Special interview with freed female prisoner 'Itaf 'Elaiyan

Date: 26 / 10 / 2008  Time:  15:27
Ramallah – Ma’an Special –

'Itaf 'Eleiyan, a 44-year-old mother of one from Bethlehem was released from her fourth prison sentence on Thursday, and was interviewed in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

'Eleiyan sat with one of Ma’an’s reporters and gave the following interview”

Q: First of all, tell us about yourself and about your imprisonment?

A: My name is 'Itaf Hussein 'Eleiyan and I was born in Bethlehem in 1962. I married Palestinian writer Walid Al-Hodali, who is right now imprisoned in Israel. I was detained for the first time in 1987, and sentenced to 15 years. I was released ten years into the sentence in 1997. The same year I was given administrative detention and went on a hunger strike for 40 days to protest. I was released along with a number of female prisoners a few months later. I pursued my undergraduate studies and got a BA in sociology. In 2003, I was detained for a third time and served 9 months. After that, I was detained again in 2005 and was released on Thursday.

Q: Which of the four imprisonments influenced you the most?

A: From a human point of view, the last was the worst because I left behind my 14-month-old baby girl, Aysha. I wondered whether to leave her behind or to have her with me in custody. The Israeli prison service, however, refused to give me permission to have my daughter with me even though prison laws allow mothers to have children under two with them.
I spent 16 days on hunger strike before they would let me have her with me. She faced hardships trying to adapt to the dire conditions in jail and used to hold me tight and scream whenever she saw an Israeli warden in a blue uniform. She thought they were going to take her from me. After she turned two the Israeli prison service sent her back home.

What added to this suffering was the nature of administrative detention; you have no idea when you may be released so you are constantly frustrated and on edge. Some lawyers got their defendants to admit to any charge so as to get rid of the “nightmare” of administrative detention and receive whatever sentence the court decided on.


Q: Do female detainees in Israeli jails receive minimum standards of care?

A: If jail were some golden place where all human needs were met we wouldn’t call it a jail. When my mother was sick or my family celebrated some social occasion, for example, I knew I could not be with them. I think of the situation inside the jail as “a punctured canteen.” Whenever prisoners gain any achievement, the prison services will find their own tricks to withdraw that achievement and deprive prisoners from its benefits.

As for detained mothers, suffering is double. There are women like Fatima Al-Ziq, mother of eight children one of whom is an infant living with her in custody. There is also Qahira Al-Sa’adi, who left behind four children and is serving three lifetime sentences. There is also the elderly Um Al-Nasir who left behind six children and is serving multiple lifetime sentences.

Q: How is the spirit of female prisoners you left behind?

A: They remain steadfast through faith, however most of them also pin hopes on a prisoners swap between Israel and Palestinian factions for [captured] Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. After they heard that Palestinian negotiators insisted on releasing all female prisoners as a prerequisite for the deal their spirits rose. At the same time, though, they have ups and downs along with the failed attempts at reaching a deal.

Q: Tell us about your detained husband and your daughter?

A: My husband has served more than 12 years in Israeli jails. Most of his writings are about prisoners. He explores prisoners suffering in his book, "Graveyards of Living People." My daughter is very smart, and thank God she recognized me after I was released. She used to draw attention when she was with me in custody, that female prisoners named the ward after her name.

Q: What is your message to the Palestinian factions?

A: The Palestinian people need a psychological uplift as well as self-reform in order to get rid of the current unpleasant situation. If any party or faction is defeated in any contest, the whole situation deteriorates. To all factions, namely Fatah and Hamas, I say, that the point is not reaching a conciliation agreement, but rather having honest intentions and to turn a new leaf. The Palestinian cause is much more important than fighting over any illusion because we don’t have the minimum requirements for a state.