When at the beginning of the week the Palestinian activist Bushra Al-Tahil was released from an Israeli prison in exchange for hostages held by Hamas, many media reports described her as a prisoner: or worseterrorist.
It happened despite the fact that no Israeli court convicted of her crime, charged her or presented any evidence explaining why she was in prison for more than 10 months.
Nevertheless, in the eyes of the world Al-Tahil claims that she looked guilty.
“They only want to make us criminals,” CBC News said in an interview at her mother's salon in Ramallah, on the occupied west shore, a few days after release.
Palestinian prisoners and their supporters say that the wide characteristics of Palestinians as prisoners are part of a thoughtful strategy.
“(Israeli hostages) staying in gas are considered” kidnapped “because they were kidnapped by criminals,” said Al-Tahil. But because she was held in an Israeli prison, she claims that she became a “prisoner”.
Thousands of delighted Israelis celebrated Tel Aviv and other cities on the streets, when Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were finally released from Gaza last Sunday. Hamas claims that this Saturday he will free four subsequent Israeli hostages in exchange for another large group of stopped Palestinians.
The suspension of weapons between Hamas and Israel began with the release of the first three hostages from the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel. A shaky, temporary truce also causes an increase in humanitarian aid supplied to gauze.
Although there is no doubt that three women survived a 470-day nightmare in Gaza, Al-Tahil claims that her stay in an Israeli prison was also difficult. He says that she survived months of isolation, poor treatment and mental violence by kidnappers.
An activist for prisoners
Al-Tahil (30 years old) has been well known to security officials in Israel and Palestinian Autonomy for many years.
As an outstanding defender of prisoners' laws in the West Bank, present in social media, she was arrested or kept seven times from 18 years old, and in 2011 she took part in the exchange of prisoners with the participation of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Al-Tahil claims that only once she was convicted of anything-to incite terrorism. He says that this is a general term that can cover everything that the Israeli authorities want. In this case, she claims that she gave speeches and posted posts about the resistance of the Israeli occupation.
She said that her father, who is also in an Israeli prison, could be released as part of the ongoing exchange of prisoners/hostages.
The Ministry of Justice of Israel did so listed Bushra Al-Tahil is associated with Hamas, but she told CBC News that this is not true.
In accordance with the controversial Israeli regulations regarding administrative detention – which due to recent changes Currently, they apply only to non-Jews-the government is not obliged to disclose the evidence to keep people in prison for security reasons.
Al-Tahil claims that in March the Israeli security services appeared in the apartment of a friend in which she stayed, and “severely beat her” before they took her to prison. In prison, he claims that she was subjected to random searches and multiple intimidation by the guards, among others in connection with the publishing of women's hygiene articles.
“It was a matter of revenge,” she said. He claims that the Israeli authorities were furious because of Hamas' attacks of October 7, 2023 and that its previous activity against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank made her an easy goal.
CBC News contacted the Israeli army to get more details in the Al-Tahila case, but was directed to the security services of the country. Several calls and telephone messages have not been received.
Administrative detention
Michaeli Sarit with B'essel, an Israeli non -governmental organization dealing with human rights, claims that the issue of who is a prisoner and who detained is “unclear”.
“Some (prisoners) were not convicted of anything. Others were convicted of killing dozens of Israelis. But there is another group of Palestinian prisoners who were convicted by Israeli courts for crimes for which Israelis would never be arrested or accused – for example, crimes related to incitement or violation of public order, “Michaeli said CBC News.
“Probably the vast majority of prisoners whom the Israeli would describe as” terrorists “did not commit anything brutal,” she said.
Al-Tahil claims that while the Israeli hostages are held by Hamas and other groups of fighters, the guards in her prison told her that she and other Palestinian women were arrested simply to exchange in Israeli hostages.
“Everyone was waiting for an agreement (about the suspension of the weapon) because there was no (way) to justify our arrest,” she said.
An outstanding Palestinian politician on the West Bank told CBC News that the Israeli tactic of catching people before such exchange is well known.
“We play cat and mouse,” said Sabri Saydam, a senior member of the Fatah party who dominates the Palestinian autonomy in Ramallah.
A few hours after the entry into force of the arms suspension in Gaza, the Israeli army opened a new front of the conflict, sending a large military contingent to the west bank Dżenin cities to “upload terrorism” – said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his statement Post.
Social media photos On Monday evening, dozens of Palestinians arrested by Israeli security forces.
“Preliminary data show that the number of people who have been detained last night and the previous night exceeds the number of people who will be released,” Saydam said on Tuesday.
The Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians on the occupied west shore during a large operation, which, according to Prime Minister Benjamin, Netanyahu aims to “overcome terrorism.” It arouses the fear that the suspended war in Gaza will resume there.
Of the 90 Palestinians covered by the contract last weekend, over 60 were women, and everyone except eight was arrested after the attacks of October 7.
None of the Palestinians released in the first party at the weekend was convicted of killing Israelis. The most serious crime was the allegation of attempted murder to a 15-year-old boy, despite the fact that until he was released on Monday morning he was not yet convicted.
If the arms suspension goes according to plan, according to the list published by the Israeli government, in subsequent exchanges detained/hostages, persons convicted of crimes at risk of death.
Israeli television stations report that out of over 700 Palestinians, which will eventually be released, more than 100 can count those who have been convicted of murder.
Another 1,000 people captured in Gaza by the Israeli forces will also be returned to this territory, but the Israeli authorities did not state whether they are suspected of committing crimes.
The issue of equivalence
Although many Palestinians perceive the situation of detainees as similar to the situation taken to the captivity of Israeli hostages, the issue of equivalence polarizes in Israel – as well as among Jewish groups outside the country, including Canada.
Honest Reporting Canada, which herself advertises as a supervisory body of “honest and accurate” media relationships about Israel, so does He expressed support For Israeli principles of administrative detention and stated that any balance of Palestinians staying in Israeli prisons and hostages is “morally blunt”.
After the first and only round of replacing hostages/prisoners, which took place in November 2023, the American Jewish committee issued its own information sheet, Stating that the Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons “made an active choice of committing a crime”, while the only “crime” committed by Israeli and other foreign hostage was that they were “Jews or stayed in Israel.”
On Tuesday, the Israeli member of Israeli Knesset caused the reaction of Israeli Jews on the internet after he published, in which he expressed satisfaction with the release of three hostages, as well as Palestinian prisoners.
“We were all born free,” wrote Ayman zeh.
Later on the social media platform x, zeh explained That although Jewish Israelis “usually see the suffering of Jews, I see and feel the suffering of both nations – this is simply reality, not only mine, but all Arabs living in this country.”
Bushra Al-Tahil claims that he enjoys freedom, spending time with his mother and reading. He is afraid, however, that peace will be short -lived and that he will soon return behind bars.
“We always worry. Not because we are afraid, but because the situation will never be good. “