Latest news with #Jaradat
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
"You can't get rid of us...": How Microsoft employee bypassed 'Palestine block' to send email to thousands of employees in protest
FILE - Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella speaks during a presentation of the company's AI assistant, Copilot, and 50th Anniversary celebration at Microsoft headquarters, in Redmond, Wash., April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond, File) A Microsoft employee successfully circumvented the company's controversial email restrictions to send a mass protest message to thousands of colleagues, escalating tensions over the tech giant's contracts with the Israeli government. Nisreen Jaradat , a senior tech support engineer at Microsoft, sent the email on May 23rd with the subject line "You can't get rid of us," according to a copy obtained by The Verge. The message came just one day after Microsoft implemented blocks on emails containing words like " Palestine ," "Gaza," and "Genocide" in subject lines or message bodies. It remains unclear exactly how Jaradat circumvented the technical restrictions, though her email specifically noted that Microsoft leadership was "aware that this 'short term solution' is easily bypassable." "As a Palestinian worker, I am fed up with the way our people have been treated by this company," Jaradat wrote in her email to staff. "I am sending this email as a message to Microsoft leaders: the cost of trying to silence all voices that dare to humanize Palestinians is far higher than simply listening to the concerns of your employees." Protests escalate during Microsoft Build conference by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Nagelpilz-Innovation: Dieses Lasergerät ist ein Wunder Heilratgeber Weiterlesen Undo The email block was instituted during Microsoft's Build developer conference, which became the focal point for multiple protest actions. Employee Joe Lopez disrupted the opening keynote on May 19th before being fired the same day. A Palestinian tech worker then interrupted Microsoft's CoreAI head during his presentation, followed by additional disruptions from former employees. Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw defended the email restrictions, stating that mass emailing colleagues "about any topic not related to work is not appropriate." The company claims it has "taken measures to try and reduce those emails to those that have not opted in." Hossam Nasr , an organizer with the No Azure for Apartheid (NOAA) group, called Microsoft's word blocking "particularly egregious," arguing that employees speaking through "appropriate channels" are consistently "silenced or ignored." The protests follow Microsoft's acknowledgment of its cloud and AI contracts with Israel, though the company maintains an internal review found "no evidence" its tools were used to harm Gaza civilians. Read the full email from the Palestinian employee Yesterday, Microsoft chose to utterly and completely discriminate against an entire nation, an entire people, and an entire community by blocking all employees from sending any outbound email containing the words "Palestine", "Gaza", "genocide", or "apartheid". Microsoft leaders justified this blatant censorship by saying it was to prevent you from receiving emails like the email that you are reading right now. Even though Microsoft SLT are aware that this "short term solution" is easily bypassable, as this email clearly proves, Microsoft still doubled down, insisted on not rolling back the policy, and decided to continue targeting and repressing their Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and allied workers. They refused to revoke this censorship tactic, despite its potential illegality, dozens of employees expressing how racist of a decision it was, and even leaders admitting they see how it can be perceived as discriminatory and targeted. This further proves how little Microsoft values Palestinian lives and Palestinian suffering. As a Palestinian worker, I am fed up with the way our people have been treated by this company. I am sending this email as a message to Microsoft leaders: the cost of trying to silence all voices that dare to humanize Palestinians is far higher than simply listening to the concerns of your employees. Had this useless and discriminatory policy been revoked, as I tried to request numerous times through so-called "proper channels"[1][2], I would not be sending you all this email. Despite claiming to have "heard concerns from our employees and the public regarding Microsoft technologies used by the Israeli military to target civilians or cause harm in the conflict in Gaza" in a statement riddled with lies, admissions, and absurd justifications, Microsoft has shown that they are utterly uninterested in hearing what we have to say. Microsoft claims that they "provide many avenues for all voices to be heard". However, whenever we try to discuss anything substantial about divesting from genocide in the "approved channels", workers are retaliated against, doxxed, or silenced. Microsoft has deleted relevant employee questions in AMAs with executives and shut down Viva Engage posts in dedicated channels for asking SLT questions. Managers have warned outspoken directs to stay quiet and have even openly retaliated against them. When my community tries to flag issues and concerns to HR/GER/WIT, we have been met with racist outcomes with double standards. Throughout all this, Microsoft has sent a clear message to their employees: There are no proper channels at Microsoft to express your concerns, disagreements, or even questions about how Microsoft is using your labor to kill Palestinian babies. Over this past week, Microsoft has shown their true face, brutalizing, detaining, firing, pepper spraying, threatening and insulting workers and former workers protesting at Microsoft Build. This email censorship is simply the latest example in a long list of recent extreme and outrageous escalations by Microsoft against my community. Enough is enough. It has become clear that Microsoft will not listen to us out of the goodness of their hearts. Microsoft will not change their stance just because it is the moral or even legal thing to do. Microsoft will only divest from genocide once it becomes more expensive for them to kill Palestinians than not. Right now, Microsoft makes a lot of money from genocide-profiteering, so we must make support for genocide even more expensive. The situation in Palestine is more urgent by the minute. More and more Palestinians are being killed of starvation under the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)'s bombing campaign, invasion, and siege that has martyred an estimated 400,000 Palestinians. The IOF have kidnapped over 16,000 Palestinians and placed them in torture and rape camps. 1.93 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced, and over 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank. While a hostile work environment is difficult, it cannot compare to the horrors taking place in Palestine - horrors that we as Microsoft employees are complicit in. These futile attempts to silence our community, while painful at times, are evidence that the pressure we are applying is working. This is not the time for baby steps or gradual progress. Starving infants cannot wait any longer. We, as a company of over 200,000 employees, are providing the technological backbone for Israel's genocidal war machine in Palestinian. We, as employees of this company, have a responsibility to end our employer's complicity in this AI-assisted genocide! Now is the time to escalate against Microsoft and end this Microsoft-powered genocide! I am calling on every employee of conscience to: Sign No Azure for Apartheid's petition calling for a termination of all Microsoft contracts with the Israeli military and government: Strongly consider whether you want to stay in the company and fight for change from within, or if you want to leave and stop contributing labor to genocide. If you choose to leave Microsoft to no longer be complicit in genocide, do not go quietly. The No Azure for Apartheid campaign is ready to help you make an impact on your way out for Palestine, and we will also do our best to provide you support before leaving. Reach out to us expressing your interest to leave here. If you choose to stay, continue to fight from the inside to end Microsoft's, and your own, complicity in war crimes, join the No Azure for Apartheid campaign. If you are worried about being public with your affiliation, rest assured that as a worker-led grassroots movement, we have members with all levels of anonymity and risk level. Some of our members are publicly visible and will even publicly confront our war-criminal executives, such as Satya Nadella , Mustafa Suleyman , and Jay Parikh at major Microsoft events like the 50th Anniversary celebration and Microsoft Build. Other members choose to stay completely anonymous and still contribute to the critical work of the campaign. There is room for everyone: While I do understand that as Microsoft employees, we cannot fully boycott Microsoft, most of us can focus on the priority targets set by the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, which recently set Microsoft as a priority target. The main target of the boycott is Microsoft Gaming , especially X-Box. We can also encourage our friends and family to boycott Microsoft where possible. To Microsoft Senior Leadership team specifically:You cannot silence cannot silence cannot hide your involvement in genocide and apartheid. Fre e Palestine Nisreen Jaradat AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Mid East Info
25-05-2025
- Business
- Mid East Info
Supply, Girder Fabrication, Installation, Maintenance, and Support of overhead travelling cranes in Saudi Arabia by Verlinde partner Cranes and Steel for Arabian Transformers Co: a tailor-made success story
Arabian Transformers Co (ATC), established in 1997 in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, is a leading manufacturer of electrical distribution transformers, low voltage products and switchgear. With over 25 years' experience, ATC has established an international presence by focusing on quality, technological innovation and lean manufacturing. The company emphasises the quality of its solutions, worker safety and environmental protection, in accordance with ISO standards. For a special project, ATC was looking for a reliable overhead crane to lift and handle heavy steel components. They turned to Cranes and Steel, Verlinde's partner in the Middle East. Cranes and Steel specialises in steel structures and lifting technologies. It provides high-quality solutions throughout the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf region, Jordan and Palestine. As Verlinde's official distributor in the region, it offers quality electric hoists, winches and lifting components, ensuring reliable and efficient handling. It designs and supplies complete lifting systems, including overhead cranes, gantry cranes, jib cranes, and monorail cranes, tailored to meet the unique needs of various industries. Cranes and Steel also offers technical consultancy, installation, maintenance and after-sales services to ensure optimum performance. ATC was looking for a state-of-the-art overhead crane to lift and handle large, heavy steel structures safely and accurately. The installation had space constraints requiring careful alignment of runway beams and lifting components. In addition, unique structural features of the building required custom modifications to the installation. Mr Alaeddin Jaradat, Projects & Sales Manager at Cranes and Steel, explains: 'Arabian Transformers Co approached us based on recommendations from partners in the industry. We were chosen for this project because of our proven experience in similar lifting projects as well as our strong market presence and expertise in providing high quality solutions.' Tailor-made lifting installations For this project, Cranes and Steel installed a range of overhead cranes, including both single-girder and double-girder configurations, to meet the client's diverse lifting requirements. The installation included cranes with lifting capacities of 3 tonnes, 5 tonnes, 10 tonnes and 30 tonnes, all operating at 60 Hz. The process began with a thorough site assessment to ensure optimum crane positioning and structural support. Mr. Jaradat says: 'For the main crane, our team then installed and aligned the runway beams, ensuring precision and stability for the crane system. Following this, we assembled the crane components, including the bridge girders, end carriages, and hoist, before carefully positioning the crane onto the runway using specialized lifting equipment. The next phase involved setting up the electrical systems and control mechanisms, followed by extensive load testing and operational checks to ensure the crane's safety and performance. To ensure the client's team could operate the crane efficiently, we provided detailed operator and maintenance training. This project showcases our commitment to delivering customized lifting solutions that meet the highest standards of quality, safety, and performance for our valued customers.' He continues: 'Our team successfully completed the installation, ensuring that the cranes met all safety and performance standards. They now significantly improve the customer's handling of steel components, boosting their overall operational efficiency.' Cranes and Steel recommended Verlinde EUROBLOC VT electric hoist to ATC for this project, as they were the most appropriate and reliable choice for this type of application. Verlinde's overhead crane systems are known for their high performance, durability, and precision, making them an ideal fit for lifting heavy steel components. Their advanced technology ensures smooth and efficient operation, while the robust design meets the demanding conditions of industrial environments. Given the specific needs of our customer, Verlinde products offered the best combination of reliability, safety, and efficiency. Increased efficiency and safety The installation of the new overhead cranes has significantly improved ATC's operations. With a range of lifting capacities, the cranes have increased efficiency and productivity, while enhancing safety and control. The streamlined material handling process has reduced downtime, allowing for smoother workflows and better overall performance. These improvements have helped the customer meet their operational needs more effectively and position their facility for future growth. Thanks to meticulous planning and execution, the installation ran smoothly, meeting all performance and safety standards, with minimal disruption to the customer's operations. A partnership built on trust Mr. Jaradat is delighted: 'After successfully completing this project, our relationship with the customer has strengthened, based on mutual trust and respect. By providing a bespoke lifting solution that met their specific needs, Cranes and Steel not only improved their operational efficiency, but also demonstrated their commitment to a long-term partnership. Cranes and Steel provides ongoing support, including maintenance and future upgrades.' Mr. Jaradat concludes: 'As ATC's business grows, we will support future extensions, upgrades and additional lifting solutions to meet their changing needs. Our ongoing co-operation will include regular maintenance, technical support and potential system improvements to maximise efficiency. Building on a solid foundation of trust and reliability, we look forward to remaining their preferred partner for all their future lifting and steelwork needs.' Mr. Ansheel Haneef, Export Sales Manager Middle East & Africa for Verlinde declares: 'The collaboration between Verlinde and Crane and Steel has effectively utilized our complementary strengths, leading to significant market penetration and impressive results. By combining our expertise in crane technology with project execution in the Middle East, this partnership is well-positioned for future growth and sustained success.'
Hans India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Microsoft Employee Defies Email Restrictions to Voice Support for Palestinians
In a bold act of protest, a Microsoft employee has managed to bypass the company's internal filters that block terms like 'Palestine,' 'Gaza,' and 'Genocide' incorporate emails. The employee, Nisreen Jaradat, a senior tech support engineer, sent a powerful message to thousands of staff members on May 23rdwith the subject line: 'You can't get rid of us.' Her message, which was obtained by a famous publication, voiced her frustration with the company's stance on the ongoing conflict. 'As a Palestinian worker, I am fed up with the way our people have been treated by this company,' Jaradat wrote. 'I am sending this email as a message to Microsoft leaders: the cost of trying to silence all voices that dare to humanize Palestinians is far higher than simply listening to the concerns of your employees.' Although it remains unclear how Jaradat circumvented the internal restrictions, her email called on colleagues to support a petition by No Azure for Apartheid(NOAA), a group pushing Microsoft to end its partnerships with the Israeli government. NOAA has been behind multiple protest actions in recent weeks, including disruptions at the company's annual developer event, MicrosoftBuild. Jaradat encouraged coworkers to not only sign the petition but also to get involved in NOAA's growing internal movement. She described her email as a direct message to Microsoft leadership, urging them to confront uncomfortable truths rather than suppress employee voices. When asked about the incident, Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw referred that famous publication to a previously released statement addressing the policy. 'Mass emailing colleagues about any topic not related to work is not appropriate,' the company stated, adding that it has implemented measures to limit such messages to those who have opted in. Hossam Nasr, an organizer with NOAA, criticized the company's response. 'Microsoft keeps telling its workers to go through the appropriate channels, and yet time and time again, those who speak up in 'appropriate channels' from viva engage posts to HR tickets are silenced or ignored,' Nasr said. 'What Microsoft is really telling us is: make it convenient for us to ignore you. Nisreen's email summarises it: they cannot get rid of us. We will continue protesting in all ways, big and small, until our demands are met.' This week's escalation follows a string of employee-led demonstrations that began on May 19th when a Microsoft worker, Joe Lopez, interrupted the Build conference's key note and later emailed thousands of colleagues. Lopez was terminated that same day. Protests continued through the week, including interruptions during AI-related sessions and pickets outside the venue. The unrest comes shortly after Microsoft publicly acknowledged its contracts with the Israeli government but maintained that internal and external reviews found 'no evidence' that its tools were used to 'target or harm people' in Gaza. The employee actions have intensified internal tensions and raised questions about how far corporations should go in regulating speech related to global humanitarian issues. Read the full email here Yesterday, Microsoft chose to utterly and completely discriminate against an entire nation, an entire people, and an entire community by blocking all employees from sending any outbound email containing the words 'Palestine', 'Gaza', 'genocide', or 'apartheid'. Microsoft leaders justified this blatant censorship by saying it was to prevent you from receiving emails like the email that you are reading right now. Even though Microsoft SLT are aware that this 'short term solution' is easily by passable, as this email clearly proves, Microsoft still doubled down, insisted on not rolling back the policy, and decided to continue targeting and repressing their Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and allied workers. They refused to revoke this censorship tactic, despite its potential illegality, dozens of employees expressing how racist of a decision it was, and even leaders admitting they see how it can be perceived as discriminatory and targeted. This further proves how little Microsoft values Palestinian lives and Palestinian suffering. As a Palestinian worker, I am fed up with the way our people have been treated by this company. I am sending this email as a message to Microsoft leaders: the cost of trying to silence all voices that dare to humanize Palestinians is far higher than simply listening to the concerns of your employees. Had this useless and discriminatory policy been revoked, as I tried to request numerous times through so-called 'proper channels'[1][2], I would not be sending you all this email. Despite claiming to have 'heard concerns from our employees and the public regarding Microsoft technologies used by the Israeli military to target civilians or cause harm in the conflict in Gaza' in a statement riddled with lies, admissions, and absurd justifications, Microsoft has shown that they are utterly uninterested in hearing what we have to say. Microsoft claims that they 'provide many avenues for all voices to be heard'. However, whenever we try to discuss anything substantial about divesting from genocidein the 'approved channels', workers are retaliated against, doxxed, or silenced. Microsoft has deleted relevant employee questions in AMAs with executives and shut down Viva Engage posts in dedicated channels for asking SLT questions. Managers have warned outspoken directs to stay quiet and have even openly retaliated against them. When my community tries to flag issues and concerns to HR/GER/WIT, we have been met with racist outcomes with double standards. Throughout all this, Microsoft has sent a clear message to their employees: There are no proper channels at Microsoft to express your concerns, disagreements, or even questions about how Microsoft is using your labor to kill Palestinian babies. Over this past week, Microsoft has shown their true face, brutalizing, detaining, firing, pepper spraying, threatening and insulting workers and former workers protesting at Microsoft Build. This email censorship is simply the latest example in a long list of recent extreme and outrageous escalations by Microsoft against my community. Enough is enough. It has become clear that Microsoft will not listen to us out of the goodness of their hearts. Microsoft will not change their stance just because it is the moral or even legal thing to do. Microsoft will only divest from genocide once it becomes more expensive for them to kill Palestinians than not. Right now, Microsoft makes a lot of money from genocide-profiteering, so we must make support for genocide even more expensive. The situation in Palestine is more urgent by the minute. More and more Palestinians are being killed of starvation under the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)'s bombing campaign, invasion, and siege that has martyred an estimated 400,000Palestinians. The IOF have kidnapped over 16,000 Palestinians and placed them in torture and rape camps. 1.93 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced, and over 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank. While a hostile work environment is difficult, it cannot compare to the horrors taking place in Palestine - horrors that we as Microsoft employees are complicit in. These futile attempts to silence our community, while painful at times, are evidence that the pressure we are applying is working. This is not the time for baby steps or gradual progress. Starving infants cannot wait any longer. We, as a company of over 200,000 employees, are providing the technological backbone for Israel's genocidal war machine in Palestinian. We, as employees of this company, have a responsibility to end our employer's complicity in this AI-assisted genocide! Now is the time to escalate against Microsoft and end this Microsoft-powered genocide! I am calling on every employee of conscience to: Sign No Azure for Apartheid's petition calling for a termination of all Microsoft contracts with the Israeli military and government: Strongly consider whether you want to stay in the company and fight for change from within, or if you want to leave and stop contributing labor to genocide. If you choose to leave Microsoft to no longer be complicit in genocide, do not go quietly. The No Azure for Apartheid campaign is ready to help you make an impact on your way out for Palestine, and we will also do our best to provide you support before leaving. Reach out to us expressing your interest to leave here. If you choose to stay, continue to fight from the inside to end Microsoft's, and your own, Complicity in war crimes, join the No Azure for Apartheid campaign. If you are worried about being public with your affiliation, rest assured that as a worker-led grassroots movement, we have members with all levels of anonymity and risk level. Some of our members are publicly visible and will even publicly confront our war-criminal executives, such as Satya Nadella, Mustafa Suleyman, and Jay Parikh at major Microsoft events like the 50th Anniversary celebration and Microsoft Build. Other members choose to stay completely anonymous and still contribute to the critical work of the campaign. There is room for everyone: While I do understand that as Microsoft employees, we cannot fully boycott Microsoft, most of us can focus on the priority targets set by the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, which recently set Microsoft as a priority target. The main target of the boycott is Microsoft Gaming, especially X-Box. We can also encourage our friends and family to boycott Microsoft where possible. To Microsoft Senior Leadership team specifically: You cannot silence Palestine. You cannot silence Gaza. You cannot hide your involvement in genocide and apartheid. Free Palestine Nisreen Jaradat
Saba Yemen
11-05-2025
- Saba Yemen
Anas Jaradat Enters 23rd Year in Israeli Prisons
Jenin - Saba: Palestinian detainee Anas Ghaleb Hassan Jaradat from the town of Silat al-Harithiya, west of Jenin, entered his 23rd year in Israeli prisons today, Sunday. Montaser Samour, director of the Jenin Prisoners Club, said, according to the Palestinian WAFA News Agency, that Jaradat was arrested on May 11, 2003, and was sentenced by Israeli authorities to 35 life sentences, in addition to 35 years. He added that Jaradat earned his high school diploma and a bachelor's degree in history while in captivity. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Egypt Independent
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Israeli survivor of deadly suicide bombing grapples with the release of the man who ordered the attack
Haifa, Israel CNN — The last image Oran Almog saw before losing his sight was dead bodies covered in glass – five of them, members of his own family. A suicide bomber had detonated an explosive belt at a Haifa restaurant, killing Almog's father, brother, grandparents and cousin. 'I remember us sitting down, ordering something to eat. And the next thing I remember is myself lying on the ground,' Almog told CNN in an interview. The terrorist attack killed 21 people and wounded 60, including Almog, who was blinded on October 4, 2003. Now, more than two decades later, the man who dispatched the bomber – Sami Jaradat – has been released from Israeli prison as part of the ceasefire and hostage release deal reached between Hamas and Israel in January. He is among 1,735 Palestinian prisoners released during the ceasefire agreement in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages. While most prisoners released have not been convicted of any crime and just one-third were convicted of murder or attempted murder, the Israeli government and media typically refer to all prisoners as 'terrorists,' which has driven public perceptions around the deal in Israel. The news of Jaradat's release left Almog stunned and speechless. 'I never imagined that he would go out from the jail… I was speechless. It was giving really deep pain for me. Not angry, not disappointed, only feeling something was broken in my heart,' he said. But soon afterwards, Almog began to realize what he called the 'price' of this deal, and believed it was one worth paying. 'I understood if Sami Jaradat will stay in the jail forever, my family who was murdered in the terror attack, they will never return alive. But living Israeli hostages still can come back, so this is what was important for me,' he said. Almog penned an op-ed in Israeli newspaper Haaretz shortly after he learned Jaradat would be released, urging Israelis to 'put aside the disagreements over the price, and focus on the main thing' – referring to the release of hostages. Protesters' opposition Jaradat and 109 other Palestinians were freed from detention on January 30 following the release of Israeli hostages Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Moses and Israeli soldier Agam Berger, who were taken captive during the October 7 attacks. Almog said it reminded him of the moment his cousin Chen Almog-Goldstein, who was also taken hostage by Hamas with her surviving children on October 7, was released during the first short-lived ceasefire and hostage release deal in November 2023. 'I will never forget this evening when they got the first hug from our family… I understood the joy and happiness of Israelis coming back home,' he reflected. But Almog's perspective is not one shared by all Israelis. Many, including a small number of hostage families that belong to the right-wing Tikva Forum and Gvura Forum, have opposed a ceasefire from the get-go. Days after the deal was announced on January 15, hundreds of protesters belonging to the two forums took to the streets in Jerusalem, chanting, 'Don't make a deal with the devil!' and 'Sinwar was also released in a deal!' They recall how Yahya Sinwar, the late leader of Hamas and architect of the October 7 attacks, was released from Israeli imprisonment along with 1,027 Palestinians in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. Yehoshua Shani, the father of an Israeli soldier killed on October 7, invoked that history and called all Palestinians being released 'vile murderers.' 'The price of this deal has already been written, we just don't know who will pay the price,' he said. Some Israelis oppose the release of Palestinians from Israeli jails and instead insist that defeating Hamas through strong military action should be the top priority for Israel and is the best strategy to bring back the hostages. Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas, which lasted 42 days and concluded last weekend, leaving the truce hanging by a thread, 33 Israeli hostages were released in exchange for 1,735 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. A 'bargaining chip' According to information from the Israel Prison Service and the Palestinian Prisoner's Society, the majority of those cleared for release were detained without charge and were not put on trial or given an opportunity to defend themselves. Of the 1,735 Palestinians, about 15 percent were convicted of killing Israelis, including civilians and soldiers. Most of them were imprisoned during the first and second intifadas, uprisings by Palestinians against Israel's military occupation of the West Bank. Another 18 percent were convicted of attempted murder. Nearly two-thirds of the total were being held without trial, including 1,000 Palestinians detained in Gaza during the war, according to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society and the Israel Prison Service. The remainder were convicted of lesser charges like being affiliated to an 'outlawed organization' or 'incitement,' a vague charge that has been used to jail Palestinians over social media posts, including those expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. That nuance is often lost on the Israeli public, political analyst and Haaretz columnist Dahlia Scheindlin told CNN. 'Israelis believe that a Palestinian that's being held in Israeli detention – by virtue of being held in Israeli detention – must be a terrorist,' she said. Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank fall under the jurisdiction of Israel's military court system, where rights groups say the conviction rate is over 99 percent. Human rights organizations have denounced the system as a means to maintain Israel's control over Palestinians. 'There's no question that many people were arrested, detained, both in Gaza and in the West Bank, for the purpose of having them as a bargaining chip. And some of those people probably didn't commit any act, maybe some of them did…the problem is that Israelis are not willing to look at both of those types of prisoners,' Scheindlin said. Still, despite equating the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to the release of terrorists, Israeli polling suggests a majority of Israelis overwhelmingly support the ceasefire and hostage release deal. Like most Israelis, Almog has come to prioritize the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza over the 'price' of freeing Palestinian prisoners convicted of killing Israelis. But he will not forget that price, nor what it has delivered. 'To understand the price, that my pain brings the Israeli hostages home… is really important to me,' Almog said. 'I don't know, maybe someday I will meet Agam, Gadi and Arbel and feel the full meaning, the full importance of this deal and this price to me.'
