Rise in number of female Palestinian prisoners in Israel jails

There are now 40 Palestinian women being held in Israeli jails, the Palestine Prisoners Centre for Studies revealed yesterday.

Felesteen.ps reported the NGO saying in a statement that Israeli occupation forces arrest 10-15 female Palestinians every month.

They are interrogated, the NGO said, some remain in prison while others are placed under house arrest.

Spokesman of the NGO, Riyad Al-Ashqar, said that the Israeli occupation forces raided several areas across the West Bank last week and arrested university lecturer Dr Widad Al-Barghouthi, 57, and her two sons from Ramallah.

Israeli occupation forces also raided Al-Birah and Qalandia and arrested university student Samah Jaradat and Mais Abu-Ghosh.

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Al-Ashqar said that 27 female prisoners are sentenced and the others are either spending terms under administrative detention or are still being interrogated such as the 54-year-old mother of the Palestinian martyr Ashraf Naalwa.

Of those held, 17 are mothers and five are university students.

In addition, Al-Ashqar said, ten female prisoners are suffering difficult health conditions including Israa Jaabis, who is suffering from burns on more than 60 per cent of her body and requires urgent surgery.

Concluding its statement, the NGO called for the international community to put pressure on Israel in order to comply with international laws and conventions related to the protection of women and to urgently interfere to save the lives of female prisoners.