least do something to help alleviate the suffering of these prisoners so that they get some form of comfort. Israel does not ban any clothing or food from reaching the prisoners from outside supporters. Also, while it receives thousands of dollars from the Red Cross for each prisoner, it does not spend any of that on guaranteeing the prisoners’ their basic daily food requirements.” (Albawaba.com)
