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Jalal Saker's Story

By Julie Webb-Pullman

Jalal Saker spent 20 years in total in Israeli jails, the most recent being from 2000 until 2011, when he was released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap deal. He was in Israeli jails both before and after the Israelis introduced the Shalit Law to punish Palestinian prisoners for the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. I asked Jalal how conditions of imprisonment changed following the introduction of the Shalit Law.

“Inside the Israeli prisons was even worse after the Shalit Law – it was bad before it, but after it was much worse. The Israeli forces told the prisoners that the Palestinian resistance movement had abandoned them, but in reality this wasn’t true because the resistance is still going on and we are still fighting the occupation all the time,” he said.

What was a typical meal like in the jails?
For breakfast we were given one egg, one spoonful of yoghurt, and one tomato, and for lunch we got a little tasteless soup and rice. The food was so bad that we could not rely on it, we had to get food sent into the prisons from our families and friends for the last seven years.
The prison food was so dirty, it was full of insects and bugs, it was so disgusting we could not eat it.

Were you allowed to leave your cells?
“From 7-8am we used to do aerobics, and run, in the evening we could play volleyball and table-tennis but the afternoon break was only 30 minutes, so short it was not really long enough to do anything so we just walked or run a little.”

Were you ever subjected to torture?
“When I was detained I was shot in one leg, and instead of taking me to hospital for treatment the Israelis interrogated me, and only took me to the hospital after a few days, for one day, then back to prison for interrogation. I was tortured by beatings, being hung from the hands, and other methods. Also psychological torture – they threatened to destroy my house, kill my parents. Psychologically and physically things were really terrible for me, I had 129 days of pure hell.”

Were you permitted to see your family?
“It was very tough. The last time I was imprisoned from 2000 until 2011, and in all that time I was only permitted five visits. One time they would let me see my daughters but not my wife, another time my wife, yes, and my daughters no. My mother was prevented from visiting me many times - and I am only one of the thousands they did this to. Some did not receive ANY visits – 550 prisoners were not allowed any visits for 5 and 6 years – this is cruel.

Things were not easy, when you are not allowed to see your family things are almost hell.

In prisons elsewhere in the world prisoners are permitted to see their families but the Israeli occupation does not permit it.”

Did Israel meet all the conditions of the prisoner swap agreement?
“The Shalit Prisoner swap deal contained agreements to ease the conditions of prisoners, but in fact things became even worse – but Israel is known for breaking its promises. Some prisoners in solitary confinement are still there, and they are completely abandoned by the Israeli authorities, nobody cares for them.”

Did you feel abandoned by international community?
“There were a few people who cared, but not enough to make a difference. For people who supposedly believe in democracy and freedom, they didn’t do enough. Prisoners should have been treated as prisoners of war but instead the Israeli Occupation treats them as criminals. The Israeli Occupation pretends to uphold international values but when it comes to the Palestinians they do not – they always act against the Palestinians, and they punish Palestinians.

I ask the international community to stand up for us, and to make things change. I ask them to help the prisoners and support them, I have been supporting my brothers in the prison for eleven days by hunger-striking, others for 28 days, and nobody seems to care, nobody is doing anything. If the international community believes in human rights why haven’t they done anything to help Palestinian prisoners? Why haven’t they pressured the Israeli occupation to set them free? To observe the prisoners’ rights? To guarantee us a decent life? Elsewhere in the world prisoners are given their rights but the Israelis do not allow them even to ASK for them.

The Israelis always break their promises, they never keep them. Every time we go on strike it ends with a useless end but I hope this time, this strike will achieve some good and be fruitful.”

Insha’allah.

Translation: Mukarram AbuAlouf

Jalal Saker

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ENDS

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