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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Life under occupation Home page  back Print  Send To friend Help my son out of prison Abd el-Razzaq Tamimi - Popular Struggle Coordination Committee `Living in the West bank village of Nabi Saleh, now made famous for its demonstrations, my wife Ikhlas and I have brought up six children – five boys and one girl – to be honest, warm, hospitable and proud. Fighting for freedom sure has its price, and in recent years, my family has paid it in the hardest currency – from insult to injury to imprisonment, and even death. Last December my son Mustafa was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers. He died a day later in the hospital. Only his mother was with him when he died, the rest of us could not get permits. He was my eldest, my proudest. We miss him terribly. In these last three years, my wife and daughter have regularly been beaten up by soldiers, our home routinely invaded and our sons, Oudai, Luai, Majd and Ziad, have all seen the inside of the occupier`s prisons more than once. Today, Ziad, the latest of them to have been arrested, was due to leave jail and come back home, but he will not. Not yet. Please help us get him out. When demonstrations against the theft of our lands by Israeli settlers began in our village, I knew that my children were going to be in the forefront. I supported them, just as I support these demos, and just as I support every person`s right to defend their home, their land, their family. To say that I do not fear for my children would be a lie. I am an old man and have already seen a thing or two in my time. I know the game. But to dissuade them from this path would be hypocrisy, and would go against everything that I have attempted to teach them. My wife and I have received dozens of supporters in our humble home. We have shared our food with them and offered them beds for the night. This is the way we live. We choose to offer our home as a place of refuge for protesters and visitors alike, during the demonstrations and in-between. We have received much in return. Our boy Ziad, my second eldest, was picked up, again, in the middle of the night some weeks ago, when, again, Israeli soldiers raided our village and our house. The evidence against Ziad is so flimsy, that our lawyers managed to have an Israeli military court order his release on bail. But the outside world will remain barred from him until we manage to pay a hefty bail of 8,000 ILS (2000 USD), which we cannot afford. Please help us raise money towards his release. We are poor people and I am a sick man. Ziad is actually our main provider. His story, our story, is not unique. It is the story of nearly every Palestinian protester and of their families. I humbly ask for your support in funds, for Ziad, but not for him alone. Help us free our sons and daughters and sustain our struggle for freedom. Sincerely, Abd el-Razzaq Tamimi Links to the latest articles in this section Three minutes of freedom: released after 18 years in prison - and immediately detained again Hard Evidence on Torture and Ill-Treatment of Palestinian Detainees at Israeli Interrogation Centers Graduates scramble for better pay