Two Palestinian prisoners: One went home, the other was exiled by Israel

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Ramallah, occupied West Bank – The greeting dawned afloat of anticipation arsenic thousands of Palestinian families prepared to invited their imprisoned relatives, who were scheduled to beryllium released arsenic portion of a captive speech woody with Israel.

Some had spent decades successful prison, immoderate were serving consecutive beingness sentences, and astir had been rounded up wholesale by Israel successful Gaza during its two-year warfare connected the besieged enclave.

‘All words fail’

Ibtisam and her member Raed Imran had travel to Ramallah 2 days ago, aft they got a telephone from Muhammad from the Israeli situation wherever helium was held, telling them that helium would beryllium among the prisoners to beryllium released to the West Bank.

But erstwhile they arrived astatine the taste centre connected Monday morning, they were told that Muhammad was connected the list, yes, but that helium was among the much than 100 prisoners whom Israel had decided to exile from Palestine.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, Israel volition beryllium exiling 154 retired of 250 Palestinian governmental prisoners it is releasing.

These men volition apt look terrible constraints connected their movements and activities successful the countries they volition beryllium taken to, and question volition beryllium hard fixed that they lone person Palestinian citizenship.

Tamer Qarmout, subordinate prof successful nationalist argumentation astatine the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera these exile orders magnitude to forced displacement of these individuals.

In addition, due to the fact that Israel makes it astir intolerable for immoderate Palestinians to question extracurricular Palestine, these prisoners’ families whitethorn ne'er spot them again.

Raed was inactive successful disbelief, going implicit the past fewer days and each the things that had happened that made him definite his member was coming home.

“I got a telephone from an Israeli serviceman … He told america not to amusement joyousness oregon person well-wishers,” helium said, describing a communal acquisition for Palestinian families: threats by Israeli information forces – of violence, arrests, and worse if they showed immoderate joyousness that their loved 1 was coming home.

Raed wears a shot cap. he's middle-aged with frey stubble. he's connected his telephone and has an limb astir Ibtisam who is crying

“The Israeli service raided our location that night, asking wherever Muhammad would enactment aft his release. They warned against immoderate celebrations, enactment for the resistance, oregon adjacent messages of solidarity with Gaza. We told them we lone wanted my brother’s freedom, and that we were prepared to unopen our doors to immoderate well-wishers.”

Ibtisam looked exhausted and tearful.

“I was truthful blessed erstwhile I heard Muhammad would beryllium released. We near Hebron 2 days agone … I wanted to beryllium the archetypal to person him. But each that exhaustion from moving astir and uncovering a spot to enactment here, it was each worthy it; I was truthful definite each the fatigue would vanish astatine the infinitesimal of meeting,” she said with a bittersweet smile.

“The occupation’s threats spoiled our joyousness and made america turbulent,” she added. “The manipulation of names and accusation was intentional, and this is what burned our nerves. [But] I volition stay present until the past captive is released. I can’t picture what is successful my bosom … each words fail.”

Joy for the al-Zeir family

Also astatine the gross of the Ramallah Cultural Centre stood Bassam al-Zeir, a 60-year-old antheral from Dura, southbound of Hebron, his look bushed but excited.

He was anticipating a reunion helium had awaited for 23 years, with his member Hani, a 50-year-old begetter of seven, and with their relative Arafat al-Zeir.

Hani was arrested connected June 28, 2002, and sentenced to 25 years successful prison, of which helium served 23 years. Arafat was arrested astatine the aforesaid clip and sentenced to 35 years.

Bassam said it had been “a joyful thunderbolt” to larn that the 2 men were going to beryllium released.

“My relative Arafat’s sanction was connected the archetypal database then, astatine precisely 2am, my member Hani’s sanction was released. We couldn’t judge it and started preparing to spell to Ramallah close then.”

Bassam hasn’t seen his member successful much than 2 decades, arsenic the household was denied immoderate visits, apt due to the fact that Bassam himself had been antecedently detained.

“I was arrested much than once, and they prevented maine from seeing him, adjacent during household visits, arsenic if they wanted the separation betwixt america to stay eternal.”

But, helium added: “Freedom is coming … adjacent if it’s delayed by 23 years.”

Despite his joy, Bassam is frustrated and saddened.

On the 1 hand, helium said, helium knew that the merchandise of prisoners comes astatine an indescribable outgo that the radical of Gaza had to carnivore for 2 years.

And connected the different hand, the restrictions the Israelis enforce connected prisoners’ families forestall them from expressing their joyousness astatine having their loved ones location again.

A kindly looking antheral with a brushed grey beard, wearing a tidy windbreaker and oxford cloth garment looks traight astatine the camera

“We waited a 4th of a period [for this release] … but they adjacent prevented joyousness from reaching us,” helium says, his eyes welling with tears.

‘Cannot beryllium described’

Then the autobus arrived and prisoners began coming out, and Bassam surged guardant with members of different families, anxious to drawback a glimpse of his member and cousin.

But the crush of radical astatine the doors of the autobus was excessively much, and Bassam faltered, falling backmost a spot and shouting retired “Hani! Hani!” successful hopes that his member would perceive him.

Eventually, the brothers were reunited and tears flowed arsenic they embraced and tried to battalion a batch of feelings into those moments.

Asked astir what was going done his head, Hani shook his caput and said, “This feeling cannot beryllium described successful words…”

Arafat was not portion of this tender moment. His wellness had deteriorated truthful overmuch successful Israeli situation that helium had to beryllium helped disconnected the autobus and whisked distant instantly to beryllium checked by doctors.

Relief astatine being retired and seeing his member aft truthful agelong was evident connected Hani’s face, arsenic was the weariness of his clip successful prison.

He and Arafat had been held successful Ramon Prison until they were told soon earlier their merchandise that they were being moved to Ofer, different installation that Palestinians cognize is usually a past holding country for prisoners astir to beryllium released.

They were threatened, Hani said, but the joyousness of being moved to Ofer Prison was stronger.

“I felt my enactment return, arsenic if beingness had returned.

“The hardest happening astir captivity isn’t the walls oregon the chains, but the transition of clip distant from our families. I utilized to number the years by my children increasing up successful photographs.”

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