Palestinian prisoner Bassam Al-Sayeh kissed the forehead of his wife Mona telling her that finally there are no barriers between them. Indeed prisoners’ meetings with their wives are not like the rest of quick encounters; they break the years of separation with the sparkles of hope in their eyes enjoy the pleasures of longing and live all the details of love in the hope of meeting again.
Mona spent 45 minutes staring at her husband from behind the bars. From lovers’ perspective these 45 minutes meant a beautiful year of longing with all its details. Following three years of separation they unleashed their eyes and hearts to speak. A surprising thing happened: They were allowed to take a photo together colored with their beautiful and charming smiles challenging the Israeli occupation and telling it “there is on this land what makes life worth living.”
Freed prisoner Mona Al-Sayeh the wife of prisoner Bassam Al-Sayeh told the PIC reporter that taking a photo with her husband was a surprise to her. According to her seeing him was just a difficult dream for her to achieve. After the 45-minute visit ended I was surprised by the occupation forces giving us a permit to take a photo together. The minutes we spent together felt like a beautiful year in all its details.
As usual Bassam was the ‘king of surprises.’ “After the visit I was transferred to several rooms without realizing where I was going to until I found Bassam standing in front of me smiling in one of the rooms” she said. “At the time I was shocked to see my husband and I felt dizzy. Bassam was all of a sudden in front of me. Seeing him removed all the pain and suffering that we have experienced over the past years” she added.
This ‘encounter of feelings’ with her husband who is suffering from cancer in his bones and blood was a beautiful dream that she is still living until now she said.
“I did not meet Bassam for the last three years because I was myself in Israeli custody and because he was arrested while attending my court’s hearing. Since then I have not met Bassam. We could only see each other from behind the bars and even after my release I was not allowed to visit him like the rest of the prisoners’ families. I was denied a permit for ‘security reasons’ and I get a permit to visit him every five months only.”
One could hardly find words to describe the encounter. The feelings as Mona said could not be described. “I expected to find him weak but I was surprised by his strength. Our meeting gave him a boost. He kissed my forehead and hands I felt proud and important. He whispered to me: Finally there are no barriers separating us.”
Mona describes her husband as ‘The king of surprises’ even when he is in prison he remembers well the anniversary of our engagement marriage and birthday. “Although Bassam is in prison he insists on sending me surprises and gifts from inside his cell on all occasions calling them ‘the sugar of my life’ adding a romantic touch to our steadfastness.”
Before she left him he renewed his unwavering love and before bidding her goodbye he gave her a dose of patience and challenge. He told her: “Convey my greetings to all and as our meeting and our separation was a gift and a plight from God my relief will be soon at the hands of Palestinian fighters.”
The Israeli occupation forces arrested Bassam Al-Sayeh in 2015 accusing him of being the mastermind behind the heroic attack of Itamar carried out by one of the Qassam cells in the city of Nablus which killed two settlers.
