As we all take a sigh of relief at the recent video of a sometimes smiling, healthy Gilad Schalit we must remember that, though he may be alive, he is still a prisoner of war; a war that seemingly never ends. G-d willing the soldier will be returned to his family, having gone above and beyond his call of duty. Perhaps now is a good a time as any to remind everyone of the prisoners on the other side of this conflict. There are scores upon scores of Palestinian prisoners being held by Israeli “authorities” who, unlike Schalit, never enlisted nor were required to serve by order of conscription. Palestinian “P.O.W.’s” are not combatants in a war and are imprisoned on grounds of nationality and geographical location. There is no requirement to be a Palestinian prisoner of war. Every Palestinian is subject to imprisonment as a so-called P.O.W., bar none.
Since the beginning of the second Intifada in 2000, the Israeli authorities have arrested approximately 6,700 Palestinian CHILDREN. There are currently 423 Palestinian CHILDREN being held in detention and interrogation centers and prisons both in the Occupied Territory and inside of Israel in contravention of international law. These children range in age from 12 TO 18 YEARS OLD. Six of them are girls and an additional six are being held in administrative detention without charge or trial. http://bit.ly/SzEvC
As of July 2009, Israel is holding more than 387 Palestinians in administrative detention in facilities run by the Israel Prison Service (IPS). http://bit.ly/1tRTJM Administrative detention is detention of individuals by the state without charge or trial. Indiividuals detained are said to be potential threats.
About 7,430 Palestinians were held in Israel as of the end of July. ’09, the vast majority in faciltiies of the Israel Prisons Service, and a small number in IDF facilities. The figures are provided by the government authorities. http://bit.ly/28jMv9
WE SHOULD ALL TAKE A MOMENT TO PRAY FOR THE SAFETY AND PROMPT RETURN OF ALL PRISONERS OF WAR…
The Kicking Horse mænɪˈfɛstəʊ 