The torture of souls can be more severe than the torture of bodies, as Israeli torture experts have devised numerous methods to crush prisoners, break their spirits, and destroy their morale.
This is illustrated in the story written by the released prisoner Walid Al-Hudli after a 14-year experience in Israeli prisons. He was arrested in 1979 for forming a militant group to resist the occupation, then re-arrested in 1988 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The Israeli occupation army also arrested his wife and daughter in 2006, with his wife remaining in prison for 3 years. Al-Hudli wrote his story in 2003 in Ashkelon and Hadarim prisons, which the prisoners managed to smuggle out.
This narrative opens new avenues for portraying the human feelings of the prisoner, emphasizing that the resilience of the prisoner in interrogation rooms and his insistence on not revealing the resistance secrets are as important as resilience on the battlefield. It provides a realistic testimony of the cruelty and sadism of the interrogators and their racist crimes.
Encouraging Palestinian prisoners to write their stories is an important means of resistance, building the nation’s awareness of the nature of the enemy, and marking a new stage in the struggle against physical and psychological torture as crimes against humanity and civilization.
The phenomenon of sparrows has pushed prisoners into prolonged silence at a time when human beings need friendship, conversation, and communication with others, making this phenomenon a means of torturing prisoners, especially in the period leading up to trials.
The Forbidden Circle Assault
The story begins with the arrest of Amer, Ibrahim, and Nabil after a heroic militant operation where they opened fire on an Israeli military vehicle, causing it to roll into the valley.
During the 90-day interrogation in Israeli prisons, Israeli interrogators used various psychological violence methods, most notably exhaustion, to make the prisoner lose focus and weaken mentally, aiming to breach the forbidden circle containing his secrets and emotions.
When the prisoner reaches his weakest state, his tongue slips with the first word, and at that moment, the puzzle unravels for them. This is what happened to Amer, who had extensive experience in facing physical violence but was not prepared for the new methods of psychological torture.
The circumstances changed after the Palestinian Authority coordinated security with the Israeli occupation army post-Oslo, providing a lot of information about militants to Israel, aiding Israeli interrogators in deceiving prisoners by pretending to know everything about them.
The Sparrow Phenomenon
There has been an increasing use of the sparrow phenomenon by the Israeli occupation, creating fear among prisoners by placing spies inside prisons claiming to be part of the resistance, transferring secrets to interrogators. This lack of trust among prisoners has heightened their psychological torment.
This phenomenon, exported by Israel to authoritarian regimes in the Arab world, extends beyond prisons, leading to the revelation of Islamic movements’ secrets, fabricating cases, especially as courts rely on secret memoranda and non-disclosure of information sources, using them to issue high judgments against the accused.
The sparrows phenomenon forces prisoners into long periods of silence when human beings need friendship and conversation with others, making it a means of torturing prisoners, especially in the period preceding trials.
Faith in Facing Psychological Torture
However, prisoner Amer presents the most important means of facing psychological torture, unleashing his heart in the world of “In Allah we trust and rely.” raising his challenge, preparing himself for the battle with interrogators. The genuine feelings of faith grow in his heart, opening up a vast world of noble emotions, where the beats of the heart embrace Allah’s protection.
The interrogation continued with Amer for an extended period, intentionally exhausting his mind with questions, threats, and sleep deprivation, leading him to extreme fatigue and mental strain, in a state between sleep and wakefulness.
His head became heavy, the ground swayed beneath him, and things spun around, yet he managed to grab a quick moment of sleep, feeling a strange relief afterward, but the interrogators would not allow it, engaging in a subtle psychological warfare against him.
Lights Shine in the Heart
Amer faced their psychological war with a brilliant idea: drowning his heart and soul in the remembrance of Allah. When Amer immersed himself in the meanings of Allah’s remembrance, lights began to shine in his heart, dispelling their hollow words. He felt Allah’s closeness with his protection, kindness, and mercy, as Allah does not forsake his allies, reminding them as they remember Him, providing them with reassurance that touches their hearts’ depths.
As Amer immersed himself in Allah’s remembrance, the lights shone in his heart, dispelling their hollow words. Amer felt that Allah was near, protecting him, showing him kindness and mercy. Allah does not forsake His allies; He remembers them as they remember Him. This imparts a sense of security that touches the depths of their hearts.
Amer’s experience in facing psychological torture was inspiring for all free individuals. He offers them a solution, sparking their imagination, saying to them: “Human beings need to turn to Allah. Be with Allah, and Allah will be with you.” Amer continued to remember Allah with his tongue and heart.
He remembered our master Bilal, enduring torture in the plains of Mecca, repeating: “One, one,” seeing nothing around him except the One, with his kindness, grace, and protection. He saw the other side of this torment, the kindness of the Lord that never leaves destiny, blessing the trial with these faith-inspired breaths touching his heart and filling his soul.
Amer recalled our master Bilal, enduring torture in the plains of Mecca, repeating: “One, one,” seeing nothing around him except the One, with his kindness, grace, and protection. He saw the other side of this torment, the kindness of the Lord that never leaves destiny, blessing the trial with these faith-inspired breaths touching his heart and filling his soul.
Amer faced their psychological warfare with a fantastic idea: drowning his heart and soul in the remembrance of Allah, the One and only. When Amer started to immerse himself in the meanings of Allah’s remembrance, lights began to shine in his heart, dispelling their hollow words. Amer felt the closeness of Allah, His protection, kindness, and mercy, realizing that Allah never leaves His allies. This brought forth a sense of tranquility that touched the depths of their hearts.
Amer emerged from his invigorating rounds of praise, which took him away from them, surrounded by interrogators like a poisonous snake hunting its prey. They surrounded him from all sides, like a pack of wolves sinking their teeth into gentle prey, removing their masks and unveiling their venomous tongues.
Faith and the Struggle of Wills
Amer said: “The prisoner’s weapons or swords in this battle are a strong will rooted in fertile faith and sharp experience piercing his mind, standing vigilant against all their cunning tricks.” Amer saw the interrogators, who had faced his resilience, and bitterness showed in their faces, resembling the leaders of the Quraysh, Nadeer, and Qainuqa when they conspired against the Islamic Call.
Interrogator Shlomo interpreted Amer’s resilience as a man holding deep beliefs and thoughts, predicting our overwhelming defeat when facing those who fight with this unwavering faith. No temptations or promises would work with him, as he knew the Jews and understood that they break their agreements swiftly before the ink dries.
Amer prepared for the upcoming rounds, where men’s wills were tested with the remembrance of Allah that sharpens their faith. It’s a remembrance that confirms Allah’s companionship with all the support, strength, guidance, and right guidance, clinging to Allah’s strong rope. Beware of neglecting the constant reinforcement of willpower because the struggle is one of wills and intellects.
What strengthens the willpower is strong interaction with divine care. If Allah is our goal, remembrance ignites the heart along with this objective of closeness, companionship, and love. It’s a continuous connection between our limited strength and Allah’s absolute power between the meanings and feelings that make the will like a great column, battling wills with every conscience, skin, trust, and resilience.
Return to Physical Violence and Torture
The interrogators discovered that psychological torture could not break the convict’s faithful will and transferred him to Ashkelon prison. There, all physical torture methods were used, leaving Amer feeling like a mass of pain after continuous beatings. As his body grew in pain, Amer turned to Allah even more, repeating the eternal saying: “One, one.”
They threatened him with death, but Amer boldly declared: “The fools think that we fear death like them. How I long to meet Allah.” He awaited martyrdom eagerly.
After ninety days of psychological and physical torture, the interrogators despaired, and the faithful convict’s will prevailed. He was transferred back to prison, his experience illuminating the path of resilience against oppressive power for all free individuals. The triumph of the convict signifies that the resistance will prevail, liberating Palestine. Prisoners will lead their people’s struggle forward. This truth is elucidated in the story of the Palestinian author and prisoner Walid Al-Hudli.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
