[News] Nearly Half of Palestinian Adult Males Have Spent Time in Israeli Prisons

[News at freedomarchives.org]

http://www.counterpunch.org/barghouthi06092004.html

June 9, 2004


Nearly Half of Palestinian Adult Males Have Spent Time in Israeli Prisons 
Since 1967


Israel's Common Use of Torture Must be Exposed

By MUSTAFA BARGHOUTHI

The pictures of American soldiers torturing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib 
prison in Iraq have shocked the world. To the Palestinian people however, 
these photographs of hooded or naked figures come as no surprise. For the 
tens of thousands of Palestinians who have served time in Israeli prisons, 
the pictures only bring back memories of their own torture.

In many cases, the treatment of Iraqis in Abu Ghraib bears a striking 
resemblance to Israeli methods of torture. Accusations are now being made 
in the world's press that Israeli security officers have actually assisted 
in the training of private US security contractors being sent to Iraq.

Regardless of whether there is any truth to these allegations, the world 
must recognize that torture is commonplace in Israel. It is not enough to 
condemn the actions of these American soldiers while ignoring the 
systematic human rights abuses imposed upon the Palestinian people.

Like the United States, Israel lays claim to the highest moral standards, 
yet it is apparent that there are elements within the Israeli Armed Forces 
and indeed government for whom torture is a necessary and acceptable 
weapon. The two nations' refusal to accept the legitimacy of the 
International Criminal Court can only enhance the suspicion that these two 
countries wish to legitimize the torture of prisoners without ever being 
held to account by those they abuse.

An Israeli High Court ruling on Sept. 6, 1999 prohibited a number of 
torture techniques. However, these methods were not completely outlawed. 
Instead the court's ruling still allows the Knesset to enact laws that 
would give intelligence officers the authority to use such methods. The 
court deemed the security situation faced by Israel to be grave enough to 
merit granting intelligence services the power to torture.

Now, the excuse that every Palestinian is a "ticking bomb" gives the 
Israeli security forces carte blanche to abuse any prisoners in their care, 
including children. Human rights groups maintain that the use of torture in 
Israeli prisons has increased and become more systematic over the past two 
years. Violations of the United Nations Convention Against Torture are now 
commonplace as the military grip on the Occupied Territories has been 
tightened.

The Israeli Army and police also receive the unconditional backing of the 
country's legal system, perpetuating the culture that they can act with 
impunity in Israeli prisons. The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel 
(PCATI) has found that the Israeli attorney general has approved every case 
of torture as a necessary security measure. The High Court has rejected 
every single one of the 124 petitions submitted by PCATI against prisoners 
being denied access to legal support.

The thousands of statements given by former Palestinian prisoners bear 
witness to the relish with which their Israeli tormentors went about their 
task. Just as in Iraq, any humiliation or abuse is permissible if it goes 
under the spurious banner of security. The casual disregard for human 
dignity and international law within the Israeli Army and police is despicable.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, including the death or maiming of 
numerous Palestinian prisoners, Israel continues to deny that torture is 
used in its prisons. Over 7,000 Palestinian prisoners currently remain in 
Israeli prisons, many of them held without charge or trial. Most will have 
suffered some degree of torture before their release. It is shocking to 
realize that around 650,000 Palestinians have spent time in Israeli custody 
since 1967, most of them adult males. This means that almost one in two 
Palestinian adult males has been imprisoned.

The torture in Abu Ghraib prison has shaken the Bush administration to its 
very core. Photographic evidence is all that is lacking to finally expose 
and condemn Israel's barbaric treatment of its Palestinian prisoners. This 
is the only difference between the two cases, yet the weight of evidence 
against Israel, in the testimonies of former prisoners and investigations 
by human rights organizations, is overwhelming. It is not enough to condemn 
the actions of American soldiers in Iraqi jails while thousands of 
Palestinians continue to suffer. Israel's use of torture must also be exposed.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi is the Secretary-General of the Palestinian National 
Initiative. He lives in Ramallah.

This commentary originally appeared in The Daily Star


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