RAMALLAH, March 7, 2011 (WAFA) – As women in the world celebrate International Women’s Day, Palestinians remember their female prisoners in Israeli jails.

Iman Ghazzawi, 35, a Palestinian mother from Tulkarm and sentenced to 13 years in prison for her anti-occupation activities, entered this year her 11th year in Israeli jail. Her husband, Shaher Ashe, is also a prisoner.

Ghazzawi is not only banned from seeing her husband for 11 years, she is also kept away from her children Samah, 12, and Jihad 13, who are being taken care of by their grandmother.

Female prisoners of imprisoned husbands are allowed by law to have visitation every 6 months; however, the Israeli prison administration has repeatedly rejected Ghazzawi’s request to visit her husband in prison or for him to visit her.

The prisoner also suffers from shortage of breath, headaches, stomach aches and pain in the joints because of the harsh conditions in prison and deliberate medical negligence, as well as the interrogation she was subjected to for two months and the solitary confinement after her arrest.

On the day of family visitation, Ghazzawi waits impatiently to meet her children in the 40 minutes time allotted for visitation, promising them tearfully that she will go home soon, asking them to study well and take care of their grandmother, and passing them some chocolate and gifts through the prison’s iron bars.

Her children have grown up with constant exposure to the prison environment, which has affected them psychologically. They also divide visits among them sometimes, with one of them visiting the imprisoned father and the other the mother.

There are currently 34 Palestinian women imprisoned in Israel jails suffering from torture and harassment policies and from violations of basic human rights.

R.S./F.J.