Democratic Palestine : 9 (ص 16)

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Democratic Palestine : 9 (ص 16)

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shape than that we were. We answered that we survived on
our morale and collective solidarity.
Prisoners Fight Back
In the first years, the guards’ violence was rampant. |
remember how in Askelon a prisoner could be beaten for any
or no reason. In 1971, a guard kicked a blind prisoner to wake
him up. Two comrades were provoked to‘insult the guard and
push him out of the cell. Then other guards came with sticks
and tear gas; they took the two comrades and beat them in the
courtyard. This led other prisoners to beat on their cell doors
and shout protests and slogans of resistance. Two hours later,
400 guards and soldiers were called in to calm the disturbance,
armed with tear gas and clubs. They beat every prisoner, sys-
tematically, cell by cell.
The prisoners began to defend themselves against the
guards’ violence, first spontaneously, then collectively. After
real clashes with the guards, there were orders not to beat a
prisoner in the presence of others. Of course, the prisoners can
never win this battle, but they can keep the situation explosive
for the prison authorities. Today, the prison authorities are
more selective; they choose the target and circumstances. It
would take hundreds of guards to beat all the prisoners, and
this elicits revolt. Now they usually single out the most militant;
beatings usually occur in solitary cells or in the trucks used for
transferring the prisoners, blindfolded and chained. Some-
times a whole group of prisoners are taken to another prison to
be beaten. This practice started after prisoners later attacked
the guard who had beaten them. In 1975, after a protest in Bir
Sheeba, those who had articulated the prisoners’ demands to
the administration were taken for a ‘ride’. For five hours, they
were driven around South Palestine, stopped at kibbutzim and
beaten. The two prisoners, who were murdered on the 7th day
of the 1980 hunger strike in Nafha, died from being beaten in
the attempt to force-feed them; nine others were injured and
had to be hospitalized. Beating is still one of the most used dis-
ciplinary measures, especially against the most active.
«Operation Galilee»
PFLP-General Command skillfully conducted protracted negotiations which
forced the Israelis to free 1150 political prisoners in exchange for 3 captured
Israeli soldiers.
How was the mood among the political prisoners
when you entered the jails?
It was that of the Palestinian resistance in general at the
time: full of patriotism and romantic ideas of heroism. People
were very optimistic; they did not think they would stay long in
prison, for the revolution would soon be victorious. Of course,
there was also a sense of disappointment because of being
deprived of freedom of action, but everyone felt they would
have another chance. Political education was rather low,
though there was great consciousness of the necessity of fight-
ing the enemy and liberating our land.
There were some prisoners with long political and organi-
zational experience. In the first years, they contributed a lot to
raise the need for more political knowledge. This would have
happened anyway, for the political prisoners felt their
shortcomings and would have eventually been motivated by
their own experience, but the process was quicker because of
these vanguards.
«Operation Galilee» Liberated prisoners welcomed in the Bekaa Valley. Lebanon.

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Democratic Palestine : 9

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Democratic Palestine

PLO Research Center: Facts and Figures