Releasing only 250 Fatah prisoners is a blow to national unity, Palestinian prisoners' families say
9 July 2007Gaza - Ma'an - The families of Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails have expressed their reservations about the Israeli prime minister's initiative to release 250 Fatah-affiliated prisoners. They said that accepting such an offer would only fracture the Palestinian national unity, and they called on President Abbas to make a deal that includes all Palestinian detainees without exceptions.
The prisoners' families depicted freeing any Palestinian detainee as an accomplishment; however, they expressed their fear that the 250 whom Israeli Prime Minister Olmert intends to free would include only prisoners who have almost completed their sentences, and who are scheduled for release shortly in any case.
Such conduct would help improve the Israeli image internationally, the families said, while failing to serve the Palestinian people, of whom almost 12, 000 are detained in Israeli jails in dire conditions. In addition, most of the detainees are denied visits by their families.
The prisoners' families held their weekly sit-in outside the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday. They asserted that they would prefer a comprehensive prisoners' swap that includes all affiliations and is conducted under Palestinian conditions.
The Israeli cabinet approved the release of 250 Fatah prisoners during their meeting on Sunday, as a "goodwill gesture" toward Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
According to Ynet, the Israeli justice ministry and the Israeli domestic intelligence service (the Shin Bet) will formulate a list of 250 prisoners "without blood on their hands," meaning prisoners who were not detained for involvement in operations that led to the death of Israelis.
Further Reading:
Israeli Move to Free Fatah Prisoners Angers Palestinians
posted by HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace at 4:43 AM
11 Comments:
carl r,
So who would you have them release?
Confessed child-murderes like Samir Kuntar?
-------------
You have a great problem when it come’s to the Israeli prison system and as well as the Legal system when it come’s to Arab’s not just Palestinian’s.
Firstly, when it comes to anyone that is not a Zionist; the court system is unfair to the point of a Kangaroo court.
Second, being in an Israel Prison the first 45 days you are tortured without mercy; which I am firmly against torture.
Third, most Arab prisoner’s are in these jail’s when they have actually committed no crime’s.
Fourth, there is resistance in these jail’s that tried to defend the Palestinian people or their country and as far as I know this goes under the guidelines during any war time.
Fifth, as for Samir Kuntar, I do not have any information on this man and whether the confession was conceived under torture or fact. If he is actually guilty without any doubt like anyone under the same situation they should indeed pay for their crime and not be released; but if the confession is not real and done under torture then you have a different story.
Finally, the bottom line I think as it always has been there is a lot of people in these prison’s guilty actually of no crime’s, they are political prisoner’s and they shouldn’t be put under these kind’s of condition’s.
Housewife:
Regarding Kuntar:
He was caught red handed (literally, his hands were bloody), having just killed a four year old child by beating her head in with a rifle butt after making her watch the murder of her own father. He boasts about this.
Second:
I am curious, what are Palestinian jails like?
During the recent Hamas take-over of Gaza, I read reports of summary executions in the streets, of people getting thrown off the tops of high rise buildings, and of an attack on a convent.
Are these people who should be complaining about someone else's jail?
I'll comment later on your other points; I'm short of time right now.
Carl,
Like I said the man you spoke about I do not have full information so I can not get you much information on this. If he did what you said he is guilty of his crime’s and should be treated in that manner.
As for Palestinian prison’s, most people like myself have little information except what I saw in the Fatah prison’s which horrified me. If you look on this web site (http://peace4palestinehousewife4palestine.blogspot.com/2007/06/hamas-opens-doors-of-notorious-prison.html), when Hamas showed what these prison’s where like and what occurred in these prison’s was no better then the Israel’s so I am very saddened.
As for the convent, I no nothing about this. As for the list of collaborator’s that Hamas was following in Gaza was what you were seeing in the other instance. For these people was considered traitor’s to the Palestinian people and it has always been that if anyone does this crime the punishment is immediate death and usually in the harshest manner. While I think it should have been done in a different manner from what was shown, as to the details why it was done this way I have no information then what I have said. I do know that Fatah men that was turned over to Hamas by non-collaborating Fatah member’s themselves, was considered very bad men; even to the Fatah.
I do not believe anyone no matter who they are, should collaborate against their own people and as far as I know any traitor in any country the law is always death.
While I understand that you are busy, I look foreword to hearing from you again.
Carl,
I went and did ask some question’s for you on what really happened with the Christian convent and what I am going to tell you I say which much sadness. I do hope you understand, that myself and there is many like me that have great respect for religions‘.
My understanding is, that some Fatah collaborator’s went into the convent, putting the Christian’s in danger because they was being perused. The attack on the convent was to retrieve the collaborator’s and while I do not know all the details, it sounds like the Christians where harmed during the attack to retrieve the collaborator’s.
To learn of something like this, breaks my heart.
Housewife:
I have to take exception to a number of things you've written here, and I'll try to explain point by point.
I'm not trying to flame you, just to explain my views, and to try and understand where you're coming from.
First, about the people who were tossed off buildings, you said: For these people was considered traitor’s to the Palestinian people and it has always been that if anyone does this crime the punishment is immediate death and usually in the harshest manner.
Are justifying this? You accused Israel of running kangaroo courts, but these people didn't even get that. There name was on a list, so they were killed.
There is no justice in that; what if they were not guilty; what their names were put on the list for personal reasons?
This is not civilized behavior, and it only serves to make the Palestinians look bad. There should have been some kind of trial.
Second, about the attack on the convent, you said: that some Fatah collaborator’s went into the convent, putting the Christian’s in danger because they was being perused. The attack on the convent was to retrieve the collaborator’s and while I do not know all the details, it sounds like the Christians where harmed during the attack to retrieve the collaborator’s.
I have trouble believing the story. It sounds to me like Hamas can shout "Collaborator!" and then just kill anyone they want to kill. Again, there is no justice in that.
Also, there are other disturbing reports about attacks on Gaza Christians, such as this one:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56241
I'll quote it:
Christians can continue living safely in the Gaza Strip only if they accept Islamic law, including a ban on alcohol and on women roaming publicly without proper head coverings, an Islamist militant leader in Gaza told WND in an exclusive interview.
The militant leader said Christians in Gaza who engage in "missionary activity" will be "dealt with harshly."
"I expect our Christian neighbors to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza," said Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadia Salafiya, an Islamic outreach movement that recently announced the opening of a "military wing" to enforce Muslim law in Gaza.
Sorry for the long quote, but it seems to me that there is no peace or respect, or even basic tolerance, in that. Why are Christians being forced to accept Islamic law? It's not their law; as long as they obey civil laws, why force them to conform to Islam? I think it is attitudes like that which can lead to attacks like the one on the convent.
Finally, since you said you don't know anything about Samir Kuntar, I'll tell you.
He murdered an Israeli family. He's a Lebanese, and in April, 1979, he & 3 companions took a boat from Tyre to Nahariya. In Nahariya, Kuntar broke into an apartment, kidnapped a man and his 4 year old daughter, and took them to the beach. There, he shot the man in the back and drowned him (in front of the child!). Then he bashed the child's head in with a rifle butt. He was captured with her blood on his hands, literally. He boasts about what he did.
You can read about it here:
http://samirkuntar.net/
Knowing how you feel about Israelis, I do have one question:
Would you let your children be alone with Kuntar?
Did you receive the previous comment I left on this post?
I had a lot of questions in it for you...
Carl,
To begin with, a person that is considered a collaborator, is proven without one doubt; otherwise they are not bothered in any manner. As I mentioned before the list of Fatah member’s that was pursued was turned over to Hamas by their own people. So hope I explained that not just anyone can be accused of collaboration.
As for the article you wished me to look at, please know it was nothing but propaganda; that the situation that was in the article is not occurring. This I would hope you understand that Islam in any manner is not forced on any people or religion. Their has been Christians as well as Jews living in Palestine in complete harmony with the Muslim Palestinians for several thousand years.
Going on about the convent situation, there is one part I did not mention before because at the time I tried to tell you what really happened I did not have certain final information at that time. When Fatah went into the Convent as they was being pursued by Fatah and when Hamas arrived their was a fire fight. I would hope this final situation you will understand I write this because it is very upsetting to me. When the fire fight broke out, Fatah men grabbed the Christians and attempted to use them as human shield’s and this is how the Christians died.
As for Christian missionaries, as far as I know, they have always been welcome in Palestine and I do not know where you got any information that they would ever be mistreated in any manner.
What you tell me of Samir Kuntar, the man had to be crazy, for you do not break into people’s homes and do what you described to me; the man is a criminal. And as for letting him around my children, I do not associate with crazy people or criminal’s.
Hopefully I was able to answer all you asked me here for I do admit I had a little trouble at time’s trying to understand all you was asking.
Carl,
Please, look at the above comment from this one, where I attempted to answer all that you asked of me.
Carl,
It dawned on me one remark that you made towards myself and I just wanted you to know that I do appreciate the things you have asked me for the simple fact that which you asked many in the world doesn't know.
One thing I have strived very hard with this blog, is to show what is really happening.
Housewife:
Glad I could help.
I still have a few questions.
You said: To begin with, a person that is considered a collaborator, is proven without one doubt; otherwise they are not bothered in any manner.
How? The system you have described is completely arbitrary! If a person's name is on a list of "collaborators" he is killed, and that is that.
But what if his name is there because someone doesn't like him? What if Ahmed, in Hamas, doesn't like Mohammed, in Fatah, and so he says that Mohammed is a "collaborator?"
It seems to me that Mohammed would be stuck; he'd be executed quickly and harshly, and never have a chance to show that he's innocent. There is no justice in that.
About the persecution of Christians:
The article I linked to you is not an isolated case. Similar cases have been reported on Michelle Malkin's blog,
http://michellemalkin.com/2006/09/16/pope-rage-on-the-internet-church-bombings-in-gaza/
and by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
http://pchrgaza.org/files/PressR/English/2006/108-2006.htm
and by various mainstream newspapers:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/FOREIGN/106270072/1001
Now, I don't know what groups are doing this, but it sure looks to me like there are plenty of folks in Gaza who don't believe that Islam is peaceful.
So what kind of government do the palestinians what for themselves?
Carl,
To my knowledge no Muslim has ever attacked a Christian since the occupation began, if they did they would be an outcast by much of the Islamic community for the simple fact in Islam we are taught to respect all Monotheistic religions.
I do know for fact that that the Zionist have attacked and murdered not only Christians, but Jews. As for Fatah, it has been Jews, Christians as well as Muslims.
As the articles you showed, I can not answer to who the real criminal’s where by name but I can honestly tell you it was not the Muslim community, for people like myself please know we find these kind of situations appalling.
To further understand, to accuse Islam of this offence is not acceptable please understand this because if we did not have respect for these religions we are condemned by Allah himself.
I do not know of any case where a person was accused of collaboration and executed, for a whim, this would be the case of out right murder and again; this is condemned.
Muslims in many case’s these days are being accused of crime’s they are not guilty, while I do find it an offence that there is some that claim they are doing crime’s in the name of Islam, when they are outside of Islam and I will assure you these people are not only condemned by those who are true to Islam, but Allah also.
As for a government, I know what I would wish, for all people could live once again in peace and there is many that feel as I do; but the final solution is yet to be seen.
I do hope this give’s you a further understanding of that which you wish to understand.
Please excuse me if I sounded maybe harsh, but things like these articles and accusations made to the Muslim community is why I think there is such a misunderstanding of who we really are.
Post a Comment
<< Home