Latest news with #ZakariaZubeidi
New York Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
The Palestinian Who Led a Militia, a Theater and a Jailbreak
When Zakaria Zubeidi was suddenly freed from an Israeli prison in February, it was a rare and fleeting moment of joy for Palestinians. Hundreds turned out in Ramallah, a Palestinian city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to celebrate Mr. Zubeidi's arrival from jail, cheering him as a returning hero. They chanted his name as he took his first steps of freedom, some of them hoisting him on their shoulders. A child clutched a tin of hair gel that Mr. Zubeidi had given him six years ago, before he was jailed. 'I want to show Uncle Zakaria that I kept it,' said Watan Abu Al Rob, 11, 'and I'll only use it now that he is free.' Mr. Zubeidi, 49, is the best-known of the Palestinian prisoners swapped for Israeli hostages during a brief truce in Gaza earlier this year. In the early 2000s, he inspired Palestinians — and terrified Israelis — by leading a militant group affiliated with Fatah, Hamas's secular rival. He drew international attention when, several years later, he stopped fighting and helped set up a theater. Jailed a decade later, he cemented his legend when he briefly escaped prison through a tunnel, before being recaptured days later. Now, months after his release, Mr. Zubeidi has become emblematic of something else: a sense of hopelessness that imbues Palestinian life. In a recent conversation with The New York Times — his first major interview as a free man — Mr. Zubeidi said he felt that his life as a militant, a theater leader and a prisoner had ultimately proved futile. None of it had helped forge a Palestinian state, he said, and it may never do so. 'We have to reconsider our tools,' Mr. Zubeidi said in an interview in Ramallah. 'We founded a theater, and we tried cultural resistance — what did that do?' he asked. 'We tried the rifle, we tried shooting. There's no solution.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Arab News
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Released Palestinian Zakaria Zubeidi blames West for Israel's occupation
LONDON: One of the most prominent Palestinian figures freed this week by Israel as part of the Gaza ceasefire has blamed Western countries for the Israeli occupation. Zakaria Zubeidi, a former militant commander in the West Bank, received a hero's welcome when he arrived in Ramallah late on Thursday after his release by Israel. The 49-year-old, who grew up in a refugee camp in Jenin, was jailed in 2019 after an Israeli military court convicted him of involvement in terrorism. In an interview with Sky News, Zubeidi said he still believed in 'a resistance that will lead us to freedom,' but claimed that Israel's occupation of the West Bank had been allowed to continue by the international community. He added: 'Freedom has no price. But the world that has denied me my freedom — particularly Britain, France, and the United States — must return what they have taken from me and my children. 'They are the ones who need to reconsider their mistakes, not me. 'They are the ones who have wronged us, and they should think about rectifying the harm they have caused to me and my children.' Such is Zubeidi's popularity that he was greeted by the former Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. 'Palestinians are desperate for peace,' Shtayyeh said. 'We want a genuine peace process that does really bring peace and justice for everybody.' A long line of people at a school in Ramallah also waited to shake Zubeidi's hand and hug him. Zubeidi has been banned from returning to Jenin, where Israeli forces have launched military operations after switching their focus from Gaza to the West Bank. Zubeidi has admitted a role in a bombing attack in 2002 during the Second Intifada that killed six Israeli civilians. During that period he was the head of the Jenin Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of the Fatah political party. Zubeidi's father was arrested by Israel for being a Fatah member when Zubeidi was a child. Later, as a teenager, he was shot in the leg while throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. Zubeidi's mother and brother were killed in 2002 during Israeli military operations in Jenin. His mother had hosted a theater group in Jenin to promote understanding between Palestinians and Israelis, which Zubeidi attended. He was among six prisoners who escaped in 2021 by digging a tunnel with dining plates, before being captured five days later.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'They're the ones who wronged us': Freed Palestinian prisoner Zakaria Zubeidi rebukes UK and US over 'harm they've caused'
One of the most high-profile prisoners to be released by Israel has told Sky News that the world has ignored Palestinians and says Britain is one of the countries he blames for taking away his freedom. Zakaria Zubeidi was imprisoned in 2019 after being found guilty by an Israeli military court of involvement in terrorism. He was released as part of the ceasefire agreement and welcomed back to the West Bank by crowds of well-wishers, including the man who was prime minister less than a year ago. Analysis: In his first interview with a European broadcaster, Zubeidi told Sky News he still believes in "a resistance that will lead us to freedom" but claimed that Israeli occupation of the West Bank was wholly down to the international community. "My life is worthless without freedom," he said, speaking in Ramallah. "Freedom has no price. But the world that has denied me my freedom - particularly Britain, France, and the United States - must return what they have taken from me and my children. "They are the ones who need to reconsider their mistakes, not me. "They are the ones who have wronged us, and they should think about rectifying the harm they have caused to me and my children." Zubeidi, whose mother, brother and son have all died as a result of Israeli military action, has admitted involvement in a 2002 bombing that killed six people. However, he has also been acclaimed by many in the West Bank as a symbol of the resistance. He was famously part of a group of prisoners who briefly escaped their Israeli jail after using kitchen utensils to dig a tunnel. "My message to the Palestinian people is to prioritise their safety and well-being because the assault being carried out against them is immense. I have no message for the occupation [Israel]," he said. "My message is to the world - the same world that granted the occupation the right to live on my land - to grant me my freedom." In common with many other released prisoners, he claimed to have been beaten while behind bars, saying: "The situation in Israeli prisons is extremely harsh. We've witnessed it all: severe beatings, attack dogs, relentless insults. Every form of abuse imaginable has been inflicted on the bodies of our prisoners." While many in Israel will consider Zubeidi to be a dangerous, murderous extremist, he is considered a totemic figure in the West Bank, and a natural leader in Jenin, where he grew up in a refugee camp. After being released, Israeli authorities banned him from returning to Jenin. Instead, he has remained in Ramallah, where a long line of people came to a school building to shake his hand and hug him. Among them, former prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who resigned less than a year ago. He embraced Zubeidi and told Sky News the release of prisoners could be a catalyst for an enduring peace deal. "We would like to see all prisoners released and we would like to see all hostages going home," said Mr Shtayyeh. He continued: "It's a historic moment for everybody. It's time for this bloodshed to stop. And I think it is a moment of truth for everybody. "In Gaza, 60,000 people have been killed, more than 120,000 have been injured. And of course, there have been so many casualties in Israel, too. "We know that. And this time Palestinians are desperate for peace. We want a genuine peace process that does really bring peace and justice for everybody." More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to Hamas-run authorities in Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive followed Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, when it took 250 people hostage and killed around 1,200 others.
Sky News
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
'They're the ones who wronged us': Freed Palestinian prisoner Zakaria Zubeidi rebukes UK and US over 'harm they've caused'
One of the most high-profile prisoners to be released by Israel has told Sky News that the world has ignored Palestinians and says Britain is one of the countries he blames for taking away his freedom. Zakaria Zubeidi was imprisoned in 2019 after being found guilty by an Israeli military court of involvement in terrorism. He was released as part of the ceasefire agreement and welcomed back to the West Bank by crowds of well-wishers, including the man who was prime minister less than a year ago. In his first interview with a European broadcaster, Zubeidi told Sky News he still believes in "a resistance that will lead us to freedom" but claimed that Israeli occupation of the West Bank was wholly down to the international community. "My life is worthless without freedom," he said, speaking in Ramallah. "Freedom has no price. But the world that has denied me my freedom - particularly Britain, France, and the United States - must return what they have taken from me and my children. "They are the ones who need to reconsider their mistakes, not me. "They are the ones who have wronged us, and they should think about rectifying the harm they have caused to me and my children." Zubeidi, whose mother, brother and son have all died as a result of Israeli military action, has admitted involvement in a 2002 bombing that killed six people. However, he has also been acclaimed by many in the West Bank as a symbol of the resistance. He was famously part of a group of prisoners who briefly escaped their Israeli jail after using kitchen utensils to dig a tunnel. "My message to the Palestinian people is to prioritise their safety and well-being because the assault being carried out against them is immense. I have no message for the occupation [Israel]," he said. "My message is to the world - the same world that granted the occupation the right to live on my land - to grant me my freedom." In common with many other released prisoners, he claimed to have been beaten while behind bars, saying: "The situation in Israeli prisons is extremely harsh. We've witnessed it all: severe beatings, attack dogs, relentless insults. Every form of abuse imaginable has been inflicted on the bodies of our prisoners." While many in Israel will consider Zubeidi to be a dangerous, murderous extremist, he is considered a totemic figure in the West Bank, and a natural leader in Jenin, where he grew up in a refugee camp. After being released, Israeli authorities banned him from returning to Jenin. Instead, he has remained in Ramallah, where a long line of people came to a school building to shake his hand and hug him. Among them, former prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who resigned less than a year ago. He embraced Zubeidi and told Sky News the release of prisoners could be a catalyst for an enduring peace deal. "We would like to see all prisoners released and we would like to see all hostages going home," said Mr Shtayyeh. He continued: "It's a historic moment for everybody. It's time for this bloodshed to stop. And I think it is a moment of truth for everybody. "In Gaza, 60,000 people have been killed, more than 120,000 have been injured. And of course, there have been so many casualties in Israel, too. "We know that. And this time Palestinians are desperate for peace. We want a genuine peace process that does really bring peace and justice for everybody." More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to Hamas-run authorities in Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive followed Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, when it took 250 people hostage and killed around 1,200 others.
Al-Ahram Weekly
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Zakaria Al-Zubaidi: Symbol of Palestinian resistance freed in prisoner swap! - War on Gaza
Zakaria Zubeidi, A prominent leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), and a former member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council, was released Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Zubeidi, 49, is one of the most high-profile of 110 prisoners, including 30 minors, freed in exchange for three Israelis, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group said. Born in 1976, he has a long history of resistance, having carried out numerous operations in the West Bank against the Israeli occupation and leading the Brigades' military activities during the Second Intifada (2000-2005). Zubeidi rose to prominence during the Second Intifada, a Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, becoming one of the best-known resistance leaders in Jenin and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. It was during the uprising that Zubeidi's mother was shot and killed when the Israeli occupation army raided the camp. Palestinian prisoner Zakaria Zubeidi is free. — PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) January 30, 2025 Long years of resistance Zubeidi became active with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party after a stint in prison in 1989 at age 14. Re-arrested in 1990, he rose through the ranks and eventually became leader of Fatah's armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, in Jenin. Released again in 1994 under the Oslo Accords, he joined the newly created Palestinian Authority's security forces in the West Bank city of Jericho and other former inmates. In 2001, Zubeidi was injured in an accidental explosion during a "military mission" that caused severe burns on his face and eyes still visible today. Zubeidi remained a fugitive until 2007 when he agreed to hand over his weapons to the Palestinian Authority. The deal saw Zubeidi's name removed from Israel's list of wanted individuals. But in 2011, Israel revoked Zubeidi's amnesty without disclosing why and arrested him in 2019. Zubeidi, known as a power broker in Jenin, as well as one of the few inmates to have escaped Israel's high-security Gilboa Prison, in 2021, has survived several assassination attempts by Israel. With five other prisoners, he escaped through a tunnel dug under the prison walls but was recaptured five days later. Theatre Zubeidi also became involved in theatre in Jenin, a densely populated refugee camp established in the early 1950s to house Palestinians who were expelled from their homes by Zionist militias during the Nakba and the creation of Israel. As a child, he joined activities in Arna's House, a community space and theatre founded by Israeli activist Arna Mer-Khamis for the camp's youth, located in the same building that his family lived. In a 2002 raid, the Israeli occupation army destroyed the community playhouse, which was later rebuilt and renamed the Freedom Theatre. After the 2007 amnesty, Zubeidi returned to Jenin and was involved again with the camp's theatre. In the same period, he also became openly critical of the Palestinian Authority. During his years in jail, three of Zubeidi's brothers, as well as his son Muhammad, were killed by the Israeli occupation military. Sources close to Zubeidi said that his first plans upon release were to visit the grave of his son, whose funeral he missed while in jail. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Short link:
