The Palestinian Information Centre reported that the family of a Palestinian prisoner appealed to international human rights organizations to shoulder their responsibilities and take serious action to save captive Adel Shanyour, aged 64, who may lose his eyesight at any moment.

Shanyour family, from the town of Dhahiriya in the southern West Bank district of al-Khalil, called on Doctors Without Borders, the WHO and other human rights bodies concerned with Palestinian prisoners affairs to immediately intervene and exert pressure on the occupation to compel it to stop the deliberate policy of medical neglect against prisoners in its jails.

Captive Shanyour has lost sight in his right eye in 2009 in the Israeli jails, and now he started to have problems in his other eye and needs a surgery, while the prison administration continues to refuse to offer him the necessary treatment.

The occupation arrested the elderly man on November 21, last year, and directly moved him to the administrative detention. Shanyour had earlier served 12 years in the Israeli jails.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Center reported that detainee Bahaa Hisham Sorour, from al-Khalil, has started five days ago an open hunger strike, in protest against his administrative detention.

Sorour, held in Ashkelon jail, is a liberated prisoner who spent five years in Israeli administrative detention. He was re-arrested on the 10th of this month.

The Institute for Palestine Studies in Beirut recently released a new book in Arabic on Palestinian detainees and the first Israeli prisons, 1948-1949, by professor Mustafa Kabha and writer Wadih Awawdeh. The book deals with the documentation and analysis of the detention camps created by Zionist and then Israeli forces who captured Palestinians and Arabs during the Nakba and the occupation of Palestinian towns and villages in 1948.

The book includes original research as well as archival materials from the Israeli archives and the Red Cross archives, books and diaries by some of those who were in prison, and dozens of oral histories and interviews with detainees who were still alive during the research.

The book examines the labour camps created by Israeli authorities for the detainees as a starting point and a landmark in the relationship between Palestinians in ’48 and the institutions of the state since this critical phase.

The book documents the arrests of thousands of Palestinians, including those who participated in military resistance and those who did not, as well as the motivation of the incoming Zionist state to establish a structure of prisons, attempt to suppress Palestinian resistance, and attempt to break the will of the Palestinians that remained on the land after mass displacement and ethnic cleansing, through forced labour. The prisoners’ testimonies carry a heavy burden of pain and psychological wounds from their experiences; the testimonies recall beatings, abuse, hunger and deprivation. Despite the importance of the issue, these testimonies have not been prominent in Palestinian narratives and have been largely ignored by Israeli historians, old and “new.” The book aims to fill a gap in this awareness and document Palestinian oral testimony as the primary source in the writing of Palestinian history.

Ma’an reported that Palestinians held in Israel’s Ashkelon jail will boycott the prison clinic beginning on Sunday, June 23, in protest over medical neglect, the PA detainee affairs ministry said Friday.

A ministry lawyer said in a statement that detainees had made 11 complaints against the doctor in Ashkelon prison clinic.

The prison doctor refused proper treatment to sick detainees, mocked them and mistreated them, detainees informed the lawyer in a letter.

Tension is high in the prison due to frequent, intensive searches and cell raids by prison guards.

The detainees called on human rights organizations to intervene to help prisoners, particularly those who are sick, the lawyer added.

Ahrar center for Prisoners studies and human rights confirmed that sixteen women prisoners are held in Hasharon prison including nine prisoners without trials.

Director of the Ahrar Center, Fuad Al-Khuffash said that being prisoner without trial for long time is a difficult thing, adding that the female prisoner is forced to transfer by the “Bostah” from the prison to the court lasted about to 3 days handcuffed and blindfolded.

Al-Khuffash added that the female prisoners called many times to be transferred by special cars instead of the “Bostah”, but, the Israeli occupation refused that.

The female prisoners who are hold without trials are: prisoner Ayat Yousef Mahfoth from Hebron city, who was arrested on 4/2/2013, prisoner Nawal Sa’ed Asa’di from Jenin city, who was arrested on 5/11/2012, Muna Hussein Qa’dan from Arrabah town near Jenin city who was arrested on 13/11/2012, prisoner Alaa Qasem Abu Zayton from Nablus city who was arrested on 9/2/2013, prisoner Tahrir al-Qanni from Kofor Qallel, who was arrested on 12/5/2013, prisoner Hiba Bdiar, from Bethlehem, who was arrested on 2/4/2013, prisoner Naheel Abu Aisheh from Al-Khalil, who was arrested on 14/3/2013 and prisoner Donia Derar, from Tulkarem, who was arrested on 2/5/2013.

The International Middle East Media Centre reported on Wednesday, June 19 that Palestinian sources have reported that Israeli soldiers kidnapped a total of 18 Palestinians in different parts of the occupied West Bank.

The army invaded the West Bank districts of Jenin, Nablus, Hebron, and occupied East Jerusalem, broke into and searched dozens of homes, and kidnapped 18 Palestinians.

Three Palestinians were kidnapped from Qabalan village, near the northern West bank city of Nablus, three more were kidnapped in Jenin, six in the Al-Arroub refugee camp north of Hebron, Ath-Thaheriyya and Doura, south of Hebron, and five in occupied Jerusalem.

Israeli soldiers invaded on Wednesday at dawn [June 19 2013] the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and two nearby villages, broke into and searched several homes and kidnapped four Palestinians. One resident was kidnapped in the Al-Arroub refugee camp, in Hebron.

Local sources in Jenin have reported that the army kidnapped two Palestinians identified as Mo’taz Awni Abu Alia, 20, and Mohammad Akram As-Sabe’, 21, after breaking into their homes and violently searching them.

Soldiers also invaded the home of resident Fawzi Ahmad As-Sa’dy, and searched it.

A number of soldiers fired gas bombs and concussion grenades at local protesters leading to several injuries.

The sources added that the soldiers destroyed doors of 10 stores at the Industrial Zone in Jenin, and violently searched them.

The army also invaded ‘Aneen village, west of Jenin, and kidnapped one resident, identified as Ali Yassin, 20, after breaking into his home.

Furthermore, several armored military jeeps invaded the nearby town of Arraba town, and kidnapped one resident identified as Kamal Mazin Ezzeddeen, 33, after violently breaking into and searching his home.

The soldiers also broke into the homes of two residents identified as Kamal Mazin Ezeddeen and Baker Mohammad Abu Obeid, and searched them.

Also on Wednesday at dawn, dozens of soldiers invaded the Al-Arroub refugee camp, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and kidnapped one resident identified as Adam Abu Ghazi before taking him to an unknown destination.

The soldiers also invaded the nearby towns of Sa’ir and Halhoul, stopped and searched several vehicles, and inspected the ID cards of dozens of residents.

On Tuesday at night, soldiers invaded Teqoua’ village, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, and clashed with local youths who hurled stones at them.

The army also installed a roadblock close to the Al-Khader town, near Bethlehem, and searched dozens of vehicles while interrogating the residents.

Also on Tuesday at night, a number of military vehicles invaded Qabalan town, southeast of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, and kidnapped three Palestinians.

 west bank | israeli attacks | news report  sae