After almost 30 years in Israel's prison system, I was recently released through the Gaza prisoner exchange. It is important, first and foremost, to recognise that the struggle of Palestinian prisoners inside Zionist prisons is an extension of the wider plight of the Palestinian people. At the same time, we must understand the particular nature of Israel's colonial carceral regime.
Prisoners are up against the colonial system and all its mechanisms of control – political, security, judicial and health-related – on a daily basis. The struggle inside prisons emerges from the collision between this system and the basic needs of the prisoners, whom the colonial system strives to control by stripping them of their humanity.
Inevitably, the clash between the prison system and the prisoner is fierce, because the prisoner is driven to direct confrontation - a confrontation that is necessary in order to defend this very humanity.
The specific expressions of the continued resistance waged by Palestinian prisoners is important, because it reminds us that the act of struggle arises out of the unique experience of the Zionist colonial prison system. At the forefront of these confrontations is hope, so crucial for the survival of the prisoner, which in turn relies on his individual willpower, and the development of collective consciousness.
Indeed, collective consciousness is a vital element in the context of the struggle; survival or liberation cannot be achieved in its absence. An active leadership, rooted in the prisoner collective, is also a requirement for the confrontation against the prison system—along with practical organisation on the ground amongst prisoners and a structured daily routine.
All of these are interlacing factors which inform the wider vision and strategy of those inside the Zionist carceral regime.
The 'Freedom Tunnel'
There is no doubt that the 'Freedom Tunnel' (when six Palestinian prisoners liberated themselves from the Israeli occupation's high-security Gilboa prison in September 2021) stands as a pivotal milestone in the long history of the prisoners' movement – both for what it represents and for the impact it had on the national level.
It collapsed the imaginary, 'impenetrable' walls that had become rooted in people's minds - which claimed that we are incapable of overcoming this enemy, vanquishing it, or scoring any victories against it.
Victories like these represent an important step in the context of struggle of any people because they spread hope, strengthen the will and spread consciousness. This is what this pivotal juncture - which also affected the context and experience of the prisoner movement - encapsulated. It marked a critical and qualitative turning point.
Moments like this shift the prisoners' narrow sphere of preoccupation with personal daily and immediate concerns, to a view of the broader strategic vision. They also highlight the link between the prison and the homeland; as well as providing a clearer framework for understanding the relationship between prisoner and jailer. It re-centres the prisoners within, to the prisoner movement.
Beyond all this, the Gilboa prison break reaffirmed that a state of national unity is the true driving force behind every confrontation between the Palestinian people and the Israeli occupation.
Organising and resisting
The Freedom Tunnel also made manifest the collective dimension of the struggle. This is why Israel's prison system dealt a severe blow to the prisoners' movement. It sought to dismantle and undermine the movement, its capacity to confront the prison system, and its influence on the broader national sphere.
This led to a series of measures by the prison authorities which included restricting daily living conditions, tightening control over the prisoners, revoking previous achievements, and implementing repressive policies.
These actions stemmed from a conviction held by the prison authorities that the prisoners' movement was fragmented and incapable of resisting or confronting such policies—especially in light of the impact of wider political divisions amongst the Palestinian people.
However, the prisoners' movement possesses the necessary consciousness to recognise the importance of rising above trivial matters, and remaining focused on one central mission: to repel the blanket aggression and all-out assault waged by the Zionist colonial security and political system.
As prisoners, this is what we considered to be the central mission and the first step of action that had to be taken. In order for this to happen, it meant setting aside all disagreements.
This advanced state of awareness needed translating into action, however, and so we established an emergency leadership body in which the various political factions were represented, and that guided the entire prisoners' movement. It developed a daily action plan for confrontation and defiance, adopting the path of resistance to repel the assault.
Daily forms of protest were organised that reflected a unity of will and action, and which confused the calculations of the prison administration. Then the preparation for launching an open-ended hunger strike forced the prison administration to retreat from its measures and repressive actions.
Before October 7
The organising and resistance of Palestinian prisoners in this way spanned almost two years, and it was a significant chapter in the history and experience of the prisoners' movement. Its main achievement was the state of national unity and the adoption of the path of resistance. This also opened the door to new ideas concerning the question of imprisonment, its continuation, and the struggle for liberation and its possibilities.
This context also gave rise to the 'Freedom Strike', which aimed at wresting the freedom of the prisoners, with death as the only alternative.
Certainly, this period yielded several lessons and insights, including that confronting aggression can only be achieved through the formation of a comprehensive, unified front built on foundations of resistance and defiance. And unity must be grounded in a clear and well-defined programme within the framework of a coherent vision.
Secondly, clarity of purpose is essential—centred on repelling the aggression— and grasping what must be identified, while avoiding succumbing to old disagreements, divisions, and conflicting political positions.
We understood the vital importance of the leadership, which provided the will to formulate a national vision and present it as a standard at times of confrontation.
The collective participation of the prisoners also lay in formulating and supporting the unified option, which reflected a state of harmony between the leadership and the grassroots.
Ultimately, we recognised that repelling aggression is not achieved by absorbing it, but by confronting, resisting, and engaging with it, using all possible - and legitimate - means at the moment of confrontation. We also learned how to craft consciousness, given the vital role and significance that it holds.
In the face of Israel's vicious and widespread assault on Palestinian prisoners, the way we responded as a movement proved our worthiness and resilience.
Wael El Gaube is a Palestinian former prisoner and author who spent thirty years in Israeli prisons and was active in the prisoner movement. He has published several books, including 'Letters on the Prison Experience' and 'Dreams of a Prisoner' as well as various studies, and political and academic articles.
Translated by Rose Chacko
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