“Palestinians must be freed”

Dr. Atallah Abu Al-Sabah Gaza - Mohammad Habib Dr. Atallah Abu Al-Sabah and the Minister for Prisoners Affairs from the Palestinian government in Gaza stressed that the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, who have sacrificed their freedom for the Palestinian cause, demand the Palestinian people and political forces to unite, to give them back their freedom and dignity. In an exclusive interview with ArabsToday, Abu Al-Sabah said that the Israeli practices on the Palestinian prisoners have forced the Ministry of Prisoners to remain proactive in the service of their cause, emphasizing that they represent the conscience of all Palestinian and Arab people. Abu Al-Sabah called for the issue of Palestinian prisoners to be activated in the media, so that their case can be focused on, and the brutality of the Israeli forces against them highlighted. In response to a question regarding solutions to addressing the issue of prisoners, Abu Al-Sabah answered with a smile: "We need more 'Shalits' to keep the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit entertained” as he considers that this would be the “perfect solution” for the release of captives in Israeli prisons. The Minister Abu Al-Sabah called on the system to wake up to reality, and to play an active role in resolving the Palestinian issue. He added that his Ministry has organized marches and held conferences, and is trying to present its case to delegates coming to Gaza. Abu Al-Sabah explained that the captured Israeli soldier Shalit could be returned to his family safely in the event of continued pressure on the Israeli government to get them to respond to the conditions specified by the Palestinian factions. He stressed that the factions would not go back on the conditions set for the release of Corporal Shalit, inviting them to raise their demands. The minister asked the Palestinian factions to capture more "Shalits" as a means of increasing the pressure of the prisoner factions on the Israelis, stressing the need for the Israelis to understand that his freedom depends on the freedom of Palestinian women and children. The minister also stressed that the Israeli occupation in pursuing a dangerous policy against the Palestinian prisoners, and is preventing them from enjoying many of their human rights guaranteed by international treaties and conventions. He called for the launch of a large popular effort to deliver the message to the international community and its human rights institutions that the Palestinian prisoners are at risk, and are suffering on a daily basis in light of the onslaught led by Israel against all international resolutions and agreements that provide for the proper treatment of prisoners and appropriate living conditions. In response to a question about the legal status of the Palestinian prisoners, Abu Al-Sabah confirmed that they should labeled “hostages” according to experts in international law and humanity, because their rights and duties are not provided for by wardens, and this is guaranteed by the international community and laws concerning hostages." Experts on Israel have stated that it has had great success in the internationalization of their captive soldier "Shalit" in international forums, and European countries. His name has become known in the international community while the issue of Palestinian prisoners has not been addressed. There are six thousand men, women, and children, in Israeli prisons, but their cause is older than Shalit's. Abu Al-Sabah said that the internationalization of the issue of prisoners requires the Palestinian government to take action in these countries. However, these states do not permit the internationalization of Palestinian prisoners because of the existence of a weak Arab regime, and a preoccupied Palestinian leadership in negotiations that depends on the position of Israel and the U.S. He added that Israel and the U.S. have opened their doors to speak about Shalit, to the extent that his image adorns the streets of the West, yet this is not permitted for the Palestinians. On the subject of keeping MPs out of Jerusalem, Abu Al-Sabah claimed that Israel broke all international laws and conventions by making the decision to distance the representatives, indicating that this was not new to Israel, which began the process of Judaizing and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians many years ago. Abu Al-Sabah pointed out that this policy pursued by Israel was also pursued by the British Mandate over Palestine before it, and Abu Al-Sabah criticized the negative role of the Palestinian Authority towards the issue of MPs, and the lack of action on any international or local level to consider the decision as illegal or to elect them as MPs to protect them.