How to hold Israel accountable for torturing Palestinians
Israeli soldiers transfer detained Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip on 21 November 2023
Samah Jabr writes in Middle East Eye on 27 March 2024:
Torture remains a pervasive reality in Palestine, where countless individuals have endured unspeakable physical and psychological trauma at the hands of Israeli forces.
This has been an especially serious problem since the Gaza war began on 7 October, with Palestinians telling Middle East Eye that they have been physically tortured with dogs and electricity, subjected to mock executions, and held in humiliating and degrading conditions. One man described how he was handcuffed, blindfolded and detained in a metal cage for 42 days.
Addressing such grave human rights violations demands a comprehensive approach, including the development of specialised skills for healthcare professionals tasked with documenting and treating survivors. Trained in the Istanbul Protocol for torture documentation, I have dedicated myself to equipping fellow professionals with the necessary tools to navigate this challenging terrain.
As violence continues to escalate – with torture not restricted to detention centres, but also witnessed in the streets of the occupied Palestinian territories and captured on video – it is more imperative than ever to bolster health workers’ capacities to document such incidents, thus amplifying the voices of survivors in their pursuit of justice.
Palestinians have been systematically oppressed for decades, with more than 800,000 arrested since 1967. Inside Israeli detention centres, many have faced brutal physical and psychological abuse that meets the stringent criteria for torture set forth by the United Nations.
Key elements of torture include the intentional infliction of severe mental or physical suffering for a specific purpose, with the involvement of someone acting in an official capacity. The surge in cases since 7 October serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to document these atrocities and hold perpetrators accountable before the international community.
Barbaric tactics
The torture tactics employed against Palestinians are as varied as they are barbaric, ranging from crude physical beatings to sophisticated “no-touch” techniques imported from global interrogation practices. Israel has also exported specific torture methods, such as the “Palestinian chair” stress position.
In addition to inflicting excruciating pain through tactics such as suspension and simulated drowning, Israeli forces have employed psychological warfare, exploiting cultural sensitivities and individual vulnerabilities to amplify the suffering of their victims. Sleep deprivation is an essential part of psychological torture.