5) A Massive Campaign of Arrests

Since the start of al-Aqsa Uprising in 29/9/2000, the Israeli authorities launched a series of arrest campaigns against Palestinians in all parts of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, and even inside Israel.

The arrest campaign intensified especially after the Israeli military operation that began in late March 2002. By mid April there were already 5000 Palestinians behind bars in Israeli prisons and detention camps especially constructed for this purpose. On the 5^th April 2002, the Israeli government issued a military order (#1500), which allowed for the detention of a suspect for a preliminary period of 18 days without giving him the chance to see a lawyer or a judge or a member of the family. The judge may extend this period for a maximum of 90 days. This military order contradicts and violates all international rules and regulations related to the treatment of prisoners or detainees.

On 15/4/2002 the Israeli Occupation Forces arrested the Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi, an elected member in the Palestinian Legislative Council and the Secretary General of Fateh Movement in the West Bank. His Assistant and Guard Ahmad Barghouthi was also arrested with him. In the beginning, Barghouthi was detained in the Russian Compound Detention Center in West Jerusalem, then he was taken to Hadarim Prison inside Israel. Barghouthi is charged with heading the military branch of Fateh Organization (al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades) that carried out a series of attacks against Israeli targets and killed dozens of Israeli civilians. On 17^th April 2002, the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv reported that Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, said he “preferred to receive Barghouthi as ash in a jar.”

On 23/5/2002, Amnesty International called upon Israel to open investigation into the inhumane and severe conditions under which thousands of Palestinian prisoner exist inside Israeli jails. Amnesty International said more than 8500 detainees have been arrested in the period 27/2/2002 – 20/5/2002. Those arrests were accompanied with degrading and humiliating treatment, and torture in some cases.

In the first week of April 2002, the Israeli authorities reopened the Negev (Ansar 3) Detention Camp. This badly reputed prison was first opened in March 1988 to meet the great number of Palestinian prisoners who were detained by Israeli in the first uprising. On 2/7/2002 a senior source in the Israeli Army announced that there were 1000 Palestinian prisoners under administrative detention. This is the highest number of this category of prisoners since the first Uprising.

On 11/7/2002, Palestinians who were released from prisons, and sources from inside the detention centers, affirmed that approximately 10,000 Palestinians were detained since 29/3/2002, most of them were released and only 2500 remained in the Israeli prisons.

The Palestinian prisoners suffer from bad living conditions inside the Israeli jails, especially in Ofera Detention Camp, where thousands of Palestinians are brought from all parts of the West Bank to this ugly site near Ramallah, then they are distributed to other prisons and interrogation centers. For example, the administrative detainees are sent to Majiddo or the Negev.

At Ofra Detention Center, there are 10 sections, each one contains 5 huge tents. The detainees inside Ofra come from all parts of the Palestinian community; college students, merchants, school pupils, priests, political figures and activists from all the Palestinian factions. The Occupation Forces didn’t give any attention to ill persons or wounded people. The following are some examples :

-         Murad Khalil Hamamra, 26, from the village of Housan near Bethlehem, was wounded in the first year of the uprising with rubber coated metal bullet in his right eye. He was arrested in mid June 2002, and needs constant medical care.

-         Hazem al-Natsheh, 25 from Hebron, who walks with difficulty, held inside section 5 of Ofra Prison, was hit with live ammunition in his leg and in his abdomen, and he needs constant medical care.

As for Palestinian women prisoners, there are about 30 of them, distributed in the following prisons: the Russian Compound in West Jerusalem, Ramleh, Telmond, and al-Jalameh. They went on a hunger strike in the beginning of August 2002 for 17 days, protesting against the isolation policy, the prevention of family visits, and beatings.

The latest statistics on Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails, on 18/8/2002 is as follows:

Prison / detention Center                                     Number of Detainees

Ofra                                                            1000

Negev (Ansar 3)                                            850

Majiddo                                                       1100

Shatta                                                          138

Nafha                                                          660

Telmond                                                      70

Hadarim                                                       88

Kfar Yona                                                    1

Neve Trista                                                  34

‘Asqalan                                                      600

Ramleh Hospital                                              25

Efraim                                                         34

Etzion                                                          34

Erez                                                             21

Al-Majnouneh                                          11

Bet-Eil                                                         22

Russian Compound                               28

‘Asqalan Interrogation Center                             20

Betah Tikfa                                                  15

Al-Jalameh                                                   20

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Total                                                          4771

This massive arrest campaign carried out by the Israeli Forces is illegal, as it included thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians. It obviously violates the International Conventions Related to the Protection of Civilians at the Time of Armed Conflict. Moreover, the Israeli military courts that try these prisoners lack the basic principles of a fair trial. In addition, the Israeli interrogation centers, especially the Russian Compound and ‘Asqalan, and the Israeli prisons, Ofra and Negev in particular, lack the basic facilities and conditions for humane living. Israeli interrogators often use torture and degrading treatment to obtain confessions from prisoners.