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Salem Detention Center and Military Court
This detention center can hold up to 40 prisoners and is located at the northern tip of the West Bank near Salem village (north west of Jenin). The site also includes a military court.
Ramleh Prison & Clinic
Ramleh Prison: This prison was established (as Ramleh Palace) in 1934 through an order by the British mandate over Palestine. After the occupation state was established in 1948, it converted Ramleh palace into a military center for the Israeli army. In 1953, a section of the palace was designated as a prison to incarcerate palestinians. After the Israeli occupation took over more Palestinian lands in 1967, the entire palace was converted into a central prison for both Jewish criminals and Palestinian prisoners, especially Palestinians from the Jerusalem area.
Palestinian prisoners and detainees at Ramleh are considered to be fore-runners in the use of open hunger strikes to escalate prisoners’ resistance. In 1968, prisoners at Ramleh announced an open strike with their main demand being an end to their physical abuse and moving them from the prison barracks where they were exposed to rain and sewage flow. By the middle of 1968, Palestinian prisoners had announced their second hunger strike to demand that prison authorities allow notebooks and pens in the cells. The strike was considered as success, since prison authorities agreed tothis demand.
Ramleh prison serves as a transit site of sorts between all other prisons; prisoners are usually transferred here from one prison before being moved to another. The site is a prison compound containing several prison structures:
1.Ramleh Prison Hospital: This is a section within the prison associated with the administration of the Israeli Prison Services with the stated purpose of treating prisoners, though it lacks basic and necessary medical equipment.
2.Ayalon Prison
3.Neve Tirza
4.Nitzan Prison
Neve Tirza Prison
Opened in 1968, Neve Tirza is located near Ayalon prison, and is designated for Palestinian women prisoners and Israeli criminal prisoners.
Ayalon Prison
This prison, which is part of the Ramleh prison complex, was opened in 1950 and is located in the central region of Palestine. It consists of a variety of sections where occupation authorities hold security and criminal prisoners. One of its sections is exclusively reserved for isolation.
Ayala
The Beersheba prison complex was established in 1970 to detain Palestinian prisoners, and it is located close to the city of Beersheba in Southern Palestine. The site consists of four prisons, each separated from one another: Ohli Kedar and Eshel for security prisoners, Dekel for criminal prisoners, and Ayala which was founded to become the first private prison. Alya was shut down by a Supreme Court decision. The Beersheba complex is used for isolating prisoners in specific cases such as hunger strikes. Together the four prisons can accommodate hundreds of detainees. In 1984, all security prisoners were deported to other prisons and detention centers, leaving Beersheba as a site for criminal prisoners only. Though after 1987, a new isolation section was established at Beersheba by transforming the existing sections 7 & 8 to isolation sections, as well as returning to imprisoning Palestinian security prisoners in regular cells. Other sections continue to be used for both Arab and Jewish criminals.
Gush Etzion
This site is composed of a single interrogation center located next to the Gush Etzion settlement between Hebron and Bethlehem towards the South of the West Bank.
Huwwara & Kedumim Detention Centers
Huwwara Detention Center: Located near Nablus towards the North of the West Bank, this detention center is used by Israeli Occupation forces as one of the initial sites where they transport prisoners for interrogation—before they are transferred to military courts and other prisons within territories Israelis occupied in 1948 (beyond West Bank authority).
Kedumim Detention Center (not pictured on map): This center is located within the Kedumim settlement nearby a military camp for the occupation army next to the Kafr Qaddum village between Nablus and Qalqaliya. Right next to the site is a site where fireworks are lit frequently, which startles detainees around the clock, due to the loud noise which resembles gun-shootings followed by seeming explosions –that is in addition to the fireworks themselves posing a physical threat to the nearby detainees.
Salem Detention Center and Military Court
This detention center can hold up to 40 prisoners and is located at the northern tip of the West Bank near Salem village (north west of Jenin). The site also includes a military court.
Ramon Prison
Located in South East Palestine, Ramon is adjacent to the old Nafha prison, and was recently constructed using the American prison system for criminals and drug offenders as a model. The new complex is surrounded by extremely intensified security and consists of three units each of which can accommodate 120 prisoners. Each unit is divided into 10 rooms and houses 10 prisoners per room. The rooms do not exceed 3.5 meters in width and contain a toilet and a sink; they are about 2.5 meters in height with only one window for ventilation measuring about 80*120 cm. As of 2006, the prison began to be used for detaining security prisoners; the site also includes a section for isolation.
Negev Desert (Ketziot) Prison
The Negev desert prison, was opened in 1988 where more than fifty thousand Palestinian prisoners were incarcerated until it was closed in 1995 after the signing of the Oslo Accords. It was then re-opened with the outbreak of the Aqsa Intifada in 2002. The prison is located about 180 km south of Jerusalem and about 10 km east of the Egyptian borders. The prison consists of 3 large sections: Section A) which consists of 8 interior sections, each of which can contain 120 prisoners. Each section includes 6 camps. Section B) which consists of caravans, or virtually mobile rooms, which were built in 2008 after the prison was burned down, martyring the prisoner Mohammed al-Ashqar. This newer caravan section contains 4 units; though section B contains another 4 units on the opposite side that consist of regular camps. Section C) which is referred to as “the rooms” was built in 2007. With all of its units combined, section C can contain 3500 prisoners, some of which are administrative detainees.
Ohalei Keidar Prison
The Beersheba prison complex was established in 1970 to detain Palestinian prisoners, and it is located close to the city of Beersheba in Southern Palestine. The site consists of four prisons, each separated from one another: Ohli Kedar and Eshel for security prisoners, Dekel for criminal prisoners, and Ayala which was founded to become the first private prison. Alya was shut down by a Supreme Court decision. The Beersheba complex is used for isolating prisoners in specific cases such as hunger strikes. Together the four prisons can accommodate hundreds of detainees. In 1984, all security prisoners were deported to other prisons and detention centers, leaving Beersheba as a site for criminal prisoners only. Though after 1987, a new isolation section was established at Beersheba by transforming the existing sections 7 & 8 to isolation sections, as well as returning to imprisoning Palestinian security prisoners in regular cells. Other sections continue to be used for both Arab and Jewish criminals.
Nafha Prison
This old building is located in the southeastern desert area in Palestine. It is located 100 km from Beersheba and 200km away from Jerusalem. Since 1980, the prison was used especially for security prisoners, and it is considered one of the most harsh and severe of the occupation prisons. That comes as no surprise knowing that it was renovated solely for the intended purpose of imprisoning leaders among Palestinian prisoners to subject them to gradual death and to isolate them from the rest of the other prisons. And the prison consists of two buildings: one old and one new (Ramon prison) which are surrounded by extremely intensified security. Due to it being a “desert prison” it is extremely cold during the winter and extremely hot during the summer. The prison also contains a section for isolation.
Eshel Prison
The Beersheba prison complex was established in 1970 to detain Palestinian prisoners, and it is located close to the city of Beersheba in Southern Palestine. The site consists of four prisons, each separated from one another: Ohli Kedar and Eshel for security prisoners, Dekel for criminal prisoners, and Ayala which was founded to become the first private prison. Alya was shut down by a Supreme Court decision. The Beersheba complex is used for isolating prisoners in specific cases such as hunger strikes. Together the four prisons can accommodate hundreds of detainees. In 1984, all security prisoners were deported to other prisons and detention centers, leaving Beersheba as a site for criminal prisoners only. Though after 1987, a new isolation section was established at Beersheba by transforming the existing sections 7 & 8 to isolation sections, as well as returning to imprisoning Palestinian security prisoners in regular cells. Other sections continue to be used for both Arab and Jewish criminals.
Ofer Detention Center, Prison, and Military Court (&& Beit El Settlement Compound)
The Israeli Occupation forces began using Ofer as a detention center in 2002, and transferred managerial authority of Ofer Prison from the occupying military to the Israeli Prison Services in 2005. Known as ‘Ofer Camp,’ the site was built on expropriated land from the village of Beitunia in the West Bank—just four kilometers outside the city of Ramallah. Ofer Detention Center was temporarily closed only to be re-opened with brand new detention sections during the Israeli invasion of the West Bank cities in 2002 due to the high number of prisoners and detainees who had been arrested. In addition to prisoners, both administrative detainees and children are sent to Ofer as well.
Beit El Settlement Compound (not pictured on map): This is a settler compound known as Beit El located just outside the city limits of Ramallah. It consists of a compound for a variety of administrative civil chambers for the occupation forces including: courts, intelligence and police stations, detention centers, and a Beit El courthouse. Though the court was moved to Ofer after which the Beit El courthouse was closed. The detention center remained for only a little while after before it was also shut down.
Ashkelon (Askalan) Central Prison & Prison Building
- Ashkelon Central Prison :This prison was founded during the British Mandate as a headquarters for British army leaders in Ashkelon and its surrounding areas. It was also used as a royal palace to host official British delegations. Within Ashkelon palace, one branch was designated as an interrogation center to crackdown on revolutionary fighters, after the defeat of 1967 which was met with escalated resistance as part of the national struggle against the occupation as well as a significant increase in the number of prisoners. Ashkelon prison was founded to receive Palestinian prisons beginning from 1970; its opening was one of the bloodiest of its kind, hence its coming to be known as “al-tashreefa”—referring to the prison guards forcing of prisoners to pass in between two lines from the prison gates to the prison cells and rooms while beating them with batons all over their bodies.
- Ashkelon Prison Building: Ashkelon Prison is composed of five sections including an isolation section composed of cells labeled “A, B, C, D, E” situated to the north of other prison sections. There is also a special wing for the Israeli Shabak (security services) for interrogating Palestinian and Arab prisoners. In 1979, the “shame” section was founded to the north west of the prison, wherein prisoners who collaborated with the Shin Bet security services and the prison administration authorities were grouped. ·
Rimonim Prison
Hasharon (Telmond) Prison
This prison is located South of the line extending between Tulkaram and Netanya on the old road leading to Hadera. This prison was built in the 70s specifically due to clashes between Arabs and Jews. Today, the prison consists of three sections: one section for children designated as security prisoners and another for children designated as criminal prisoners. The third section is specially designated for Palestinian women prisoners. The prison is surrounded by a high wall that reaches 3 meters in height and includes four high watch towers. The prison previously used to contain a high number of Palestinian children under 16 years of age amongst a number of Jewish criminal prisoners, which endangered their lives and made them vulnerable to harassment and violation by the criminal prisoners.
Hadarim Prison
This site is located close to Hasharon prison South of the line extending between the two cities of Tulkaram and Netanya on the old road leading to Hadera. Hadarim is a relatively new prison modeled after the US prison system with circularly shaped sections.The prison was established primarily for civilians, but later one section became designated for Palestinian security prisoners. The first wave of Palestinian security prisoners sent to Hadarim was in October of 1999. The prison itself consists of 8 sections each of which can hold up to 600 prisoners.
Damon Prison
This prison was opened in 1953 as a camp for detaining Palestinian prisoners. After being shut down in 2000, it was reopened during the Al-Aqsa Intifada. Damon Prison is located in Northern Palestine in the forests of Carmel in Haifa. It was established during the British mandate.
Gilboa Prison
Located in the North of Palestine, Gilboa prison was recently established in 2004 next to Shatta prison in the Beesan (Hebrew: Beit She’an) area. It is a high-security prison, and is described as the most intensely secured of its kind where occupation authorities incarcerate Palestinian prisoners.
Nitzan Prison & Detention Center
This prison & detention center, which was founded in 1978, originated within Ayalon prison and was referred to as “Ramleh detention.” In 1981, it was renamed as ‘Nitzan’ after Gondar Rooney Nitzan who was the prison director at the time and was killed during that same year. This prison can accommodate around 740 prisoners and detainees, and also includes a section exclusively designated for isolation.
Kishon Prison
Located at the crossroads of a main road between Haifa and Nazareth in the territories occupied since 1948, this site consists of a high security interrogation center. This means that detainees remain detained throughout the interrogation process, and takes place in a building that was established during the British Mandate.
Petah Tikva Detention Center
This site is located on the colonized land of the Petah Tikva settlement in the territories occupied since 1948, and was specifically constructed to enable military-administered interrogations with Palestinian prisoners. The interrogation center was constructed without any windows in the rooms or cells. The Peta Tikva prison is located within the police station in Yafo governorate.
Al-Moscobiyeh (The Russian Compound) Interrogation Center and Prison
Located in the middle of Jerusalem near the Old City as part of the so-called “Russian Compound,” this site was founded during the British Mandate and was then known as the central prison. Moscobiyeh is now used as a center to interrogate Palestinian detainees and prisoners from a variety of age groups. At once, it came to be known as “the slaughterhouse” due to the use of harsh torture techniques by authorities in the prison, especially throughout the 80s.
Shatta (Shita) Prison
Opened in 1952, this prison is located in Beesan valley south of the Galilee Sea where temperatures can run high, reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius in the summer. The prison is surrounded by a high cement wall that reaches 7.3 meters, topped by barbed wire, and six watch towers.
Megiddo Prison and Detention Center
Located in the meadow area of Beni Amer en route to Haifa, this prison was used throughout the British Mandate over Palestine and was expanded by the British before the Israeli occupation to include ‘security’ prisoners. Megiddo is therefore a relatively old military-controlled area; its associated detention center was opened by the Israeli occupation forces in March of 1988 with the beginning of the First Intifada. Thus the site which was, for a certused to imprison Jewish and Lebanese criminal prisoners then become a prison and detention center. Since 2005, the managerial authority over the prison was transferred from the occupying military to the Israeli Prison Services. Ofer prison also holds both administrative detainees and children. Occupation forces imprison child prisoners and administrative detainees in Megiddo as well-- which contains a special section for isolation.