The hall freezes at the sound of the Hebrew words of the enemy anthem. One more moment of hesitant silence, then applause. Now I can say my piece. I remind him that he may have problems with his own authorities for applauding the Hatikva. The organisers had stressed that we should speak about our own experiences.
People line up at the floor mikes to ask questions.
The first couple of questions are related to my Polish experiences, then it is the turn of a young man with closely cropped dark hair and a long beard. Hamas is in opposition both to the peace process and to Arafat's Palestinian administration. They may be better treated by Palestinian wardens, but the chances of Hamas prisoners receiving due process are low. Human rights violations in PNA territories was one of the issues raised most often in the discussion. When an Israeli soldier kills a Palestinian, nobody mentions it.