By placing Israel’s military detention of Palestinian children in its full context – not only the Israel occupation itself, but also Palestinian resistance to it – Dreaming of Freedom offers valuable insight into the lives of children whose forays against heavily-armed soldiers, walls and tanks have inspired millions. Translated by: Yousef Aljamal

About the Editor

NORMA HASHIM – Full Time Social Activist, Treasurer at Viva Palestina Malaysia

Where to buy?

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Book Review

Ayman Abbasi was beaten so badly when he was arrested his parents could barely recognise their son at the court hearing. He was held at Almaskoubia interrogation centre, released under house arrest, and then imprisoned again.  In his cell Abbasi enjoyed listening to the radio to “escape” what was happening to him, but Israeli guards confiscated his headphones. Abbasi was released but on 29 November 2015 Israeli soldiers shot and killed him in Ein Al-Houza and attempted to steal his body from the medical centre where it had been taken..Read More~ Middle East Monitor		“A detention room, a big stick, the beating and the kicking” The violence that Ahmed Khalaf, (13 years), used to avoid seeing while watching action movies, was experienced for real with every single horrible detail when the Israeli forces arrested him while he was celebrating the end of school exams with his friend at a park in the West Bank. The Israeli court sentenced Khalaf to 6 months in prison with the charge of throwing stones at the IDF. Thus began a harsh life..Read More~ Palestine Chronicle
Norma Hashim’s engagement with the issue of Palestinian prisoners has previously produced one book — The Prisoners’ Diaries: Palestinian Voices from the Israeli Gulag — which has been described by former hunger-striker Hana al-Shalabi as “A humane, beautiful, valuable but painful book.”..Read More~ The Electronic Intifada		قصة الطفل “خلف”، كانت واحدة من سلسلة قصصية جمّعتها الناشطة الماليزية “نورما هاشم”، داخل كتاب “الحُلم في الحرية”، الذي صدر مؤخرا عن دار “سبأ” الإسلامية للنشر، في كوالامبور، بماليزيا. …Read More ~ http://aa.com.tr/
The description of life under detention by these children is heart-rending. The brutality of the Israelis against the Palestinian children needs to be recorded and exposed.~ Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (former Prime Minister of Malaysia)		What strikes me most directly after reading these moving statements by Palestinian child prisoners is the aura of state terror that pervades the lives of all Palestinians living under occupation. Horrifying as is the experience of these children, mainly mid-teenagers, the deeper horror is the degree to which the entire community of Palestinians is scarred for life by Israeli..Read More~ Richard Falk
Palestine speaks volumes about Israeli occupation. Amidst its horrors exists a new generation of young people who endure the very confines endured by their parents, and grandparents. Oppression is the order of the day – their reality. Being children does not spare them the horrors endured during a life under siege – prison cells, beatings, torture and humiliation. This powerful book is the reflection of these realities. They are first-hand testimonies by children whose rights have been violated with no accountability whatsoever. This book voices their heart-wrenching stories, perhaps with the hope that people around the world may understand their ordeal and answer their pleas for freedom and justice.~ Dr Ramzy Baroud, Journalist and author of My Father was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story		Dreaming of Freedom encourages its participants to speak naturally in their own voices, rather than seeking to depoliticize them or impose false notions of “innocence” on those who have participated in a just anti-colonial struggle. By placing Israel’s military detention of Palestinian children in its full context – not only the Israeli occupation itself, but also Palestinian resistance to it – Dreaming of Freedom offers valuable insight into the lives of children whose forays against heavily-armed soldiers, walls and tanks have inspired millions.~ Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
For the children of Palestine, who know only fear, anger and oppression. Like a piece of broken glass, they have suffered and continue to suffer from the mental and psychological torment that deprives them of a normal childhood. The footnotes after each story says it all – none of the children featured in this book went on to develop into a balanced, healthy adult, and perhaps never will. The stories contained within this book capture one of the most overlooked aspects of the cruel war on Palestine – the children, who represent the future of this broken nation. Although many of the children displayed resilience and defiance despite torture and imprisonment (some repeated times), we ask ourselves, are these normal emotional and psychological processes for children? The answer is obvious. A childhood lost can never be regained. It is time to stop the oppression, and allow the people, particularly the children, a chance to heal.~ Dr Musa Mohd Nordin (Chairman, Viva Palestina Malaysia)		The stories of these Palestinian kids plead to us like angels. These kids are the future. If we don’t do enough to save and protect them from Israel, we are doomed. This book shows us how to act responsibly.~ Refaat Alareer (Editor, Gaza Writes Back)
“Of all aspects of the occupation and dispossession of the Palestinian people, the plight of children – be they the thousands killed and maimed in Gaza, or the hundreds detained every year in Israeli jails – has commanded his special attention.A very recent contribution to the field of Palestinian human rights is Falk’s preface to a heart-rending collection of testimonies: “Dreaming of Freedom; Palestinian Child Prisoners Speak.”