Israel just announced plans to reopen the infamous Ansar 3 internment camp in the Negev desert, 35 miles southwest of Beersheba near the border with Egypt. Israel held thousands of Palestinians in the camp from 1987 to 1993 during the first intifada, and the plan to house at least some of the more than 1,200 prisoners rounded up during the latest Israeli offensive is stirring bitter memories among Palestinians.

I guess the Israelis also want to open a southern front!

DaMan

There was a movie made about this camp.....

Directed by Eitan Wetzler, Hans Fels
Israel, Netherlands
1998
Video
50 minutes
Hebrew, Arabic, w/Eng. Subtitles
Subjects:Holocaust & World War II, Israel, Israelis & Arabs
Demographics:
Genres:  
The Intifada that began in December 1987 was brought on by the frustrations of young Palestinians in Arab territories under Israeli control. With virtually nothing to lose, faced with being powerless to control their own future, they took their struggles to the streets, armed only with stones. They encountered armed Israeli soldiers and were subsequently arrested and jailed in detention camps specially established for this purpose. One of the largest was Ansar 3, located in the Negev desert. DIOGENES: ANSAR 3 was filmed after the camp was closed. A team of Dutch and Israeli filmmakers revisit the period, talking with former guards who reveal their confusion over how Israeli Jews had traversed in one generation from inmates in concentration camps in Poland to a complete role reversal in the Negev desert. Former Palestinian inmates report on detention under horrible conditions, without due process of law. Some of the guards meet with former prisoners. They speak of emotional scars and of a future in which they hope peace is possible.

Thought some of you might find it interesting!

DaMan