[News] Through the eyes of the blindfolded: A look at Israel’s violation of Palestinian human rights

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 Through the eyes of the blindfolded: A look at Israel’s violation of
Palestinian human rights
By Samah Jabr <https://english.palinfo.com/?p=250625>

Thursday 4-July-2024 -
https://english.palinfo.com/opinion_articles/through-the-eyes-of-the-blindfolded-a-look-at-israels-violation-of-palestinian-human-rights/

Many disturbing videos of the abuse of blindfolded Palestinians have
recently surfaced on social media. One of these shows Israeli soldiers in
the occupied West Bank forcing blindfolded Palestinians in detention to
listen to a children’s song, “Meni Meni Meni Mamtera,” continuously for
eight hours. This video has gone viral, sparking a TikTok trend in which
Israelis mock detained Palestinians by reenacting the scene. Even Yinon
Magal, a former member of the Knesset and a television show host, has
participated in this activity with his own children.

Having worked with Palestinian victims of torture for almost two decades, I
have witnessed firsthand the severe consequences of such practices.
Blindfolding and hooding are common tactics used by the Israeli army,
police, and interrogators during detention and interrogation. Often
conducted in conjunction with torture, these practices make it nearly
impossible for victims to identify their torturers, thus hindering
prosecution efforts. These actions have become increasingly brazen,
frequently occurring in front of cameras during the genocidal acts
currently taking place in Gaza. Many detainees report being cut off from
their surroundings for the majority, if not the entirety, of their
detention. This reprehensible practice raises significant legal, ethical
and psychological concerns.

Blindfolding, as a method of sensory deprivation, is particularly
pernicious. It has profound psychological and physiological consequences –
both short-term and long-term – including damage to the eye, injuries,
anxiety, panic attacks, disorientation, cognitive problems and
hallucinations. Sensory deprivation exacerbates the power imbalance between
the blindfolded victim and the interrogator, amplifying the victim’s
feelings of vulnerability, fear and powerlessness. By blocking the capacity
to see, the victim becomes more reliant on other senses, which intensifies
physical pain and the impact of the interrogation.

Blindfolding creates a psychological environment of private darkness and
isolation. The inability to see one’s surroundings fosters a sense of
disconnection from reality, making victims more susceptible to manipulation.

This isolation can lead to heightened stress and despair, increasing the
likelihood of the individual providing information or complying with the
interrogator’s demands. These findings are consistent with our clinical
understanding that sensory deprivation can lead to significant mental
health issues and traumatic consequences.

This tactic also serves to dehumanize the victim. Interrogators block the
victims’ visual connection with their surroundings and with the
interrogators themselves, diminishing the victims’ sense of personal
identity, subjectivity, and agency; making it easier for their
interrogators to exert control. The method increases the victim’s sense of
disorientation, objectification and suggestibility. Such deliberate sensory
deprivation aims to create an environment where the victim is more likely
to succumb to pressure during interrogation.

Several of the victims of torture I examined who had experienced weeks of
sensory deprivation during detention, including blindfolding, have
described dissociative symptoms. Victims may experience out-of-body
experiences, a sense of unreality, and profound detachment from their
surroundings; these symptoms can persist even when the visual deprivation
ends and can have a profound impact on their mental health. Others became
afraid of darkness and are unable to sleep spontaneously.

While Israelis may argue that blindfolding has practical security
applications, we know that extreme psychological tactics often result in
unreliable information. Under duress, individuals are more likely to
provide false or exaggerated statements.

I believe, indeed, that blindfolding serves to shield Israeli soldiers from
the Palestinian gaze and from any potential for eye contact with the
individuals they are interrogating. This separation from the human aspect
of the Israeli’s actions is a psychological defense mechanism, allowing
soldiers to distance themselves emotionally from the impact of their
behavior. This emotional detachment can contribute to a broader process of
dehumanization through which soldiers become desensitized to the human cost
of their actions. Studies on military psychology indicate that such
detachment can lead to increased aggression and a greater likelihood of
committing human rights abuses.

It is crucial to recognize that the use of blindfolding and torture is
widely defined as a violation of human rights. But we cannot unsee what we
have seen, even when Israel is trying to blindfold the world to its
genocidal acts and to handcuff the international public from condemning
these acts. Palestinians call upon the global community to fix its gaze at
Israel and hold accountable those who perpetuate such practices. Only
through addressing these violations can we protect our insight into human
rights and maintain a vision for a better world.

*-Samah Jabr MD is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist; the Head of the
Mental Health Unit, Palestine Ministry of Health; and Assistant Clinical
Professor, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA. She is also
the author of Derrière les fronts (Behind the Frontlines). Her article
appeared in MEMO.*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20240704/e101998b/attachment.htm>