{mosimage}A three-year old child, Nour Naji Ghanim, was separated on Thursday from his mother, Manal Ghanim, 30, from Tulkarem refugee camp, who gave birth to him while in Israeli detention. His mother, who gave birth to him in October 2003, will remain imprisoned until her sentence ends on 17 Feb 2007.
Nour was born on October, 10, 2003; five months after his mother was arrested (she was pregnant when arrested).
As the soldiers were taking her child away from her, Manal pleaded with them to let her child stay with her until she is released, or to allow her to be released with him.
Hundreds of residents in Tulkarem refugee camp gathered at Al Taybeh Israeli checkpoint, near Tulkarem, to receive the child. Grief and sadness were apparent on their faces for the mother who remained imprisoned in Israeli occupation jails, separated from her child. But at the same time, they were also happy for the safe release of the child.
Now, Nour will not be allowed to see his mother until she is released in 2007.
The Israeli military court denied a request by lawyer Mahmoud Hassan who demanded the Israeli judicial system not to separate the child from him mother, especially since the boy does not know anybody outside the prison compound, but the court denied the request.
Since his birth, Nour has lived in prison with his mother at Al Ramleh detention facility for women.
Now, the Israeli court has ruled that Manal's sister will be responsible for the wellbeing of the child until his mother is released. The Tulkarem office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that the Prison Administration in Al Ramleh allowed Manal to phone her sister for 28 minutes to discuss the arrangements for her son.
Also, the society added that the Prison Administration allowed the husband of Manal and her sons to visit her, and sit with her for two hours without any barriers separating them for the first time since Manal's arrest, in order to receive the child and talk about his needs.
Besides Nour, Manal has two sons and one daughter; the two sons are Ehab, 11, and Majed 8, and the daughter Niveen, 8 years old.
Naji, the husband of Manal, said that he is very sad because his child has to be separated from his mother, very sad that his wife is not released, “but I also felt some happiness as we went to receive my child, and after we all met together for the first time since Manal was arrested”.
“After we visited Manal, and started to leave the room with Nour, the situation became so hard and unbearable”, Naji added, “She could not bear to be away from him, not for a second, but the soldiers forced us out, and took her away, while she was in a very bad psychological condition”.
“After he left the prison compound, Nour was asking for his mother, asking why she isn't with us”, the father added, “I did not know what to say, i just told him that she has to see a doctor, and will be home soon”.
Upon arriving to the checkpoint, family members, friends and residents were waiting there, they all rushed to receive the child who was forced away from his mother by the orders of the Israeli Prison Authorities and the orders of the Israeli Judicial System.
The child, not knowing anybody outside the prison compound, kept saying and repeating, “My name is Nour”. He hasn't yet come to the harsh realization that he will not be able to be with his mother, his only companion since he was born, until she is freed from the Israeli detention facility.
