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On June 15, 2016, Israeli forces arrested Mohammed El-Halabi, director of the Gaza branch of the Christian Humanitarian Aid organization World Vision. Mohammed has been accused of diverting money from World Vision to Gaza resistance groups. Probes conducted by both World View and Australian Government found no evidence of misappropriation or misuse of funds.
However, Mohammed was subjected to 52 days of interrogation and torture. His father, Khalil El-Halabi, testified of the torture his son had suffered during his detention during those months: “Israeli intelligence officials put a dirty bag on his head and hung him from the ceiling for a long time.”
Mohammed was also sleep deprived and was often physically assaulted by Israeli officials, “he was kicked, especially in the genitals, and then drowned until he felt he was about to die … Sometimes they put him in a small room with very loud music. “In the summer it was unbearable, and in the summer they stripped it naked and then shone it in the hot air. In the winter they would repeat the same process, but with the cold air instead.”
More than five years later, Mohammed remains in Israeli custody.
For Palestinians detained in Israel, unfortunately, these experiences are not uncommon. On the 37th anniversary of the drafting of the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT), the international community must demand an end to the ongoing systemic torture of Palestinians detained by Israel.
UNCAT was established on 26 June 1987 and ratified by Israel on 3 October 1991. Israel’s involvement seems astonishing in the wake of the numerous human rights violations it has been accused of in recent decades, including the use of torture. respected human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Until 1999, it was considered a legal means of obtaining torture statements in Israel, especially for Palestinian “security” detainees. However, when the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that it was illegal, the Israeli Attorney General promised to protect any questioner who continues to use “special means”. And, in fact, they continued to use special means because Israel made a number of exceptions to this law, especially in the so-called “current bomb” scenarios. According to Amnesty International, “Shin Bet operatives have tortured hundreds of Palestinians, citing the ‘current bomb’ scenario.”
These exceptions allow these horrific but common practices to continue without effect, but in direct violation of Article 2 of the Convention. Article 2 (2), states, “No exceptional circumstances, state of war or threat of war, including political instability or any other public emergency, may be challenged as a justification for torture.” It has been Israel criticize The UN Commission against Torture has failed to comply with this rule.
Furthermore, the full definition of torture by Israeli courts does not exempt Israel from its UNCAT definition of torture. According to the agreement, it is the term “torture” defined as:
“[A]Obtaining information or confession from a person or a third party with intent to cause serious bodily harm or suffering, physical or mental, or to be punished for an act committed or committed by him or a third party. if he or she is suspected of having committed, intimidated or coerced or coerced, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, the pain or suffering caused by a public official or other person acting in his or her consent or acceptance or acting in an official capacity. ‘ .
Common physical and mental torture often perpetrated by Israeli interrogators and officers, usually during the interrogation and detention of Palestinians, includes painful handcuffs, painful posture, and insomnia. There have also been reports and accounts by Israeli prison staff of rape threats and actual rape or sexual assault, mostly against Palestinian women. Former detainees have also complained that they are forced to watch the torture of members of their prisons for fear of being interrogated, or that they may be threatened with the occasional arrest and torture of family members.
The abuse and physical and mental torture of Palestinian children is also worrying. Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) collected the sworn statements of 752 children arrested between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2019. These testimonies revealed 95% of the children had their hands and feet tied, 72% suffered physical violence, 21% suffered stressful positions and 18% were incommunicado for two days or more.
On October 22, there were DCIP and five other rights groups appointed As a “terrorist” organization of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, it has been arrested in a cruel attempt to criminalize the pro-Palestinian children and adults.
Many of these abuses are justified by the fact that Israel distinguishes between “security” prisoners and criminal prisoners, as well as the broad limitations of what is considered a security crime. This allows Israel to practice torture in a way that neutralizes threats to state security. Notably, “security” crimes in Israel including the act of stone-throwing, which is believed to be the most common among children.
According to A report According to Human Rights Watch, “Israeli authorities have jailed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians for what they consider to be” security crimes “since 1967, including hundreds of cases in secret detention at almost any time in administrative detention, without charge or trial. .
The classification of a “security” prisoner or detainee is particularly significant because it denies the person certain rights that are usually granted to other Israeli prisoners. For example, according to the U.S. State Department 2020 country Reports With regard to human rights, this classification exempts Israeli interrogators from recording and recording audio interrogations with security detainees, and allows abusive interrogators to avoid accountability.
While the prediction of accountability seems bleak, recent legislative efforts have been made in the U.S. to create mechanisms to properly hold Israel accountable, especially Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s bill, HR 2590: Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living. According to the Israeli Military Occupation Act. HR 2590 raises the issue of Israeli arrest through military tribunals, and aims to condition support for the fight against human rights violations that occur regularly under this unjust system.
As the international community remembers the adoption of the UN Convention against Torture, many Palestinians like Mohammed El-Halabi must be reminded that they have been repeatedly tortured by a country that takes away real responsibility at the UN.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial attitude of Al Jazeera.
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