Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The brave and meticulous Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem has issued a report aptly entitled “Welcome to Hell” on the functioning of the Israeli prison system, in which it concludes that Israeli authorities are now routinely using torture on Palestinian prisoners.
This violence, B’Tselem showed, is part of Israel’s longstanding incarceration project, which has targeted hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, unraveling their social and political fabric. Since 1967, over 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned, dehumanized, and labeled as “terrorists,” facilitating their systematic oppression and the violation of their rights. The prison system serves as a tool of Israel’s apartheid regime to maintain control and to ensure Jewish supremacy between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. (“Between the river and the sea” is a slogan in the charter of the ruling Likud Party, by which it means it wants to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians).
Israel today holds some 10,000 Palestinians, many of them without charge or trial or any semblance of habeas corpus.
Although some prisoners had engaged in violence, many are arrested for thought crimes or by mistake. Like the FBI, the Israeli army gets people mixed up because of similar names.
The damning document has received almost no coverage on American television, and even the print media has largely ignored it and its implications. Israeli TV has now broadcast video of one of the gang rapes of a prisoner, which military police attempted to obscure from the camera with their riot shields.
B’Tselem’s report, based on testimonies from 55 former prisoners, reveals systemic abuse including violence, starvation, sexual assault, and denial of medical care. The Israeli government, under Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, implemented policies worsening prison conditions, particularly after declaring a “prison state of emergency” on October 18, 2023.
Ben-Gvir is the leader of the fascist “Jewish Power” bloc in parliament, allied with the equally fascist Religious Zionism block. These parties rooted in the racist ideas of Meir Kahane had been given the cold shoulder in Israeli politics until Benjamin Netanyahu brought them into his coalition and gave them powerful cabinet positions such as minister of national security. Ben-Gvir wondered aloud in early July why Israel could not deal with overcrowding in the prisons by just killing some of the Palestinian prisoners.
The B’Tselem exposé highlighted the ongoing oppression of Palestinian prisoners, who are subjected to harsh, inhumane conditions. It documented “violence, denial of medical treatment, starvation, withholding of water, sleep deprivation and confiscation of all personal belongings. The overall picture indicates abuse and torture carried out under orders, in utter defiance of Israel’s obligations both under domestic law and under international law.”
Witnesses reported that the Initial Reaction Force (IRF) personnel, wearing masks and unmarked black uniforms, engaged in extreme violence against Palestinian prisoners with impunity. Armed with batons, firearms, and often accompanied by dogs, the IRF used tactics that amounted to abuse and torture.
Cells meant for six prisoners were crammed with up to 14, forcing many to sleep on the floor without basic amenities. Prisoners often spent days without sunlight or fresh air, with some never seeing daylight during their entire period of incarceration. Frequent, violent roll calls and searches became opportunities for guards to degrade and assault prisoners. Access to legal counsel, courts, and aid organizations was severely restricted, with many inmates denied contact for up to 180 days, derailing any chance they had to report the torture they endured.
Prison authorities frequently denied essential medical care to Palestinian prisoners, leading to grave injuries and even amputations of limbs that had gone to sleep because they were too tightly shackled for too long. Testimonies revealed that medical staff were often instructed not to provide necessary treatments.
Physical and psychological abuse has escalated, becoming routine. Prisoners reported awful beatings, use of weapons, and frequent violence during transfers. Sleep deprivation was common, with guards constantly keeping the lights on and using loud noises to prevent rest. Sexual violence was also reported, with guards deploying physical and psychological tactics to humiliate and degrade prisoners, including strip searches and assaults.
Additionally, prisoners suffered from extreme food deprivation, resulting in significant weight loss and malnutrition. The poor quality of food further exacerbated their health issues, with rotten food often served. Hygiene conditions were dire, with a limited water supply and lack of cleaning supplies, leading to unsanitary living conditions and the spread of diseases.
Moreover, the B’Tselem report said that the dire state of the Israeli prison system is evident in the deaths of at least 60 Palestinian prisoners in custody. It highlighted three such cases: Thaer Abu ‘Asab, who was found dead with signs of violence on his corpse; ‘Arafat Hamdan, a diabetic who died after being denied insulin; and Muhammad a-Sabbar, who died from inadequate care needed to treat a special medical condition. The Israeli prison guards have gone from inflicting occasional, spontaneous vengeance on prisoners to instituting a systematic regime that violates human rights, supported by legal authorities, leading to widespread torture and inhumane conditions for thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
B’Tselem ends by saying, “The testimonies presented in this report provide an account of how Israeli prison facilities have been turned into a network of torture camps. Given the severity of the acts, the extent to which the provisions of international law are being violated, and the fact that these violations are directed at the entire population of Palestinian prisoners daily and over time – the only possible conclusion is that in carrying out these acts, Israel is committing torture that amounts to a war crime and even a crime against humanity. We appeal to all nations and to all international institutions and bodies, including the International Criminal Court, to do everything in their power to put an immediate end to the cruelties meted out on Palestinians by Israel’s prison system, and to recognize the Israeli regime operating this system as an apartheid regime that must come to an end.”
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