Lost and besieged motherhood children deprived of their mothers’ tenderness and humanity all resulted from the arrest of dozens of mothers by the Israeli occupation authorities separating them from their children. 21 Palestinian mothers are trapped in prisons and cells of the occupation in very difficult circumstances depriving their 78 children of their right to be in their mothers’ arms.
Mothers and girls are detained at the Hasharon and Damun prisons for women where they are subjected to torture and humiliation especially at the interrogation centers under extremely difficult conditions in contrary to the Fourth Geneva Conventions.
Palestinian and international human rights reports such as Al-Dameer Al-Haq and the Arab Organization for Human Rights in London suggested that Palestinian female prisoners are treated inhumanely. They are subjected to sexual harassment according to these reports. They are denied the right to see their children as a collective punishment as well as delaying their treatment especially injured prisoners such as Israa al-Jabbais in addition to banning both family visits and allowing clothes and food purchase from the prison.
Article 50 of the Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates the provision of special and additional services to pregnant mothers in occupied territories. Article 50 calls for giving a special attention to the mothers of children under the age of seven and their right to custody in detention. Article 79 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions stipulates the need to set priorities to care for mothers in prisons and to help care for their children by providing milk supplies clothes and other needs.
Mothers don’t celebrate their day
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) about 6119 prisoners including some 350 children are held in Israeli jails. This means that thousands of Palestinian mothers are denied the right to see their children.
Iman Hamamra 12 is the only daughter of the prisoner Hilwa Hamamra from the town of Housan in Bethlehem. Hilwa is sentenced to six years in prison and her daughter sheds tears of sorrow as she watches her classmates take presents to their mothers on the International Mother’s Day. Despite her childhood she says: “My mother is a heroine and a fighter who resisted the occupation. I will celebrate with her on the day of her release.”
“I miss my mother very much and remember her at every moment but on Mother’s Day my longing for her grows. The occupation deprives me of my mother’s tenderness” she said in an interview with the PIC. “I am only allowed to visit her once every six months. Sometimes I am not allowed to visit her at all. I hate March 21 every year because it touches many old wounds. However on Mother’s Day I feel proud of my Palestinian mother who is a resistance fighter.”
Mother of martyr and detainee
The situation was not different for Um Hassan al-Qawasmi who is waiting for her children to visit her on Mother’s Day and on other occasions yet the Israeli occupation deprived her of seeing her five children. Her son Ahmed was shot dead by the Israeli forces. Her other son Hamza was arrested and sentenced to three life sentences and Yahya Ibrahim and Muhammad were sentenced to several terms in prison.
Despite the tears toeing her cheeks she was very determined. “I always hope that my children will be able to visit me one day on Mother’s Day or during Eid al-Adha or Al-Fitir but the criminal occupation deprived me of all that. Praise be to God. I will be rewarded for this suffering” the mother of martyrs and prisoners responded.
Um Hassan adds to the PIC correspondent: “Praise be to God my sons have lived their lives as fighters resisting the occupation and were not lazy or spies. It is enough that I meet them in Heaven one day.”
These are the mothers of Palestine the mothers of prisoners and wounded and martyrs. Celebrating with them gives a meaning to Mother’s Day. Their determination exceeded allocating a special day for them and giving them some gifts; they gave their kids for our just cause and this is the most precious thing they own. Therefore Mother’s Day in Palestine has a different taste and color.
