Palestinian Prisoners Day: 'My little brothers are missing my dad' #Occupation

[Jefferson23]

With breadwinners arrested and jailed, in occupied towns like Beit Ummar, Prisoners Day has a special significance


Palestinian children protest the inhumane conditions faced while in Israeli prisons (AA)

Bethan Staton
Thursday 16 April 2015
Last update:
Friday 17 April 2015

RAMALLAH, Occupied Territories - More than most villages in the occupied West Bank, residents of Beit Ummar know the meaning of Prisoners Day - in a population where 44 percent of men have been imprisoned at some point in their lives.

This month alone, two men from the same family in the village died due to Israeli actions. At the beginning of April, 22-year-old Jafar Awad, who had been arrested on charges of belonging to Islamic Jihad, died of pneumonia three months after being released from prison on the grounds of ill health. At Jafar’s funeral, Ziyyad Awad, a relative, was also killed, allegedly by Israeli gunfire. This is hardly unusual in a village where restrictions, protests and night-time home raids by Israeli troops have become normal, and where most residents have a relative who is currently in jail.

With 6,000 Palestinians currently incarcerated in Israeli jails, Prisoners Day is a significant date in the political calendar. In the West Bank, flags bearing the faces of high-profile detainees are flown in city squares; on Friday, protests for those who are incarcerated will take place in towns and at well-known occupation flashpoints.

The spotlight here is on those men and women who are behind bars, many of whom have been imprisoned for years. But the impact of mass incarceration on the Palestinian population extends much further than the number of arrested and detained individuals. For the families and communities of those who are imprisoned, it's a phenomenon that affects all areas of life.

in full: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/small-palestinian-village-and-consequences-imprisonment-815377754

[Jefferson23]

1. Israeli forces injure 5 during Prisoner's Day marches across West Bank

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Five Palestinians were shot and dozens suffered excessive tear gas inhalation when Israeli forces violently suppressed protests marking Palestinian Prisoner's Day across the West Bank on Friday.

In Nilin village, west of Ramallah, three Palestinians were shot with live rounds and a teenager was hit in the mouth with a rubber-coated steel bullet, witnesses said.

Dozens of locals and activists participated in the march before Israeli forces dispersed it by firing tear gas canisters and live and rubber-coated steel bullets.

In Bilin village, west of Ramallah, two Palestinians were shot, one with live fire, and up to 60 protesters suffered tear gas inhalation.

Ahmad Mohammad Mansour, 17, was shot in the chest with a live bullet and was taken to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, while Munther Ameera was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the lower extremities and treated on the scene.

Among those who suffered excessive tear gas inhalation were Palestinian Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Issa Qarage, Minister of Agriculture Walid Assaf, lawmaker Mustafa al-Barghouthi, and Palestinian journalist Linda Shalash.

Israeli forces also violently dispersed a protest in al-Masara village south of Bethlehem, injuring several with bruises.

www.maannews.com/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=760538

[Jefferson23]

2. IN PICTURES: Palestinian Prisoners Day

remaining photos: http://www.middleeasteye.net/multimedia/photo-galleries/pictures-palestinian-prisoners-day-16482048