PALESTINIAN WOMEN IN ISRAELI PRISONS – FACTS AT A GLANCE1
In September 2000, in the advent of the Al-Aqsa intifada, there were only 5 Palestinian women imprisoned in Israeli jails. Since then, the number of Palestinian female prisoners has risen dramatically, reaching its highest figure of over 120 in 2004 and a total of more than 700 over 8 years. Currently, there are close to 80 women either imprisoned or detained in Israeli prisons, among which 5 women are sentenced for life, while 11 are sentenced for more that 10 years. For the latest figures and information on each prisoner's status and detention location, please refer to the statistics section and the list of names.
Palestinian women have been involved in the national liberation struggle since its very beginning, both through formal and informal representation, by participating and very often leading social movements and civil society organizations, or by taking action as members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, political parties and elected parliamentarians. For the most part, women have been engaged in non-violent resistance aiming to achieve their goals through instruments made available to them by international law and at a later stage, the peace process. However, some have also been involved in military actions. Their activities on all three levels – political, social and military – have led to the imprisonment of approximately 10,000 women since the beginning of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory in 1967. The rapid militarization of the Al-Aqsa intifada and the brutality of Israeli repressive measures against the Palestinian civilian population have led to new wave of arrests, interrogations, arbitrary detentions and imprisonment of mostly men, but also women.
While interrogated, women are often subjected to such forms of cruel treatment as humiliation, intimidation, sleep deprivation, prolonged shackling in painful positions and even beatings. Such measures are considered torture under international law, and are prohibited by both – the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT,1987) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966) to which Israel is a state party. When in prison, women suffer overall bad living conditions: overcrowding, lack of natural light, shortage and poor quality of food. Additionally, they are deprived of minimum hygiene standards and denied gender-sensitive healthcare when pregnant, which is in contravention to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (1955) and the Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (1977).
As a consequence of Israel’s violation of the IV Geneva Convention, which clearly forbids the occupying power from transferring political prisoners outside of the occupied territory, Palestinian women are currently held in 4 different prisons all of which are located in Israel, namely Telmond in HaSharon, Neve Tirza in Ramleh, Al-Jalameh in Kishon and as of June 2008 Damon prison in Mount Carmel2.
In a situation of continued occupation of the West Bank and Gaza through a network of checkpoints, roadblocks, fences and walls, and an almost complete siege of the Strip by Israel, the transfer of prisoners outside the oPt constitutes yet another form of punishment for women and their families and further complicates access to lawyers. Indeed, as a result, not only are women, in many cases mothers – currently 17 female prisoners are mothers of a total of 60 minors – obstructed from regular family visits since permits are rarely granted to West Bank ID holders and under current political circumstances never given to residents of the Gaza Strip, but in addition they are held in an environment that was traditionally designed by men and for men.
As a minority in the large number constituting the total of Palestinian political prisoners in Israel3, women are subjected to similar detention conditions as men with no regard for their special needs. In the context of incarceration however, equality in treatment is synonymous with discrimination: women, as a result of their gender, have very often different needs than men, particularly when held in a “foreign”, unnatural environment. Paradoxically, their relatively small number has not led to the improvement of their detention conditions or better protection: unlike men, who are imprisoned in large numbers, women face greater problems while trying to organize themselves inside prison to liaise with the authorities and defend their human rights as prisoners.
According to research conducted by practitioners of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visiting female prisoners across the world, women’s needs usually include: specialized healthcare and diet – especially when pregnant – specific hygiene requirements, privacy, and “additional space” when women’s children are allowed to live in prison with them4. In this respect, Palestinian women are no different than other women worldwide, and have very similar needs to the ones mentioned above. While constituting a minority of the total Palestinian prisoner population their sense of isolation and need for specialized mental health care are arguably greater than that of men: during 41 years of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory, approximately 70 times more men have been imprisoned and detained than women.
Detailed information on access to health care and medical needs of female prisoners, as well as their living conditions, access to education and family relations can be found in topic related fact sheets developed by the Aseerat project. For more information, please click here.
Palestinian women have been involved in the national liberation struggle since its very beginning, both through formal and informal representation, by participating and very often leading social movements and civil society organizations, or by taking action as members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, political parties and elected parliamentarians. For the most part, women have been engaged in non-violent resistance aiming to achieve their goals through instruments made available to them by international law and at a later stage, the peace process. However, some have also been involved in military actions. Their activities on all three levels – political, social and military – have led to the imprisonment of approximately 10,000 women since the beginning of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory in 1967. The rapid militarization of the Al-Aqsa intifada and the brutality of Israeli repressive measures against the Palestinian civilian population have led to new wave of arrests, interrogations, arbitrary detentions and imprisonment of mostly men, but also women.
While interrogated, women are often subjected to such forms of cruel treatment as humiliation, intimidation, sleep deprivation, prolonged shackling in painful positions and even beatings. Such measures are considered torture under international law, and are prohibited by both – the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT,1987) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966) to which Israel is a state party. When in prison, women suffer overall bad living conditions: overcrowding, lack of natural light, shortage and poor quality of food. Additionally, they are deprived of minimum hygiene standards and denied gender-sensitive healthcare when pregnant, which is in contravention to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (1955) and the Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (1977).
As a consequence of Israel’s violation of the IV Geneva Convention, which clearly forbids the occupying power from transferring political prisoners outside of the occupied territory, Palestinian women are currently held in 4 different prisons all of which are located in Israel, namely Telmond in HaSharon, Neve Tirza in Ramleh, Al-Jalameh in Kishon and as of June 2008 Damon prison in Mount Carmel2.
In a situation of continued occupation of the West Bank and Gaza through a network of checkpoints, roadblocks, fences and walls, and an almost complete siege of the Strip by Israel, the transfer of prisoners outside the oPt constitutes yet another form of punishment for women and their families and further complicates access to lawyers. Indeed, as a result, not only are women, in many cases mothers – currently 17 female prisoners are mothers of a total of 60 minors – obstructed from regular family visits since permits are rarely granted to West Bank ID holders and under current political circumstances never given to residents of the Gaza Strip, but in addition they are held in an environment that was traditionally designed by men and for men.
As a minority in the large number constituting the total of Palestinian political prisoners in Israel3, women are subjected to similar detention conditions as men with no regard for their special needs. In the context of incarceration however, equality in treatment is synonymous with discrimination: women, as a result of their gender, have very often different needs than men, particularly when held in a “foreign”, unnatural environment. Paradoxically, their relatively small number has not led to the improvement of their detention conditions or better protection: unlike men, who are imprisoned in large numbers, women face greater problems while trying to organize themselves inside prison to liaise with the authorities and defend their human rights as prisoners.
According to research conducted by practitioners of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visiting female prisoners across the world, women’s needs usually include: specialized healthcare and diet – especially when pregnant – specific hygiene requirements, privacy, and “additional space” when women’s children are allowed to live in prison with them4. In this respect, Palestinian women are no different than other women worldwide, and have very similar needs to the ones mentioned above. While constituting a minority of the total Palestinian prisoner population their sense of isolation and need for specialized mental health care are arguably greater than that of men: during 41 years of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory, approximately 70 times more men have been imprisoned and detained than women.
Detailed information on access to health care and medical needs of female prisoners, as well as their living conditions, access to education and family relations can be found in topic related fact sheets developed by the Aseerat project. For more information, please click here.
[1] Last updated July 2008
[2] For more information on prisons and detention centers, please refer to the “Living conditions” fact sheet.
[3] In May 2008, there were approximately 9080 Palestinian political prisoners residing in Israeli jails.
[4] ICRC (2004), “Addressing the Needs of Women Affected by Armed Conflict, An ICRC guidance document”
