Amidst the noise of the city and the traffic jams resulting from the many cars in the streets you get greeted by banners displaying pictures of prisoners sentenced to more than fifteen years in prison reviving the memories of the residents of al-Khalil of a generation that refused humiliation by the Israeli occupation thus writing down pages of glory and resistance which are still engraved in the memory of all people who experienced this time in al-Khalil. These prisoners restored a history of struggle which was lost by some people who adopted security coordination with the occupation and accepted humiliation.
The director of the Prisoners’ Society in al-Khalil Amjad al-Najjar said that this model should be spread to all governorates in order to convey a message to the occupation and others who visit the country such as European and foreign delegations that the issue of the prisoners is present in the conscience of the Palestinian people and that their cause is still alive despite the aggression of the Israeli occupation.
Stories and heroism
Al-Najjar added that this step is important to enlighten citizens especially new generations about the history of these heroes who wrote down pages of glory in the streets of al-Khalil in the face of the occupier. It became necessary to make them a source of pride to the coming generations and to give life to prisoners through these pictures as if they live between their own families and people.
Abu Hamed al-Zaru the brother of prisoner Sedqi Zaro expressed his happiness with this step which retrieved the memory of heroes that the Israeli occupation is trying to isolate from their people by isolating them in prisons where their names became forgotten by some.
Abu Hamed added that this step is part of keeping the promise to these prisoners and their families pointing out that their pictures in the streets of the city bring back their stories and heroic deeds which they carried out against the Israeli occupation and its settlers in the heart of the city during the first intifada.
Plan to complete the project
In an interview with the PIC reporter young Palestinian Mahmoud al-Ja’bari stressed that he was surprised when he saw these pictures in the streets of the city. He was born during the second Intifada. He did not witness the heroism of these prisoners. He heard their stories from those who lived at the time.
Al-Ja’bari pointed out that it is necessary to complete this project. A plan must be designed in which all institutions in the city of al-Khalil including the Ministry of Education will take part in it in order to evoke the Palestinian prisoners’ history for the new generations that know nothing about them and their heroic actions.
Activist Emad Kharawat pointed out that these pictures of the al-Khalil prisoners who have been in prison for over fifteen years were on the street of Ein Sara in the center of the city.
He stressed that this step is part of the solidarity activities with the prisoners which represents a sign of loyalty to them. He highlighted the importance of these pictures that remind our people of these heroes’ absence in the prisons of the occupation and the need to stand by and support them in their battle with the prison authorities.
