An estimated 4,500 Palestinians are languishing in jail, many for simply challenging Israel’s occupation.
Blindfolded boys play the role of prisoners during a rally marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day
Mohammed Najib writes in Al Jazeera 17 Apr 2021
Ramallah, Occupied West Bank – Mansour al-Shahatit was unable to recognise his mother and brothers following his release from an Israeli prison after 17 years.
He was in a deplorable state after being freed on April 8, suffering from memory loss as a result of torture and solitary confinement for many years in Israeli jails.
His family from Dura, near Hebron, was in tears as he was released and they witnessed his physical and mental condition.
“Mansour’s condition was much better at the time of his arrest, and I hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the health and mental deterioration,” said his mother Fayza al-Shahatit, 64.
She noted her son spent the last two-and-a-half years in solitary confinement.
“Mansour was punished twice – sentenced to 17 years in prison and the loss of his future because of his mental and psychological deterioration,” al-Shahatit said.
Struggle for freedom
On April 17 of each year, Palestinians commemorate Palestinian Prisoner’s Day to express their loyalty to those imprisoned for defying Israel’s occupation, and as a reminder to the international community of their legitimate struggle for freedom.
Israel detains about 4,500 Palestinians in its jails, among them 41 women and 140 children below 18 years. Since the beginning of 2021, Israeli authorities have arrested nearly 1,400 Palestinians.
Nearly 550 inmates suffer from various diseases and require close monitoring and healthcare. At least 10 inmates suffer from cancer of varying degrees, including Fouad al-Shobaki, 82, the oldest of the prisoners. So far, 368 jailed Palestinians have been infected with the coronavirus.
Some Palestinians have spent 40 years in captivity with 543 sentenced to several life sentences.
On Thursday, supporters lit a “torch of freedom” for the prisoners in front of the tomb of late President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, marking the start of the annual commemoration.
“The prisoners have their presence in all Palestinian life and they deserve from us all loyalty and continuous work to relieve them and their families because they sacrificed years of their youth for the freedom of Palestine,” said Sabri Sidam, a Fatah Central Committee member, during the ceremony.
