Lama Khater
Late in 2018, all Palestinian female prisoners were grouped inside the Israeli Damon prison in Haifa, north of occupied Palestine, after they were distributed between the Sharon and Damon Israeli prisons.
By the end of November 2018, our transfer into section -3- in the Damon prison started. Before that, I was with other female prisoners in section -6- of the same prison, while others remained in the Sharon prison until they were transferred in batches. We though that this new section would be the central prison for female prisoners in terms of maintenance, refurbishment and general conditions after it was restored to become livable. This prison, which goes back to the British Mandate, was reopened during Al-Aqsa Intifada that broke out in 2000 and after an increase in the number of Palestinian female and male prisoners.
When we entered the section, we were surprised that it differs from all the previous prisons, yet follows the same type. It consists of a group of detention rooms that surround the prison yard, which is a piece of enclosed ground attached to a prison where prisoners may take exercise at certain times. However, as this prison is old, it has several disadvantages. Its rooms' floors are not tiled yet are made of soft cement, its walls' paints are crumbling, its electricity lines are worn as they caused several incidents of electrocution through the use of some electricity tools, and its wardrobes and iron beds are eroded. Moreover, insects and cockroaches found a shelter inside it to live and reproduce.
At that time, we knew we needed more time and efforts in order to improve the prison's conditions. Israeli jailers deliberately tend to harden the lives of Palestinian prisons in all possible means, and do not give them any of their main rights until after they suffer and undergo many steps of struggle.
What was even more shocking was the moment we reached the prison and found that the prison's administration wanted to devoid us of any previous acquisitions and enforce new restrictions over us. It also insisted on distributing the female prisoners to cells either haphazardly or according to what it wants, not as desired by the female prisoners regarding who they like to share their cells with. Hence, there was supposed to be an immediate position of rejection before restrictions become a fait accompli.
Therefore, prisoners tended to rebel, protest in the prison yard and refuse to enter their rooms in rejection of the prison's administration to interfere in their lifestyle and distribution inside cells. Undoubtedly, Israeli jailers were shocked, and thus tried to threaten them as they entered the repression force inside. Female prisoners however remained steadfast and continued their protest in the yard from 10 am to 6 pm, until the administration caved in to Abbas' demands. By this rebellion, the female prisoners opened the new section with an essential step that prevented the prison administration from interfering in the prisoners' affairs inside the prison.
Later on, and during the 1st year for prisoners inside the Damon prison, prisoners carried out several steps of struggle in order to ask for the achievement of several demands or to reject arbitrary conditions and resolutions. They once organized a wide-scale protest to increase the time allowed for prisoners to go outside the prison yard, and another one to force the prison administration to reform the electricity lines. They also held another demonstration in rejection of the administration's refusal to prisoners' family visits. In each attempt of protest, prisoners manage to obtain more rights that the Israeli jailers try so hard to prevent or restrict.
This is how life goes on inside prisons. A man is arrested because of his national activity against the Israeli occupation; however, he finds out that there is another space for struggle and challenge inside the prison cells. Zionist jailers do not grant the prisoners any of their rights until after they undergo a harsh hunger strike or a journey of rebellion inside prisons.
Days ago, the administration of the Damon prison launched an attack against the Palestinian prisoners and attempted to punish them in several ways like deprivation of family visits, withdrawal of electricity devices and solitary confinement. The occupation's claim was that the prisoners celebrated the resistance operation that occurred in Al-Quds before two weeks. This attack led to struggle steps to be adopted against the Israeli prisons administration in support of those female prisoners. As a result, jailers retreated from their repressive decisions imposed against the prisoners.
Behind those walls, there is a complete, large world. Yes! It is forgotten as most people outside do not care about it, yet it is an interactive world. Freedom inside it is way huger that outside. Inside it, there is a struggle against jailers, solidarity amongst prisoners and unity in defeating administrations. There is also a real sharing of all life aspects; happiness and sadness, ups and downs.
This is how the Palestinian prisoner manages to win over the prison's darkness, restrictions and slowness of time. This is how he creates his free world inside prisons.