Khaled Osaily. خالد العسيلي رئيس بلدية الخيل السابق خالد العسيلي
An initiative aimed at standing by Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails and supporting their steadfastness was launched today at Hebron Municipality during a meeting between Mayor Khaled Osaily and Issa Qaraqe’e, Palestinian Minister of Detainees Affairs. The meeting was also attended by a number of Municipal Council members, Ministry employees, members from the Detainees Club and representatives of Detainees families.
Minister Qaraqe’e voiced his discontent over the living and housing conditions of many detainee families despite the huge sacrifices made by their sons and daughters. “It is not acceptable to have the family of a detainee who spent more than half his life in prison live in one tiny underground room in tragic inhumane conditions. We must all work together to provide support to detainees and their families through all means possible. A decision was taken to rebuild a number of detainee houses destroyed by occupation authorities and to restore several others”, Qaraqe’e said. Minister Qaraqe’e added that the Ministry is satisfied with cooperation between Hebron Municipality and the Ministry and thanked Mayor Osaily for his continuous support to detainees, including the provision of aid to detainees at the Etsion prison and looking after detainees from the Northern West Bank released by Israeli authorities in the Southern West Bank by providing financial aid to them and ensuring their transport back to their homes. He also welcomed the initiative launched by Mayor Osaily to raise awareness and enhance solidarity with detainees through creative and innovative projects aimed at registering the names of detainees, standing by them and publishing educational and awareness raising leaflets printed on electricity or water bills issued by the Municipality.
Osaily said that efforts made by his Municipality are the least it can do for those who made these huge sacrifices and offered their youth years for Palestine and its people. This initiative is a first step in support of the cause of detainees in occupation jails. It shall have a large impact as these leaflets will target more than 50 thousand Palestinian homes. He hoped that other municipalities will follow Hebron’s lead, ensuring that these leaflets reach each and every Palestinian home. Mayor Osaily called on the Ministry to enhance media coverage of detainees and their cause, and to work both inside Palestine and throughout the world to mobilize public opinion and to create an international movement to exert pressure and work to release all Palestinian detainees. He added that Hebron Municipality welcomes all institutions and ministries wishing to cooperate with it to serve Palestinians, mainly detainees and their families, and to support their steadfastness.
In response to questions raised by journalists at the end of the meeting about the prisoner swap deal and the release of 20 female detainees, Minister Qaraqe’e expressed his happiness and the happiness of all Palestinians in this regard. “The release of every Palestinian detainee is a Palestinian gain. The Ministry shall receive the released detainees on Friday and they shall also meet with President Abbas to brief him on the suffering of detainees in Israeli jails. A ceremony in honor of these detainees is also to be organized”, he said.
