Palestinian Major General Jibril Rajoub, a prominent figure who worked as the national security adviser of former Palestinian leader Yaser Arafat and was sentenced to 17 years in prison by Israel, called for justice for Palestinians as he attended a conference organized by the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) in Istanbul on Saturday.
The conference, which hosted prominent names, including Palestinian Ambassador Faed Moustafa, Palestinian Consul-General Hana Awni Abou Ramadan, Sudanese Assistant Consul-General Khalid Alkhair Dfalla Abuaagla and Palestinian brothers Maher and Karim Younes, who had been imprisoned in Israeli prisons and were recently released after 40 years, introduced Gen. Rajoub’s newly released book, which includes his memoirs from his ordeal in Israeli jails.
ICYF President Taha Ayhan, who made the opening speech at the event, highlighted that Rajoub’s book is important in terms of making the voice of the injustices suffered by Palestinian people heard.
“It will also inspire all of us to continue to struggle to protect Palestinian captives’ human rights and ensure justice for them,” Ayhan said.
Meanwhile, Palestine’s Ambassador Mustafa noted that the book narrates the suffering of the Palestinian people, including its struggle against torture and injustice.
The author, Gen. Rajoub, noted that nearly 1 million Palestinians have been held by Israel since 1967.
“Almost all Palestinians have at least one prisoner. This has become a tradition,” he said, adding that he spent 17 years behind bars in Israeli prisons, which he said were built as alternatives to the scaffold.
“... These prisons are built upon the ideology to humiliate Palestinians, break their willpower and physically harm them,” Rajoub told the audience, adding that the dire situation in the prisons has only further boosted the faith of Palestinians.
Currently, Israel is holding at least 1,083 Palestinians, including 14 children and two women, without trial or charge under its policy of administrative detention.
The policy allows Israeli authorities to detain anyone for six months without charge or trial, which can be extended indefinitely. For years, Palestinians jailed by Israel have used hunger strikes to demand better living conditions and an end to indefinite detentions.
According to Palestinian figures, Israel is holding nearly 4,850 Palestinian in its prisons.
