Editors note: THis is the first of a series of profiles we are publishing profiles of Palestinian Christian prisoners held in Israeli jails

By Rana Abu Farha

Three children- Rita 11, Mina 8, and Jolan 6, are anxiously awaiting the visit to their father allowed once a month. But the 45 minutes that Israeli prison officials allow is way too short for the kids to tell their dad about their stories, and their adventures as they compete and fight behind the glass window for time to talk. “I am in awe trying to steal time to be able to talk to my husband Samer whom I miss a lot,” says Nor Muslamani the wife of the detained Palestinian prisoner.

Noor says that she tries her best to ensure that her children get as much time as they want with their dad even at her own expense because she feels that her top priority is the kids, their state of mind, and wellbeing.

Milhilard.com met with Noor, the wife of Samer al Arabeed one of the many Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Samer from Ramallah has been arrested for three years.

A teacher in one of Jerusalem’s schools, Noor has been forced to live in Jerusalem with her parents since her husband was arrested in 2019.

The family of Samer now 47 years old from Ramallah was forced to leave their hometown of Jaffa in the 1948 war. His family lived the agony of the Nakbeh and now he is living under arrest and separated from his children.
Samer was detained on the morning of September 25^th, 2019, as he was traveling with his family. During the interrogation by the Israelis, he was subject to physical and psychological torture and abuse by the Israeli secret service Shushbrack. According to human rights organizations the abuse that Samer was subjected to results in the fact he was taken to hospital a few times

Human rights reports says that even though he was in good health when he was arrested, the Israelis brought him to the Mascobiya clinic on the 27th September of in a wheelchair and he looked like he had suffered a heart attack. He was later transferred to Hadassah hospital, and it was clear that he had large bruises all over his body and eleven broken ribs as well as a loss of hearing to 60% in his right ear.

Samer stayed in the hospital for three years and was then transferred to the Ramleh prison even while he was having a hard time to breath and talking.

Three years later his wife Noor assures Milhilard.com that he is still suffering from pain in his back, legs, and neck, and from hearing loss. Efforts to bring in physical therapy equipment to help Samer were rejected by the Israeli prison authorities. Israeli prison officials refused to allow a doctor from the family side to visit and check on him.

Even though three years have passed since his arrest, the court system has yet to conclude his case. His family is bracing for a difficult sentence even though they are also hoping and praying for a chance to have Samer reunited with his family.