Michael
Dickinson.
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The announce
ment last week that archaeologists have excavated what is
believed to be the oldest Christian church in the world in a cave under the
already ancient Church of St. Georgeous in Rihab, Jordan, reminded me the
last time the announcement of the discovery of the world’s oldest church was made in
2005. Only then the discovery was not made by careful archaeologists on
previously hallowed ground, but by convicts working on the construction of new
wings at a maximum security incarceration facility for
Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Very early
Christian religious structures are a rare archeological find in Israel, and the
discovery of the third-century chapel on the grounds of Mediggo Prison, with
its impressive mosaic floor showing two fish - the symbol used by the
early Christians, and an inscription written in Greek dedicating the building
to the "Lord Jesus Christ", caused considerable excitement. Postage stamps of the floor mural commemorated the find, and the Israeli
President presented the Pope with a picture.
Construction of the ninth
cell wing by the Prison Sevice came to a halt to allow continuing
archaeological excavation of the site by the Israeli Antiquity Agency, whose
personell now work there every day.
It has been
suggested that the prison should be entirely relocated, and the building, which
dates back to the British Mandate, be turned into a tourist center focusing on
ancient Christianity. Two other choices are either to remove the mosaic
floor from the prison and exhibit it elsewhere, or
to create a barrier between the excavation and the prison by a high wall or
fence of some kind. As yet no definite decision has been made, and life
at the prison goes on, despite the frequent delegations of scholars, reporters
and representatives of religious orders it receives from all over the world.
Wouldn’t it
be nice, if, instead of looking down and admiring the beautiful tilework at
their feet, these scholars, reporters and representatives of religious orders
lifted their gaze to the military prison compound they are visiting, and paused
for thought. After all, the excavated floor they
are standing on was part of a chapel built to commemorate and honor a Jewish prophet
who preached love and brotherhood. Megiddo Prison represents the complete
opposite.
Of the
nearly 11,000 Palestinians held by the Israeli Prison Authority, Megiddo
contains a population of 1,600 Palestinian males. In spite of the fact that most
of them have engaged in no criminal activity, but are freedom fighters,
leaders, and activists, or simply members of
resistance movements against the racist occupation of their country, the
inmates are described as “dangerous terrorists”.
In May 2008,
elected deputy mayor of the Palestinian town of Qalqilia, Dr. Mohammad Hashem
Al Masri, was released from Megiddo prison after more than two years in
captivity. He was just one of many local and national Palestinian
officials rounded up and arrested by Israeli forces in 2006 after winning
municipal elections for the Change and Reform party, associated with Hamas, not
recognized as a legitimate party by the State of Israel.
Dr. Al Masri
described Israeli prison as a place that “takes away ones dignity”. He
said prisoners were being abused psychologically and physically to the point
that “after release the impact of the cruelty remains.”
Palestinian children are
often arrested at Israeli military checkpoints where they can be held for hours
with their hands cuffed before being transferred to detention and interrogation
centers. They have no right to a lawyer and are not permitted to know
what the charges are against them... In many cases their
families are not informed of their arrest. |
Although the
Geneva Conventions require that prisoners be afforded food, drink and medical
care, reports on the meals provided by the Israeli Prison Administration have
included complaints that there are bugs in the food, sand, urine in the water,
and a general inedibility.
Al Masri
talked about disease and illness in the prisons going untreated or given
inadequate attention, and described several inmates as “on their death
beds because of a lack of proper treatment.”
“This is
unacceptable morally and legally,” said Al Masri. “It confirms that the
Palestinian people are the victims of racist procedures imposed by the
occupation soldiers.”
Among the
detainees in Mediggo jail there are approximately 80 child prisoners. The
word ‘child’ is defined as ‘every human being under the age of 18 years’ in the
United Nation’s Convention on
the Rights of the Child, (to which Israel is a signatory), and reiterated under
the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty. Palestinian
children from the age of 16 years, however, are considered adults under Israeli
military regulations governing the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Children are
often arrested at Israeli military checkpoints where they can be held for hours
with their hands cuffed before being transferred to detention and interrogation
centers. They have no right to a lawyer and are not permitted to know
what the charges are against them. More often than not they are subject
to beatings, curses and threats during the transfer. In many cases their
families are not informed of their arrest and they’re transferred from one
prison to another without the family being informed where they are being held.
There are
widespread accusations of physical abuse, but psychological torture like sleep
deprivation, withholding of food or water, solitary confinement, or threats of
the demolition of his home or the arrest of other members of his family are the
main tools of intimidation and interrogation.
Dr Al Masri
complained about the international silence to the situation, except that from
the US, which loudly applauds Israel in everything it does. But he said
that despite the horrific circumstances under which they live, Palestinian
political prisoners remain committed to the liberation of their people.
“The cause
is kept alive in the hearts of everyone,” he said.
Another name
for Megiddo is ‘Armageddon’. According to The Book of Revelation in the
New Testament, this is the place where the final battle between good and evil
will be fought. Whose side are you on?
Click here: For feedback and comments.
Note:
Michael Dickinson is an English teacher working in Istanbul, Turkey.
Dickinson did the cover art for two of CounterPunch's books, Dime's
Worth of Difference and Serpents
in the Garden, as well as Jeffrey St. Clair's Grand
Theft Pentagon. He can be contacted via his website http://yabanji.tripod.com/
or at michaelyabanji@gmail.com.
Also visit Saatchi
Gallery.
Fry 'Em!
Jailing The Joint
Politicians As Dogs
Georgie In Jesusland
Say Goodbye To Purgatory
The Pope vs Terry Higgins
Little Brother Is Watching You
The Catholicization Of Tony
Incident At Westminster Abbey
The King's New Clothes
Arrested In Istanbul
Criminal Collage
Censoring The Carnival Of Chaos
Listening To Lennon In Istanbul
The Madness Of Money
