In the waking hours of a September morning in 2023, Mustafa Sheta, a Palestinian author and the current director of Freedom Theatre, addressed an empty auditorium in Jenin, a city situated in West Bank. During his oration, he stressed the significance of cultural resistance against Israel’s aggressive occupation. Additionally, he vented his disappointment regarding the unsuccessful push by the Palestinian movement for sovereign statehood and the increasing authoritarian tendencies of the Palestinian Authority.
Fast forward three months to December 12th, Israeli soldiers staged a night-time raid on the theatre, ravaged its offices and subsequently apprehended Sheta in front of his wife and their four children, who were between the ages of 7 and 15, at their residence in Jenin. Ahmed Tobasi, the artistic director of the theatre, and Jamal Abu Joas, a recent theatre graduate, were also arrested on the same day. However, they were released within days, with Tobasi recounting being harshly treated by the Israeli soldier responsible for their arrest. Tobasi revealed in a post on X by the Freedom Theatre that they were treated like beasts. No official statement regarding the arrests was issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
While Tobasi and Joas were released, Sheta’s freedom remained elusive. On December 22nd, an advocate was granted a brief meeting with Sheta. Sheta divulged that he had been grilled by Israeli soldiers about his political engagements and affiliations. The year ended with a secretive Israeli military court commanding on December 31st, that Sheta be captive for four months under administrative detention. This is a pervasive routine allowing Israeli military to carry out indefinite detention devoid of charge or trial, based on undisclosed evidence to both prisoner and attorney under the pretence of “national security reasons.”
Contrary to expectation, Sheta’s detainment was extended by another four months when April arrived. No justification was given for this, remarks his wife, Ranin Sheta. “Mustafa’s predicament reflects countless similar scenarios in West Bank,” she shares. “Our future is uncertain. Circumstances can shift instantly.”
Sheta is counted among over 9,000 Palestinian West Bank residents including 14 writers who were seized by Israeli forces in the aftermath of the unexpected offensive launched by Hamas on Israel on the 7th on October last. They are said to be preventing both family and humanitarian meetings conducted by the International Red Cross for prisoners, since the onset of the war in Gaza, according to Palestinian inmates’ organisations.
Sheta, a Palestinian writer and theatre manager, is being detained in Megiddo Prison, Israel. Amnesty International indicates that holding Palestinians captive in Israel is tantamount to a forcible transfer, a violation of international humanitarian law. His spouse, Ranin, is apprehensive about a potential elongation of his detention and aims to procure legal counsel for a military court proceeding in August.
It’s worth noting that legal assistance is costly. Ranin mentions some attorneys profiting from the grim circumstances. Visiting Sheta for legal counsel, twice, cost them 1,500 shekels (€375), almost equivalent to the approximately €470 minimum monthly income in the West Bank. Through a visit by a lawyer, Sheta communicated to Ranin that he is struggling with the prison conditions and wished for the Freedom Theatre to press on. The IDF, however, didn’t offer any comment on Sheta’s situation.
Besides managing a theatre, Sheta has penned down experiences regarding life amidst military occupation along with the recurrent Israeli military invasions on Jenin. Mina Thabet from the NGO, Pen International advocating for freedom of expression and literature, believes Sheta was targeted due to his cultural contributions and revealing writings that expose the extensive and structured oppression against Palestinians living under apartheid and occupation. Thabet further notes an upsurge in action taken against cultural figures, including writers, in an effort to dilute the Palestinian narrative and culture. Currently, 17 Palestinian writers, eight of them in administrative detention, are behind bars in Israel according to Pen International. Surprisingly, Israel now ranks after China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam on Pen’s Freedom to Write index, a list monitoring detainment and imprisonment of writers. The Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson refrained from commenting on the surging detention of Palestinian writers and the perceived restriction on freedom of speech.
Both Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem and Palestinian citizens of Israel have encountered escalating suppression of free speech along with imprisonment as per Israel’s counter-terrorism laws. These laws criminalise speech-related offenses such as expressing empathy for terrorism or stirring up acts of terrorism. In a recent move in November, the Israeli government revised the law to outlaw the “consumption of publications of a terrorist organisation”.
Adalah, a human rights association and legal centre run by Palestinians based in Israel has expressed concern over legislation that could potentially penalise individuals based on their “emotions and beliefs.” It characterised the efforts to suppress Palestinian Israelis and objectors of the military’s reprisal strikes on Gaza as being “extensive and orchestrated,” implicating government bodies, Israeli entities, and extremist factions.
Since October 7th, over 400 individuals, majority of which are Palestinian, have been apprehended in Israel and East Jerusalem due to violations of speech as per the said law. This comes from a reply to an inquiry on freedom of information submitted by Adalah with the Israeli police. Per the court surveillance by Adalah, Palestinian citizens and East Jerusalem residents have been awarded jail sentences of 18 months maximum for online posts or messages qualified as “expressing support for a terrorist group.”
The Israeli parliament established emergency procedures in November, meaning that preliminarily scheduled court hearings for Palestinian security inmates are chiefly conducted over a video conference. Miriam Azem, affiliated with Adalah as a Communications and International Advocacy Associate, suggests the absence of face-to-face trials along with the suspension of visits from family and NGOs restrict chances for prisoners to reveal any maltreatment while in custody.
Adalah has recorded incidents where it appears prisoners are intimidated or physically assaulted by jail officers during virtual hearings. There was no response to a query for remarks on claims of abuse and worsening conditions for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons from the Israeli prime minister’s office.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, from October 7th onwards, 18 Palestinian inmates have lost their lives in Israeli prisons. Azem reports that clients of Adalah have described instances of physical assault, loss of sleep and a downgrade in both the quality and the amount of food provided in Israeli penitentiaries. She says, “Prisoners are suffering not only from substantial weight loss but also from meals laden with dirt or even raw being given to prisoners.” One client likened the food to being unfit for animal consumption.