Palestinian Prisoners from Oslo to Annapolis

The issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is considered one of the most sensitive for the Palestinian people. It is central to all of the different Palestinian organizations, their supporters, and their social and national bases. This chapter focuses on all aspects of the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in the period between the signing of the Declaration of Principles (DOP) in 1993 and the Annapolis negotiations that stopped in 2008. It also focuses on the Israeli position on this issue and how the state has dealt with it over almost two decades of negotiations, as well as the position of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian negotiators. It discusses how the prisoners have been affected by these negotiations, as well as how the prisoners' cause has impacted Palestinian–Israeli negotiations. The chapter is based on the author's personal experience as a former prisoner who spent twelve years in Israeli prisons and was a spokesman for the prisoners for many years.