- Details
- Written by: Mohammed Dwekat
- Category: statistical reports
- Hits: 928
Facts & Figures
October 2019
Israel opened its jails since the beginning of its occupation to the Palestinian territories and arrested nearly one million Palestinians of all categories and ages; males, females, youths and adults. However, the Israeli security devices and military forces continue detaining Palestinians, where these arrests have become a daily phenomenon and an Israeli tool of repression. Detention is not for security reasons as Israel claims, but it is collective punishment and revenge against Palestinians.
We can say that these arrests became the most suppressive and devastating measure against the Palestinian society and its components.
Facts and figures
Detainees. Figures and statistics (March 30, 2019)
- 1.000.000 Palestinians experience detention since 1967
- 5700 men and women detainees are currently held in Israeli jails, including:
- 220 minors
- 36 minors from Jerusalem under house custody
- 38 women detainees
- 500 administrative detainees
- 700 sick detainees including 30 who have cancer
- 56 detainees are jailed for more than 20 years
- 27 are jailed before the Oslo Accord, such as the detainee Maher Younes and Kareem Younis who is jailed for 37 years
- 570 detainees are sentenced to life term
- 221 detainees from the captive movement have been martyred since 1967
This report will present some of the Israeli violations against Palestinians that breach International law and International Humanitarian Law, as well as the EU's human rights system.
First: detainees' allowances
The occupying state-issued legislation allows deducting part of the Palestinian tax returns which equal the amount paid to detainees and their families from the Palestinian Authority. This law was issued with its final read on July 2, 2018.
Taking care of the Palestinian detainees and their families and fulfilling obligations of the financial allowances are the most important duties of the Palestinian authority. Article 22 of the Palestinian basic law, states that "caring of the families of detainees, martyrs, wounded and disabled people is a duty organized by law. The national authority should guarantee the services of education and social and health insurance." Also, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs depends on resolution (19) of 2004, which was amended by legislation 1 of 2013, in providing the allowances of detainees and ex-detainees.
The Palestinian Authority provides financial aids to Palestinian detainees and ex-detainees. This policy is based on the international laws concerning the welfare of the state toward the citizens. Based on human rights approach family of detainees have the rights to receive financial support from their state., the occupying state neglects all these rights and wants to criminalize the Palestinian national struggle through pressures and financial siege.
Second: health conditions of detainees in Israeli jails
Palestinian detainees live in adverse health conditions inside Israeli prisons. In prison, they get tortured by systematic physical and psychological means such as; deprivation of real medical care, procrastinating in providing medication for sick detainees and practicing suppression and humiliation against them.
By monitoring the health condition of detainees, it was clear that the level of medical care for detainees is terrible. This information is supported by the testimonies of detainees, the martyrdom of many of them, and the increase in sick case numbers.
The reports of international and local institutions indicate that treating sick detainees is the topic of bargain and extortion by the administration of Israeli prisons.
These acts violate the articles (91, 92) of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and articles (31, 30, and 29) of the Third Geneva Convention, which stipulated the right of treatment and medical care and the provision of appropriate medication for sick detainees.
According to statistics by the Commission of Detainees' Affairs, there are 700 detainees suffer from severe health conditions, Including 30 who have cancer, and 17 who are permanently held in the so-called Al-Ramla prison clinic. Also, hundreds of them have illnesses due to shot injury, and some of them have serious mental diseases.
The most severe cases in Israeli jails are (Sami Abu Dyak, Mu'tasem Rddad, Mansour Mukadeh, and Israa Ja'abees).
Third: Administrative detention: detention without a trial
Israel is the only state in the world that uses Administrative detention in a way that exceeds the limits. This type of arrest holds detainees as political hostages, which violates all international humanitarian laws and legislations.
This detention included minors, females, youths, adults, students, political figures, deputies in the Palestinian Legislative Council, ministers, human rights activists, lawyers, academics and mothers.
According to the Commission of Detainees' Affairs, the Israeli authorities issued more than 50.000 administrative detention orders against Palestinians since 1967. These orders increased since Al-Aqsa Intifada, where they issued 27.000 administrative detention orders from September 2000 until now.
Administrative detainees committed several hunger strikes in both individually and collectively in a protest against their detention. This protest was taken as the final option, and as an attempt to practice pressure against the occupation authorities to end their administrative detention.
Forth: Minors' detention
Two hundred thirty minors under the age of 18 are currently held in Israeli jails. They are distributed to many prisons such as Ofer, Megiddo, Damon and Itztion and Huwara interrogation centers.
The number of minors' detention cases increased since the beginning of 2015, where the annual range increased to 300 occurrences, and 1000 cases per year.
However, Israel changed the laws in a way that allows the detention of 13-years-old children and prosecuting them. Also, Israel has increased the sentences against them to reach 3 years of imprisonment for those who participate in throwing stones on Israeli forces. The Israeli courts started to impose high fines against children and their families to practice pressure against them.
A case in point is the detainee Ahmad Manasra, who was prosecuted in November 2016 when he was 14 years old. He was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in addition to a fine of NIS 180.000.
As for Jerusalem, Israel resorts to the policy of house custody and referring some of them to Israeli rehabilitation centers with Israeli civil criminals.
Fifth: Laws and legislations against detainees' rights
2017, 2016 and 2015 witnessed an escalation in legislating racist and arbitrary laws by the Israeli government in support of the occupation and settlements, which contradict detainees'' rights and principles of Human Rights. Since 2015, about 185 laws and draft bills were drafted by the Israeli Knesset, which targeted the rights of Palestinian people and their right of self-determination, including;
The law of detainees' execution
The Israeli Knesset passed its first reading on January 3, 2018, to the so-called (bill of execution for those who perform operations), which was submitted by 3 extremist deputies in 30/10/2017.
The drafts law stipulates that the Defense Minister orders the commander of the army to sentence the execution without requiring the consensus of the Commission, but only by the regular majority. And that no court is entitled to mitigate the sentence issued by the military court, and that the law applies only to Palestinians. This law violates the international and legal obligations of Israel, which require fair trials and respect the dignity of detainees.
A draft bill to deduct allocations of martyrs and detainees from the dues of the Palestinian Authority
On June 11, the Israeli Knesset approved the first reading of the draft bill to deduct the allowances of detainees and the returns of martyrs and wounded people from the tax revenues transferred by the Israeli authorities to the Palestinian Authority.
A draft bill to prevent the visits of those detainees who belong to factions that hold Israelis
On June 18, 1977, the Knesset member Oron Hazan submitted a bill includes: deny the visit of Palestinian detainees especially those who are members of Palestinian parties that hold Israelis. Also, the bill consists of preventing visits by lawyers and Red Cross representatives.
A draft bill to allow retaining martyrs' bodies
On Januaury 3,2018, the Israeli Minister of the Internal Security, Gilad Erdan, and Minister Justice, Shakid, announced that they would submit a bill to the Israeli Knesset to retaining the bodies of the Palestinian martyrs, to use them for bargaining and negotiations and reducing the powers of the Israeli Supreme Court and subjugating them to the will of the government.
Arbitrary field execution instead of detention
Extrajudicial execution against Palestinians continued in 2017, and the deliberate killing due to a systematic policy of the occupation authorities. The soldiers can act as judges and executioners at the same time. The persons who were executed instant people cause no harm or threat to the soldiers, and they could have been arrested instead. Which encouraged by the Israeli prime minister, where the killers are not punished, but only subjected to unreal prosecution. A case in point is what happened with the Israeli soldier Azaria, who executed the martyr, Abdul Fattah al-Sharif, on 24/3/2016 in the city of Hebron after the martyr was wounded. The soldier was sentenced to 18 months, and his sentence was reduced to 14 months.
Another case in point is executing the disabled Ibrahim Abu Thuraya, 29 years old, from Al Shate' refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
Commission of Detainees & Ex- Detainees Affairs
International Relations Unit
- Details
- Written by: Noor
- Category: statistical reports
- Hits: 716
Detainees' institutions and Human Rights Organizations (the Commission of Detainees and Ex-detainees' Affairs, the Palestinian Society Prisoner's Club, Al Dameer Association for Human Rights) pointed out that the occupation authorities arrested 162 citizens from Jerusalem, 82 from Ramallah, 50 from Hebron, 44 from Jenin, 30 from Bethlehem, 38 from Nablus, 13 from Tulkarem, 24 from Qalqilia, 6 from Tubas, 8 from Jericho and 7 from Gaza Strip.
The total number of detainees in Israeli jails reached up to 5700, including 38 women, 220 minors, 500 administrative detainees, while 76 new administrative detention sentences have been issued and renewed.
Women detainees… violations and increased suffering
Detainees' institutions pointed out that women detainees held in Israeli jails are exposed to many violations and breaches in treatment, going through detention, being held in interrogation centers, transportation, neglecting their health conditions, imposing high fines against them and holding them in bad detention conditions in a way that violate all international agreements and covenants.
The number of women detainees in Israeli jails reached to 38, they are held in Damoun prison in a section that contains 13 rooms, and each room accommodates from 4 to 8 detainees.
Detainees' institutions acknowledge that Damoun prison, which was a stable before, lacks the minimum elements of human life. Its ground is concrete, which is very cold in winter and very hot in summer. Most of rooms are poorly ventilated, full of insects and there are no chairs in the rooms and no blankets to sit down.
Women detainees suffer from procrastinating medical checkups which lead to a deterioration in their health conditions. A case in point is the wounded detainee Israa' Ja'abees from Jerusalem. Moreover, women detainees are prevented from attaining books and deprived of family visits.
Children confronting summon and suppression
Occupation authorities escalated in summoning minors through their parents to interrogate them since June 2019, in an attempt to target children to have information and spoil the relationship between them and their families.
At the beginning of August, occupation authorities summoned the family of the child Malak Sider, 8 years old from Hebron. In addition, they summoned many families of children from Jerusalem, including a child less than 5 years old.
In the context of violating the rights of the child, Palestinian children detainees in Megiddo and Ofer prisons are exposed to violent suppression. In August 14, 2019 Israeli forces broke in two sections of Ofer prison, in which minor detainees are held in. They handcuffed minors and isolated some of them after attacking them with beating and using pepper gas. They also broke in the section of minors in Megiddo prison which includes 63 minors after a clash between a child and a jailor. The administration of prison implemented many punitive measures, especially against the section of minors.
However, detainees' institutions affirm that the administration of prisons increased the violations through ferocious means against minors in 2019, without taking into consideration their privacy or special needs. These acts are considered a flagrant violation of international laws and conventions concerned with child protection.
The battle of administrative detention is constant… 8 detainees entered a hunger strike in August
8 detainees entered a hunger strike since August protesting against their administrative detention, where 500 detainees are held in Israeli prisons without any legal justification.
Detainees who entered the strike are Ahmad Ghannam, who conducted a strike for 58 days, Huthaifa Halabia since 67 days, Sultan Khlouf since 54 days, Ismail Ali from since days, Tareq Qa'dan since 41 days, Nasser Jada' since 34 days, Thaer Hamdan since 29 days, in addition to Fadi Hroub who ended his strike in September 5, 2019 after 23 days.
Huthaifa Halabia ended his strike due to his health condition and Ghannam is in a real danger
The detainee Huthaifa Halabia, from Abu Dees village, ended his hunger strike after 67 days. He entered a stage of real danger on his health, and he got moved to Kaplan Hospital due to his critical situation, which forced him to suspend his hunger strike to maintain his life.
Ahmad Ghannam became the oldest detainee in the strike with 58 days. It is worthy to mention that his health condition is in a continuous deterioration, especially that he had a cancer in the blood and had a surgery in 2000, but he still suffers from problems in the liver and blood platelets.
Many detainees ended their hunger strike after concluding an agreement that determining a specific period of their detention. A case in point is the detainee Mohammad Abu Aker who entered a strike for 36 days to determine his detention of four months, in addition to the detainee Mustafa Hasanat who entered a strike for 36 days to specify his period of detention to 6 months. Another case in point is the detainee Wajdi Awawdeh who entered a strike for 27 days in order to set him free in February 2020, the detainee Hmmam Abu Rahmah who entered a strike for 11 days, and the detainee Bassam Abu Aker who entered a strike for 5 days.
The administration of prisons still following systematic procedures against detainees on hunger strike to force them suspend their strike, represented in isolating them in cells, depriving them of family visits and frequent transportation from one prison to another.
In addition, jailors deliberately provoke detainees on hunger strike by eating in front of them and conduct daily inspections to practice pressure against them.
- Details
- Written by: Noor
- Category: statistical reports
- Hits: 690
Ramallah: occupation forces arrested 615 citizens from the occupied Palestinian territories in July 2019, including 93 minors and 9 females.
Detainees' institutions and Human Rights Organizations (the Commission of Detainees and Ex-detainees' Affairs, the Palestinian Society Prisoner's Club, Al Dameer Association for Human Rights) pointed out that the occupation authorities arrested 266 citizens from Jerusalem, 76 from Ramallah, 75 from Hebron, 54 from Jenin, 33 from Bethlehem, 39 from Nablus, 17 from Tulkarem, 21 from Qalqylia, 7 from Tubas, 6 from Salfit, 8 from Jericho and 13 from Gaza Strip.
Thus, the number of detainees in Israeli jails becomes 5700, including 37 females, 230 minors and 500 administrative detainees, while 100 new administrative detention orders have been issued last month.
The most prominent policies and measures practiced by the occupation authorities in July:
The Martyr Nassar Taqatqa who was subjected to medical negligence, before being the martyr number 220
On July 16, 2019, the administration of occupation prisons announced the martyrdom of the detainee Nassar Majed Omar Taqatqa, 31, from Bethlehem in Nitzan Al-Ramlah prison.
Since the date of his arrest he was subjected to harsh interrogation and bad detention conditions by interrogators and jailors, in addition to frequent transfers at interrogation centers. He had serious deterioration on his health, according to testimonies of his fellow detainees.
According to information given to the detainees' institutions after his martyrdom, Taqatqa was exposed to torture and medical negligence during interrogation. At the beginning of his detention, he was held at Al-Maskoubya interrogation center, and then he got transferred Jalamah prison and then to Megiddo prison, where he got beaten by jailors.
According to the results of the autopsy conducted for the body of the martyr Taqatqa, the direct cause of death has been shown to be caused by acute pneumonia. This confirms that he was subjected to medical negligence, deprivation of proper treatment and difficult conditions during interrogation. He martyred facing his disease alone in his cell.
The Israeli occupation authorities still retain the body of the martyr Taqatqa, continuing in its arbitrary policy which is practiced against detainees during their detention and even after their death. The occupation authorities still retaining 44 martyrs' bodies.
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees' Affairs considers this act against Tqatqa is crime against detainees and a kind of torture which is prohibited by all International laws and conventions.
Minors are not secluded of detention
Palestinian children in Israeli prisons suffer from harsh and inhumane conditions of detention, which lack minimum international standards for children's and prisoners' rights. They also suffer from medical neglect, lack of health care, lack of clothing and poor food. They are deprived of family visits, and they are held in prisons with mature and criminal Israelis. In addition, they are also subjected to verbal abuse, beatings, isolation, collective punishment, and high fines.
The occupation authorities continue targeting Palestinian children by arrest and summon, where more than 90 cases have been documented during July, raising the number of minor detainees to 230. They are distributed among Ofer, Megiddo and Damoun prisons, and many of them are held in detention centers. High fines are imposed on them which reached to tens of thousands of shekels.
In a dangerous precedent that exceeded all humanitarian and legal standards, the Israeli authorities summoned the father of the child Mohammed Rabi 'Olayan (4 years) from Issawiya to interrogate him, and the father of the child Qais Firas Obeid (6 years) from the same town, to investigate the charges of throwing stones at Israeli Police vehicles.
The battle of administrative detention is continuous… 22 detainees entered an open hunger strike in July
22 detainees entered an open hunger strike in July in a protest against the policy of administrative detention for 500 detainees.
The majority of those who entered a hunger strike are ex-detainees who served many years under the administrative detention. 6 of them still on the strike which began in July, including the detainee Huthayfa Halabya who entered the strike since 37 days, Ahmad Ghannam since 24 days, Sultan Khlouf since 14 days, Wajdi Awawdeh since 9 days and Tareq Qaadan since 7 days.
The detainee Huthayfa Halabya,, confronting the strike since 37 days
Huthayfa is from Abu Dees town. He's in the 37th day of strike at Nitzan- Al Ramla prison. His health has been deteriorated since he refuses to have medical examinations and supplements and depends only on water. It is worth mentioning that he is arrested since 10/6/2018. He has cancer and he suffered from severe burns in his body when he was a child.
Many detainees have ended their strike in July after having an agreement with the prosecution to determine the period of their detention. A case in point is the detainee Jafar Ezz-Aldeen who entered a strike for 39 days against administrative detention, and the detainee Ahmad Zahran who ended his strike after 34 days.
However, the administration of prisons performed a series of systematic measures against detainees on hunger strike represented in isolating detainees in cells unfit for human life, deprivation of family visits, obstructing lawyers' visits and the frequent transfer from one prison to another.
Other than that, jailors try to provoke them by providing food for detainees on hunger strike, and they deliberately eat it in front of them.
In support of the detainees on hunger strike, detainees from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine went on strike, where 20 detainees from Negev prison entered a hunger strike for a week
- Details
- Written by: Noor
- Category: statistical reports
- Hits: 682
Ramallah: the occupation forces arrested (2759) Palestinians since the beginning of 2019 till June, 3 including (446) minors and (76) females.
Detainee's institutions and Human Rights organizations (the Commission of Detainees and Ex-detainees' Affairs, the Palestinian Society Prisoner's Club, Al Dameer Association for Human Rights) pointed out that the total number of detainees in Israeli jails is (5500), including (43) females, (220) minors and (500) administrative detainees.
The following is the most prominent policies and measures practiced by the occupation authorities in June:
The occupation authorities arrested (364) citizens in June, including: (160) from Jerusalem, (56) from Ramallah, (60) from Hebron, (31) from Jenin, (40) from Bethlehem, (25) from Nablus, (13) from Tulkarem, (9) from Qalqilai, (5) from Tubas, (5) from Salfit, (9) from Jericho and (7) from Gaza Strip.
Individual hunger strike, continues protest
Detainees in Israeli jails continued their protest against administrative detention by entering hunger strikes, noting that some of these detainees were able to have deals that determine the period of their detention.
Cases in point: Ihsan Othman,21, from Ramallah, Jafar Ezz-Aldeen, 48, from Jenin and other five detainees from Dura\ Hebron, including two siblings: Mahmoud Alfasfoos 29 years old, Kayed 30 years old, Ghadanfar Abu Atwan 26 years old, Abdulazeez Swaiti 30 years old and Saed Nammura 27 years old, and they ended their strike after 12 days.
Detainees' institutions pointed out that some of those have been sentenced to administrative detention at the same day of their release; a case in point is the detainee Jafar Ezz-Aldeen, who spent five years under administrative detention and entered hunger strike four times protesting against his administrative detention.
Prisons administration continued to impose Aggressive measures, represented in isolation, transferring to other prisons, deprivation of family visits and lawyer meetings, in addition to the procedures practiced by jailors against them.
Israeli occupation authorities have rearrested 17 persons and executed one during June
The Israeli authorities have rearrested 17 persons from Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron, Jenin, Salfit and Bethlehem, and executed the released detainee Muhammad Obaid from Jerusalem in June 2019.
The report showed that the Israeli authorities have executed the released detainee Muhammad Obaid in June 27, 2019, after shooting him from a zero distance, and procrastinated in handing his body.
The report also confirmed that targeting released detainees by re-arrest them and practice extrajudicial filed execution is part of a systematic and official Israeli policy in an attempt to practice pressure against the Captive Movement.
It is also pointed out that re-arresting released detainees will lead to unexpected circumstances in Israeli jails at any moment.
- Details
- Written by: Noor
- Category: statistical reports
- Hits: 703
Ramallah: occupation forces arrested (421) Palestinians from the Palestinian territories in May\ 2019 including (78) minors and (6) females.
Detainees' institutions and Human Rights Organizations (the Commission of Detainees and Ex-detainees' Affairs, the Palestinian Society Prisoner's Club, Al Dameer Association for Human Rights) pointed out in a fact sheet that the occupation authorities have arrested (145) citizens from Jerusalem, (59) from Ramallah, (60) from Hebron, (30) from Jenin, (21) from Bethlehem, (32) from Nablus, (13) from Tulkarem, (19) from Qalqilya, (8) from Tubas, (8) from Salfit, (14) from Jericho and (12) from Gaza Strip.
Number of detainees in Israeli jails became (5500) at the end of May, including (43) females, (220) minors and (500) administrative detainees.
The following is the most prominent policies and measures practiced by the occupation authorities in May:
Hunger strike in May/ 2019
Many detainees continued their hunger strike during May, in a protest against their administrative detention, such as: Hasan Ewaiwi who started his strike in April and his health condition deteriorated. However, the occupation authorities refused to end his administrative detention.
The commission documented many punitive measures implemented by the administration of prisons against him, such as isolating him, depriving him of family visits, continuous transfer from one prison to another and transferring him to civil hospitals. The detainee Ewaiwi from Hebron, 35, is married and a father of three kids. He was arrested many times before, the last of which was in January 15, 2019.
Moreover, the detainee Bassam Abu Aker from Aydah camp/ Bethlehem entered a hunger strike in May, 21 protesting against his two years of administrative detention. He ended his strike after having an agreement to determine the period of his administrative detention.
Abu Aker is one of the leaders who spent (24) years in prison, knowing that he is detained since July, 2017 under the administrative detention, and he is a father of 7 kids.
Detainees who entered hunger strike in May are Ahmad Hroub from Hebron, Thaer Bader from Bait Liqya, Mu'taz Ubaido from Hebron and Murad Malaysheh from Jenin.
Medical negligence
There are (750) detainees who still suffer from medical negligence by the administration of occupation prisons, where it is a policy that is practiced against them in a systematic way as a means of revenge.
The occupation authorities use the policy of medical negligence as a means of torture and pressure against detainees, aiming at obtaining confessions or breaking their will and increasing their suffering. For example, the clinics of prisons lack medical staff and devices to make necessary examinations. All health problems are dealt with using painkillers.
In case of health deterioration of the detainee he will be transferred to the clinic of Ramlah prison, where there many incurable cases of detainees suffering severe deterioration in their health status. Currently, there are 15 detainees held at the Ramlah prison clinic in inhuman conditions.
Detainees' institutions continuously document many cases of racist treatment against detainees in Israeli hospitals, in addition to handcuffing the detainee during his stay in hospital.
The occupation authorities deliberately procrastinate in providing the appropriate therapy for sick detainees and in the necessary tests to diagnose the condition of the patient, which leads to the aggravation of the disease.
The summer and detainees' suffer in Israeli jails
The Israeli authorities seek to make the detainees live in pain and suffering even in climatic fluctuations. With the high temperature and humidity in Israeli prisons and detention centers, the detainees' suffering increase especially in the desert and near- coast prisons that are full of insects and bad smell. Detainees are deprived of obtaining fans and air conditioners, where the administration of prison deliberately cut off cold water in the isolation cells.
According to testimonies, complaints by detainees increase regarding the high temperature in desert- prisons such as "Beersheba", "Nafaha", "Remon" and "Negev", old prisons such as "Damoun", isolation prisons such as "Nitzan" and prisons of high humidity such as "Shatta" and "Jelboua".
60.000 NIS of fines against minor detainees at Ofer prison in May
The Israeli courts imposed in May sentences of actual imprisonment against a number of minors detained at Ofer prison, in addition to high fines up to 60.000 NIS.
43 minors got detained in Ofer prison in May, including (22) who were arrested from their houses, (12) from roads, (7) for not having a permit and (2) after summon.
Moreover, (4) of them have been shot by the occupation forces, and (9) were exposed to intensive beating and humiliation during arrest. The sentences ranged between 31 -10 months of imprisonment.
- Details
- Written by: Noor
- Category: statistical reports
- Hits: 936
Ramallah: the occupation forces arrested (569) Palestinians from the occupied territories in February 2019, including (78) minors and (13) females.
Detainees' institutions and Human Rights Organizations (the Commission of Detainees and Ex-detainees' Affairs, the Palestinian Society Prisoner's Club, Al Dameer Association for Human Rights) pointed out in a fact sheet that the occupation authorities have arrested (229) citizens from Jerusalem, (73) from Ramllah and Al-Bireh, (60) from Hebron, (54) from Jenin, (44) from Bethlehem, (38) from Nablus, (15) from Tulkarem, (15) from Qalqilia, (9) from Tubas, (5) from Salfit, (10) from Jericho and (17) from Gaza Strip.
The most prominent policies practiced by occupation authorities against detainees in February:
Aggravated policies against detainees in Negev prison
Institutions observed a series of escalations by the occupation authorities and the Israeli prison Services that aimed to clampdown on the lives of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. Those escalations caused a state of tension that may increase and lead to unstable conditions in jails.
The wave of escalation started mid-February in Negev prison. At the beginning of the month, Negev prison administration informed the detainees about its intention to install jamming devices in section (4).
In February 15, the prison's administration emptied section (4) and installed the jammers. In February 18, the administration informed the detainees that it will operate the jammers at 10:00 am next morning. However, this notification came in spite of the negotiations with detainees that the jammers would not be operated. In response, the detainees informed the administration of the prison that they are willing to dissolve the factions and there will not be a representative of detainees to discuss matters with the administration, or take the responsibility of any action by the detainees. This action obliges the administration to deal with detainees individually, thereby keeping the prison administration in a permanent state of emergency.
This was the first step of protest which was followed by returning the meals by many sections, running at night in the prison's yard, and refusing to get inside their cells. However, the prison's administration responded by announcing the state of permanent emergency, doubling the numbers of forces and carrying out violent inspections in section (3&4).
The repression forces attacked detainees by beating them. In the same context, the detainees Ibrahim Natsheh and Fawzi Awwad burned their clothes, and then they were taken to solitary confinement, in addition to the detainee Saleh Ja'bari who also taken to solitary confinement after two days.
The escalations came after commencing the work of the committee formed by the Minister of Interior Security, Jel'ad Ardan, which aims to clampdown on the life conditions of detainees. The acts of the committee came in the context of the approaching Israeli elections, and in particular, the campaign by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu who is using the Palestinian detainees as electoral propaganda.
Spoiled food served for detainees
Monitoring reports pointed out that the administration of prison is deliberately provide bad food in terms of quantity and quality for detainees in prisons and detention centers, where the food served does not conform to international laws and health standards, which force detainees to buy their stuff from the cantina on their own expenses.
Detainees' institutions revealed during last February that the suffering increases in detention centers, especially (Itzion, Huwara and Al- Jalama), where those detention centers do not contain a cantina, thus, detainees are forced to eat the bad meals of prison.
