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A Daughter’s Plea for Her Imprisoned Father
A Report by Michigan Peace Team Members in Palestine -
December 8, 2007
Riding back from El Khalil [Hebron] to Beit Sahour in a bus
in early December, Martha and Joe were sitting near a friendly young woman with
whom we conversed in English. The woman, Shifa’ Sarahneh, is a young medical
student at Abu Dis University, doing her clinical courses in a private hospital
in El Khalil, a city about an hour south of Bethlehem. She told us about her
family of eight, which includes two brothers who are also medical students and
one brother who is a dental student. The other four are younger and not yet in
college. We thought, “What an amazing family.”
Shifa’ told us that her father, Mohammed Sarahneh, a high school math teacher
who worked six hours every day after school tutoring to support his family, had
recently been imprisoned. This was his eighth imprisonment in as many years. His
family sometimes felt that they did not know their father because they saw him
so seldom. He had been given a six-month prison sentence that could be repeated.
Shifa’s mother is a teacher, but brings in little income because public school
teachers are not being paid.
Shifa’ was aware of Christmas and Chanukah as a family holiday, although she is
a Muslim. She mentioned the Muslim festival of Ead-Aladha which is celebrated
this year near the time of Christmas. It is a happy family holiday for Muslims
who visit one another and share their joys. She said she is especially sad at
this time of year because, since her father has been put in prison, none of the
family has had any contact with him, and none of them know if the six months’
imprisonment will be extended another six months. Since we met Shifa, she
emailed us that her father has been moved to a more distant prison. Her father
is not well and needs treatment, but Shifa doubts that he will receive the
treatment he needs.
Her father was never given a reason for his imprisonment. There was no trial.
The family does not know why he has been arrested now or in the past. Shifa’
showed us a picture of her father dressed up in a suit and tie. She was very
fond of him.
Living conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons are generally
described by observers as extremely harsh and difficult.
Readers concerned about Mohammed Sarahneh may write to their U.S. Representative
and Senators, asking them to demand of the Israeli government an explanation for
the long imprisonment of Mr. Sarahneh. Israel should reveal what he is charged
with, if anything, when he will receive due process, and whether his family and
an attorney have access to him.
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APPENDIX
SAMPLE LETTER TO YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORS
Dear _______,
I have just received the following message from Father Joseph Mulligan, a
Catholic priest and member of the Jesuit Order who recently spent six weeks in
Palestine.
Please look into this matter and demand of the Israeli government an explanation
for the long imprisonment of Mr. Sarahneh. Israel should reveal what he is
charged with, if anything, when he will receive due process, and whether his
family and an attorney have access to him.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Father
Mulligan's message follows:
Parróquia Santo Domingo
Zona Antigua
(contiguo al Colegio Loyola)
Managua, Nicaragua
Tel: (country code 505) 635-6381
Email:
mull@ibw.com.ni
Feb. 5, 2008
Dear Friends,
I recently spent six weeks in Palestine with the Michigan Peace Team,
accompanying the Palestinians and working with them for justice and human
rights. I also talked with Jewish rabbis and human-rights activists who are in
solidarity with the Palestinians, and I met with Jewish people who are concerned
about their own security.
As you can see from our report below, "A Daughter´s Plea for Her Imprisoned
Father," I met Shifa Sarahneh, the daughter of Mohammed Sarahneh, a Palestinian
teacher who is being held prisoner by the Israeli government. Shifa, a medical
student, told me and another Team member about her father's situation, which we
described in our report.
In a recent email message, Shifa stated:
"The court has not accused my father of anything yet; he is
not guilty
of any crime. When his lawyer pushed for an
explanation the court said that there is a highly
confidential profile
that the court cannot disclose. What we fear most is for the
court to
keep on extending his time in prison without a clear cause.
"He is currently in Katso'at prison (in Naaqab, south).
"His health is poor. He needs an operation because he has
perianal
bleeding and pain, but his captors ignore that and don´t let
him have
the operation."
SHIFA SARAHNEH
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I, along with the Sarahneh family in the West Bank, would be very grateful to
you if you would ask your U.S. Representative and Senators to demand of the
Israeli government an explanation for the long imprisonment of Mr. Sarahneh and
a report on his physical condition. Israel should reveal what he is charged
with, if anything, when he will receive due process, and whether his family and
an attorney have access to him.
Thanks for your kind consideration.
Sincerely,
Father Joseph Mulligan, S.J.
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