Palestinian “Prison Break”

Usually a spoon is used for eating soup and in eastern and Middle Eastern countries for shoveling rice onto it before placing it in the mouth .It has never ever been thought of as a symbol of freedom until now .In true Hollywood style six Palestinian prisoners dug their way out of imprisonment into freedom using a spoon!!

The six Palestinians are Zakaria Zubeidi, Mahmoud Ardah, Mohammad Ardah, Yacoub Qadri, Ayham Kamamji and Munadel Nfeiat.

These amazing men escaped out of Gilboa prison known for its high security- an almost impossible feat yet they did it – under the eyes of 40 prison guards, they escaped. Avoiding and evading three watchtowers, two high walls, two barbed-wire fences and the Israeli famous watch dogs. Dogs that the Israeli guards use to terrorise the prison population, playing also on their Islamic belief that dogs are unhygienic and therefore to be avoided. What is almost as noteworthy as the grand escape was Arab reaction to it – for once the Arabs were united in pride,in self respect and in recognition of outright  bravery. Social media exploded with their daring story with memes, tweets and symbolic drawings.

Four prisoners were recaptured: Zakaria Zubeidi, Mahmoud Ardah, Mohammad Arda and Yacoub Qadiri. But that is hardly the point at all.Their bravery cannot be undone and legends will be made out of their escape story.Israel with all its guns and all its bombs has failed and six underfed Palestinians worked strenuously and for what must have been many many months and were rewarded for their work. With a spoon in their hands and faith in their heart they made their miraculous escape. Maybe they too followed a star to salvation.

Reem Haddad

Editor-in-Chief