Freed Palestinians rebuild lives

Palestinian prisoners released in a swap for an Israeli soldier last month are racing to make up for lost time: Many of the 477 former inmates are already getting married, building homes or enrolling in college, even as Israel keeps a close eye on them in fear they could return to violence. Most had spent long years behind bars, and even expected to die in prison for their roles in bloody attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis. Now, they are struggling with a new political reality: The Gaza Strip is run by Hamas, which was an underground movement when most of them went to prison. And there is a more moderate climate than they may remember in the West Bank, where, weary after a bloody uprising against Israel, many now frown on violence as harmful to Palestinian interests. Nonetheless, the prisoners rarely express remorse and are widely considered heroes by their communities. As part of their welcome home, they have received startup grants of up to $10,000 (Dh36,724) from the Palestinian National Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and the Hamas government in Gaza, and there is talk of stipends and apartments. The prisoners, convicted for involvement in some of the most notorious attacks in recent memory, will never be able to put their pasts behind them entirely. Close surveillance The 132 detainees released to the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem have found themselves under close surveillance by Israel's Shin Bet security service. Many have been summoned for questioning and warned not to return to violence. Those in Israel who opposed the swap of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, held by Hamas for more than five years, had warned that freed prisoners posed a great risk of carrying out new attacks. Israeli counterterrorism expert Yoni Fighel said a successful transition to civilian life would reduce the likelihood of a relapse. "If they have work, a salary, an incentive to start a family and get established, the attractiveness of terrorism will be reduced," he said. The zeal with which some of the prisoners are trying to catch up suggests they do not want to risk their newfound freedom. Muayad Abdul Samed, 50, who spent half his life behind bars for killing an Israeli border police officer, said he believes in peaceful means for obtaining Palestinian independence. "After these long years in prison, and at my age, and the political changes that occurred on our Palestinian case, our duties are less than before," Abdul Samed said as he mixed cement for a house he is building with an $8,000 government grant. Abdul Samed hopes to find a bride. He also applied for a monthly stipend from the Palestinian National Authority, the self-rule government that was set up six years after he went to prison in 1987. In Abdul Samed's day, an Israeli military government still controlled all aspects of Palestinian lives directly, from issuing birth certificates to running hospitals. As part of the swap for Schalit, Israel agreed to release 1,027 Palestinians. Of those, 477 were freed in mid-October, along with Schalit, while the remainder are set to walk out of prison in mid-December. A majority of prisoners already released had served life sentences for killing Israelis in shooting attacks or bombings. The dean of the released Gaza prisoners, 49-year-old Yehiye Al Sinwar, went to jail in 1988. The co-founder of the Hamas military wing was sentenced to four life terms, including for his role as a mastermind in the abduction and killing of two soldiers. After his release, his family urged him to find a bride. "At first I told them I will not think about this stage until I get organised and catch up on what I missed," Al Sinwar said. But by the time Al Sinwar returned to Gaza from a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, his sisters had found him a 31-year-old bride with a master's degree in religion from the Islamic University from Gaza City. Al Sinwar was flooded with congratulatory phone calls, even as he struggled to learn how to use the internet and to navigate streets that had changed beyond recognition. He wouldn't discuss his political plans, including a possible role in the leadership of Hamas, which has refused to renounce violence. In all, 297 released prisoners were sent to Gaza, including 164 residents of the West Bank, occupied east Jerusalem or Israel deemed too dangerous by Israel to return to their homes. Forty-one prisoners were sent into exile abroad. The final few returned to homes in Israel, according to the Israeli Prison Service. The longest-serving Palestinian prisoners, cousins Nael and Fakhri Barghouti, received $10,000 each from the Palestinian National Authority. They each spent 33 years in prison for membership in an armed cell that kidnapped and killed an Israeli soldier. Wedding after 33 years behind bars "While in prison, I dreamt that I would one day build a big, international library in Palestine, just for children," said Nael Barghouti on his wedding day. In his West Bank hometown of Kobar, where his face is drawn or plastered on nearly every wall, thousands of people came to greet and congratulate him during a traditional lunch of lamb and rice served on his wedding day. Some gave him gifts, others money. "I am being welcomed not as a person, but as an idea, a symbol for Palestinians," the 54-year-old said. Barghouti was arrested on April 4, 1978 at the age of 21, and was sentenced to life in prison. Though in Israel he is not a known figure, nor was the operation he participated in particularly notorious, for Palestinians he is a symbol of sacrifice, and determination. And everyone has heard of him. He said he was shocked to see how much the West Bank had changed since the 1970s but was impressed to see how much political awareness had grown. "The world has changed and developed so much since I was gone. But the longer the occupation lasts the worse things are," he said. Barghouti, whose name was left out of many previous prisoner exchange deals because Israel refused to release him, was released based on a Hamas demand to free veteran prisoners. Barghouti became known as the dean of prisoners, but he prefers to be called Abu An Nour (the father of light). At the time of his arrest, Barghouti was a member of Fatah's armed wing. But in prison, he became more religious, and joined the Hamas movement.