Interview with the mother of a Palestinian prisoner under hunger strike

Many Palestinian prisoners started hunger strike as a way of protesting against administrative detention in the Israeli prisons. Hasan Al Safadi is one of those prisoners who has gone in this strike since more than 70 days.

Hasan, who was born in the old city of Nablus in 1980, spent much more time in prison than he spent in his house. He was arrested several times, the first time in 1995. In 2002 he was arrested for several months as the so-called administrative detention . In 2004 he was arrested also for more than 33 months.

I reached Hasan’s house in which all the signs and posters around showed that we were in his house . The house was full of Palestinian activists who support prisoners issues. After introducing myself and asking about his mother’s health I started my interview :

Nada: Can you tell us about Hasan’s birthday?

Mother : His arresting has forgotten me his birthday, but I can tell he was beautiful like the moon.

Nada : What about his childhood during  the Israeli occupation?

Mother: He was a stubborn child. One day he was throwing stones on the Israeli soldiers. He was 9 years old. They followed him but he could escape and hid himself in the mosque. The soldiers tried to arrest him but they couldn’t, because me and his family saved him from the soldiers. Oh! I wish I could help my son right now, I wish I could stop his suffering and starvation.

 Oum Fareed and Nada

Nada : When was his first arresting time?

Mother : That was when he was 14 years old . He was in his martyr friend’s funeral.

Nada : Did you get any message from him before he began his hunger strike?

Mother : Yes, I did. He was trying to convince me most of the time to take care of myself, to go out and to enjoy my life. He was so optimistic.

Nada : What do you want to say to the mothers all around the world?

Mother : When I heard that he will die because of this strike I got so sad ! Let every mother imagines herself in my place, what would she feel ! I was looking forward to see him married, but he was arrested just before that.

“ House was full of his photos, there was much amount of sorrow “

Prepared by:  Nada  Ma'ani
Translated by: Hedaya Alhaj