Palestinian Climber’s Wish From Israeli Prison: 'I Want To Climb All The Mountains When I Am Free'

ABDALLAH MOTAN CARRYING HIS CLIMBING SHOES AND CAMERA IN SILWAD, RAMALLAH

Abdallah Motan

A 30 years old young Palestinian man, a climber and film maker from Bruqa, east of Ramallah. He is known as one of the strongest climbers in Palestine. Today, Motan has completed a year and a half of his life behind bars, without practicing climbing, without going to nature—his favorite place to be after a long week of work behind his camera, or laptop. For him, climbing is not just a sport. He used it as a path to freedom.

According to his lawyer, Abdallah has lost significant weight due to undernutrition and a lack of healthy food. His curly hair has been shaved off. He likely misses his family, his siblings, his uncle in Venezuela, and his mother's Friday cooking when the family gathers for Maqlobeh—a traditional Palestinian dish—in short, probably every detail of his life. During his last visit, Abdallah was hopeful he would be released; otherwise, the Israeli court may extend his detention by another six months.

Abdallah met his uncle from Venezuela in Jordan, after being denied entry into Palestine

In general, freedom in Palestine is either missing or incomplete. And yet, Motan’s partial freedom has been taken away, just like it has for thousands of other Palestinians in prison—each one with their own life and dreams, now paused until release.

Motan is held in Ofer, an Israeli military court, under what is called ‘administrative detention’. His charges are not public, even for his lawyer. Because the lawyer doesn’t know the accusations, he cannot defend Motan properly. Administrative detention goes against one of the most basic human rights and even ancient judicial principles.

Abdallah was arrested in January 2025, at what is known as “the Bridge”—the crossing where Palestinians go to reach Jordan and fly to other countries. At the Israeli checkpoint, they decided he could not travel and sent him back to prison. A plan to gain freedom ended in complete lockdown.

For every Palestinian, leaving Palestine and traveling abroad offers a taste of freedom. They begin to wander, feel what freedom means, and then a growing homesick hits back. Many Palestinians feel deeply connected to their land: the soil, the people, the food, the rocks, and the community itself, despite the beauty of the world,

Abdallah Motan and Rock Climbing

Abdallah started rock climbing in 2021. He showed great potential and quickly became one of the best climbers in Palestine. He developed his own style, turning hard routes into entertainment. He was brave—sometimes the route was beyond his level, but he was always ready to try.

Motan comes from the village of Burqa—land that settlers aim to control and seize completely. Their decades-long plan includes taking over the area, building more settlements, and terrorizing people, children, sheep, and eventually climbers. This is the freedom that everyone lacks and longs for.

One day, Abdallah told Wadi Palestine team about a rocky mountain near his village. He used to climb it as a child, without any gear. Later, they went to bolt it, and it became one of the most beautiful climbing spots in Palestine. But as they began to develop the crag, they were met by Israeli settlers with rifles at the top, declaring that the land would be part of their new settlement. Yet this land had owners and legal documents from the village.

Abdallah has witnessed the theft of his village's land since birth. He also saw the killing of his cousin, Qusai Motan, by impune settlers—on August, before October 7th. After that date, he watched with his own eyes and through his camera lens as the same settlers, put a total control on his land, including the climbing crag, and burned the olive trees. Those trees had roots stretching back thousands of years, and maybe they kept him cool during the summer heat.

Similarly to the olive trees is the case of the Palestinian prisoners, it needs to be solved soon; they are experiencing one of the worst tragedies in prison history. “The situation is unimaginable, no one can truly feel or hear them” as they say after release. There is no spotlight on them because of bigger events happening in the region. They have had no rest, no break—and so far their suffering only grows.

“I Want to Climb All the Mountains of Palestine When I Am Released” This is the latest message from Abdallah, shared through his lawyer from the Israeli prison. He adds, “Hopefully this July!”

This is his only simple wish after being released, hopefully it comes true without any other prison extension in the upcoming months.

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