Link to the article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/19/israel-carries-out-mass-arrests-of-palestinians-after-jail-escape
After the escape of 6 high-profile Palestinian prisoners, more than 100 Palestinians have been detained. With an average of 14 arrests per day, (not including the Palestinians within Israel), Israeli forces have been cracking down on civilians and children. After the escape, police in the area performed raids against the families of the 6 escapees, also arresting and interrogating them before release. Soldiers have also been caught arresting, beating, and holding teenagers/children in detention camps. 13 year old Mustafa Amira and his cousin Muhammad were ‘”ragged on the ground by soldiers before being handed over to police”, according to Amira. This adds on to the ongoing issue of assault on minors by Israeli security forces. Recently, the DCIP, HWC, and UAWC in Palestine were raided, with employees being arrested at their jobs.
This article is important because it showcases a part of the Israel vs. Palestine conflict that is overlooked by most media. The arrest of children and innocent civilians is something that gets reported on, but many of the statistics aren’t recognized. For the region, this means that more and more Palestinians will continue to be treated with disrespect by the Israelis, with a lasting impact being the detention centers these people are being kept in. In my opinion, the arrest and interrogation of the families is wrong in so many ways, and the arrest rate of 14 per day to me is just shocking. When it comes to the history of Israel vs. Palestine, however, this behavior is not surprising. For years these two countries have been at war with each other over land conflicts.
This relates to our class because the Israel vs. Palestine issue is something that we covered in class and will probably continue to cover as we continue with the curriculum. The fight over territory is something that will continue to affect the Middle East, and it is also something that we should keep an eye on in the media. Also, the article mentions organizations, with some of them being national, or NGOs. Other than that, the article mainly focuses on other issues that we haven’t covered, such as the Occupied West bank and the high-security prison escapes.