Last week, Israelis celebrated the return of some of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas. Palestinians, too, tried to celebrate the release of their family members from Israeli jails. But as part of the terms of their release their families were banned from talking to the press or gathering to celebrate in the homes of the released prisoners’ families.
“My instructions are clear: there are to be no expressions of joy,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said ahead of the exchange. “Expressions of joy are equivalent to backing terrorism, victory celebrations give backing to those human scum, for those Nazis.” I’m not a historian but making joy illegal doesn’t seem like a compelling way to battle Nazism.
The 300 prisoners are women and children. Are they allowed to exhibit muted smiles to greet their 14 year old son when he comes home from jail? What about a sturdy handshake after seeing their mother for the first time in a year?
The majority of them were held without trial, which can take more than a year. Some were accused of serious crimes, others were accused of throwing rocks. Often they don’t have access to lawyers or even a full understanding of the charges.
As the ceasefire was extended this week, a teenager in East Jerusalem was shot by police, apparently for celebrating. “Part of the deal is that there were to be no celebrations. Part of the deal was that there would be no celebrations!” the deputy mayor of East Jerusalem screamed at a reporter as the reporter looked aghast. When she got a word in edge wise, she asked why camera crews and reporters in East Jerusalem aren’t allowed to talk to the families, including of a a 17-year-old “taken away for throwing stones,” the deputy mayor psychotically repeated “part of the deal, as I keep repeating, is that it would not be a celebration and that the stones were more like “boulders.”
These are 17-year-old Palestinian boys.
These are boulders.
When you cover US criminal justice, you always think you can’t be shocked. Then inevitably you’re shocked; like, wait, this person is serving 800 years? Another person’s been in solitary for how many decades, given that more than 15 days is considered torture by the U.N.? The guards did what while this mentally ill man starved to death? (nothing). A jail inmate was boiled to death? You can go to prison for murder without killing anyone? (felony murder, baby). A party trick of mine used to be to ask people what Fate Winslow was sentenced to for selling $10 of weed to an undercover cop and, sensing the trick, people—I mostly hang out with other stupid journalists who think they know everything—would guess, say, 20 years. No, life without the possibility of parole. Then when the Innocence Project New Orleans got him out based on a change in the law he was shot dead in a robbery—the same cops who spent one night putting him in prison for the rest of his life still haven’t found his killer two years later.
As the prisoner/hostage exchange is getting coverage more horrifying facts about Palestinian detentions are as well. I cover this stuff and have had an interest in the Mideast conflict for a long time but didn’t know the details.
Putting content behind a paywall breaks my heart but I recently got laid off. Again! Go to law school kids. There’s a bonus post about swimming below this one. Defund the NYPD, Fund the YMCA
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