Saturday, 18 September
4 pm
Post Oak and Westheimer
Houston, TX
Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0SHb5J5EC/
Cosponsors: Palestinian Youth Movement, Palestinian American Council – Pac-USA, Palestinian American Cultural Center- PACC Houston, US Palestinian Community Network, American Muslims for Palestine, RISE, Students for Justice in Palestine at UH, and SJP @ UH Clearlake
Friday, 17 September
5 pm
Israeli Consulate
1 Westmount Square
Montreal, Quebec
Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT2lZkQJLp8/
Join the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) chapter in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) to stand with Palestinian political prisoners who have always been on the front lines of the Palestinian struggle for freedom and liberation.
We will meet in front of the Zionist consulate on Friday, September 17 at 5pm. Bring your spoons as a symbol of resistance!
*****
Rejoignez le chapitre du Mouvement de la Jeunesse Palestinienne (Palestinian Youth Movement) à Tiohtià:ke (Montréal) pour soutenir les prisonniers palestiniens qui ont toujours été en première ligne de la lutte palestinienne pour la liberté et la libération.
Nous nous réunirons devant le consulat sioniste le vendredi 17 septembre à 17h. Apportez vos cuillères en symbole de résistance!
*****
شاركوا مع حركة الشباب الفلسطيني في مونتريال، لإسناد الحركة الفلسطينية الأسيرة التي لطالما كانت في خط المواجهة الأول في النضال الفلسطيني من أجل النصر و الحرية .
التجمع سيكون أمام سفارة الإحتلال يوم الجمعة ، 17 سبتمبر في 5 مساءاً . فلنحضر المعالق كرمز للمقاومة .
Palestinian prisoners are continuing to struggle behind bars, as Palestinians in Jenin continue to resist occupation threats and attacks. After the self-liberation of six Palestinian political prisoners on 6 September through the Freedom Tunnel, two of the six remain liberated, Munadil Naf’at and Ayham Kamamji.
Inside Israeli detention centers, Mahmoud al-Ardah, Mohammed al-Ardah, Zakaria Zubaidi and Yaqoub Qadri continue to face harsh “military” interrogation, which routinely includes physical and psychological torture and abuse, in an attempt to force them to reveal the location of their liberated brothers.
The prisoners’ movement is also continuing to resist the stripping of rights from many Palestinian prisoners, especially those from Islamic Jihad. The prisoners are being subjected to collective punishment, denial of family visits, denial of access to the “canteen” (prison store) and isolation. At least 10 prisoners from Gilboa prison are facing interrogation, torture and cruel and inhuman treatment, as the Israeli occupation alleges they were aware of the escape.
It is critically important to continue to organize and escalate the efforts taking place around the world to support the Palestinian prisoners and demand their liberation. Protests are currently being organized in numerous cities: join in and organize in your area!
**
The four detainees were beaten severely by Israeli occupation soldiers when they were seized from the street. The visible injuries on Zakaria Zubaidi’s face — and the refusal of the Israeli occupation authorities to allow the four prisoners to be seen by either lawyers, family members or independent doctors — sparked widespread speculation and fear about his condition.
While Zubaidi has been harshly beaten, leading to fractures in his jaw and broken ribs, there have been false reports and rumors that have served to confuse the situation and draw attention away from the ongoing threat of torture and abuse faced by Zubaidi and his fellow Palestinian prisoners. Contrary to false reports, Zubaidi has not been killed and has not, according to himself and his lawyer, suffered brain damage or electrocution.
The responsibility for this fake news rests squarely on the Israeli occupation, which refused to provide access to counsel or reputable information about the conditions of the four detainees and also actively distributed misinformation about their capture, alleging that Palestinians inside occupied Palestine ’48 with Israeli citizenship had turned them in. In reality, all four were found by the massive patrols of police, security forces and military forces sweeping the area.
**
Mahmoud and Mohammed al-Ardah, Zakaria Zubaidi and Yaqoub Qadri finally were able to speak with their lawyers in visits on 14 and 15 September, with all of them providing moving testimony about their experience of freedom during their self-liberation. Israeli occupation forces prevented the same lawyer from visiting more than one of the four; each reported on their experiences and emphasized that they would pursue the same path of escape and self-liberation to once again take their freedom.
Mahmoud al-Ardah declared that they received “no help from other prisoners inside Gilboa prison, and I am primarily responsible for planning and implementing this operation, which began in December 2020.” While spoons have become a symbol of their determination to dig the Freedom Tunnel to liberation, they also used broken dishes and frying pans to excavate the ground beneath their prison cell.
He noted that the six liberated prisoners walked together to the village of Naoura and entered the mosque, from which they split up in groups of two to proceed to their next destination. Mahmoud al-Ardah and Yaqoub Qadri were seized by one of the massive police patrols roaming the area as they walked on the side of a road near Nazareth. He said that he had worn the socks given him by his niece the entire time of his self-liberation.
Al-Ardah noted that no one had turned them in; a police patrol passed them and stopped them. They were interrogated continually from the time they were seized. Raslan Mahajna, his lawyer, noted that “Mahmoud assured me that he did not ask for help from anyone, because he refuses to expose anyone else to harm. He told me that he knows that if he had asked for any help from our people in occupied Palestine ’48, none of them would have hesitated to provide it, because he knows their generosity well.”
Al-Ardah told Mahajna: “I was very moved when I saw the crowds in front of the Nazareth court and I salute the people of Nazareth who boosted our spirits.” Palestinians gathered in a mass demonstration outside the court to show their support to the four heroes of the Freedom Tunnel.
He emphasized: “I reassure my mother about my health. My morale is high, and I salute our people in Gaza. I salute all of the masses of our Palestinian people for their positions.” He noted that they had a small radio and followed the news of the massive popular support for their self-liberation. “What happened is a great achievement, and I am concerned about the situation of the prisoners as a whole and the confiscation of their achievements” by the Israeli prison administration.
Mohammed al-Ardah met with his lawyer, Khaled Mahajna, at the Jalameh interrogation center. Mahajna reported that the entire meeting was conducted through glass and monitored through a headset. He said that he and Zakaria Zubaidi were discovered by chance by occupation forces who combed through a truck stop where the two had taken shelter. They were found by chance after an Israeli occupation soldier grabbed them from under a truck. Mahajna emphasized that Mohammed has remained silent despite all of the abuse and torture to which they were subjected. Mohammed told Mahajna: “When one of the interrogators told me that you do not deserve to live and you should be shot in the head, my answer was clear: I wandered in Palestine for five days, and I had hope to see my mother, and I am fully convinced that I will be free and roam free in Palestine once again.”
He reported that he was severely beaten when seized by Israeli occupation soldiers, stripped naked, and left to sit for hours until being taken to the Jalameh interrogation center. He was denied sleep or the ability to pray and did not receive food until Tuesday. He was beaten by interrogators and remained continually monitored by cameras in a small cell.
He noted that he had tasted sabr, cactus fruit, from one of the fields of Marj ibn Amer, for the first time since his arrest and imprisonment 22 years ago. They did not drink water during their journey, which exhausted them and made it more difficult for them to successfully evade the Israeli occupation soldiers. Mahajna said that Mohammed al-Ardah plans to write his entire experience, which was the first time that he had ever walked free in occupied Palestine ’48.
Al-Ardah reported that Zubaidi was brutally assaulted by Israeli special forces, and the severity of the beating le to him being transferred to a hospital for treatment.
He asked Mahajna if people had heard about their experience, and smiled at the news of the widespread support and solidarity for their self-liberation, thanking and saluting all who stand with them.
Zakaria Zubaidi met with his lawyer, Avigdor Feldman, and noted that he was unaware of the plan for the Freedom Tunnel until the last days. Feldman noted that Zubaidi’s health and morale is good despite the beating and torture he suffered at the hands of the Israeli special forces when he was arrested, leading to a broken jaw and two fractured ribs. He is visibly bruised and scratched and was given only painkillers when transferred for treatment.
Feldman said that Zubaidi did not participate in digging the tunnel; he joined their cell one day before their self-liberation plan. Zubaidi emphasized, as had Mahmoud al-Ardah, that they did not ask for help from anyone in occupied Palestine ’48 during their days of freedom, in order to prevent Palestinians from facing arrest, torture and persecution by occupation forces.
Yaqoub Qadri met with his lawyer, Hanan Khatib, emphasizing that he would escape once again, emphasizing that he will never give up seeking freedom. He said that his time outside the prison was the “most beautiful five days” of his life and that seeing occupied Palestine ’48 in freedom was “a dream come true.” He said that he saw children with their parents and went up to them to hug and kiss them as he had not seen children in so many years.
He said that one of the jailers had knocked on the tiles of the cell the day of their escape, prompting them to expedite the plan by one week. He said, “I was in my country, and I was very happy: I ate figs, aloe, oranges and pomelo” from the trees of Palestine.
He also detailed the abuse and harsh interrogation tactics to which they were subjected, noting that they were stripped naked when seized by the occupation forces and then interrogated while naked. Over 20 interrogators, masked and physically threatening the prisoners, participated in the interrogation. They were continually denied sleep and repeatedly interrogated. Nevertheless, Khatib emphasized that his spirits were high and he drew morale and inspiration from the support they received.
**
Abu Obeida, the spokesperson of the Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, emphasized that the prisoners of the Freedom Tunnel will be included in all future prisoner exchanges with the resistance, emphasizing that they will win their freedom.
While a larger potential collective hunger strike inside Israeli prisons was suspended after some concessions by the Israeli prison administration on the collective punishment imposed after the Freedom Tunnel, the prisoners’ movement emphasized that the struggle is continuing.
There are many prisoners still being subject to transfer, solitary confinement, harsh interrogation and isolation. Six Palestinian prisoners — Kayed Fasfous, Miqdad Qawasmeh, Alaa al-Araj, Hisham Abu Hawash, Raik Bisharat and Shadi Abu Aker — are continuing their hunger strikes against administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial.
A representative of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine prison branch said that the struggle is continuing to force the prison administration to reverse all of its attacks on the prisoners, especially in order to end the dispersal and transfer of the Islamic Jihad prisoners. “The prisoners’ movement is determined to intensify the pressure on the occupation…including the issue of the Jihad prisoners.” He called on Palestinians to continue their activities and support the prisoners amid this ongoing attack, emphasizing that the prisoners are determined to achieve their goals and their freedom.
Islamic Jihad said in a press conference on 15 September that the penalties have not been fully lifted against the prisoners. “What has happened is a partial response to some of the prisoners’ demands. The basic demands were the lifting of all of the aggressive sanctions on the prisoners, including those specifically targeting the Islamic Jihad prisoners, and the complete return of the situation to as it was before 6 September. By responding to only some of the demands and not others, the prison administration wants to break up the general Palestinian nationa position and single out the Islamic Jihad prisoners.” They emphasized the need for comprehensive action to defend all of the prisoners.
**
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network emphasizes and amplifies the call of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement to stand with the Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinian people today to demand justice and liberation for Palestine, from the river to the sea.
The liberated detainees of Gilboa prison represent the irrepressible hope of and commitment to liberation that no amount of militarized repression and Zionist colonization has suppressed, for over 73 years. The actions of this “Freedom Brigade” are not only a symbol of hope for Palestinians but also for everyone in the world who seeks justice and freedom. The rearrest of four liberated prisoners has done nothing to dim the light of liberation that they represent for humanity or to lessen the blow they have dealt to the mirage of Israeli invincibility and security control. They reflect the unbreakable Palestinian will to live, struggle and thrive in the most seemingly impossible circumstances.
Western imperialist governments are part and parcel of the ongoing attacks against Palestinian prisoners and the colonization of Palestine. From the U.S.’ over $3.8 billion annually in weaponry provided to the Israeli regime to the ongoing economic, political and diplomatic support provided by the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom and others, all of these states are directly involved in the ongoing crimes perpetuated against the Palestinian people. Everywhere in the world, we can and must act now to stand with the heroes of the Freedom tunnel and all Palestinian prisoners struggling for justice, and for the liberation of Palestine!
Please join these events in the coming days and announce your own:
United Kingdom
United States
Canada
United States
Brazil
Canada
France
Italy
Spain/Spanish State
United Kingdom
United States
Canada
United States
Friday, 17 September
5 pm
“Columbus” Circle, then March
Organized by Within Our Lifetime
NYC.
Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0p28sgbt5/
ALL OUT! This Friday September 17th 5 PM at Columbus circle in Manhattan!
Globalize the Intifada
Return our children
Free all Palestinian prisoners
Defend the hunger strikers
Honor the martyrs
Defund settler nonprofits
End all US aid to Israel
End the siege on Gaza
Feel free to print these flyers and outreach all over the city from your campus to your communities!
Saturday, 18 September
11 am
Piazza Dante
Naples, Italy
Info: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=292262936042274&id=100943728507530
Following inhumane torture and mistreatment by the Zionist entity towards the four prisoners #Zakaria Zubeidi, Mohammed al-Ardah, Mahmoud al-Ardah, Yaqoub Qadri, recently escaped from Gilboa prison, we invite all to join a protest in solidarity with all Palestinian prisoners illegally detained in Israeli jails.
Bring your resistance spoons…
see you on SATURDAY September 18
at 11 pm pizza DANTE.
We invite the Arab and Palestinian community to participate in a stand in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, September 18th at 11 am
Saturday, 18 September
4 pm
Al Janiah
Rua Rui Barbosa 269
Bela Vista, Sao Paulo/SP, Brazil
Organized by Samidoun Brasil, Alkarama, Al Janiah, Frente Palestina Livre
Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0Sz59vC0C/
We call all organizations and people sympathetic to the Palestinian cause to join our public event this Saturday, the 18th, at 4 pm, for the release of the 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners, including about 240 children and more than 40 women. Approximately 1,800 announced the beginning of a hunger strike, amidst the ill-treatment and torture that now make headlines with the capture of four of the six Palestinian heroes who escaped on 6 September from Zionist prisons.
Zakaria al-Zubeida is one of them. He and his fellow self-liberated prisoners have been subjected to torture and abuse. We demand international protection and immediate and unconditional release. Resistance is not a crime!
We will also remember the massacre of Sabra and Shatila, which took place between September 16 and 18, 1982. During this period thousands of Palestinian children, women and men, young and old, who lived in these refugee camps in Lebanon, were murdered by the Phalangists. We won’t forget! Free Palestine, from the river to the sea!
The film:
3,000 Nights
[3000 Layla, Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon/Qatar/United Arab Emirates]
Layla (Maisa Abd Elhadi) is a Palestinian teacher sentenced to eight years. Taken to an Israeli prison, she discovers she is pregnant, while other prisoners prepare a revolt against the administration of the prison. Directed by Palestinian filmmaker Mai Masri.
(Acquis: Institute of Arab Culture)
Bring your Palestinian flags and solidarity. Also bring spoons, a symbol of how the six political prisoners broke free from prison! Participate!
*Important: mandatory use of masks, sanitizer and social distance.
Ato público
Liberdade aos presos políticos palestinos!
39 anos do massacre de Sabra e Chatila!
Data: 18 de setembro de 2021
Horário: 16h
Local: Espaço aberto do Al Janiah
(Rua Rui Barbosa, 269, Bela Vista, São Paulo/SP)
Exibição do filme 3.000 Noites, seguido de falas públicas
Chamamos todas as organizações e pessoas solidárias à causa palestina ao ato público neste sábado, dia 18, a partir das 16h, pela libertação dos 5 mil presos políticos palestinos, entre os quais cerca de 240 crianças e mais de 40 mulheres. Aproximadamente 1.800 anunciaram o início de uma greve de fome, em meio aos maus tratos e torturas que agora ganham as manchetes a partir da captura de quatro dos seis heróis palestinos que escaparam em 6 de setembro dos cárceres sionistas.
Zakaria al-Zubeida é um deles. Está na UTI de um hospital em Haifa, lutando pela vida, após ter sido barbaramente torturado. Ossos quebrados, eletrochoque e impedimento de sono são alguns dos crimes cometidos na prisão de Gilboa. Exigimos proteção internacional e libertação imediata e incondicional. Resistir não é crime!
Também lembraremos na data o massacre de Sabra e Chatila, que ocorreu entre 16 e 18 de setembro de 1982. No período foram assassinados pelos falangistas milhares de crianças, mulheres e homens palestinos, jovens e idosos, que viviam nesses campos de refugiados no Líbano. Não esqueceremos! Até a Palestina livre, do rio ao mar!
O filme:
3.000 Noites
[3000 Layla, Palestina/França/Jordânia/Líbano/Catar/Emirados Árabes]
Layla (Maisa Abd Elhadi) é uma professora palestina condenada a oito anos. Levada a uma prisão israelense, ela descobre que está grávida, enquanto outras prisioneiras preparam uma revolta contra a administração do local. Dirigido pela cineasta palestina Mai Masri.
(Acervo: Instituto da Cultura Árabe)
Tragam suas bandeiras palestinas e a solidariedade. Tragam também colheres, um símbolo de como os seis presos políticos se libertaram do cárcere! Participem!
*Importante: uso obrigatório de máscaras, álcool gel e distanciamento social.
#palestinalivre #samidoun
Friday, 17 September
4 pm
Rep Jan Schakowsky’s Office
5333 N Broadway
Chicago.
Organized by the US Palestinian Community Network
Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0RW7YrbBO/
HICAGO CALL TO ACTION: Join us THIS FRIDAY at 4:00 PM in front of @janschakowsky ‘s Chicago office (5533 N Broadway) to stand in support of ALL Palestinian Political Prisoners and demand @janschakowsky sign on to #HR2590 (LINK IN BIO)
On the morning of September 6th, 2021, six Palestinian political prisoners freed themselves through a tunnel from Gilboa prison, one of Israel’s highest security detention centers. Since the escape, Israel has been viciously cracking down on other prisoners by denying food, cutting yard time, raiding cells, and physically attacking them.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) is also expanding its collective punishment outside of the prisons by arresting family members of the six escaped heroes. Recently, four out of the six have been captured by the IOF, and since their re-imprisonment, our four heroes have been denied lawyer visitation and, according to Palestinian lawyers , are expected to face brutal, violent forms of interrogation and torture. One of the four, Zakaria Zubeidi, is reportedly in the hospital after being beaten upon his recapture. In response over 1,000 prisoners across Palestine have announced they will begin an open hunger strike this Friday, calling for an end to Israeli repression.
We call on U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky to cosponsor HR2590 (the Palestinian Children and Families Act) TODAY and to hold Israel accountable for its continued war crimes and violations of international law. We condemn apartheid Israel’s brutal oppression of Palestinians on every level, paid for by U.S. tax dollars, including the denial of Palestinians their right to life and liberation on their own land.
Saturday, 18 September
6 pm
Piazza Duca d’Acosta
Milan, Italy
Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/438125917614846/
The Canadian BDS Coalition is organizing a social media storm for its #IVotePalestine campaign:
Make it clear that #IVotePalestine in the 2021 Canadian Federal Election!
TWEET + POST + SPEAK UP!
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 15
11 am Pacific – 2 pm Eastern – 9 pm Palestine
Hashtag: #IVotePalestine
Sample Tweets: bit.ly/ivotepalestine
Tuesday, 14 September
11 am Palestine time (10 am Europe, 4 am Eastern, 1 am Palestine)
Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/394337848725627/
Organized by 16 October Group
You are kindly invited to an educational webinar on the Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails from the ground in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Note: We will host ex-detainees to share their stories with Israeli occupation in Israeli jails.
Day: 14 Sep. 2021
Time: 11 am _ Palestine Time
