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<h1 class="gmail-single_title">Through the eyes of the blindfolded: A look at Israel’s violation of Palestinian human rights</h1>
<div class="gmail-article-author"><h3>By <a href="https://english.palinfo.com/?p=250625"> Samah Jabr </a></h3></div>
<p class="gmail-single_date">Thursday 4-July-2024 -<font size="1"> <a href="https://english.palinfo.com/opinion_articles/through-the-eyes-of-the-blindfolded-a-look-at-israels-violation-of-palestinian-human-rights/">https://english.palinfo.com/opinion_articles/through-the-eyes-of-the-blindfolded-a-look-at-israels-violation-of-palestinian-human-rights/</a></font></p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>-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.</em></p>
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