Detained Palestinian poet: ‘I will leave prison firmer and stronger’

Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour, who holds an Israeli citizenship, yesterday said she was not sorry for the poems she had written and would turn herself into occupation authorities so as to serve her prison term, Arab48 said.

Last week, an Israeli court sentenced her to five months in prison after she was convicted of incitement over a poem she posted on Facebook three years ago.

In October 2015, 36-year-old Dareen Tatour from the Nazareth village of Al-Reineh posted on Facebook and YouTube a video of herself reading out her poem titled “Resist, My People, Resist”, along with footage of masked Palestinian youths throwing stones and firebombs at Israeli security forces. She was detained days after the video was uploaded.

She was jailed for three months and released on house arrest.

She is due to return to jail today.

READ: Israel convicts Palestinian poet for ‘incitement to violence’

Speaking to Arab48 Tatour said: “I do not feel sorry. I will continue raising my voice in the face of the oppressive rulers at a time when we do not have anything more in this country than words to speak about our sufferings.”

She added: “I personally paid the price for the oppressive [Israeli] policy. I was deprived of my freedom for three years, but I succeeded to disclose the reality of the claimed Israeli democracy. My message about the fake Israeli democracy reached everyone. It is a democracy for Jews and racism for non-Jews.”

The Palestinian poet continued: “My sacrifice has not been in vain. The Arabs will remain standing in their country, proud of their language and express their stances and feelings without fearing the threats or racist laws.”

“I hope,” she went on, “to be as good as how the people thought I was. I promise to leave prison firmer and stronger.”