In the light of the happy news today—well if it goes through it will be happy—that over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will be freed in exchange for Gilad Shalit, the information in the 2 reports below (the 2nd one a call to action) reveals that contrary of the hype that has been bandied about in Israel and the world that Palestinians had wonderful conditions by contrast to Shalit, who for 5 years had not been allowed to see anyone (excepting his jailors). First of all, it has to be stated that there are prisoners and there are prisoners. Not all are equal. There are political prisoners and there are those who actually committed a ‘terror’ act, and there are those who merely committed crimes (e.g., stealing cars; entering Israel without a permit to look for work after Israel has uprooted your olive trees).
Gilad Shalit was/is a captured soldier. He, in other words, is a prisoner of war. He was in the armored corps, and was on duty when captured. We do not know if he actually killed or injured anyone (at least I don’t know), but there is a clear difference between a prisoner of war and political prisoners.
Numerous Palestinian prisoners have not lifted a hand against an Israeli—they are held under Administrative Detention, in which neither they nor their lawyers are informed about the crime or the evidence. That is, they are charged, but the information about the charge is withheld from them and their lawyers. The judge and accusers are the only ones allowed to see this material. They can be thrown into jail without trial for months that extend into years when their terms in prison instead of being terminated are rolled over into another period and yet another (see Btselem for Administrative Detention http://www.btselem.org/topic/administrative_detention ).
Moreover, I personally know families in which a youngster has been suddenly captured and imprisoned for doing nothing more horrible than knowing someone who belongs to an ‘outlawed’ organization—that is to say, they are imprisoned on grounds of being guilty by association, even though they were not members of any organization, much less an ‘outlawed’ one. In one case the young man was imprisoned for 5 years! That is theft! Theft of a life for no reason other than hatred of Palestinians!
Furthermore, it has been said all along by Israeli propaganda that while Shalit has been denied visits, Palestinian prisoners live in ‘luxury,’ so to speak. Not true. Palestinian prisoners from Gaza have not been allowed family visits—some for 5 years, at least. This may be true also of others, though I don’t know (see below, highlighted).
The latest is that Palestinian prisoners have been on a hunger strike for over a week in protest to the harshness of their conditions.
Please read and distribute widely.
Thanks,
Dorothy
============================================
Prisons and Prisoners
1. Al Jazeera,
October 10, 2011
Support grows for Palestinian’s prison strike
Activists start open-ended hunger strike in support of prisoners in Israel fasting against “worsening jail conditions”.
At least 60 activists in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and Israel have started an open-ended hunger strike in support of Palestinians already fasting in Israeli jails against allegedly worsening conditions.
A solidarity camp by youth was launched in the Israeli city of Haifa on Sunday in a “spontaneous response” to the detainees’ strike that was declared two weeks ago, organisers said.
“We mainly have two reasons: to support the prisoners and raise their morale [in continuing their hunger strike] and to raise awareness of the Palestinian political detainees,” Muhannad Abu-Gosh, an organiser of the Haifa camp, told Al Jazeera.
Some 50 Palestinian political prisoners began a ongoing hunger strike on September 27. Other prisoners have since joined in. As of Sunday, 234 inmates were fasting, Sivan Weizman, the spokeswoman for the Israeli Prison Service, said in a statement.
Weizman said the strikers, who are now on their 13th day of fast, are “under daily medical supervision and their situation is satisfactory”.
Voicing support
Thousands rallied last week in Haifa, Gaza City and the West Bank cities of Nablus and Ramallah against the “oppressive conditions” of Israeli prisons.
In Gaza City, hundreds rallied in support of the prisoners’ strike on Sunday and more such protests are planned.
Also on Sunday, a mother of a prisoner began a hunger strike in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offices in Ramallah. Smaller gatherings and sit-ins took place in East Jerusalem.
The ICRC is the body responsible for monitoring and protecting detainees’ human rights and maintaining contact with them.
In Nablus, a tent set up on Tuesday to support the hunger strikers now recieves at least 1,500 visitors each day, Beesan Ramadan, a student at An Najah University, said.
“I’m hoping that it’ll carry on towards something more continuous in related to the prisoners’ issues in general,” Ramadan said.
Tougher restrictions
In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced tougher restrictions on Palestinians’ prison rights, as part of an effort to free Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas.
Shalit was seized outside the Gaza Strip in 2006. Hamas, the ruling power of the coastal territory, is seeking the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in return for his freedom.
Rights groups said the clampdown included preventing access to books, educational programmes and new clothing. It also expanded the use of solitary confinement, reduced family visits and forced detainees to meet their lawyers with their hands cuffed.
According to a March 2011 United Nations report, about 6,000 Palestinians are currently in 22 prisons in Israel and the West Bank.
Some have been denied contact with the outside world, including their families, for as long as five years, the report said.
==============================
2. Forwarded by Eva DELAUNAY
Please distribute if you think it’s valuable.
Join Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike for one day
October 10, 2011
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails started a hunger strike on September 27th, 2011. Every day, the more and more prisoners are joining. Their health is deteriorating due to the hunger strike, and prison authorities are not providing necessary medical checks.
The Palestinian prisoners have made several key demands, some of which are listed below:
End the abusive use of isolation;
End restrictions on University education in the prisons;
End the denial of books and newspapers;
End the shackling to and from meetings with lawyers and family members;
End the excessive use of fines as punishment;
And ultimately end all forms of collective punishment, including the refusal of family visits, night searches of prisoners’ cells, and the denial of basic health treatment.
General strike was declared in West Bank to take place on Wednesday October 12th, in solidarity with and support to the prisoners strike. Many sit-in tents were set up in different Palestinian cities. This week events:
Tuesday, 11/10/2011 protest in front of Ofer prison – Rally at 12 am-meeting point “Dwar Al sa’a) Ramallah’s city center- a call for lawyers to boycott all military courts on the same day.
Wednesday, 12/10/2011 general strike in all Palestinian cities.
On Friday, 14/10/2011 public demos in all cities.
Daily sit-ins at the Red Cross centers (start at 11am)
If you can’t join those actions, try to organize ones in your home country. In Addition, here is a simple action you can take to support: Hunger strike for one day. Wednesday 12.10.2011.
All freedom supporters around the world are called to join the prisoners with one day hunger strike, on Wednesday October 12th, when they will have entered their 16th day of hunger strike.
If you are joining, declare it, this will be one way that your voice and support might reach the prisoners and their families and give them moral support, write on your Facebook wall, twitter feed, blog or wherever you wish “On 12.10.11, I will be on hunger strike in support of Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike since September, 27th”
