Mother’s Day and the suffering of imprisoned Palestinian mothers

The Arab world celebrated Mother’s Day yesterday, but missing out on the celebrations and family time renews the suffering of 19 Palestinian mothers experiencing harsh conditions inside Israeli jails.

According to Quds Press, out of 60 Palestinian female prisoners distributed between HaSharon and Al-Damon Israeli Prisons, there are 19 mothers. Israel prevents family visits for a number of these prisoners and imposes tight restrictions on the others.

Quds Press also reported the Palestinian Prisoners Association (PPA) as saying that mother prisoners are deprived of hugging their little children during the rare visits they are allowed, because they meet then behind glass walls.

Read: Israel arrested 15,000 Palestinian women since 1967

The PPA also said that telephone calls are prevented and written letters are banned, claiming that what few meetings and communications between the imprisoned mothers and their children that are allowed “increase suffering, instead of alleviating it.”

Hazim Abu Sha’ban, the husband of one of these jailed mothers, told Quds Press that he and his four children had been feeling a “huge vacuum in their lives” since the detention of his wife two and half a year ago.

The son of another female prisoner, Abla Al-Adam, said: “The detention of my mother deprived my little brothers of much kindness and compassion they needed in their childhood.”

He added:

The absence of our mother has a very negative impact on us, but our suffering increases during the difference occasions like the Mother’s Day.

One former female prisoner, Randa Al-Shahatit, said: “Imprisoned mothers suffer the most among all prisoners due to the responsibilities they have towards their families and children.”

Speaking to Quds Press, she added:

The mothers who were freed continue to feel the suffering of the mothers who are still behind bars because they had the same experience.

She said that certain occasions like the Mother’s Day “has a negative impact” on the mothers inside prisons because they “feel that their children are missing them at these times.”