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Prison Six ( he, כלא שש ''Kele Shesh''), officially Confinement Base 396 ( he, בסיס כליאה 396 ''Bsis Kli'a 396'') is an
Israeli military prison The Israeli Military Prison is a prison for guarding soldiers who committed crimes during their service.
Prison sector history
The need to create prisons in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arose as the soldiers' discipline deteriorated over the cou ...
located near
Atlit
Atlit ( he, עַתְלִית, ar, عتليت) is a coastal town located south of Haifa, Israel. The community is in the Hof HaCarmel Regional Council in the Haifa District of Israel.
Off the coast of Atlit is a submerged Neolithic village. At ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, on Oren Junction.
It is the second military prison for IDF soldiers, after
Prison Four in
Tzrifin
Tzrifin ( he, צְרִיפִין) is an area in Gush Dan (Dan Region) in central Israel, located on the eastern side of Rishon LeZion and including parts of Be'er Ya'akov. The area proper is defined as an 'area without jurisdiction' between the t ...
(Camp
Yadin). Prison Six can contain about 350 prisoners.
Prison Six generally contains prisoners from the
Northern Command, as well as officers and senior NCOs. During an emergency, the 393rd Battalion takes over Prison Six and converts it into a national POW camp ( he, מחנה שבויים ארצי ''mahane shvu'im artzi'') for enemy officers and other quality POWs. Israeli prisoners are either released or transferred to Prison Four.
History
Prison Six was conceptualized by an officer named Yaakov Markovich, after an analysis of Prison Four's deteriorating conditions (which would improve if the overcapacity was alleviated). Chief Military Police Officer Yosef Pressman pushed for its construction and it was finally built following the
1956 Sinai War.
1969 flood
On November 22, 1969 at about 21:00, Prison Six was flooded due to a powerful rainstorm, and the water level rose to a level of 2 m. The prison's security was compromised when the powerful water current destroyed the front gate and created holes in the outer walls. An attempt was made to open the cells, although due to the flow, this was impossible in many cases. Instead, some of the freed prisoners were given tools to scale the cellblocks and destroy their roofs, so that trapped prisoners could be rescued from above. The prisoners of the three last cells, which were impossible to reach, were able to also receive tools, and destroyed the cell walls from within. The electricity was disconnected in fear of electrocution, and the rest of the work was done in the darkness.
None of the prisoners used the flood as a means to escape, and instead helped in the effort to minimize the damage and prevent injury. As a result, the
Aluf
''Aluf'' ( he, אלוף, lit=champion or "First\leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew; ) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral ...
of the
Manpower Directorate, which is responsible for the
Military Police Corps including its prisons, decided to release dozens of prisoners and cancel their sentences. Six soldiers were decorated for their actions during their flood, three of them MPs.
Rebellion
On Saturday, August 9, 1997, Prison Six suffered a
rebellion in Company Gimel, where several prisoners, led by Gideon Martin, a Russian immigrant (born in Sierra Leone) convicted of rape and illegal drug use, took control of the company's dining room and captured several jail instructors and sergeants. After negotiations, an agreement was reached between the prisoners and the chief military police officer (''kamtzar'') to release the hostages in exchange for better conditions for the prisoners. The agreement was immediately revoked and the prisoners received greater sentences and were transferred to a civilian prison. The rebellion was predicted by the intelligence gatherers of the prison, but the command did not heed the warning.
The rebellion completely changed the military police's approach to its prison service sector and changes were made in the physical structures of the military prisons, as well as in conditions for both jail instructors and prisoners. Intelligence gatherers also gained prestige and more were recruited.
Following the rebellion, the Ashhal Commission was formed to investigate the incident, and the Dekel Commission was appointed by the
General Staff to recommend a policy for the prison section in the IDF.
Progress and timeline
*09:30 - Most prisoners come out of the company's dining room, except a small group, who wish to stay to eat more.
*10:00 - The religious prisoners return from the company's synagogue in order to eat. They are told to keep quiet by the rebels. As one of the
jailor
A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...
s in the dining room comes out, three prisoners bypass him and enter the room despite calls to stop. They subdue and tie the lone jailor inside and do the same to the second one who comes back in to find out why the prisoners didn't heed his calls. The prisoners gradually take control of the other three jailors currently on duty in the company.
*10:10 - The company sergeant on duty comes out of the company clubhouse after a prisoner tells him that someone lost consciousness in the dining room. He is subdued and tied as he enters.
*10:15 - Another sergeant not on duty at the time enters the dining room and struggles against the rebels. He is subdued and injured. Meanwhile, the hostages attempt to reach the communication devices they carried in order to sound an alarm. They are discovered and beaten. Gideon Martin exchanges some of the hostages' binds (they were mostly bound using bandages) with handcuffs. The final jailor in the company's main area, watching the showers at the time, is subdued with teargas and dragged into the dining room.
*10:20 - The jailor on duty in the solitary confinement area, oblivious to the situation, opens the door for a 'medic' to pass through. He is tied and subdued. The prisoners block all entrances to the company with beds and arm themselves with nightsticks, knives, and other equipment taken from the hostages.
*11:45 - The commander on duty at the time tries to contact the company's jailors without success.
*12:00 - He sends the officer on duty to examine the situation and prepare for noon counting. He receives a call from military police headquarters that the prison has been taken over by rebels. The officer on duty reports that company Gimel's jailors aren't opening the door and from a look from the roof, it seems that the prisoners are running free.
The commander on duty verifies the reports, calls the prison's immediate response squad and arms them with the necessary equipment. Cells in the entire prison are closed and the commander declares an emergency. All other free jailors in Prison Six reinforce the response team. Reinforcements are also called from the military police headquarters, and all soldiers belonging to Prison Six are rousted and summoned to base.
The commander on duty finds out through negotiation that one of the hostages is severely wounded and Gideon Martin, the leader of the rebellion, agrees to release him. The hostage is taken out through the infirmary gate and sheds light on the current situation in the company after questioning.
The rebellion was then dispersed through negotiations.
Aluf
''Aluf'' ( he, אלוף, lit=champion or "First\leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew; ) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral ...
Gabi Ashkenazi
Gabriel "Gabi" Ashkenazi (; born 25 February 1954) is an Israeli politician and former military leader. He previously served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 2007 to 2011. ...
commanded the forces that were to disperse the revolt by force, if necessary.
Reinforcements brought in
During the revolt, an emergency was declared throughout the entire army and nearby units sent reinforcements to aid in the event.
Military police reinforcements:
*
Megiddo Prison (Unit 384) – 4 military policemen
*''
Bahad
Bahad ( he, בה"ד, short for ''Bsis Hadrakha'' ( he, בסיס הדרכה), ''lit.'' Training base) is a military training base in the Israel Defense Forces. Each Bahad deals with a certain field, such as law enforcement or logistics. Generally, ...
'' 13 – 2 military policemen and one military police officer
*''
Yamlat'' – 22 military policemen
*Central command (military police) (Unit 391) – 18 military policemen and one military police officer
*Northern command (military police) (Unit 390) – 11 military policemen
*Criminal Investigations Division (''Metzah'') northern command – 3 military policemen and one military police officer
Others military reinforcements:
*
Yamam
The Yamam ( he, ימ"מ, an acronym for ''Centralized Special Unit'' , ''Yeḥida Merkazit Meyuḥedet''), also called in Hebrew and Israel's National Counter Terror Unit (I.N.C.T.U.) in English, is Israel's national counter-terrorism unit, ...
– 40 soldiers and 6 officers
*
Duvdevan
Unit 217, frequently called Duvdevan ( he, דובדבן, lit=cherry), is a ''mistaʽaravim'' unit in the Commando Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces.
It is notable for its undercover operations in urban areas, during which its operators of ...
– 17 soldiers and 3 officers
*
Shayetet 13 – 15 soldiers and 2 officers
*Camp Naftali – one bulldozer
*Medical Corps headquarters – five medical squads
*''Ba'ah'' Adam – stretcher squads
*
Ramat David Airbase – fire engine
*Hospital 10 (
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
) – battalion aid station
Civilian reinforcements:
*
Israel Police
The Israel Police ( he, משטרת ישראל, ''Mišteret Yisra'el''; ar, شرطة إسرائيل, ''Shurtat Isrāʼīl'') is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fightin ...
– 2 policemen from the negotiations department
*Atlit Fire Department – fire engine
Structure
Prison Six comprises four main companies, and two assisting companies:
*Company Alef (א) - for prisoners serving sentences of 28 days or less, or those who have less than 28 days till their release. This is an open company, i.e. prisoners sleep in an open (but guarded) area, and not in jail cells.
*Company Bet (ב) - for new prisoners and those serving medium sentences (1–6 months).
**Officers' prison ( he, קצינייה ''ktziniya'') - a designated area for officers, civilians working for the army, and most military policemen, who committed crimes during their service.
*Company Gimel (ג) - for ''havushim'' between 28 and 70 days and other prisoners with sentences higher than 6 months. It also contains detainees awaiting trial and the isolation wing (''agaf habodedim'').
*Company 600 - for all female prisoners, regardless of the severity of their crime or the length of their sentence.
*Conveyance company - assists the ''Yamlats conveyance company in moving prisoners to and from Prison Six.
*Headquarters company - provides
adjutant and similar services to the prison's staff and prisoners.
In popular culture
*
HaGashash HaHiver
HaGashash HaHiver ( he, הגשש החיוור, ''lit.'' The Pale Tracker) was an iconic Israeli comedy trio. It was also known as the ''Gashashim.'' Its three members were Yeshayahu Levi ("Shaike"), Yisrael Poliakov ("Poli") (deceased) and Gavri ...
released a
skit
Skit may refer to:
*
* A short segment in a performance, such as:
** Sketch comedy
** Hip hop skit
** Puppet skit
** Promo (professional wrestling)
* Skit note, parody of a banknote
See also
* Skete
A skete ( ) is a monastic communi ...
about Prison Six, where they sang the popular song Uzi Uzi.
*An Israeli rap band active since 1998 was named Kele Shesh (Hebrew for Prison Six).
*Several Israeli songs mention Prison Six, notably the
Mizrahi music
Mizrahi music ( he, מוזיקה מזרחית ' , "Eastern music/Oriental music") refers to a music genre in Israel that combines elements from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa; and is mostly performed by Israelis of Mizrahi Jewish d ...
single ''BaKele HaTzva'i'' (In the Military Prison) by
Nuriel
Nuriel ( he, נוּרִיאֵל ''Nūrīʾēl;'' meaning: " El is my fire") is an angel in Jewish mythology who is responsible for hailstorms.
In Jewish legend, Moses encountered Nuriel in the 2nd heaven. It is said in the Zohar that when a person ...
, where the protagonist of the song serves a 28-day sentence in Prison Six.
*The 2009 Israeli film ''
HaBodedim'' by director
Renen Schorr
Renen Schorr (Hebrew: רנן שור; born Jerusalem, Israel, July 6th 1952) is a film director, screenwriter, film producer and Israeli film activist. In 1989, he founded Israel's first independent, national school for film and television, the Sam ...
is based on the Prison Six rebellion.
References
{{coord, 32, 42, 49, N, 34, 58, 06, E, region:IL_type:city_source:kolossus-hewiki, display=title
Israel Defense Forces
Prisons in Israel
Military prisons
Buildings and structures in Haifa District