JERUSALEM // A young Palestinian woman imprisoned for 10 years in a series of dark rooms by her father said she survived by listening to the radio, dreaming of seeing sunshine again and finding small pleasure in the apple she was fed each day.
Baraa Melhem, 20, said she was enjoying her first taste of freedom after a decade of isolation and threats of rape and abuse.
She now hopes to use her experience to help others.
"I have joy now. My life has begun," she said on Monday.
Ms Melhem was rescued by Palestinian security forces in the West Bank town of Qalqiliya on Saturday after an aunt notified police.
Adnan Damiri, a Palestinian police spokesman, said she was in "deplorable" condition.
Her father and stepmother, both Arab citizens of Israel, were turned over to the Israeli authorities.
Locked up in Israel, neither could be reached for comment.
The father, Hassan Melhem, 49, is expected to appear in an Israeli court today, said the Israeli police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld.
The stepmother's name was not available.
Speaking softly but confidently, Ms Melhem said she was beaten, barely fed and let out only in the middle of the night to do housework.
She was given only a blanket, a radio and a razor blade by her father and stepmother, and both of them encouraged her to kill herself.
"I don't hate my father. But I hate what he did to me. Why did he do it? I don't understand," she said.
Ms Melhem was first locked up in a bathroom after she ran away from home when she was 10.
Police brought her home and her father forced her to sign a statement saying she did not want to go back to school.
Her parents divorced when she was four and her father was given custody. Ms Melhem is now living with her mother, Maysoun, in East Jerusalem.
She said she was finally happy in her new home - a shabby, purple-painted room with pink curtains, four mattresses on the ground and a red blanket.
She clutched a large doll her mother gave her as a gift.
"This is heaven. Because you have always been free, you don't appreciate it. But for somebody like me, who has tasted the bitterness of a prison, this is heaven," she said.
Maysoun, who has remarried, refused to give her last name or age.
She said she was so eager to divorce her first husband that when he insisted on keeping their daughter, she agreed.
She took their son because the father used to spray perfume into his eyes. She said he was not violent towards their daughter.
"I was so young when I was getting a divorce. I didn't understand anything. I was just so desperate to be rid of that man," she said.
Ms Melhem described her father as a violent man who also terrified her half-brother and half-sister.
Although their conditions were better, they, too, were not allowed to leave the house when their father was not home.
She said the siblings, who are believed to be staying with relatives, were mentally disabled and were not sent to school.
"Fear, fear, fear - that was the basis of my life," Ms Melhem said.
She said she kept sane by listening to a small transistor radio that her father gave her in the past five years. She was up-to-date with news and current affairs and named her favourite radio hosts.
She said her spirits had been lifted when she heard on her radio that her astrological sign was Leo, meaning she had a fiery personality.
Over the years the family moved twice more. Each time she was locked up. In her final home in Qalqiliya, she was kept in what she described as a bathroom measuring 1x1 metres.
She dreamed of fleeing but Ms Melhem said her father threatened to rape her until she became pregnant if she tried to escape.
Then he warned he would kill her and justify the crime by saying that she had shamed the family.
She said when he was angry, he regularly beat her with electric cables and sticks. He poured cold water on her when she asked for her mother and sometimes shaved her head and eyebrows. He gave her bread, oil and an apple every day.
At one point, her father gave her a razor blade, telling her it would be better if she killed herself.
Ms Melhem said her stepmother urged her to do it, telling her she was a nobody.
To cope, Ms Melhem often jumped up and down for exercise, cleaned the bathroom, dusted off her blanket, washed her clothes and then listened to the radio all day.
Hala Shreim, a social worker who accompanied police on the rescue, said Ms Melhem was found in the small bathroom with a tiny window.
She said the woman was wrapped in a blanket and wore threadbare clothes so old that they were disintegrating.
When she was taken outside, Ms Melhem said she was blinded by the pale winter sun. It was more sunlight than she had seen in 10 years.
"Is that the sun? Is that the sun I was dreaming of?" she asked police. Ms Melhem said the sight of so many people startled her. "Are those the people I was hearing on the radio?" she asked the police.
She said her first request, after she was released, was for hard candy - something she had been denied since she was a child. Then she asked to see her mother.
Ms Melhem's mother, who moved to a different town, had asked about her daughter, but her ex-husband would make up excuses as to why the young woman was not around and sometimes told the mother to mind her own business, said Ms Shreim, the social worker.
Ms Melhem said she paid special attention to mental health programmes on Palestinian radio.
She believes that listening to voices from the outside world, modest exercise and eating an apple each day saved her.
Although she has nothing more than an elementary school education, she hopes to study psychology and one day treat people who had similar fates.
"There is no house in the world - look outside the window. In every house, somebody is suffering."
When asked if she hoped to marry, Ms Melhem was visibly upset.
"If the violence I experienced was between a father and a daughter, what happens between a man and a wife? No, I never want to marry."
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
FIGHT%20CARD
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Illegal%20shipments%20intercepted%20in%20Gulf%20region
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Kill%20
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RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: M'A Yaromoon, Jesus Rosales (jockey), Khalifa Al Neydai (trainer)
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: No Riesgo Al Maury, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Mahmouda, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AS Jezan, George Buckell, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Dolman, Antonio Fresu, Bhupath Seemar
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DUBAI WORLD CUP CARNIVAL CARD
6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m
7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m
8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m
8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m
The National selections
6.30pm: Gifts Of Gold
7.05pm Final Song
7.40pm Equilateral
8.15pm Dark Of Night
8.50pm Mythical Magic
9.25pm Franz Kafka
MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
Super Saturday race card
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
Meg%202%3A%20The%20Trench
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Listen to Extra Time
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
GOODBYE%20JULIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohamed%20Kordofani%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiran%20Riak%2C%20Eiman%20Yousif%2C%20Nazar%20Goma%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
