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Gaza mother campaigns for son's release in prisoner swap
By Amira Hass, Haaretz Correspondent

Fifteen years ago, Umm Razi Nimes and other mothers of Palestinian prisoners began a weekly tradition of holding a protest vigil outside Red Cross offices in Gaza City to call for the release of their children from Israeli incarceration. Razi Nimes, a member of Fatah, has been in prison for 24 years, since he was 27. When visits were allowed, Umm Razi and her family rode Red Cross buses from 3 A.M. to the following evening for the opportunity to see Razi for 45 minutes. Three years ago, the authorities at Nafkha Prison allowed them to be photographed together, and to embrace and kiss, for the first time after years of being allowed to see each other only through a barrier.

The Israel Prison Service allows security prisoners to be photographed with their parents when the parents reach 65.

Since June 2007, when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, Umm Razi and the other prisoners' families have not seen their family members or even heard their voices, since security prisoners are not allowed to use the phone.
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Razi's mother lives in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood, on the edge of which the Israel Defense Forces ground operation and tanks focused. Razi's cell-mate, who was released a month ago, told his mother: "When we got sick of watching TV news all day, we wanted to change channels and Razi wouldn't let us. He wanted to hear what was happening in his mother's neighborhood."

Umm Razi was born in Jaffa, and she remembers the convoy of trucks that brought them to Gaza, "accompanied by three jeeps of the Jewish army, at the front, the middle and the end."

On Monday the Red Cross yard was crowded with mothers, photographers and reporters. Outside a few men with red flags called for the release of the secretary general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ahmed Saadat. A number of Islamic Jihad posters were prominent, as were many pictures of Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti.

If the prominence of Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front and Fatah were intended to remind Hamas not to neglect prisoners of the other movements, no one said so directly.

Speaking from her simple home, with mattresses and straw mats on the floor and plastic chairs, Umm Razi said no one from Hamas came to tell her whether her son was on the list of prisoners for the exchange in return for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. However, "the Hamas guys in my neighborhood, many of whom are my relatives, said he is," she said.

Razi Nimes was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1985 for membership in a Fatah cell that in 1983 murdered Israelis Salomon Abu-Kasis and Menahem Dadon in the Gaza City market. What does Umm Razi think? "Are only our hands bloody? Their hands are not? Didn't soldiers come in here to kill us?" she asked.

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      1.   Israel could lock half Palestine in its jails... 06:29  |  Silvienne 17/03/09
      2.   Israel is so contradictory. 06:46  |  Maureen Ann 17/03/09
      3.   Red Cross & Gilad 06:59  |  Ruth 17/03/09
      4.   To Maureen Ann 07:59  |  Liat 17/03/09
      5.   To Liat 08:35  |  Samy 17/03/09
      6.   Israel more humane than Hamas 08:49  |  Benjamina 17/03/09
      7.   Just get Gilad home NOW!!!!!!!! 08:57  |  Mel McManus 17/03/09
      8.   Re #1 Silvienne 09:00  |  B 17/03/09
      9.   Terrorist Must stay in prison 09:34  |  Baruch Gold 17/03/09
      10.   #3 Ruth 09:36  |  Elina 17/03/09
      11.   Silvienne`s solution 09:41  |  Michael Jacobs 17/03/09
      12.   Shalit is a Red Herring 09:59  |  Navy Vet 17/03/09
      13.   To Ruth and Liat 10:04  |  R 17/03/09
      14.   Thank you for this brave article Haaretz 11:08  |  Mark B. 17/03/09
      15.   #4 Well Liat, what do you expect? 13:46  |  Maureen Ann 17/03/09
      16.   To R 14:20  |  Liat 17/03/09
      17.   To Samy 14:23  |  Liat 17/03/09
      18.   to Samy#5 15:47  |  Ilya 17/03/09
      19.   The difference between Gilad and Razi 17:15  |  Pal in Diaspora 17/03/09
      20.   Blood on whose hands??? 19:41  |  Brad 17/03/09
      21.   #19 Cannot agree with you more....2nd try! 19:43  |  Ari ben Yisrael 17/03/09
      22.   Shalit + Red Cross 20:15  |  Dan 17/03/09
      23.   The Hypocrisy of Baruch Gold... 21:18  |  Knott Bushman 17/03/09
      24.   R "without a state" turns things around 22:41  |  Michael Jacobs 17/03/09
      25.   Maureen Ann 23:13  |  Arnold 17/03/09
      26.   Samy # 5 23:16  |  Arnold 17/03/09
      27.   R # 13 23:26  |  Arnold 17/03/09
      28.   Liat If I were you I would not start quoting GC,S 23:31  |  gregory 17/03/09
      29.   More history lessons for poor Maureen Ann 23:35  |  Arnold 17/03/09
      30.   Ilya GC,S also outlaw other acts. 23:47  |  gregory 17/03/09
      31.   No respect for Umm Razi 01:43  |  bronxite10 18/03/09
      32.   #.3 Ruth. The Red Cross have been denied .. 02:13  |  Stephen. 18/03/09
      33.   #11, Michael Jacobs, quoting words I never wrote... 03:44  |  Silvienne 18/03/09
      34.   Umm Razi is right--this violence isn`t one sided... 07:46  |  Dutch 18/03/09
      35.   19 , Pal in Disapoia Re carte-blanche 07:54  |  Dutch 18/03/09
      36.   Silvienne`s mistake 10:44  |  Michael Jacobs 18/03/09
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