Representatives of a number of local and international organizations that work with Palestinian detainees and their families, in addition to officials from the Ministry of Detainee and Ex-Detainee Affairs, attended a consultative conference at Birzeit University’s Institute of Community and Public Health on November 19, 2012.

The conference was part of a research project studying how political detention of Palestinians by the Israeli military affects detainees’ wives and children. The research team presented their main findings, including the results of an institutional survey done with the participating organizations, and facilitated a constructive discussion with attendees.

The input generated by this consultative conference will serve as a starting point for further cooperation between the Ministry of Detainee and Ex-Detainee Affairs, organizations providing services to prisoners and their families, and BZU’s Institute of Community and Public Health.