Palestine: apartheid "justice"

Today, the two other British ex-arrestees and I went to visit the family of Majd and Abed Obeid - the two Palestinian brothers who were arrested with us on the 21st of September. It was difficult. Their mum spent the whole time trying not to cry (thus meaning that I also spent the whole time trying not to cry) - unsurprising as two of her sons are facing lengthy jail terms. We also met Abed's wife - they had been married just one week before he was arrested - the next time she sees her new husband is likely to be in shackles in court.

Majd was first arrested for attending a Kufr Qaddoum demonstration in January this year, and was only released in June, when his family eventually managed to raise the fine for his freedom (Majd is a joint farmer and sweet maker. There's not a lot of money in either of those professions). Since then, he hasn't been to the demonstrations, because of the danger of being arrested again and the crippling cost that it would cause his family.

So how could he possibly have been doing the following, as he has been accused:

1. "Endangering the lives of soldiers" (because stones can break riiiiight through the helmets and flak jackets of soldiers. Sure.), or;
2. "Impeding the work of soldiers" (though I think they actually mean "impeding the occupation of Palestine")

Well, a minor point that the Israelis haven't considered, he was not doing those things. Nor was his brother Abed. Majd and Abed's family all say that they were both at home during the demonstration. Abed, by all accounts, including the mayor of Kufr Qaddoum, never attends the regular Friday demonstration. I will also point out that from their clothing and appearance when they were arrested, they certainly didn't seem as if they had been at a demo - shorts and vests tend to be in short supply, as are flip flops. If you have to run - which you do regularly - then you'll want to be wearing rather more sturdy shoes. They were also neither sweaty nor dirty, which EVERYONE at a demonstration in Kufr Qaddoum in summer absolutely is.

Someone who, unlike Majd and Abed, was actually at the demonstration

According to their mum, Majd had been sleeping, while Abed had been eating lunch with the family.  She told us how three Israeli soldiers had burst their way into the home, pushing her to the ground when she tried to object to their invasion. They dragged Majd and Abed out of the house, threatening to come up with an excuse to arrest their father as well, if he didn't leave the soldiers to their important kidnapping.

So, it was at this point that our stories converged - our eyes met Majd and Abed's across a crowded Israeli military jeep, and we spent the next 7ish hours detained in the police station all together.

So, considering that the evidence and accusations against all six of us were the same, making an auspicious start to a joint story, how and why did our stories diverge once more?

Well, we were treated with grudging respect for our well-being (after the initial beating, natch). Majd and Abed on the other hand were blindfolded, deprived of food and water and kept in the sun at the police station. I can only imagine what happened to them after they were separated from us, in a system in which beatings of Palestinians can only be called regular (check out the Abuse category at Breaking the Silence - and even these are only the testimonies of a few soldiers who have spoken out).

Also, whilst I am now unconditionally free (regained my passport yesterday in a remarkably painless and deportation-free visit to Ariel settlement), having only suffered a 2 day stay in prison and 7 days under pretty luxurious house arrest, Majd and Abed are still in prison. They've had one court hearing, which was used merely as a delaying tactic - extending their detention.

What it comes down to is that we're British and American - whereas they happen to have the misfortune of being Palestinian. In the three-tier system of "justice" that Israel imposes on the Palestinian people, Israelis are top-dogs (according to our lawyer an Israeli wouldn't have even been placed under house arrest), International citizens come second (with women edging slightly higher than men according to GB who, unlike us, didn't get any coffee in prison, TRAGIC) while Palestinians are absolutely at the bottom of the pile.

On the right is Majd and Abed's house - right next to the demonstration, making it very convenient for soldiers to visit/kidnap people from inside whenever they wish...

Majd and Abed are facing a lifetime of this persecution. They are aged 20 and 23 - both younger than me, but having faced infinitely more difficulty already. Their stories are typical of the Israeli attempts at quashing resistance in Palestine - apparently 75% of young Palestinian men have served time in Israeli jails, for their part in the resistance.

Guilt or innocence just don't matter in these cases. All the Israeli authorities need is for ONE SOLDIER to say that they saw a Palestinian throw stones and it's taken as absolute fact. Majd and Abed were easy targets, and it really doesn't seem to matter to the army whether they were there or not.

I look forward to a day when wrongful arrests (like Majd and Abed's) or arrests for the wrong reasons (like arresting anyone, ever, for attending a demonstration) are over. Inshallah, we will stand in court with Majd and Abed when they are next seen, in solidarity with them and their family.

You can read the full (and rather more official) report of Majd and Abed's arrest here.