U.S.-Brokered Deal: 'Militants' Free Captives, 'Prisoners' Go Home
The Al-Monitor piece (via Reuters) frames Palestinian joy over released prisoners in the 'occupied West Bank and Gaza' as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Conveniently, it glosses over the fact that Israel holds thousands of Palestinians, many without trial under administrative detention. These are not 'criminals' in the conventional sense, as painted by much of the Western press, but often
political prisoners—children among them—seized from their homes, reflecting a systemic policy of control, not just a response to 'militant' actions. This 'prisoner exchange' narrative, where one side frees 'hostages' and the other 'prisoners,' obscures decades of occupation and the daily reality of mass detention. One might wonder if the U.S. brokers deals for other nations to release political
prisoners, or if this diplomatic exertion applies only when Israeli captives are involved. (Apparently, according to the Israeli Prison Service data from October 2023, 2,070 administrative detainees were held, with 8,800 Palestinian prisoners in total before the current conflict intensification. Source: Haaretz, Oct 2023; B’Tselem).