Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails

“Support our campaign to raise awareness of and advocate for the rights of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.”

Comhlámh Justice for Palestine is raising funds to stage an educational theatre production which shines a light on the human rights violations faced by Palestinian political prisoners and to raise money for the ADDAMEER Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. https://www.addameer.org/

In the summer of 2025, for the first time in Ireland, we will stage a production of the play “Prisoners of the Occupation. This powerful and thought-provoking piece of political theatre was written by Einat Weizman, an Israeli Jewish citizen, in conjunction with Palestinian political prisoners.

It shines light on the plight of Palestinian prisoners, the most hidden victims of the Israeli occupation, focusing on the personal and collective experiences of the prisoners and their families. The play is the result of a long research process of interviewing and hearing testimonies from prisoners and ex-prisoners, who were actively involved at every stage of its creation. The prison experiences' uncovered include interrogations, hunger strikes, solitary confinement and family visits, as well as diving into the prisoners’ consciousness. The play reveals a harrowing and brutal reality but also an account of human endurance and solidarity.

Our Goals

Raise awareness

As a voluntary group dedicated to achieving justice for the Palestinian people, this play is one way we aim to fulfil our mission to raise awareness and take action on the past and ongoing injustices Palestinians face. We strive to educate audiences about the realities of occupation and imprisonment through compelling performances. In line with this, and acknowledging the power of theatre, we want to stage a production that adequately honours the story of the two prisoners, Wissam and Ibrahim and conveys the heartbreaking story of so many other people’s lives under occupation, held in prison without trial and no recourse to justice.

Support ADDAMEER

Any excess funds and donations at the performances will go directly to ADDAMEER to support their invaluable work. Their goals, to name a few, include ending torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment inflicted upon Palestinian prisoners; abolishing the death penalty; ending arbitrary detentions and arrests; guaranteeing fair, impartial and public trials; and supporting political prisoners and their families by providing them with legal aid and social and moral assistance and undertaking advocacy on their behalf. Find out more here.

Fair Compensation

This production will engage local artists and performers to bring this vital story to life. We want to ensure that everyone involved is compensated fairly for their talent and hard work. Artists play a crucial role in bringing powerful stories to life, and commitment to fair compensation is part of our broader values and mission of fostering social equity and justice.

Playwright - Einat Weizman

Based in Tel Aviv, Einat is an actor, director, playwright and political activist. All of her plays, performances and events are focused on documentary theatre as an investigative tool into the hidden spaces of Palestine/Israel. Her work pays special attention to the dynamics of resistance within the settler-colonial state, the intersection of law and violence, and the politics of knowledge production in these contexts. Her theatre provides a platform for making diverse voices heard, including those that are outside of the social-cultural consensus and challenges conventional thinking.

Director - Martin Maguire

The play is being directed by Martin Maguire. Martin is an actor, writer and theatre director whose work includes extremely popular productions of King Lear, Hamlet and Macbeth. He has also directed many new plays; ‘Disco is Dead’ by Jacqui Corcoran for the Source Theatre in 2022, ‘Lost and Found’ by Lucy Montague Moffatt in Smock Alley in 2018, “Paddy and Clogs” for The Lemon Tree Theatre in Aberdeen, the hugely successful “Costa Lads” by Paul Walker, Max Hafler’s “Melting Doves” which was nominated for a Stewart Parker Award and several productions for Pickles Theatre Company which tours Theatre In Education shows to schools in France and Belgium.

Thank you for your support and assistance in raising awareness of the most hidden victims of the Israeli Occupation.

We are deeply grateful for your support in helping us shine a light on this important issue. Please contribute what you can to help us achieve this target. Any funding that exceeds this target will be donated to the ADDAMEER Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. This is a story that needs to be told, and with your help, we will.

Thank you from all of us in Comhlámh Justice for Palestine. https://comhlamh.org/member-groups/comhlamh-justice-for-palestine-group/