The History of the Palestinian Prisoner Movement: A Unique Experience in History

2/10/2023

Time has not known, nor has history recorded, nor have prisons and detention centers witnessed across their breadth and depth, a movement like the Palestinian National Prisoner Movement. This movement crafted a beacon of heroism and sacrifice, penning a remarkable and radiant history written with blood and suffering, with steadfastness and an iron will. It is a history filled with national pride, resonating with the will for liberation—a history etched in blood, sweat, and struggle; in hunger strikes; and in patience and resolve. This history illuminates decades, remaining a source of pride for those who created and sustained it, for those who shared its narratives, and for those who raised its heroes. It is our history: the history of the revolution and the will for liberation. It is the story of more than 600,000 fighters who wrote the history of the contemporary Palestinian revolution, where every Palestinian became its soldier.

This history will remain engraved in memory, passed down through generations with pride, as a testament to the dignity of those who endured the torment of captivity. It stands as a thunderous echo of bitter experiences, proud moments, and enduring memories for the prisoners, their families, and their loved ones.

A History Worthy of Pride and Documentation

It is our right to take pride in this history, and it is our duty to document it, preserving it as a beacon for future generations. We must record the shining sacrifices, heroism, and martyrdom of our people. Simultaneously, we must document the Israeli violations of Palestinian prisoners' human rights, including the inhumane practices and brutal treatment they have endured, surpassing what the human mind can imagine.

During the Al-Aqsa Intifada, our people faced mass arrests conducted with unprecedented brutality. The occupation reopened several detention centers to accommodate the overwhelming number of detainees. Prisoners across all Israeli detention centers suffered the harshest treatment, beyond anything previously experienced under the occupation, violating the most basic human values and norms. Visual and print media brought shocking reports and images that stirred global outrage.

The Palestinian National Prisoner Movement

The National Prisoner Movement represents a pioneering experience and a legacy of relentless sacrifice throughout the Palestinian struggle against the Zionist enemy. Despite the harsh conditions of imprisonment and the brutality of jailers, the movement transformed detention centers into revolutionary strongholds. Thousands of disciplined party cadres graduated from these prisons, shaping the Palestinian political landscape with their innovative, qualitative contributions in various fields of public life.

In its early years, the movement emphasized educational and moral development, refining talents and preparing leaders capable of assuming responsibilities in dire conditions. This continuous confrontation with prison authorities laid the foundations of the Palestinian National Prisoner Movement, even in the absence of media coverage to amplify their voice against Zionist oppression.

Sacrifices and Achievements

This evolution within the movement came at a high cost: dozens of martyrs, relentless suppression, solitary confinement, deprivation, and additional punitive measures. These sacrifices did not deter the movement but strengthened its resolve. Generations of Palestinians draw pride from this legacy, with many leaders emerging from prisoner exchanges to lead further confrontations with the occupation.

During the First Intifada (1987-1994), former prisoners led with exceptional discipline, demonstrating leadership that transcended factional rivalries. The prisoner movement remained unified and effective even amidst national and political divisions outside the prison walls.

Challenges After Oslo

The Oslo Accords introduced complexities to the prisoner movement. The absence of a cohesive educational methodology and comprehensive preparation within detention centers led to political dilution. Imprisonment became a burden for detainees and their factions, with many prisoners focused solely on their release, awaiting new exchange lists.

Despite differing ideologies and programs, the prisoners maintained internal unity against the prison administration’s repressive policies. At the same time, prisoner releases became a tool of Israeli manipulation, pressuring Palestinian negotiators into concessions.

Al-Aqsa Intifada and Mass Detentions

With the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada on September 28, 2000, mass arrests swept across Palestinian territories, including areas under Palestinian Authority control. The number of arrests exceeded 35,000 during the intifada, with Israel reopening detention centers like Negev and Ofer to handle the surge.

Prisoners faced severe collective punishment, gas attacks, beatings, humiliation, overcrowding, and solitary confinement. Basic human rights were stripped away, and detainees endured dire conditions: inadequate food, medical neglect, and prolonged isolation.

Continuous Struggle and Enduring Legacy

Despite these conditions, prisoners organized internally, building frameworks to confront new challenges. They developed ethical, educational, and revolutionary programs to nurture the next generation of freedom fighters. This revitalized attention to the prisoners' cause transformed it into a central issue for successive Palestinian governments, prompting greater support from human rights organizations and public solidarity campaigns.

The prisoner movement, a vital part of the Palestinian struggle, embodies unwavering sacrifice and resilience. These prisoners, alongside other freedom fighters, have defended the dignity and rights of their people, enduring the harshest conditions and engaging in countless hunger strikes. Their perseverance has written a new chapter in the history of global freedom struggles, demonstrating the unyielding spirit of the Palestinian people.

A History Etched in Pain and Glory

From the Balfour Declaration, granting Jews a homeland in Palestine, to the present, Palestinians have endured oppression in their fight for freedom. The struggle, marked by pain, sacrifice, and resilience, continues to inspire songs, poems, and resistance.

The annual Palestinian Prisoner Day on April 17 commemorates this legacy of struggle, affirming that Palestinians will never forget their imprisoned sons and daughters. Established in 1974, the date marks the first prisoner exchange, symbolizing hope and resilience against occupation.

This history is both a testament to profound suffering and an unrelenting commitment to freedom, written in the blood and courage of countless heroes who inspire generations to come.

The Beginnings:

The early Palestinian detainees, following the occupation of the remainder of Palestine in 1967, endured harsh policies targeting them on national, psychological, social, and intellectual levels. During this period, the Israeli government employed all possible means to break the will of the Palestinian prisoner, aiming to undermine their national and human identity. These tactics included mental and physical exhaustion, psychological and material starvation, deprivation of basic necessities for a decent human life, forced cultural ignorance, and more. For Israel, imprisonment was a tool of suppression, designed to continuously oppress the Palestinian people in their struggle for basic human and political rights.

Israeli leaders expressed this oppressive policy openly. Golda Meir, haunted by the birth of Palestinian children, repeatedly questioned the existence of the Palestinian people. Prisons inherited by the Israelis from the British Mandate after the 1967 war became centers for violence against Palestinians and their resistance movements, aiming to annihilate them through means other than the gallows—namely, imprisonment and the gradual death of detainees.

Moshe Dayan articulated this policy, promising to reduce prisoners into "wrecks" and "subhuman creatures," entities devoid of humanity, and burdens on themselves and their people. Israeli prisons became institutions tailored with all necessary tools to achieve this inhumane objective against Palestinian freedom fighters.

The Struggle Inside Israeli Prisons

From the outset, the prisoners' struggle within Israeli jails focused on defending their national identity, targeted by Israel's policies of extermination. Since 1967, the occupation imprisoned thousands of Palestinians. The Israeli government renovated old prisons inherited from previous occupiers to increase their capacity and established new detention camps and centers, such as Ansar 3 in the Negev, Ofer in Beitunia, Salem and Huwwara in Nablus, and Kedumim in Tulkarm. Even stables from the British Mandate era, such as Far’ah, were repurposed into interrogation centers during the First Intifada in 1987. Similarly, the Damun prison, initially a British tobacco warehouse, was transformed into a detention facility.

The prisons became battlegrounds between Palestinian detainees defending their humanity and national identity and the jailers who sought to strip them of these attributes. Every prison, every cell, and every solitary confinement unit housed collective and individual experiences, embodying the broader narrative of Palestinian resistance and the pursuit of freedom.

Statistics of Imprisonment

Human rights organizations estimate that between 1967 and 1987, approximately 535,000 Palestinians were detained—an annual average of 27,000 arrests. From the outbreak of the First Intifada on December 8, 1987, until the end of 1994, around 275,000 Palestinians were detained. Nearly every Palestinian family has experienced the arrest of one of its members.

Early Experiences and Practices

The early years of imprisonment left indelible marks on the minds and bodies of detainees. Prisons were open theaters for all forms of physical and psychological torture. Violence and assaults were routine, with detainees enduring severe humiliation designed to crush their spirit and reduce them to mere tools devoid of value.

Examples of these practices include forcing prisoners to address their jailers as “sir,” prohibiting them from growing their hair or facial hair, and compelling them to shave their beards twice weekly with a single razor shared among five prisoners. Detainees were also humiliated during showers, often forced to bathe naked in external facilities. During roll calls, prisoners were required to lower their heads. Outdoor exercise (known as fura) often involved sitting in the sun at noon, with their hands linked together, crouched in the yard.

Early detainees recall what they termed “the sacred mattress,” where prisoners were required to arrange their four blankets in a precise way from morning until evening. Any deviation invited punishment.

Labor, Cultural Suppression, and Neglect

Prisoners were coerced into working in Israeli production facilities, with profits funneled to military and economic institutions. They were paid meager wages for their labor. Culturally, prisoners were deprived of basic materials like pens, notebooks, and books. They were forced to listen to Israeli broadcasts at designated times, and the only newspaper allowed was Al-Anbaa, published by Israeli intelligence. Any prisoner caught with a pen or paper faced solitary confinement.

Additionally, the promotion of empty, meaningless books inside prisons exemplified the deliberate cultural and intellectual suppression.

Medical neglect was rampant. A common painkiller, Acamol, was the "universal cure" for all ailments. Many prisoners died due to the lack of proper medical care, while others carried chronic illnesses that claimed their lives after release. The prison medical staff acted as tools of repression and extortion, exploiting detainees' need for medical care to coerce them into compliance.

Isolation and Torture

Isolation policies targeted politically active detainees, referred to as “hotheads” by the prison administration. Torture became systematic and officially sanctioned. Reports from human rights organizations, both local and international, detailed brutal methods used by Israeli interrogators. Torture was legally authorized by the 1978 Landau Commission Report, which permitted physical and psychological pressure on detainees. This violated international laws, including the Geneva Conventions, which classify torture as a war crime.

Hundreds of Palestinian detainees have died under torture, justified by Israel under the pretext of "combating terrorism."

Building an Organizational Structure

Faced with inhumane conditions, detainees began organizing themselves. Experienced leaders played a crucial role in establishing frameworks that eradicated chaos and enforced discipline. They created political, organizational, and educational programs to confront the challenges of imprisonment, fostering unity and commitment among detainees.

Through hunger strikes and defiance of prison regulations, prisoners secured significant rights. The historic hunger strike in Ashkelon Prison on December 11, 1976, lasting 45 days, marked a turning point in the struggle for improved prison conditions. It laid the foundation for a collective organizational structure within prisons.

Milestones of Struggle

Subsequent hunger strikes, such as those in Nafha Prison (July 21, 1980) and Jenin Prison (September 23, 1984), achieved critical gains. These included improved food quality, better visitation schedules, permission to listen to radios, and better overall conditions. For the first time, Israeli officials, such as Police Minister Haim Bar-Lev, negotiated directly with detainee representatives.

Ongoing Challenges

Prison conditions remain in constant flux, with the Israeli prison administration frequently attempting to reverse prisoners' hard-won achievements. Periodic hunger strikes, like the one in March 1987, reaffirmed the prisoners' resilience in protecting their rights.

The onset of the First Intifada in December 1987 brought massive arrests and the establishment of military detention centers. Despite intensified repression, detainees reorganized and reinforced their commitment to collective resistance, making their plight central to Palestinian political and human rights agendas.

Conclusion

The struggle of Palestinian prisoners exemplifies steadfast resistance against oppression. Their sacrifices illuminate the enduring fight for freedom and justice, inspiring Palestinians and the global community alike.

Faced with these conditions, on September 27, 1992, Palestinian prisoners launched an open-ended hunger strike, which, for the first time, encompassed all prisons. This strike, lasting 15 days, was regarded as one of the most organized, precise, and expansive confrontations in the history of the prisoners' movement up to that point, with participation from 16 prisons.

Through this collective action and unity, the prisoners set an exemplary standard for solidarity in struggle, decision-making, and willpower. They shared the pain of hunger to pave the way for improved living conditions, reclaim their rights, and defend their dignity. The strike sparked a widespread uprising in the occupied territories, with protests and solidarity marches in support of the detainees, alongside extensive media coverage of the battle. Ultimately, the prison administration yielded to the prisoners' demands, which included lifting degrading restrictions and practices, especially for those in solitary confinement in Ramla prison. Then-Minister of Police Moshe Shahal even intervened to negotiate with the prisoners' leadership in Junaid Prison, recognized as the central command of the strike.

This strike achieved numerous material and moral gains and represented a significant victory over Israeli plans to undermine the unity and rights of the prisoners' movement.

It is evident that conditions within the prisons have never been stable, remaining in a constant state of confrontation and struggle. The Israeli prison authorities have not recognized the gains achieved by the prisoners through their sacrifices, hunger, and suffering as a permanent foundation for treatment. Instead, they seize opportunities to roll back these achievements, reverting conditions to earlier, harsher times. The state inside the prisons is one of perpetual conflict, vigilance, and caution. For this reason, the prisoners' movement has never laid down the tools of resistance, psychological readiness, and mobilization. They face an adversary intent on burying them in darkness and enforcing compliance with its oppressive rules.