Attorneys discuss Palestinian refugees, prisoners and the laws that are meant to protect them

Palestinian attorneys Othman Atta and Lamis Deek discussed the issues of Palestinian prisoners in the “Israeli injustice system” at the American Muslims for Palestine’s  (AMP) annual conference: “Reclaiming Our Narrative.”

“The issue of prisoners in the Palestinian context, is very different,” Atta said. “The Israeli system of injustice is nothing more than a system of subjugation and humiliation.”

“What is the main reason Palestinians are imprisoned? The overriding objective of the Israeli system is to try, and to force, the Palestinian population to submit to, or comply with, the Zionist occupation of their lands. It is meant to break the Palestinian will,” he added.

Deek followed him up by discussing international laws that are meant to protect Palestinians. However she prefaced her speech by saying: “The issue is not one of law, rather one of power.”

“The enforcement of international law is subjective and unclear,” Deek added.

Deek questioned what structure of power can be created to force laws to respond to facts on the ground.