GUEST BLOG: Lois Griffiths – International Women’s Day 2017, and Palestinian Women Prisoners –

On International Women’s Day 2017 human rights NGOs reported that 55 Palestinian women and girls, including 12 minors under 18, were being held on Israeli jails. Some of the women are suffering from injuries but not receiving adequate medical help. Some of the women are married, some are mothers. Each woman has a name and a story but for this blog I shall mention only 2. More information, about other prisoners, about the inhumane treatment of women being interrogated and appalling conditions of the prisons, is available from Samidoun.net ( Palestine Prisoners and Solidarity Network) and addameer.org ( Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association)

Marah Bakir  is a 17 year old from Jerusalem. She was 15 years old when  arrested on 10 October 2015. Marah was shot 10 times by Israeli occupation forces and accused of possession of a knife and attempting to stab a soldier. She was strip searched and taken to Hadassah hospital and interrogated while severely injured and undressed in a hospital bed. Throughout her hospitalization, she was shackled hand and foot to her hospital bed . One of the male soldiers  guarding told her to die, and another guard took a ‘selfie’ with her against her will. Marah insisted that she had no intent to carry out an attack, which is corroborated by video recordings at the scene that indicate that she was unarmed. Despite this, in January 2017, Marah was sentenced by an Israeli court to 8 years and a half years in prison.

Contrast this with the 1.5 year sentence imposed on Israeli Army Medic Elor Azaria who was captured on video in March 2016,  in Hebron,  executing a  bleeding man lying immobile on the ground.

The other case I’d like to mention is that of Lena Jarbouni. This last International Women’s Day, ie a few days ago, demonstrations were held in several cities round the world, including New York and Manchester,  calling for the release of Lena and other women prisoners. Other locations held demonstrations calling for the release of all political prisoners.

Lena Jarbouni  is the longest serving Palestinian female prisoner in Israeli jails, Lena, a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Akka (Acre), who  worked in sewing workshops ,was arrested in 2002 and is serving a 17-year sentence, for ‘aiding the enemy’.   She is ill and suffers from a number of diseases. Lena is the spokesperson and representative of women prisoners in HaSharon, where most of the women prisoners are located. She was denied essential medical treatment until her fellow women prisoners launched a strike for her treatment. She has played a critical role in advocating for the educational rights of imprisoned Palestinian girls.

NZ Superfund is supposed to practise ethical investing. Their portfolio, which can be obtained from NZ Superfund, is enormous. Yet surely they have staff who investigate where NZ money is being invested? International women’s Day protestors have singledout G4S and Hewland Packard as profiteers in Israel’s prison system. Both of these corporations are part of NZ Superfund’s equity portfolio.

United KingdoG4S PLC 1,068,608 Commercial Services & Supplies

United StatesHewlett Packard Enterprise Co 9,350,433 Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals

More can be learned abouit how these 2 corporations  contribute to Israel’s prisons system, at globalexchange.org

Please NZ Superfund, even if NZ does nothing else, ie continues to look the other way, please don’t leave  NZ in a position of complicity by profiteering.

Will International Women’s Day 2018 be a happier time for Palestinian women? I hope so, but as long as the outside world turns a blind eye , and there is money to be made by doing so, things can only get worse.
Lois Griffiths is a human rights activist