Palestinian woman struggles for proper medical treatment

by Wahed Rejol

14 November 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

In 2004 Amal Jamal was sentenced to 12 years in Israeli prison. A year later the Palestinian woman from Nablus was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Today from a hospital in Nablus she awaits a decision from Israel authorities that will determine whether she will be permitted to travel outside of Israeli controlled territory to receive medical treatment.

Prisoner rights worker Myassar Atyani and Amal Jamal in a Nablus hospital.

In 2005 Jamal began to suffer from severe pain and bleeding as a result of her illness. Yet she received little treatment from the Israelis. She was given only medication for pain and an unidentified sedative that affected her mental stability. Her diabetes went untreated altogether resulting in later complications.

After suffering more than four years Jamal was transported to Hiafa where she underwent surgery for her cancer. But the surgery was unsuccessful.

Last month Jamal was released by the Israelis as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas where 1,027 Palestinian political prisoners were released in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Jamal has refused further treatment within Israel and is instead awaiting permission from the Israelis to travel to France via Jordan to receive medical attention.

Wahed Rejol is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

Prisoner release: Palestinian narratives

Fadi Kawasmi

9 November 2011 | PASSIA

Below is an abridged transcript of a talk given at PASSIA (Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs ) Round table on ‘Prisoner Release – Palestinian Narratives’ on 31 October 2011 by Fadi Kawasmi, a lawyer who specializes in working with Palestinian prisoners.

“In order to understand the prisoners issue we have to talk about the problem from the beginning. Why are prisoners very important to Palestinian people? They are seen as freedom fighters, people that have sacrificed themselves for the sake of liberty. But I think there is also another reason – it is the suffering that they go through from the moment that they are arrested and even after they are released.

“It is estimated that almost 750,000 Palestinians were arrested by Israel from 1967 to today. Now, after the prisoner release, there are 9 women in jail, almost 300 children in jail and the whole number of prisoners is estimated be around 5000 – 500 of whom are sentenced to life. More than 100 prisoners have already spent 20 years or more in prison. 202 prisoners have died in detention.

“When we talk about suffering we have to talk about it from the beginning. How do the arrests take place? Usually – for ‘security reasons’ – they take place at night. Large forces burst into homes and arrest someone. And someone might think – how dangerous might this be? But actually it’s very dangerous. The police, the army – when they enter houses they are so alert because they think that the people they are going to arrest are dangerous and they might harm them.

“For example, a 16 year old kid who – influenced by the media – thought that he could kidnap a settler and exchange him for his relatives who are imprisoned by Israel. Apparently he didn’t have the means, so his attempt didn’t succeed. The Israelis knew about him and they went to his house at 3am in order to arrest him. He was not there but his parents were and after entering into his house the Israelis killed his mother by mistake, his father was left paralysed and they demolished part of the house. On the second day he turned himself in. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

‘Three or four months ago, the army was about to arrest someone, who they said was not that dangerous, but they entered the wrong house and there was a 65 year old man sleeping in his bed and he was killed in his bed. The Israeli version of the story is that he made a ‘suspicious move’ and he was killed.

“After the arrest, detainees are usually taken to interrogation facilities. There are four of them in Israel– the most famous is nearby [in Jerusalem]. It is called the Russian Compound, or as we say in Arabic – ‘Al-Moscovia’. Detainees are interrogated there by the Israeli intelligence. Israeli military law allows them to keep detainees for 180 days for the purpose of interrogation. During this period, several kinds of techniques are used to oblige the detainee to confess – sometimes to confess to something that they didn’t do – torture is one of the means. Although in 1999, the Israeli high court of justice banned physical torture, several methods of torture are still used by the Israeli intelligence.

“For example, detainees are prevented from sleeping; interrogation sessions sometimes take 20 hours; people are exposed to extreme temperatures. Sometimes they just play loud music. They keep detainees seated and handcuffed for hours and hours. They isolate them and they prevent lawyers from seeing them. Israeli military law allows the Israeli intelligence to prevent the detainee from seeing his lawyer for 30 days and this can be extended by court order. Another method of abuse is arresting a member of the family; Israeli military law allows the army to arrest someone for 8 days without a court order. So sometimes they just arrest them and take them to the interrogation facility in order to exert pressure on their beloved ones in order to make them confess.

“After interrogation, most detainees are usually then put on trial. There is a difference between people from Jerusalem and people from the West Bank and Gaza. People from theWest Bankare put on trial in military court. Jerusalemites on the other hand are put on trial in Israeli civil courts, while people from Gaza are put on trial in Israeli civil courts in Be’er Sheva. One might think that Jerusalemites are in a better situation as they put on trial in civil courts and they have more rights – but the situation is actually different because Israeli civil courts, when it comes to security offences, are known to be strict. So usually when someone is arrested and two people that committed the same crime, and one is put on trial in an Israeli military court and the other in civil court, the one who is put on trial in civil court will definitely get a higher sentence.

“What happens in trials – especially in military courts – is really very bad. There is no right to a fair trial. Court sessions take place in Hebrew and usually prisoners don’t speak Hebrew. The court provides translation but this is not usually professional translation. Most lawyers are Palestinians and they don’t speak Hebrew and the knowledge they have in Israeli military is often really poor. This is a very big problem for many years and I don’t think it is going to change.

“The most important thing for a prisoner when he is put on trial is not the trial itself, whether he will be found guilty or not, or what sentence will be put on him, it is a completely different thing. It is when the prisoner is transferred from his place of detention to the court and back again. I had so many case where prisoners told me – “please, I am ready to spend two more years in prison but please spare me this. I don’t want this [transfer]. Do everything you can to end this, I can’t take this anymore.” Why? It’s because a simple journey – for example from Ktzi’ot prison, Negev to Ofer Prison [near Ramallah] which should take 3 hours, takes 5 or 6 days because of the way the Israeli prison authorities work. Detainees sometimes stay in buses for 18 hours, travelling in roads without food, water or even access to bathrooms. Anyone who needs to go to the bathroom will be given a bottle. So there is no right to a fair trial, especially in Israeli military court.”

Israeli mistreatment of Palestinian political prisoners: Free Majd Ziada now!

21 October 2011 | Prisoner of the Day Campaign

Majd Ziada was barely out of his teens when he got arrested by the Israeli Occupation Forces. It was at the height of the second Intifada in 2002 when the Israeli army during its collective arrest campaign detained Majd on the evening of the Israeli invasion of the twin cities Ramallah and Al-Bireh. He was 19 years old.

Before he got arrested, Majd enjoyed playing basketball at Ramallah’s First Club in al-Tira. With the outbreak of the second intifada however, life became more grim. He lost his best friend who was killed by the Israeli soldiers, and Majd himself was once used as a human shield where he was forced to walk in front of the Israeli tanks. Just before he was due to take his final exams of his senior year (tawjehi) the Occupying Army raided his home and dragged him out where he was bundled into a jeep. His family knew nothing about his whereabouts or condition for fifty days after his arrest. They then learned from a newspaper that he had been beaten up in custody.

: Free Majd Ziada – Click here to sign petition

When he was four years old, Majd witnessed the arrest the of his politically active father, Mahmoud. He told his dad, “Don’t worry Baba, I will take care of my mother and baby sister.” In the absence of his father, his mother worked to support the young family. It was left up to Majd to look after his baby sister Raya, as he carried her, fed her, put her to sleep. His father was in and out of prison a total of seven times, and was never once convicted of anything. But because of the mangled policies of administrative detention, it was “legal” to arrest him and keep him detained for any period of time without ever knowing the reason why.

In a 2009 interview, Mahmoud Ziada recalls: “The Israeli soldiers searched our home, then they handcuffed me and took me to the military jeep that was standing in front of our house. As I was climbing into the jeep, my five year old son Majd shouted through the window ‘Baba Mahmoud, don’t lose courage!’”

Majd accompanied his mother to visit his father in prison, and he used to go with her to national meetings. At demonstrations he would shout national slogans and sing national songs.Initially, for Majds role as the getaway driver in a shooting of a mailman in a settlement, Majd was sentenced to 15 years in prison despite the fact the mailman turned out to be Palestinian and did not want to press charges. At his appeal, the military court (which tries all Palestinian prisoners) gave him an extra 15 years for a defiant statement he gave:

I do not believe in this court because it is an unjust one. I am opposed to the occupation and I will remain opposed to the occupation, so go ahead and sentence me. I will join my brothers and sisters in jail and consider it a badge of honor.

The unfair trial is not all. Two of the other three that were involved have already been released (including the actual shooter).

Majd suffers from a life threatening condition. He lost his hearing in his right ear due to acute ear inflammation, which could have been prevented had he received adequate medical attention. There is a huge risk that the disease could spread to the rest of his body, rendering it fatal, and so he desperately needs surgery.

His family are granted rare permission to visit him in prison. For the first seven years of his imprisonment only his youngest sister Hurriyah was able to visit him due to her status as a minor. After she turned sixteen, visits became more harder to procure. Afterwards limited permission was given to their mother to visit him once every few months. Last year Majd’s father was finally granted permission by the Israeli Prison Service to see his son. The last time Majd saw his family was two months ago, after a five year gap. Hurriyah and her mother were the lucky ones to go, as only two people are allowed on visits.

His sister Hurriyah has this to say: “I haven’t been able to hug my brother Majd Ziada for ten years because of the Israeli Occupation. When Majd was imprisoned I was 12, now I am 22.”

Majd Mahmoud Ahmad Ziada has been on hunger strike for 22 days.

We hold on to hope for his wonderful family and we ask for everyone to share this petition in the hope that perhaps Israel will release him in the next 550 prisoners set to be released over the next two months.

Take the time to help bring Majd Ziada closer to freedom by signing this petition.

Festival of Victory and Triumph: Families in Gaza welcome return of prisoners

by Radhika S.

18 October 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Gaza City’s Qatiba Square yesterday morning, swelling to over 200,000 as news arrived that the prisoners had safely crossed the border from Egypt into Rafah. ISM volunteers waited for hours with local families eager to catch a glimpse of the former prisoners as they exited their buses.

“This is the best day of my life because today, good defeated evil,” said 45-year-old Saleem Abu Sa’ada. “For us, we want all the prisoners to be free,” he added. Qatiba Sqaure, a large sandy plaza, took on a festive atmosphere as women, men and children waved Palestinian flags, as well as flags of the various political parties. On the street, vendors sold juice, tea, coffee, bread as well as Palestinian flags.

Mother of Maher El 'Aqaad - For more images of the festival of victory, click here

One 55-year-old women from Khan Yunis who described herself as the mother of Maher El ‘Aqaad, said “I am so happy. These are all my sons, and I hope all are released.” El ‘Aqaad was captured by Israel in 2005 when he was 17 and is still serving an 8 year sentence.

Throughout the day music played in Qatiba Square. On stage, people danced and sang. Meanwhile, those on hunger strike in solidarity with the prisoners—including 3 ISM volunteers—suspended their two week strike today after Israel agreed to end solitary confinement.

“All of the prisoners are our children and all of us are so happy for our children who have been released,” said 60-year-old Saleem Ibrahim Faris, a retired teacher. “I hope unity returns to the people, that we unite our state and that we work together to achieve the state of Palestine,” he added.

Radhika S. is an activist with International Solidarity Movement.

The anthem of Nabi Saleh: “Release our prisoners or arrest us all”

15 October 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

The Friday demonstration in Nabi Saleh celebrated the release of three long term prisoners but protested the continued imprisonment of the remaining 5,000.

A demonstrator stands his ground as the Israeli military fires tear gas canisters.

The demonstration started out by visiting the house of prisoner Said Tamimi. Tamimi has been in prison since 1993, but his fellow prisoners who were arrested with him, Nizar Samir Tamimi and Ahmad Tamimi, will be released on Tuesday.

The demonstration continued towards the entrance of the village lead by the mother of Said Tamimi, chanting and singing slogans to honor all the political prisoners and protesting the illegal Israeli occupation. Before reaching the entrance of the village, the Israeli Occupation forces shot tear gas and sprayed foul-smelling “skunk water” at the demonstrators. After 2 hours the demonstration went back to the center of Nabi Saleh, and it was announced that all demonstrators were invited on Tuesday to a party for the released prisoners with the words:

The release of Palestinian prisoners are a Palestine wedding. Therefore we will celebrate it with an appropriate party.

The demonstration then continued until dawn. The IOF shot a massive amount of tear gas directly at demonstrators and an uncountable amount of rubber coated steel bullets, injuring several of the participants.The Israeli Occupation Forces attempted four times to enter the village but they were repelled. The soldiers also attempted to occupy a house near the entrance of the village but the family living in the house withstood. Instead the Israeli soldiers occupied the front garden of the house causing damage by puncturing a water tank with a tear gas canister, and a car window was broken.

The prisoners from Nabi Saleh who are going to be released as a part of the prisoners swap between Hamas and Israel all faced life time sentences. Ahlam Tamimi was sentenced 16 life terms accused of driving a man to Jerusalem who blew up a restaurant in 2001. She will be sent to exile in Jordan. The two other prisoners getting released are Ahmad Tamimi and Nizar Samir Tamimi. Along with Said Tamimi, who will remain in prison, they were accused of killing a settler and have all been in prison since 1993.

Since Nabi Saleh’s regular Friday demonstration began in 2009 against the land grab by illegal Israeli settlers, 10 % of the 500 citizens in the village have been arrested. Two members of the local Popular Committee are still in prison.

Naji Tamimi was arrested on the 5^th of March in 2011. He is sentenced to one year in prison. Bassem Tamimi who was arrested the 24^th of March 2011 has still not received a sentence. The main evidence brought against both men is the testimony from Islam Dar Ayyoub a 14 year old boy. It has been proven that during the interrogation of him, Israeli Youth Law was violated several times.

The alleged charges against Bassem and Naji Tamimi are among others that they organized and participated “in unauthorized processions” and that they organized youngsters to become a stone throwing “brigade.”