Palestinian Prisoners Movement: Resistance and Disobedience

This book provides a contemporary history of the Palestinian prisoners movement, highlighting its role in the broader Palestinian national struggle. Based on interviews with former prisoners and security personnel, it offers insights into the strategies and tactics used by prisoners to gain rights and challenge authority. The movement was strongest in the 1970s and 1980s but weakened after the Oslo Accords and the second intifada. The book is a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in prison-based resistance, mass incarceration, and Middle East politics and history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 134 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Providing a comprehensive and contemporary history of the Palestinian prisoners movement, this book underscores its pivotal role in the broader Palestinian national struggle. Drawing upon direct interviews with former prisoners and former security sector personnel, it offers invaluable insights into the strategies employed by prisoners to assert their rights over time, as well as the tactics employed by prison authorities to maintain control.

For decades, prisons have served as microcosms of the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the Israeli state utilizing mass incarceration for security purposes and Palestinian prisoners seeking to reclaim the prison space as a platform for organizing and resistance. Prisoners' actions encompassed a range of strategies, including hunger strikes, which were often accompanied by everyday acts of noncompliance and the establishment of an internal counterorder to challenge authorities.

This volume vividly demonstrates how the Palestinian prisoners movement was intricately intertwined with the broader Palestinian national movement, particularly during the popular mobilization era of the 1970s and 1980s. However, it also highlights the significant weakening and fragmentation of the movement following the Oslo Accords of the 1990s and the subsequent second intifada.

By presenting a fresh analysis of a frequently overlooked aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this book offers valuable reflections on prison-based resistance in protracted conflicts more broadly. It serves as a crucial resource for students and scholars engaged in contemporary discussions on mass incarceration, criminal justice, Middle East politics, and history.

Weight: 372g
Dimension: 242 x 159 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367749415