Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, over 750,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel. This forms approximately 20% of the total Palestinian population in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) and as much as 40% of the total male Palestinian population.

There are approximately 8,400 Palestinian political prisoners being held in Israeli prisons and detention centers. 546 of these are administrative detainees, held without charge or trial for indefinite periods of time. 389 of the political prisoners are aged 18 and under. There are 65 Palestinian female political prisoners, 1 of whom is a mother who gave birth in prison. There remain 38 elected members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

Process of Arrest

Arrests can occur at any time anywhere. Palestinians are most commonly arrested at checkpoints, off the street, at border crossings and from homes in the middle of the night. This last form of arrest is the most brutal as it usually takes place in front of the family and often constitutes a deeply traumatizing event for children. In such case, the Israeli army typically surrounds the house between midnight and 4 am. Dozens of soldiers can be present at the same time, forcing family members onto the street in their nightclothes, regardless of weather conditions. Upon arrest, detainees are usually cuffed with plastic handcuffs and blindfolded. Most frequently, they are not informed of the reason for their arrest, nor are they told where they will be taken.

Physical abuse and humiliation of detainees by Israeli forces during the process of arrest is common. Once bound and blindfolded, the detainee is usually thrown on the floor of a military jeep, sometimes face down, for transfer to an interrogation centre. Israeli soldiers continuously abuse detainees during the process of transfer to prison, which can take anywhere from 20 minutes up to many hours. Cases of beatings, kicking, insults, threats and deliberate humiliation are reported.

Distribution of Prisoners

Distribution of Prisoners  Israeli prisons and military detention camps are primarily located within the 1948 borders of Israel. There are a total of 4 interrogation centers, as well as one secret interrogation facility (1), 5 detention/ holding centers, and about 21 prisons in which Palestinians are held. The location of prisons within Israel and the transfer of detainees to locations within the occupying power’s territory are illegal under international law and constitute a war crime. The Fourth Geneva Convention explicitly states that «protected persons accused of offences shall be detained in the occupied country, and if convicted they shall serve their sentences therein» (Article 76).

Family Visits

With the exception of Jerusalem residents all Palestinian families from the occupied territory wishing to visit a family member imprisoned in Israeli custody must receive an entry permit into Israel. The application process takes between one and three months, while the permit itself is valid for three months only. The application is submitted via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and then transferred to the Israeli authorities. Not only do the basic criteria for receiving entry permits restrict the visiting population (16-45 year-old men are generally prohibited from receiving permits), but also hundreds of families may not receive their permit based on so-called “security grounds”. As a result, hundreds of prisoners do not receive family visits for extended periods that may reach a number of years. Other sweeping restrictions may withhold Palestinian family visits, such as the prohibition of visits by families from one, or all areas of the OPT, or to a certain prison, on “security grounds”. When they are not denied, visits with Palestinian prisoners take place once every two weeks for 45 minutes. Only the nuclear family is allowed to visit. Such a rule not only undermines a prisoner’s reintegration process upon release, but further isolates those prisoners without immediate family.

In the visiting room, a glass window separates the visitor and the prisoner. Communication takes place through a telephone or through holes in the glass. For every prisoner, only three adults and two minors are allowed to visit at the same time. On 6 June 2007, Israeli authorities have suspended the ICRC Family Visits Programme in the Gaza Strip, effectively barring all means of communication between Gazan prisoners and the outside world. Before the new wave of arrests of Gazan residents during Israel’s latest aggression in the Strip (27/12/2008 – 18/01/2009), the ban affected approximately 900 prisoners and their families.

The timing of the decision to ban family visits coincided with factional fighting in the Gaza Strip which was followed by Hamas’ takeover of the territory, a party which Israel does not recognize and deems a “terrorist” organization. Therefore, the decision to suspend the programme appears to be a form of collective punishment intended to coerce Palestinians to respond to Israel’s demands in terms of Palestinian leadership.

Detention Conditions

Conditions vary depending on the type of facility in which a detainee or prisoner is held. These include: provisional detention centers, interrogation and detention centers and finally prisons.

Provisional detention centers are the only Israeli detention facilities located inside the oPt, usually within military bases or settlements. Palestinians can be held there immediately after arrest when they have not been yet convicted of any offence. According to Israeli regulations, they can only be held in such centers for a maximum of 8 days, after which they have to be transferred to either a detention (and interrogation) center or a prison. This is not always the case. Detention conditions in these centers are known to be very harsh: detainees are kept in cells equipped with a mattress only . Detainees are prevented from access to media, phone calls even to contact their attorney, and recreation time. They neither received lawyers’ visits nor are entitled to meet with ICRC delegates.

Interrogation and detention centers are located outside the oPt. Although administered by the Israeli Prison Service, Palestinian detainees under interrogation fall under the responsibility of the Israeli Security Agency. Conditions in interrogation centers are reportedly inadequate, often appalling. They tend to vary from case to case. As in provisional centers, cells in interrogation centers include only a mattress with sheets which are often used and supposedly dirty. Overcrowding in small cells – forcing sometimes detainees to sleep on the floor – is one of the main problems. Hygiene standards are very low as detainees rarely are provided with all necessary cleaning detergents and personal hygiene items. The cells usually include a toilet, which is however, not separated from the main area by a door. Detainees are deprived from exposure to natural sunlight and fresh air circulation as cells do not include windows. They are also often denied from receiving a change of clean clothes. Finally, they are deprived from family visits, but can have access to lawyers’ and ICRC delegates’ visits.

All central prisons holding Palestinian prisoners are located outside the oPt. Here again, overcrowding is a serious problem. According to IPS regulations, every prisoner is entitled to 3.4 square meters of living space. However, this has recently been reduced to 2.9 square meters (2). In addition to the lack of adequate ventilation and natural sunlight – small windows are often covered by an iron sheet – prisoners suffer from humidity and the spread of insects such as cockroaches. In some instances, the presence of mice has been reported. Prisoners held in Megiddo, Ofer (3) and Ketziot (Negev) prisons live in threadbare tents that do not provide adequate shelter against extreme weather in the winter or summer. In general, hygiene facilities are dire. Toilets are located inside prison cells with sewage often coming through the drains. The IPS does not provide essential hygiene products, such as toothpaste or soap. Apart from half a liter of floor cleaning liquid provided by the IPS, all other hygiene products are bought at prisoners’ own personal expense. (4) As for food, most prisoners report that meals are insufficient in terms of quality and quantity alike. They lack essential fruits, vegetables, calcium and protein-rich foods. In addition, the IPS food is not altered to meet the needs of those prisoners who require a special diet. As a result, the prisoners buy needed products from the canteen and re-cook the meals served to them as they find them uneatable. The situation becomes even more problematic when a prisoner’s canteen account is frozen, as has occurred to tens of prisoners, especially those who have been identified with Hamas over the past year. Prisoners usually have access to three hours recreation time a day. Although they are able to have access to some personal belongings – TV sets, radios, personal clothes, books and media – severe restrictions are imposed on what exactly is allowed. New clothes and books can be brought to prisoners by their families only once every 3 months. Prisoners usually have access to recreation time ICRC delegates visit Palestinian prisoners detained in central prisons. However, due to the large number of prisoners, these visits occur rarely, if at all.

Women in Israeli detention: Palestinian women are currently detained in two prisons located in the north and dating back from the British Mandate in Palestine period – Damon near Haifa and Hasharon north of Netanya. They suffer from the same detention conditions as describe above, in addition to the lack of specialized gender-sensitive health care.

Children in Israeli detention: The vast majority of Palestinian children are held in Megiddo and Hasharon in special children’s sections, as well as in Ofer prison where they are not separated from adults. Their detention conditions are similar to those of adults. Girls under the age of 18 are detained with adult women in either Damon or Hasharon (Telmond).

Health Conditions

The IPS adopts a systematic policy of deliberate medical negligence in detention centres. Huge delays in providing medical treatment are recurrent. Every Israeli prison includes a medical clinic, where a nurse is available, but physicians are only present once or twice a week for no more than a few hours. Prisoners are not treated outside the assigned hours and have to usually wait for a week before being examined. It might take anywhere between a few days to weeks or months before a prisoner is transferred to the hospital after such treatment is indicated by the prison’s doctor. Most of the time, prisoners are treated with painkillers without any thorough medical follow-up taking place. In addition, the prison administration denies access of medications from outside the prison, either from the family or Palestinian organizations.

Detention conditions have a huge impact on the health of detainees. As a result of their imprisonment, released detainees are often faced with chronic health problems such as skin diseases, extreme fatigue, anemia and weakness, kidney problems, rheumatism, teeth diseases and ulcers. Women – and mothers in particular – suffer from psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. The pressure of the prison environment and feelings of insecurity are often translated into gynecological problems.

As no coordination exists between the IPS and Palestinian health institutions, medical treatment of ill-detainees as prescribed by their Palestinian doctors prior to their arrest is usually interrupted. A further problem is the lack of communication between the detainees and the physician in the detention facility, both because of language difficulties and because the physician is inevitably seen as part of the military system responsible for the detainee’s incarceration. In such conditions, it is difficult for detainees to develop relationships of trust with the physician, who is supposed to see to their welfare and represent their interests as patients. 

Education

No higher education is available in Arabic to prisoners. The only type is by correspondence, in Hebrew, at the Open University of Israel. The education process has to take place within the prison walls and be compliant with security regulations. Restrictions are imposed on the types of programs prisoners are allowed to apply for. In addition, only sentenced prisoners for a period longer than 5 years are allowed to apply to the Open University of Israel. Prisoners who are held in isolation are not allowed to study; this right is equally not granted to administrative detainees. No prisoner may continue their studies by distance at a Palestinian institution even if they were registered students prior to their arrest. A yearslong struggle to change this practice has been unsuccessful. The IPS justifies such practice, as always with security reasons. Subsequently, many prisoners are unable to register at the Open University of Israel because of financial and language restrictions. Palestinian prisoners can receive books once every three months only, but restrictions are always imposed by the prison on the kinds and number of books. Arabic newspapers are delivered to prison only once a week by the ICRC. Newspapers in Hebrew are distributed at the expense of the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees on a daily basis, but only to those holding a subscription.

In Megiddo and Hasharon very limited provisions are made for the education of Palestinian child detainees under the age of 16. They receive approximately 2 to 9 hours of tuition hours a week. Classes include Arabic, English, Hebrew and sometimes science. The final high school exam, commonly known as Tawjihi is allowed, however textbooks are usually delivered with considerable delays and science subjects are forbidden altogether. In June 2007, the Israeli authorities banned all prisoners from taking their final high school year tawjihi exam as a punitive measure.

1 Israel has admitted the existence of only one, the location of which is still secret.

2.  Addameer (2007), “Violations against Palestinian Prisoners and Detainees in Israeli Prisons and Detention Centers”

3 Although Ofer is geographically located within the 1967 borders of the oPt, due to the path of the Separation Wall, it is now effectively situated on the Israeli side of the Green Line. This means that all families need to apply for entry permits to Israel in order to visit their relatives detained in Ofer.

4 Addameer, Physicians for Human Rights (2008) “The Sounds of Silence Isolation and Solitary Confinement of Palestinians in Israeli Detention”

This entry was posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 11:20 am and is filed under Administrative Detention. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.