There are, at present, 37 women political prisoners in the Israeli jails: 22 in Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond), 15 in Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain).
Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond)
The conditions in the cells
The conditions are very harsh: It is very hot in the cells; there are many cockroaches and a bad smell from the sewage pipes.
The way from prison to court
Advocate Shirin 'Isawi,
30 years old, from Jerusalem, was arrested on 21 April 2010. She had suffered greatly on the way to court on 5 July 2010: The prison authorities put her in a car without a partition with hostile criminal women prisoners, and she was beaten by one of them. The criminal prisoners smoked in the closed car, and she suffered from the smoke. She was handcuffed very tightly and painfully.
After the court session she was brought to Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle), where a guard from Nahshon Unit brutally pushed her and hurt her hand. The guards then put her in a waiting cell were there was no bed or any possibility to rest, and she had to sit and wait there for six hours.
Women under administrative detention
Muntha elTawil,
44 years old, from elBirah, an administrative detainee, was arrested on 8 February 2010. On 8 August 2010, the Israeli authorities extended her administrative detention an additional four months.
Hanaa Shalabi,
from Burqin, Jenin district, an administrative detainee, was arrested on 14 September 2009. On 12 September 2010, the Israeli authorities extended her administrative detention an additional six months.
New administrative detainees
Linan Abu Ghulmeh,
an administrative detainee, from Beit Furik, Nablus district, is a former prisoner who was released in exchange for Shalit’s video. She was arrested again by the Israeli occupation forces on 15 July 2010, while she was at her sister's house.
The soldiers invaded the house at night shouting and banging at the gate. They forced the whole family to sit in one room, arrested three of them and arrested another three family members from other places. They took Linan and arrested her, as well as her sister Taghreed. Linan did not know that her sister had been arrested, too. She was brought to Petah Tiqva Detention Center. For 18 days the Israeli authorities prohibited Linan from meeting a lawyer, and she was held in complete isolation
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Adameer Association (Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association, situated in Ramallah) submitted an appeal to the High Court, with the result that on 2 August 2010 at midnight the prohibition was ended, and from 3 August 2010 she was allowed to meet lawyers.
She endured intensive interrogations for long hours, most days for about 20 hours nonstop, while most of the time her hands were tied behind the chair. The interrogators threatened her that more of her family members were going to be arrested, and that the interrogation and the detention will continue for a long time.
She was held in harsh conditions: A small cell with no windows and a yellow light burning 24 hours a day. On 24 August 2010, the Israeli authorities issued an administrative detention order against her. On 28 August she was transferred to separation in a criminal prisoners' wing (wing 2) in Hasharon Prison. WOFPP's lawyer, Taghreed Jahshan, sent a letter to the prison authorities asking to transfer her to the wing with other women political prisoners.
Kifah Katash,
37 years old, from elBirah , a student for social work in the Open University in the West Bank, was arrested on 1 August 2010 from her home and brought to the Russian Compound (Mosqobiya Detention Center, Jerusalem). After about two days, she was transferred to Hasharon Prison, and the Israeli authorities issued an administrative detention order against her for four months. She suffers from a chronic disease that sometimes causes her great pains.
Lawyers' visits
Since more than two months – at each visit - WOFPP's lawyer has to wait in the visitors' room until the prison authorities bring a prisoner to meet her. Recently, the waiting time has increased, and she has to wait about an hour. She sent a protest letter to the prison authorities.
Irena Sarahna,
from Dehaishe Refugee Camp, Bethlehem district, was arrested on 23 May 2002. In May 2010, she prepared a note of things that she wanted to say to a lawyer at a lawyer's visit and read from the note during the visit. The prison authorities stopped the visit and told her and the lawyer that the note was a violation of the prison rules. They warned Irena in a disciplinary sentence.
Rima Daraghmah,
from Tobas, Jenin district, was arrested on 28 July 2004. When she went to a lawyer's visit she had a note in her pocket. Before the meeting the prison authorities did a search on her body. Before the search she told them that she had a note and tore it up.
The prison authorities stopped the lawyer's visit and in a disciplinary sentence punished her to a fine of 150 NIS, preventing a meeting with her brother who is also a political prisoner and seven days of suspended isolation.
Health care
Yusef elSadeq Association (prisoners support association) sent private dentists who treated some of the women political prisoners.
New prisoners
Taghreed Abu Ghulmeh,
27 years old from Beit Furik, Nablus district, was arrested on 15 July 2010. She was brought to Petah Tiqva Detention Center where she was held in harsh conditions and endured interrogations.
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In mid-August 2010, she was transferred to Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond) to separation in a criminal prisoners' wing (wing 2). She was held there in very harsh conditions: She was alone, without recreation time and without any books or newspapers. On 24 August 2010, WOFPP's lawyer visited her and helped her asking the prison authorities to move her to a wing with other political prisoners. After two days, she was transferred to a wing with other women political prisoners.
Sabrin Mash'al,
19 year old, from Jerusalem, was arrested on 25 June 2010 at an Israeli checkpoint and brought to the Russian Compound (Mosqobiya Detention Center, Jerusalem) for about two weeks, and then transferred to separation in a criminal prisoners' wing in Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle). After about 12 days, she was transferred to Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond).
Released prisoners
Rajaa elGhul,
an administrative detainee, 39 years old, from Jenin Refugee Camp, was arrested on 31 March 2009 and released on 8 September 2010.
Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain)
Family visits
'Ayshah 'Abayat,
from Bethlehem, was arrested on 14 August 2009. All her family members are prohibited from visiting her. In August 2010, her parents got permission for a one-time visit. At an Israeli checkpoint the soldiers took away her father's permission and forced him to go back.
Faten elSa'adi,
from Jenin Refugee Camp, was arrested on 8 May 2008. When her mother was on her way to visit her, Israeli soldiers tore up her visitor's permission, told her that she was prohibited from visiting the prison and forced her to go back.
Prisoner's appeal
Amneh Mona,
from Jerusalem, was arrested on 19 January 2001. She asked to get physiotherapy treatment for her back problems. The prison authorities conditioned the treatment by transferring her to separation in a criminal prisoners' wing in Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle). She submitted an appeal to court and asked to get the treatment while remaining in Damoon Prison. On 6 September 2010, the appeal was rejected by the district court in Haifa.
Health care
Suad Nazal,
24 years old, from Qalqilya, was arrested on 23 August 2009. Since more than a year she has suffered from jaw problems. The prison authorities have still not given her any medical treatment.
Petah Tiqva Detention Center
Released prisoners
Rawan Toabta,
a former prisoner, 24 years old, from Jerusalem, is a law student who studies in Syria. On her way home for the summer holiday she was arrested by the Jordanian authorities for a week. They interrogated her about her previous arrest in the Israeli jail.
After she had arrived home, she was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces from her home at night on 9 August 2010 and brought to Petah Tiqva Detention Center. She endured intensive interrogations. The Israeli authorities prohibited her from meeting a lawyer until 19 August 2010. She was released on 25 August 2010.
Mona Sh'aar,
46 years old from Majdal Shams in the Golan Mountain, was arrested on 25 July 2010, and released on 29 July 2010.
Kishon Detention Center
Released prisoner
Fathiya elSwis,
59 years old, from Ramallah, was arrested on 17 July 2010 when she was at her parents' house in TulKarem. She endured interrogations and was released in August 2010.
For donations to WOFPP:
Bank account:
Women's Organization for Political Prisoners (WOFPP(
Account number: 471067
BANK HAPOALIM
Branch 532
Daniel Frisch St. 3,Tel Aviv 64078, ISRAEL
IBAN number: IL 60-0125-3200-0000-0471-067
BIC (swift): POALILIT
Address to receive the contribution:
WOFPP
Frug Street 30
Tel Aviv 63417, ISRAEL