This morning, occupation forces carried out a massacre in Jenin amid widespread Palestinian resistance. Occupation forces killed nine Palestinian martyrs, including a 61-year-old woman, and they were denied medical attention due to the presence of both occupation snipers and tear gas/targetting of hospitals and makeshift clinics. Occupation forces rampaged through the streets, targeting Palestinian civilian homes with RPGs and live bullets while using bulldozers to overturn residents’ cars in a deliberate callback to the 2002 Jenin massacre.
The following are the latest details that we have regarding the names of the martyrs of Jenin:
1- The martyr Ezz El-Din Yassin Zaid (19 years old) – from Jenin camp.
2- The martyr Saeb Essam Mahmoud Zreiki (26 years old).
3- The martyr Abdullah Marwan Al-Ghoul (18 years old).
4- Martyr Mohammad Sadeq Jarrar (23 years old)
5- Martyr Magda Obaid (61 years old)
6- Martyr Mutasim Mahmoud Abu Al-Hassan (21 years old) – Al-Yamoun
7- Martyr Amjad Aref Al-Jaas (22 years old) – Jenin camp
8- Martyr Nour Sami Ghoneim – Burqin
9- Martyr Mohammad Sami Ghoneim – Burqin
There are at least 20 injured, some critically, and the number of the martyrs is expected to rise. Ahmad Ghoneim, the brother of Nour and Mohammed, is in severely critical condition. A general strike has been called throughout the West Bank and Palestinians have taken to the streets in thousands to mourn the martyrs and confront the occupiers with resistance, from the colonially imposed borders of Gaza to checkpoints and military bases throughout occupied Palestine.
As always, these attacks are combined with kidnappings and arrests — imprisonment and extrajudicial killing are dual crimes of the colonizer. Among those seized by the occupation is Ziad Sabbagh, the son of Ala’ Sabbagh, a martyr of Jenin in the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
Jenin is bleeding and resisting, refusing security coordination with the occupation and continuing to struggle, despite massacre after massacre, with the entire Palestinian people for the liberation of Palestine. This latest massacre must urge us all to take action and organize, to support the Palestinian people and their resistance on the front lines of struggle for justice and liberation.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network received this message from Palestinian prisoners in occupation jails to all of those who have participated in the international events and actions during the Week of Action to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and All Palestinian Prisoners, 14-24 January 2023. The message was read aloud during the mass demonstration in Gaza, organized by the Handala Center for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners, concluding the week of action on 24 January 2023.
A message from the prisoners of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the occupation jails to the supporters of the international campaign to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners:
In recent years, many people have been told that we have reached the end of the revolutionary era, that the time of revolutionaries is over, and only liberalism, individualism and selfishness are dominant in this world. However, proof that this world is still turbulent with revolutionary spirit is found in the international campaign of solidarity with the leader Ahmad Sa’adat, Abu Ghassan. He is a revolutionary shout that reminds the world that revolution is not only an idea and a choice, but a human duty as well.
The voice of Abu Ghassan, the imprisoned leader, is a revolutionary shout from the depths of the dungeons of the enemy, reminding us of the revolution’s symbols and goals, including lifting injustice and oppression from people wherever they are. Palestine is not an imagined geography, it is part of this world and still represents the destination of revolutionaries everywhere.
To all comrades in the international campaign spread throughout the world…To the free people of the world…Your support for the leader Ahmad Sa’adat is an integral and important part of all efforts calling for and promising revolutionary upsurge to confront the forces of occupation and injustice. Continue your struggle, support and solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and with freedom fighters around the world. These efforts remain a source of pride for all of us.
Finally, this brief message of ours does not come only to support Abu Ghassan, but rather what he embodies and represents: steadfastness, dignity and humanity in the face of injustice. The cause of the prisoners transcends borders, geographies, walls and parallel time. It is a revolution confronting injustice in which our prisoners unite with all of the revolutionary prisoners around the world in the dungeons of oppression and persecution, especially Comrade Georges Abdallah and many other sons and daughters of the revolution.
Until we meet one day on the land of liberated Palestine,
Your comrades in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the occupation prisons
Rally to demand the immediate release of Ahmad Sa’adat, Ahmad Manasra, and all Palestinian prisoners, and to honor the martyrs of Palestine!
Come out and have your voice be heard! Join Samidoun NY/NJ and Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine! Free Ahmad Sa’adat, Free Ahmad Manasra, Free All Palestinian Prisoners!
Palestinian prisoner Maher Younes was liberated from Israeli occupation prisons on Thursday, 19 January 2022 after 40 years behind bars. Younes was the longest consecutively-held Palestinian prisoner after the release of his cousin, Karim Younes, on 5 January. Samidoun extends its salutes to Maher Younes for his years of steadfastness and resistance behind bars as a leader of the liberation movement.
Immediately following his release from occupation prisons, he traveled to the ‘Ara cemetery in his hometown in occupied Palestine ’48 to visit his father’s grave, where he was received by his cousin Karim. His release comes after several days of ongoing attacks on Younes’ family by occupation forces, including multiple threats of arrest if any celebrations are held in public for his freedom, especially those raising the Palestinian flag, while his brothers and other relatives were taken for interrogation. Occupation officials ordered extensive police, special units and intelligence units deployed in ‘Ara and around the Younes family home to prevent by force any celebrations of his liberation.
Two days before his release, Maher Younes was transferred to interrogation and then to isolation in Ohli Kedar prison, in order to even prevent a collective celebration with his fellow prisoners of his liberation. Guards stormed his section of the Naqab desert prison and snatched him away, at that time to an unknown location. Despite all of this, however, people flocked from the town to the Younes home to welcome him with love and honor after 40 years behind the bars of the occupation.
The images of Karim Younes’ celebration two weeks ago, which reflected the unbreakable will of the Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinian people, and the deep rootedness in the land of Palestine despite a century of colonization, were followed by a series of threats by occupation officials such as Itamar Ben-Gvir, including an order to ban the flying of the Palestinian flag and threats by Zionist interior minister Aryeh Deri to strip both Karim and Maher Younes of their citizenship. (On the day before Maher Younes’ release, Deri was ruled ineligible to hold his position due to his multiple prior convictions for corruption.)
Despite all of the threats and attempts at intimidation and silencing, Maher Younes’ release and return home, like that of his cousin Karim and all Palestinian prisoners, has only once again illustrated that the commitment of the Palestinian people to liberation has not been and never will be quenched by arrests, killings and colonial conquest.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network congratulates Maher Younes, his family and the entire Palestinian people upon his release. We know that the joy of his release will only be complete with the liberation of all Palestinian prisoners — and the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea. On the occasion of Maher Younes’ release, we pledge once more to work tirelessly for the liberation of all 4,750 Palestinian leaders, resisters, strugglers and revolutionaries in occupation prisons.
Two members of Neturei Karta, the religious Orthodox Jewish movement committed to anti-Zionism, have been arrested by the Israeli occupation after meeting with Palestinian leaders and former prisoners in Jenin, including the family of imprisoned Palestinian leader Bassam al-Saadi and former hunger striker Maher al-Akhras. Anti-Zionist Rabbi Simon Roodi is currently held as a political prisoner, while Elhanan Lax was released under restrictive conditions after being arrested earlier in the past week. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network demands the immediate release of the anti-Zionist political prisoners along with all Palestinian political prisoners in occupation prisons.
Neturei Karta held a press conference in New York City on 17 January to demand the release of the anti-Zionist rabbi as well as all Palestinian prisoners, declaring that the order for the arrest “came from national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a leading member of the new extreme right wing Israeli government, who has a history of hostility to anti Zionist Jews.”
During the visit to Jenin, highlighting that anti-Zionist Jews do not recognize the legitimacy of the Zionist state and instead stand with the Palestinian people and the liberation of all of Palestine, Rabbi Roodi said: “Zionism has no connection with Judaism. Zionism merely uses Judaism as a vehicle to achieve its goals. Traditional Jews who believe in the Torah have no part in the Zionist conquest and occupation. The state is completely forbidden according to Torah law.”
Members of Neturei Karta visited Jenin on 9 January in an event widely covered in the Palestinian press, where they met with Ata Abu Rmaileh as well as Maher al-Akhras, who Neturei Karta members had also visited in the hospital during his hunger strike for liberation from administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial. During the visit, they declared: “No matter how time passes. We will continue to adhere to our dream and our common goals. We want Palestine with its capital, Jerusalem, and the Palestinian rule, so that we can live happily.”
The arrests have come after several attacks on anti-Zionist demonstrators in Jerusalem by Israeli occupation forces. The current ultra-right Zionist government finds it unacceptable that anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews, who lived in Palestine before Zionism and the Nakba, continue to serve as a living reminder and example that Zionism does not represent a monolithic Jewish identity nor Jewish religious identity, and that neither the secular nor the religious anti-Zionist perspectives among Jews have been erased or suppressed despite the military dominance of the Zionist state. Further, Neturei Karta’s support for Palestinian self-determination and sovereignty once again underlines the reality that the Zionist regime brutally suppresses: that it is the Palestinian resistance that is the defender of peace, justice and security for all under the banner of Palestinian liberation, and the Zionist project that is an illegitimate colonial interloper.
Watch the video of the New York City press conference:
This poster was created by artist Manu Scordia for the Week of Action to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners.
With the support of over 215 organizations from more than 30 countries, the Week of Action to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and All Palestinian Prisoners launched on Saturday, 14 January 2023. Marking the 21st anniversary of the imprisonment of Sa’adat, a prominent Palestinian national leader and the General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, by the Palestinian Authority — and later, by the Israeli occupation regime — the events of the week highlight the struggle of Palestinian prisoners on the front lines of the liberation struggle. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges all who stand with Palestine and justice for the Palestinian people to join us in the week.
Read below for a full list of endorsers as well as multiple upcoming events and actions in cities and communities around the world. Contact us at samidoun@samidoun.net to let us know about your events!
Confronting Deportation, Medical Neglect, Administrative Detention and the Imprisonment of the Martyrs
In Manchester, Britain, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! and the Revolutionary Communist Group organized a stand and speak-out for Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners on 14 January. To get involved with more actions in support of the prisoners, contact the new Samidoun Manchester Facebook Page.
On Sunday, 15 January, Samidoun Deutschland joined international revolutionaries and organizers to march in the annual Liebknecht-Luxemburg Demo in Berlin. Every year, thousands of marchers mark the anniversary of the assassination of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg and the ongoing international revolutionary struggle against capitalism and imperialism with a large demonstration through Berlin.
Youth activists in Stuttgart, Germany gathered to take solidarity photos and demand freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, including Georges Abdallah jailed in France.
In Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Samidoun Netherlands posters appeared on the streets urging freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat, honouring Nasser Abu Hmeid, urging the Holy Land 5 be freed in the U.S., and calling for the freedom of Georges Abdallah, the Lebanese revolutionary imprisoned for 38 years in France:
In the Bagatelle neighborhood of Toulouse, France, the Collectif Palestine Vaincra hung posters and stickers on 15 January calling for the liberation of Sa’adat and urging supporters of Palestine to attend the two upcoming events in Toulouse — on 19 January and 21 January — for Palestine:
Earlier, the Collectif Palestine Vaincra postered and distributed leaflets at Toulouse University Jean-Jaures, inviting students to attend the upcoming events:
On 14 January, Samidoun Paris Banlieue organized a Palestine stand at Aubervilliers market in support of Palestine and the week of action, distributing flyers and materials about the campaign to free Ahmad Sa’adat to passers-by:
Later that day on 14 January, CAPJPO-EuroPalestine organized a protest despite significant rain in Paris, gathering people together for a stand and demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people, highlighting the 12 Palestinians killed by the occupation in 2023 and the struggle of Palestinian political prisoners.
In the late afternoon of 14 January in Paris, the Unitary Campaign to Free Georges Abdallah held a rally for the liberation of Ahmad Sa’adat, Walid Daqqa, Georges Abdallah and all Palestinian prisoners outside Menilmontant metro station:
In Paris, members of AFPS Paris-Sud and the Collectif Boycott Apartheid Israel – Paris Banlieue took solidarity photos in support of the week of action to free Ahmad Sa’adat on 12 January:
In Voiron, France, Libérons Georges Abdallah 38 organized a table with information on Palestine, the case of Ahmad Sa’adat and the struggle to free Georges Abdallah at a series of meetings to challenge the extreme right on 14 January.
In Dunkerque, members of AFPS 59/62 and the CGT trade union showed their solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat, the Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinian liberation struggle at their meeting on Friday, 13 January:
In Clermont-Ferrand, members of AFPS 63 took solidarity photos in support of Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, and are preparing for an upcoming event on 24 January in solidarity with Palestine (listed below):
Activists in Bordeaux and Tarbes, France, also posted stickers and posters in their cities to highlight the campaign to free Ahmad Sa’adat, Georges Abdallah and all Palestinian prisoners.
The Ligue de la Jeunesse Révolutionnaire in Lyon highlighted banners posted in the city to demand freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and Georges Abdallah:
Radiazione Radio in Napoli, Italy also published an interview on 10 January with a Collectif Palestine Vaincra member who spoke about the week of action.
In Brussels, Belgium, the Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine participated in an event in support of workers at Forges de Clabecq, where workers are mobilizing for $25 million in wages and unpaid debts. Workers and organizers at the event expressed their solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, including Silvio Marra, one of the leaders of the Clabecq struggle in the 1990s.
In Marchienne-au-Pont, Belgium, supporters of Palestine and the Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine gathered with a banner calling for the liberation of Sa’adat:
In Athens, Greece, Samidoun Europe coordinator Mohammed Khatib joined the Anti-Imperialist Front for a press conference and celebration of the liberation of 11 revolutionary prisoners from Turkey who had been jailed in Greece. They had gone on hunger strike for 96 days to demand their freedom, and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network joins our comrades in the Anti-Imperialist Front in saluting their victory.
In New York City, antiwar activists and organizers marched from Times Square on 14 January in a march against NATO and U.S. wars organized by the ANSWER Coalition, following a People’s Speakout organized by Struggle – La Lucha on war, racism and poverty on 13 January.
In Vancouver, posters are on the streets urging people to join the event on 18 January calling for freedom for Sa’adat and his fellow Palestinian prisoners:
Organizations have issued statements in support of the campaign to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, a campaign that is particularly relevant at a time that Zionist forces are escalating the attack on the Palestinian resistance and the prisoners’ movement.
CODEPINK created a set of slides in support of Ahmad Sa’adat:
Swedish socialist and anti-imperialist organization Clarté endorsed the week of action, issuing a statement, and The Communist Party of Sweden affirmed its support for the cause:
Idag är det 21 år sedan PFLP:s ledare Ahmad Sa'adat greps. Han är oskyldigt dömd till 30 år fängelse av Israel. Ahmad Sa'adat och de andra palestinska fångarna måste friges!https://t.co/UWnYFUgVKo
Ang Bayan, the revolutionary newspaper of the Philippines, published a discussion of the week that highlighted the role of Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners in the liberation movement.
Madison 4 Palestine posted a solidarity statement urging the liberation of Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian political prisoners:
Tomorrow marks the 21st anniversary of Ahmad Sa'adat's arrest by the traitorous "Palestinian Authority". Ahmad Sa'adat is the General Secretary of the PFLP, imprisoned for his role in resistance against the criminal zionist entity. pic.twitter.com/5158k0SziV
Saoradh, the revolutionary Irish political party, issued a statement in support of the week of action to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners.
Éirígí, the Irish republican socialist party is organizing a demonstration for Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners on 16 January (details below):
Éirígí activists in Tralee, County Kerry will be holding a rally this coming Monday, 16th January, calling for the release of Ahmad Sa’adat, and all Palestinian political prisoners. #FreeAhmadSaadatpic.twitter.com/jPOy2tifJB
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization issued a statement calling for the release of Sa’adat: “The Palestinian revolution will continue until victory. The Zionist regime exists on stolen land and borrowed time. We demand and end to all U.S. aid to Israel, and we stand in solidarity with all those struggling for a liberated Palestine.”
The Resistance News Network issued a statement with graphics calling for the liberation of Sa’adat. RNN provides up-to-date translated information from the Palestinian resistance; to subscribe to their Telegram feed, click here.
Freedom for Ahmed Sa'adat!
21 years ago, PFLP SG Ahmed Sa'adat was kidnapped by the forces of the comprador PA for "incitement," following a speech in which he said, "We do not deserve respect unless our motto is: An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, and a head for a head." 1/5 pic.twitter.com/tByHSSsVm5
Students for Justice in Palestine, New York University, Abu Dhabi
Students for Justice in Palestine – UW Madison
Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return – UW
Sulong UBC
Svenska Clartéförbundet
Syria Support Movement
Temple Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
The Bahraini Society Against Normalisation with Zionist Enemy
Toronto Raging Grannies
Tunisian Youth Movement -حركة الشباب التونسي
UBC SPHR
UDIRS 30 (Union Départementale Interprofessionnelle des retraités de Solidaires)
UJDL (Lebanese Union of Democratic Youth – Union des Jeunes Démocrates Libanais)
Unadikum association
Ung Vänster Göteborg & Bohuslän
Union Communiste Libertaire
Unión de Jóvenes Venezuela
Union Juive Française pour la Paix (UJFP)
Union Locale CGT Annecy & ses Environs
Unión Palestina de América Latina
Unité Communiste
United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)
UPML (Union Prolétarienne marxiste-léniniste)
US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
V-SB
Verdes Equo Cantabria
Veterans For Peace
Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine
Workers World Party
Yeni Demokratik Gençlik – YDG
Young Struggle
Youth Against War & Racism
Youth Front for Palestine
Events during the Week of Action
This is only a preliminary list of events! Events will be shortly announced in Brussels, Athens, Vienna, Berlin and a number of other cities. Please do send us your events to samidoun@samidoun.net and we will include them in the next set of actions! The United National Antiwar Coalition in the United States — an endorsing organization of the Week of Action — has called for actions between 13-22 January against U.S. wars and imperialism. We urge people to attend these events and bring signs and banners for the liberation of Palestine — they are very welcome at these actions!
Clermont-Ferrand
4 PM
Tractage pour la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat et de tous les prisonniers politiques palestiniens
Tram UNIVERSITES, Clermont-Ferrand
On 14-24 January 2023, join our collective call for the freedom of Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, with action and global solidarity to escalate the boycott of Israel, end aid and support to Israel, organize for justice in Palestine and resist imperialism and colonialism.
Organize events, actions and protests to demand freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners! Protest in public squares and other open community spaces. Note that these dates are also the anniversary of Israel’s bloody “Cast Lead” attack on Gaza in 2008-2009 –we urge you to include both in your event. Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net to inform us about your events or actions.
Highlight the key themes of this year’s campaign:Deportation, Medical Neglect, Administrative Detention and the Imprisonment of the Martyrs. Share information on your social media pages, and discuss these issues in your public events and demonstrations.
Join the social media campaign. Post a photo or a video with a message calling for freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and his fellow Palestinian prisoners and the hashtag #FreeAhmadSaadat. You can use the posters below. Send us your photo by emailing us at samidoun@samidoun.net or contacting us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Include Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners in your Palestine solidarity, anti-racism, anti-imperialist and social justice events. Bring flyers and posters or share a statement from Sa’adat as part of your program. Let us know what you’re doing: Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net or send us a message on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Boycott Israel! Ahmad Sa’adat says: “I call on all forces of progress, freedom and democracy to stand by the struggle of our people through all forms of boycott: political, economic, academic and cultural of the occupation state and the creation of a real economic cost for its industries of colonization and settlement and escalating the global campaigns for boycott of all corporations that support and invest in the occupation militarily and economically.” Don’t buy Israeli goods, and campaign to end investments in corporations that profit from the occupation. Join direct actions to challenge war profiteers (like the Elbit campaign with Palestine Action) and boycott complicit corporations like Puma and HP.
Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, freedom for Palestine, from the river to the sea!
Campaign Graphics
ENGLISH
Freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat
The General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Sa’adat was arrested by the Palestinian Authority on 15 January 2002 and jailed under US and British guard. After a violent attack in 2006, he was kidnapped by occupation forces; he is now serving a 30-year sentence in Israeli prison.
ARABIC
الحُرّية للقائد الوطني الأسير أحمد سعدات
أحمد سعدات : الأمين العام للجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين. إعتقلته الأجهزة الأمنية الفلسطينية في مدينة رام الله يوم 15 يناير 2002 وجرى وضعه تحت حراسة أمريكية ـ بريطانية في سجن أريحا . في 14 أذار / مارس 2006 هاجمت قوات الإحتلال الإسرائيلي سجن اريحا واختطفته مع عدد من رفاقه الأسرى. وفي 25 ديسيمبر 2008 أصدرت محكمة صهيونية غير شرعية حُكمًا بالسجن ضده لمدة 30 عامًا .
FRENCH
Liberté pour Ahmad Sa’adat
Sa’adat, secrétaire général du Front Populaire de Libération de la Palestine, a été arrêté par l’Autorité Palestinienne le 15 janvier 2002 et emprisonné sous surveillance américaine et britannique. Après une violente attaque en 2006, il a été kidnappé par les forces d’occupation. Il purge actuellement une peine de 30 ans dans une prison israélienne.
DUTCH
Vrijheid voor Ahmad Sa’adat
De Generaal-Secretaris van het Volksfront voor de Bevrijding van Palestina (PFLP), Sa’adat werd door de Palestijnse Autoriteit gearresteerd op 15 januari 2002. Vervolgens werd hij bewaakt door Britse en Amerikaanse troepen. Maar na een Israëlische aanval in 2006 werd Sa’dat gekidnapt; hij zit nu een 30-jarige celstraf uit.
GERMAN
Freiheit für Ahmad Sa’adat
Der Generalsekretär der Volksfront für die Befreiung Palästinas, Sa’adat, wurde am 15. Januar 2002 von der Palästinensischen Autonomiebehörde verhaftet. Das Gefängnis, in dem Sa’adat inhaftiert war, wurde von US-amerikanischen und britischen Soldaten bewacht. Nach einem gewaltsamen Angriff im Jahr 2006 wurde er von Besatzungstruppen entführt. Er verbüßt jetzt eine 30-jährige Haftstrafe in einem israelischen Gefängnis.
SPANISH
Libertad para Ahmad Sa’adat
Sa’adat, secretario general del Frente Popular de Liberación de Palestina, arrestado por la autoridad palestina el 15 de enero de 2002 y encarcelado bajo vigilancia americana y británica. Después de un ataque violento en 2006, fue secuestrado por las fuerzas de ocupación. Cumple actualmente una pena de 30 años en una prisión israelí.
SWEDISH
Frihet åt Ahmad Sa’adat
Den 15:e januari 2002 arresterade Palestinska myndigheten Ahmad Sa’adat, generalsekreterare för Folkfronten för Palestinas befrielse. Sa’adat sattes därefter i fångenskap under USA:s och Storbritanniens regi. Under ett våldsamt angrepp 2006 kidnappades han av Israels ockupationsstyrkor och nu avtjänar han ett 30-årigt straff på israeliskt fängelse.
DANISH
Frihed for Ahmad Sa’adat
Generalsekretæren for PFLP (Folkefronten til Palæstinas Befrielse), Ahmad Sa’adat, blev arresteret af det palæstinensiske selvstyre (PA) den 15. Januar 2002 og fængslet under US-amerikansk og britisk overvågning. Under et voldsomt angreb i 2006 blev han kidnappet af besættelsesstyrker og har siden været indespærret i israelske fængsler, idømt 30 års fængsel.
ITALIAN
Libertà per Ahmad Sa’adat
Sa’adat, segretario generale del Fronte Popolare di Liberazione della Palestina, è stato arrestato dall’autorità Palestinese il 15 gennaio 2002 e imprigionato e sorvegliato dalle autorità americane e britanniche. Dopo un violento attacco nel 2006, è stato rapito dalle forze d’occupazione. Sconta attualmente una pena di 30 anni in una prigione Israeliana.
PORTUGUESE
GREEK
Λευτεριά στον Αχμάντ Σααντάτ!
Ο Γενικός Γραμματέας του Λαϊκού Μετώπου για την Απελευθέρωση της Παλαιστίνης, Σααντάτ, συνελήφθη από την Παλαιστινιακή Αρχή στις 15 Ιανουαρίου 2002 και φυλακίστηκε υπό αμερικανική και βρετανική φρουρά. Μετά από μια βίαιη επίθεση το 2006, απήχθη από τις κατοχικές δυνάμεις∙ τώρα εκτίει ποινή κάθειρξης 30 ετών σε ισραηλινή φυλακή.
15 January 2023 marks the 21st anniversary of the abduction of Palestinian leader Ahmad Sa’adat by the Palestinian Authority — at the behest of and as part of “security coordination” with the Israeli occupation in 2002. Sa’adat, the General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, has now been imprisoned consistently since that time — first by PA security, then under US, British, Canadian and Turkish guard in a PA prison in Jericho, and now, for the past 17 years, inside Israeli jails alongside 4,750 fellow Palestinian political prisoners after occupation forces’ deadly siege on Jericho and the kidnapping of Sa’adat and his comrades in 2006.
The arrest of Sa’adat on 15 January 2002 was emblematic of the deep damage the crime of “security cooperation” has done to the Palestinian people and their national cause. “Security cooperation” has meant nothing but attacks on the Palestinian resistance at the behest of Israel, committed by Palestinian Authority hands. The abduction of Ahmad Sa’adat, and his imprisonment – and that of his comrades – in the PA prison in Jericho, under U.S. and British guard, was a clear example of the PA’s status as fundamentally beholden to the interests of Israel, the U.S. and other international powers, at the expense of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance.
This has not changed since 2002; instead, the problem has become only more widespread. There are dozens of Palestinian political detainees in Palestinian Authority prisons in the West Bank, held there precisely because they are targeted for allegedly being part of or supporting the Palestinian resistance. The PA jails have become a “revolving door” with the jails of the Israeli occupation, with former prisoners particularly targeted for political repression through “security coordination.” Today, as in the case of Sa’adat — who was ordered released by a Palestinian Authority high court but remained held in Jericho until the Israeli assault — Palestinians continue to be locked up by PA security forces despite Palestinian courts ordering their release, another indication of the lack of meaningful sovereignty or self-determination of the PA.
In recent days, demonstrations demanding the release of political prisoners held by the PA have come under attack by PA security forces, even as the anniversary of Sa’adat’s arrest approaches. Sa’adat and his four comrades — Ahed Abu Ghoulmeh, Majdi Rimawi, Hamdi Qur’an and Basil al-Asmar, along with Fuad al-Shobaki — were jailed by the PA, only to be seized by the occupation at the first potential hint that they may be released. In the 2006 PA elections, the Change and Reform bloc — supporters of Hamas and the Palestinian resistance — won a majority, and during their campaign, they pledged to end security coordination and release PA political prisoners. The assault on Jericho prison on 14 March 2006, organized by the Israeli occupation together with the international “guards,” who withdrew to give the occupying forces free access to attack the prison, kill Palestinian guards and seize the political prisoners — came exactly two weeks before Ismail Haniyeh was slated to be sworn in as prime minister.
Of course, the results of the 2006 election were never truly implemented and were immediately met with sanctions, siege and intensified imperialist domination. This helped to clarify, once again, that the PA as a system was never set up to represent Palestinians but to pacify the Palestinian people for the benefit of the occupation. However, it remained a priority for the occupation to ensure that even the limited powers of the PA could never be used to liberate political prisoners, only to maintain them on behalf of the occupation.
140 organizations from 25 countries have already joined the call for the Week of Action to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners from 14-24 January 2023. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges all who stand with Palestine and justice for the Palestinian people to join us in the week.
Students for Justice in Palestine, New York University, Abu Dhabi
Students for Justice in Palestine – UW Madison
Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return – UW
Sulong UBC
Svenska Clartéförbundet
Syria Support Movement
Temple Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
The Bahraini Society Against Normalisation with Zionist Enemy
Toronto Raging Grannies
Tunisian Youth Movement -حركة الشباب التونسي
UBC SPHR
UDIRS 30 (Union Départementale Interprofessionnelle des retraités de Solidaires)
UJDL (Lebanese Union of Democratic Youth – Union des Jeunes Démocrates Libanais)
Unadikum association
Ung Vänster Göteborg & Bohuslän
Union Communiste Libertaire
Unión de Jóvenes Venezuela
Union Juive Française pour la Paix (UJFP)
Union Locale CGT Annecy & ses Environs
Unión Palestina de América Latina
Unité Communiste
United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)
UPML (Union Prolétarienne marxiste-léniniste)
US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine
Yeni Demokratik Gençlik – YDG
Young Struggle
Youth Front for Palestine
Events during the Week of Action
This is only a preliminary list of events! Events will be shortly announced in Brussels, Athens, Vienna, Berlin and a number of other cities. Please do send us your events to samidoun@samidoun.net and we will include them in the next set of actions! The United National Antiwar Coalition in the United States — an endorsing organization of the Week of Action — has called for actions between 13-22 January against U.S. wars and imperialism. We urge people to attend these events and bring signs and banners for the liberation of Palestine — they are very welcome at these actions!
Paris
5:30 PM
Rassemblement pour exiger la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat, de Walid Dakka et de Georges Abdallah !
Place Jean Ferrat, métro Ménilmontant – ligne 2
Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/517538566845244/
Manchester
9:30 AM
Support The Ferranti2 At Manchester Crown Court – Every Day between 17 January and 20 January
Manchester Crown Court, Minshull Street, Manchester
Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/372382948057496/
Clermont-Ferrand
4 PM
Tractage pour la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat et de tous les prisonniers politiques palestiniens
Tram UNIVERSITES, Clermont-Ferrand
On 14-24 January 2023, join our collective call for the freedom of Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, with action and global solidarity to escalate the boycott of Israel, end aid and support to Israel, organize for justice in Palestine and resist imperialism and colonialism.
Organize events, actions and protests to demand freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners! Protest in public squares and other open community spaces. Note that these dates are also the anniversary of Israel’s bloody “Cast Lead” attack on Gaza in 2008-2009 –we urge you to include both in your event. Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net to inform us about your events or actions.
Highlight the key themes of this year’s campaign:Deportation, Medical Neglect, Administrative Detention and the Imprisonment of the Martyrs. Share information on your social media pages, and discuss these issues in your public events and demonstrations.
Join the social media campaign. Post a photo or a video with a message calling for freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and his fellow Palestinian prisoners and the hashtag #FreeAhmadSaadat. You can use the posters below. Send us your photo by emailing us at samidoun@samidoun.net or contacting us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Include Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners in your Palestine solidarity, anti-racism, anti-imperialist and social justice events. Bring flyers and posters or share a statement from Sa’adat as part of your program. Let us know what you’re doing: Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net or send us a message on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Boycott Israel! Ahmad Sa’adat says: “I call on all forces of progress, freedom and democracy to stand by the struggle of our people through all forms of boycott: political, economic, academic and cultural of the occupation state and the creation of a real economic cost for its industries of colonization and settlement and escalating the global campaigns for boycott of all corporations that support and invest in the occupation militarily and economically.” Don’t buy Israeli goods, and campaign to end investments in corporations that profit from the occupation. Join direct actions to challenge war profiteers (like the Elbit campaign with Palestine Action) and boycott complicit corporations like Puma and HP.
Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, freedom for Palestine, from the river to the sea!
Since the passing of Filipino leader, comrade Jose Maria “Ka Joma” Sison, in the Netherlands on 16 December 2022, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network had the honor of participating in tributes and events celebrating the life of the co-founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines and one of the greatest revolutionaries of the past century.
On 23 December a Samidoun delegation from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands joined the Day of Tribute including international guests, comrades and representatives of political parties and groups in Utrecht. Together with over 150 comrades, we celebrated the life of Ka Joma and reiterated our commitment to the struggle for the liberation of the Filipino people and all struggling people of the world.
Samidoun Europe coordinator Mohammed Khatib delivered the following message:
Good evening comrades,
Thank you for inviting us and thank you for being here. On behalf of myself, on behalf of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, also on behalf of the Masar Badil – the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, we salute you. We salute Julie de Lima, we salute the Filipino migrant community in exile, we salute Louie Jalandoni, Coni Ledesma, and all the families of the Filipino comrades who live here in the Netherlands. We salute the Filipino people with this great loss of comrade Joma Sison.
For us it is an honor and privilege to be close to comrade Joma, to his contributions and to his work. It was an honor for us as a Palestinian community also in exile to be close to comrade Joma. To arrange together with him the solidarity work and to build bridges between Palestine and the Philippines.
Me myself, I had the privilege at the age of 22 to meet comrade Joma for the first time in Utrecht. This was the main reason why I visited this city for the first time. And from there I found myself one year later in the Philippines, and two years after we founded the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association. And until today we are still struggling and working together.
We did not lose comrade Joma. I think all of us here, we are all comrade Joma. Comrade Joma has been a rock in this revolutionary path for the struggle of the Filipino people. We will keep hearing his voice with every bullet fired by the NPA red freedom fighters in the mountains of Mindanao. We will hear comrade Joma, we will see him when we see the people of the slums in the Philippines marching against exploitation and against colonialism.
Comrade Joma will always be alive in our struggle. Not only in the Philippines, but in Palestine and in Lebanon, and in the Netherlands and the United States – against hegemony, against imperialism and capitalism.
We salute comrade Joma again. We salute everyone here. We reaffirm our commitment to comrade Joma that we will continue on the path of resistance. We will continue on the path of struggle. Not only in the Philippines and Palestine but also we will follow our enemy everywhere.
Thank you so much.
The cremation ceremony of Jose Maria Sison on 27 December in Utrecht was similarly attended by many family members, friends and comrades. It was an emotional image to see Joma’s coffin surrounded by his closest comrades and the flags of the CPP, NPA, NDF and its allied organizations.
On behalf of the Patriotic Youth, Kabataang Makabayan Europe, Mila Esperanza said:
Every bullet fired by the New Peoples Army, every red flag flown ever higher; our victory will be in his name. And this victory will come. This victory will be our legacy. This victory will be the legacy of Tito Jo. We challenge the youth and the migrants to follow the steps of Ka Joma and other brave revolutionaries. We call on the youth and migrants to go to the Philippines, live with the masses, and join the armed revolution in the countryside. Kabataan at migrante, tumungo sa kanayunan! Paglingkuran ang sambayanan! (Youth and migrants, head to the countryside! Serve the people!).
Julie de Lima, lifelong partner and comrade-in-arms of Ka Joma, and chairperson of the NDFP Peace Negotiation Panel, gave a moving speech:
Love bound us on the day we got to know each other. It is love that binds us, and us to our four children and two grandchildren. To our comrades and friends, and the people we have served all our lives. I shall always love you. I shall always feel your presence with every breath I take, in the air that I breathe in the sunlight that sheds on me, in the water that I drink, on the ground on which I thread, and in all the things I do. I love you as you loved me, your children and your grandchildren. The Filipino people that you served with determination until your very last breath.
Since the foundation of Samidoun we have had the pleasure of working closely together with the Filipino revolutionary movement and learning from them. We continuously study the history and developments of the Filipino revolutionary movement in order to practice its lessons in the struggle for Palestine. And we encourage all Palestinian revolutionaries and their supporters to deepen their knowledge and connection to the Filipino liberation movement.
We understand and feel the loss of Ka Joma as the loss of one of our own. Ka Joma was a Filipino revolutionary but his struggle reached far beyond the archipelago. He was always open to intensify the collaboration between Palestine and the Philippines and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association.
As Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network we salute Ka Joma and the Philippine revolutionary movement. We reaffirm that Ka Joma lives on through the struggle of millions of Filipinos, Palestinians and people from all countries of the world. We will continue to draw inspiration from Ka Joma’s work and learn from his inspiring revolutionary optimism, selfless work ethic, and firm belief in the victory of the people.
In Voiron, France, Libérons Georges Abdallah 38 
Vrijheid voor Ahmad Sa’adat
Freiheit für Ahmad Sa’adat
Libertad para Ahmad Sa’adat
Frihet åt Ahmad Sa’adat
Libertà per Ahmad Sa’adat
Λευτεριά στον Αχμάντ Σααντάτ!
