The Israeli Gulag

By David Starr

 

Much has been made in the Israeli and Western media about the brutality of Hamas, although there were Israeli hostages who were set free and said they were treated humanely as captives. But for those media outlets, Hamas is evil incarnate. Israel, meanwhile, is the “good guy.” It never has killed civilians, right? Much less imprison them. The lies and half-truths have been running rampant in those media outlets.

 

One of the “noble” goals of Israel is arresting and holding Palestinians, most times indefinitely without trial. The excuse for Israel is that all of those prisoners are terrorists. The reality is very different. Secular Talk had a segment discussing the treatment of Palestinian prisoners. It described Israel’s actions and showed that they have been, and are, reprehensible.

 

The Middle East Eye had descriptions of the taking of Palestinians as prisoners. “Amani al-Sarahna, spokeswoman for the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club Association, told Middle East Eye that the latest detentions are ‘frightening’ as they are carried out on a daily basis and target dozens of former prisoners, activists, and lawmakers.

 

“Sarahna said that her NGO is trying to record the rapidly increasing number of detainees, but the volume of arrest is exponentially and is difficult to document in full.”

 

For those who were not recorded, Israel said that it arrested workers from Gaza in the thousands since the October 7 attack by Hamas. Additionally, not recorded are the number of combatants or citizens, also from Gaza. 

 

But what Sarahna found very concerning is the level of rights violations committed by Israel on detainees and those who are arrested. She revealed that 80 percent of detainees have been beaten, during arrests and after. The detainees have lived in inhumane conditions. For example, keeping them handcuffed and blindfolded for extreme periods at a time.

 

Israeli soldiers go to the homes of “suspected terrorists” and proceed to destroy furniture and steal belongings to “inspect” them. 

 

There have been documented incidents of rights violations on the families of detainees. Many have been taken hostage regardless of their age in order to get their relatives suspected of “terrorism” to surrender. Many family members are subjected to torture and humiliating treatment to persuade the “terrorists” to turn themselves in.

 

Sarahna concluded that “In light of the international condonement of Israeli racist decisions against the Palestinians, it seems that we are going to face larger and more violent arrest campaigns in the coming days.”

 

There was one example of detainment published in Al Jazeera of an 18-year-old named Mohammad Salhab Tamimi who described his ordeal. Tamimi was imprisoned for eight months without being charged. As a result of the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, Tamimi was freed and returned to his family. 

 

Tamimi was warned that if he and his family celebrate his return, he would be rearrested. All the whole family could do was smile and stay mute. So, the degree of oppression committed by Israeli authorities is on a gutter level. Fascism is the appropriate word.

 

While Israelis are able to celebrate the return of hostages, Palestinians are restricted. Al Jazeera quotedIsraeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir as saying, “Expressions of joy are equivalent to backing terrorism.” With one huge brush-stroke, Ben-Gvir and other Israeli fascists have blatantly lumped all Palestinians together using the “terrorist” label. It is a weak and pathetic “justification” for “defending” Israel.

 

Tamimi, in being processed for his return, was not told where he was going. From there, Tamimi said, “The [Israeli] officer then kicked me, hard. His boots have steel in them, so it felt like he crushed my feet, it really hurt. He dragged me to the prison yard but as he was dragging me out of the prison, he stopped to take my clothes [which were in a bag, and Tamimi was wearing a gray jumpsuit] from me and threw them into a garbage pail. Then, cursing me with obscene language, he dragged me out.” From there, Tamimi was loaded into a prisoner transfer vehicle that had blacked-out windows. It also had tight cells where a prisoner is chained to.

 

The ride could take 12 hours or more. And there were no rest stops, food, or toilet breaks. “I was kept in the vehicle cell without anything to eat or drink until after midnight.” Early Tuesday morning Tamimi was reunited with his father and uncle. They drove him home to the occupied West Bank.

 

The New Arab published details of the barbaric process of detaining Palestinians: “Many on the list of prisoners due for release were detained on minor charges like throwing stones or Molotov cocktails, which can carry a 20-year sentence for Palestinian children, or illegally entering Israel without a permit.”

 

There were Palestinians charged with “supporting terrorism” although this excuse has been used to the point of absurdity. Most Palestinians are innocent of the charge, and are denied due process, imprisoned without trial or charged. Ten to 20 detainees are put into cells that would accommodate only six. Police units have treated detainees brutality with assault and torture. Detainees were denied water and electricity, having those necessities cut off. Medical care is denied, along with family visits and restrictions on lawyers’ visits as well. Detainees are deprived of food, blankets and clothes.

 

Other former detainees described their experiences in prison. For example: 

 

“Mustafa Mazen Shehadeh, 17, said he suffered ‘physical and psychological violence in Israeli detention. Israa Jaabis, 38, [was held in prison for] eight years.” She was refused medical treatment for extensive burns on her face. Israeli authorities accused her of “attempting to blow up a checkpoint after her car caught on fire due to a technical malfunction. Mohammad Nazzal, 18, said “that Israeli guards broke his fingers and arm in prison, and beat him up more than once. “Maysoon Jabali, 28, the longest-serving Palestinian woman prisoner in Israeli jails recounted “Israeli prison guards tortured the women inmates by beating them, spraying them with gas, and sending them to solidarity confinement.” A detainee named Thaer Samih Abu Assab, 38, who was in prison since 2005, died from severe beatings by Israeli guards. This was witnessed by a former detainee.

 

Since October 7, the repression of Palestinians in prison (and outside) has become more brutal. In a shameful and stupid move, Israeli fascists have branded all Palestinians “Nazis” and “wild beasts.” But Palestinians do not think they are superior based on their skin color, language or culture. The Israeli right-wing is desperate with its propaganda, showing they are divorced from reality.

 

The Israeli and Western media are also divorced from reality, when it comes down to it. The applying of a “good guy” vs “bad guy” scenario in reporting has gotten really old. But despite all the Israeli brutality and media propaganda, calling for a ceasefire, withholding military aid from Israel, and using sanctions are the most common-sense measures.