A Palestinian mother on hunger strike for her son, held by the PA | Israel-Palestine conflict

Beitunia, occupied West Bank – Mukaram Qurt, 58, has been on a hunger strike for more than a week, protesting her son’s prolonged detention in a Palestinian Authority (PA) prison.

Despite her tough appearance, the aftermath of the attack was evident from the constant shaking in her hands, and the wrinkles under her dark gray eyes.

“Since the day Ahmad was taken into custody, I have not slept for more than five hours. My mind raced through the night and I continued to pray. I’m always exhausted,” Qurt, a softly spoken mother of eight, told Al Jazeera.

Her son, Ahmad Hreish, 28, has languished in solitary confinement without trial or charge in PA’s notorious Jericho prison for more than 80 days since his arrest. The prison has been dubbed a “slaughterhouse”, with human rights groups and lawyers saying political detainees are tortured behind its walls.

Hreish’s case caused a stir in the Palestinian media after he claimed in court that he had been tortured, including with a shabeh (strappado) and beaten with sticks and rubber bands.

“There is no humanity in their treatment. What they are [PA] doing is a shameful stain on the history of Palestine,” his mother said.

“It was like an unfair administrative detention – they kept extending his arrest without us, or even a lawyer, knowing what the charges were. This is the same thing,” said Qurt, referring to Israel’s controversial policy of detaining Palestinians for months or years without trial or charges.

Incarcerated Hreish is part of one of the largest political arrest campaigns carried out by the PA run by Fatah in recent years and officially involved a carpentry shop explosion in Beitunia, a town near Ramallah.

However, Hreish’s family says his detention is political, and is because he has ties to Fatah’s rival, Hamas.

On Tuesday, the mother of two brothers arrested as part of a similar case to Hreish and now being held with him in Jericho prison also announced a non-public hunger strike to bring attention to the circumstances. their.

‘We all love you’

Sitting in her son’s living room in the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Qurt, a grandmother of 13 children, isn’t afraid to speak her mind.

For her and her family, her son’s arrest is purely political and part of the Protected Area’s effort to secure its own interests.

“The Protected Area participates in this crackdown for their own purposes along with [Israeli] occupation and the United States, against its people, continues to coordinate with the Israelis for financial purposes and to remain in power,” she said.

For its part, the PA says the arrests are not politically motivated. A spokesman for the Palestinian security agency, Talal Dweikat, said at a news conference on Tuesday that “there have been no political arrests” and added that the latest arrests have come “in light of the circumstances” to deal with law and order, and to preserve civil peace”.

Al Jazeera attempted to contact the PA to inquire about the specifics of Hreish’s case and the torture allegations but received no response at the time of publication.

PA security forces are trained and provide substantial financial support from the United States and the European Union.

Established in 1993 as an interim governing body, the PA had a mandate to serve for five years before the establishment of a Palestinian state in the territories occupied in 1967 in East Jerusalem, the Bank of West and the Gaza Strip. That state is never created.

PA has faced growing opposition in recent years, including its controversial policy of “security coordinatorIn it it shares intelligence on Palestinians wanted by Israel for their political activities. It also regularly arrest and mistreat detainees about their criticisms and opposing political views.

“PA President Abbas and other officials give speeches about what [Israeli] profession is doing for us as a people. This is all just saying, for the media. Why don’t they do the opposite? Why don’t they release the political detainees they are holding? ‘ said the Qurt, sitting in front of the large pencil portrait of her son and his wife hanging on the wall.

Amidst her blunt and bold statements, she was moved to tears.

“What is happening is beyond my imagination,” she cried. “He’s been in solitary confinement for almost three months, how’s his mental health?”

During her two 15-minute visits to her son since his detention, Qurt said she focused on lifting his spirits, despite the deep pain she was feeling.

“What can I say to my son in 15 minutes? I will support him mentally and encourage him – tell him ‘We all love you,’ and stay strong. “

Sacrifice for family

Qurt used to teach English at local primary schools but was eventually forced out.

Her husband Nouh Hreish, as well as her three sons, have been repeatedly jailed by Israel and the PA for their association with the Gaza-based Hamas movement.

“Surname [Israel] will continue to marry Abu Muhammad [Nouh] administrative detention, sometimes from three months to a year,” she recalled, noting that she had to take more responsibility in his absence.

“The first six years after I got married, it was very difficult for me, I focused on raising my children, the job I was doing alone, and working with my mother-in-law in the small supermarket we lived in,” says Qurt. own.

She is proud of the fact that all eight of her children – five daughters and three sons – have gone to college, some of whom have completed master’s degrees. “I paid attention to my children, to their education.”

While the family struggles financially, they now own and operate a large event supply store in Beitunia. “No one gets to where they are without making sacrifices and struggles,” she said.

‘Not our leadership’

PA has members and supporters long arrested of its main rival political group, Hamas, has been the de facto ruler in the besieged Gaza Strip since 2007 when it defeated Fatah in parliamentary elections. Fatah was kicked off the Strip when it attempted a pre-emptive takeover, leading to weeks of fighting.

Hamas and Fatah have ruled the Gaza Strip and occupied the West Bank respectively ever since, with internal divisions that have profoundly affected Palestinian politics and both sides are charged of restraining opponents.

The Qurt said: “People like Ahmad are respectable men who have been imprisoned by Israel. “PA has an obligation to stand with them, help them, provide them with work. They should have a badge of honor – they sacrificed for their homeland – not to be mistreated.”

Last week, Hreish’s wife Fatima gave birth to their first son, Karam, which means generous in Arabic.

The family said they had repeatedly asked PA officials to release Hreish temporarily for the birth but they refused, casting a dark shadow over what was seen as a moment of celebration.

“I said to the officials after one of the hearings: ‘If you guys have a sense of humanity, he should be released to embrace his son. We are an occupied people. Are you putting pressure on your own people? ‘ They said: ‘Are you asking Israel to release a prisoner?’

“I said: ‘Those are the Israelis – they are the enemy, I won’t ask them.'”

To the Qurt and to many on the field, the PA is not representative of the Palestinian people.

“We have misguided people that we don’t trust, that we don’t see as our leaders,” she said.

“We must fight them before we can fight the Israelites. In order for the Israelis to get out of here, these people must first leave, for they are Israel’s support and support.”