Palestinian Political Organizations in Israeli Prisons examines the evolution and changes within the Palestinian Prisoners Movement and the structural opportunities and constraints that inform collective resistance today.
Drawing on observation-based fieldwork and over 40 interviews with ex-prisoners and additional interviews with lawyers and advocates, this book presents a sociological account of Palestinian prisoners in Israel - an important reflection of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Oslo Accords, the peace agreements between the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Israel, transformed not only Palestinian politics but the entire prison environment. By exploring issues including the specific characteristics of women's resistance, the effects of the Islamicization, new hunger strike strategies, consumerism within the prison, parenting children, and escapes, Palestinian Political Organizations in Israeli Prisons offers a fresh analysis of political resistance in Israeli prisons.
Applying a social movement approach and drawing comparisons to other politically motivated prisoner groups, the book traces the effects of changes from the Oslo Accords through to today, including the Second Intifada, the split between Hamas and Fatah, the co-option of the Palestinian Authority, and increasingly systematic prison management, explaining how these factors have affected life for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and influence conflicts today.
1: Introduction-The Rise and Fall of the Prisoners Movement Part I: Background 2: Analytical and Ethical Framework 3: Palestinian Imprisonment in Israel 4: Establishing a Prisoners' Collective Part II: The Oslo Accords: Era of Fixation on Freedom 5: Repression, Co-optation, and Institutionalization 6: Prison Management 7: Mass Release, Faltering, and New Resistance Part III: Contemporary Prison Resistance 8: The Collapse of Solidarity 9: Division in Prison 10: Individualization and New Techniques Epilogue: Does the Prisoners Movement still exist?
Alyssa G. Bernstein has a PhD from the Queens University of Belfast School of Law and a JD from Harvard Law School. She has been a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Criminology, Cambridge University and an Adjunct Lecturer at Georgetown University. She is licensed to practice law in Washington, DC. This work does not reflect the views or opinions of any employers.
