The Zionist occupation regime has carried out a concerted effort of repression against Palestinians in occupied Palestine ’48 to prevent the emergence of a clear front of protest, resistance and disruption to confront the genocide in Gaza and throughout occupied Palestine.
The regime’s criminal racist leaders, from Ben Gvir to Smotrich to Netanyahu, openly proclaim their plans to suppress the Palestinians of occupied Palestine ’48, with the latest attack being an order to silence the call to prayer from mosques throughout Palestine.
Colonial imprisonment is used as a weapon to attempt to prevent the Palestinian people living in ’48 from organizing into clear political organizations and resistance movements confronting Zionism head-on, despite the heroism of Palestinian resisters like Rami Natour, who used his truck to carry out a resistance operation near an occupation military base at Glilot, near “Tel Aviv” on 27 October 2024.
In fear of the development of a collective resistance, the occupation passes even more repressive “apartheid” laws targeting families of resistance fighters from occupied Palestine ’48, vowing to strip them of their imposed “Israeli” citizenship and expel them from Palestine.
Indeed, the occupation is still imprisoning activists from the 2021 uprising during the Battle of Seif al-Quds/the Unity Intifada, when Palestinians in occupied Palestine ’48 mobilized together with those in Gaza, the West Bank and exile to confront the Zionist assault.
The use of colonial imprisonment has also included a series of attacks against Palestinians for posting on social media in support of Gaza and the Palestinian people, arresting them and imprisoning them for “incitement.” Palestinian women especially have been targeted in this way.
The occupation regime continues to imprison the body of the martyr, the Palestinian freedom fighter, intellectual and author Walid Daqqa, who was martyred behind bars after the occupation denied him appropriate medical care or release.
In many cases, the repression of Palestinians is rendered less visible through the use of “house arrest.” Palestinians under house arrest are often denied access to the internet, must have another family member with them to guard them, and often are held outside their hometown via forced expulsion.
While Palestinians under “house arrest” are free of the extreme torture, beatings, starvation and medical neglect imposed upon Palestinians in the Zionist jails, they are also kept away from the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and collective mobilization of the Palestinian people, serving the efforts of the Zionist regime to separate Palestinians in ’48 from their people.
In the past days, several Palestinians from occupied Palestine ’48 holding imposed “Israeli” citizenship have been sentenced. Nasr Zeitawi, from Zalfa village, was ordered yesterday to 5 years in prison and a fine of 20,000 NIS for his role in the Unity Intifada in 2021. He already served 2 years in prison and has been under “house arrest” since 2023. Now, he will be sent to prison for the remaining 3 years. Ward Zeitawi, also from Zalfa, was sentenced to 250 hours of “community service” and a fine of 3,000 NIS. He has also been under “house arrest” since 2021.
In the past year, around 550 Palestinians from occupied Palestine ’48 have been charged in Zionist courts for participating in 2021 in defense of Palestine. On 14 October, Mohammed Zeitawi was sentenced to 7 yrs and Ahmad Mahameed to 5 yrs (both from Zalfa) in Zionist prison.
On 9 October, Assi Hourani (52) from Akka had charges against him dropped. However, he already served six months in Zionist jails and was severely tortured under interrogation; has been held under “house arrest” since 2023; and has been deported from Akka this entire time.
On the same day, Saleh Majed and Mohammed Hammad from Akka were “convicted” of defending themselves from a settler who attempted to ram Palestinians with his car. Adham Bashir was sentenced in 2022 to 10 years in prison; and Qusay Abbas in 2023 to 17 years in the same incident.
On 4 December, the conditions on activist Mohammed Jabareen from Umm al-Fahm were “eased”; he can now leave the house for 5 hours and return to Umm al-Fahm, rather than the village of Zalfa, where he has been under “house arrest” since June.
Mohammed Jabareen was imprisoned between 19 October and mid-June 2024 in Zionist occupation prisons for participating in a demonstration against the genocide in Gaza (in sharp contrast to the deference shown to the “right to rape” Zionist rioters, who invaded military bases.) He has been in “house arrest” in Zalfa under forced expulsion since that time.
On Monday, 2 December, Mahdi Abu al-Hassan, 22, from Umm al-Fahm began serving a 9-month sentence in Jalameh prison. He was abducted by the occupation from Al-Aqsa Mosque in April 2022 with hundreds of worshipers & sentenced to 11 months in prison; he has already served 60 days.
All of these sentences are meant to create a sense of terror among the Palestinian masses that any participation in protest, confrontation or resistance will be met with a massive attack against not only the individual, but their family and community.
The Palestinian identity is certainly under attack by the Zionist regime, as it has been for over 76 and indeed, for over 100 years; however, even more, there is a concerted attack to prevent organized action, community defense and mobilized resistance.
All of these assaults make clear not only the racist nature of the Zionist regime and its desire to erase Palestinian life and existence, but also its inability to destroy Palestinians’ love for their land and people and willingness to act to defend them in all circumstances.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
