The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has published a major new report documenting how the Israeli prison system has become “a network of torture camps,” where physical, psychological and sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners is normalized and routine. The report, titled “Welcome to Hell,” collect...
The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has published a major new report documenting how the Israeli prison system has become “a network of torture camps,” where physical, psychological and sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners is normalized and routine.
The report, titled “Welcome to Hell,” collects the testimony of 55 Palestinians who were detained by Israeli authorities since October 7 and later released, almost all without charges. This comes as a group of U.N. experts condemned the widespread torture of Palestinians and as Israel’s Channel 12 News aired shocking footage of Israeli soldiers sexually abusing a prisoner at the Sde Teiman army base, where thousands of detainees from Gaza are held.
Sarit Michaeli, the international advocacy lead for B’Tselem, says the abuse in Israeli prisons is “systemic, ongoing and state-sanctioned,” reflecting the cruelty and thirst for revenge among a growing number of Israelis. “They would like to have a completely open field in terms of what they can do to Palestinians,” says Michaeli.
I’m pretty sure he does, yeah. He needs a bloody conflict to go on to remain in power (and possibly out of prison). Scared people are easier to rule, and terrorism is scary.
Yes, this is the quite likely position of the Israeli government. After all, they are looking for the person who published the video of the crime - not as a witness against the criminals, but because that person exposed them.
It's interesting how in an attempt to rebuke claims that being against Israel is antisemitic, we have now escalated to mocking the idea of Antisemitism as a whole every time there's disturbing news about Israel...
I am not a fan of this trend. Antisemitism still exists, and nowhere am I finding any indication that anyone is earnestly making the argument that Israel has the right to rape prisoners.
So what is the point of this comment, other than to preemptively normalize antisemitism as an acceptable response to Israeli human rights abuses?
EDIT: You'll downvote this, but you'll upvote the "guess I'm antisemitic" comment, don't act like you don't see the creeping normalization. No fucking different than right-wingers "I guess x is racist, so I'm a racist now" narratives. I know you think you're joking, but when people tell me who they are, it's still prescient to believe them.
Mocking the kinds of abhorrent claims of "antisemitism" that Israel makes is not even remotely the same as mocking the idea of actual, real life antisemitism.
we have now escalated to mocking the idea of Antisemitism as a whole
That is the reality if the Israeli government keeps pretending that all their human rights violations are in the name of Jews everywhere. You can't hold on to being the victim if you are the one abusing now.
Paragraphs 5-7. I recall there being a video of the moment but I don't know if it is included in the linked article.
A member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, speaking Monday at a meeting of lawmakers, justified the rape and abuse of Palestinian prisoners, shouting angrily at colleagues questioning the alleged behavior that anything was legitimate to do to "terrorists" in custody.
Lawmaker Hanoch Milwidsky was asked as he defended the alleged abuse whether it was legitimate, "to insert a stick into a person's rectum?"
"Yes!" he shouted in reply to his fellow parliamentarian. "If he is a Nukhba [Hamas militant], everything is legitimate to do! Everything!"
...
nowhere am I finding any indication that anyone is earnestly making the argument that Israel has the right to rape prisoners.
An Israeli lawmaker was asked if anal rape with a stick was legitimate and the Israeli lawmaker replied "Yes" and clarified that "Everything is legitimate to do" so long as the recipient is Hamas. Is he in the majority? No, but someone is earnestly making the argument.
Here's the thing. The fact that I'm making the effort to demonstrate this utterly fucked up reality is, I guarantee, going to convince someone here that I'm antisemitic. I don't think it will matter to them that I have family that is Jewish or that I'm 50% Ashkenazi by blood.
The fact that this is happening, and that any Israeli lawmaker would defend it, literally makes Jews worldwide less safe. It gives real, actual antisemitism more perceived legitimacy.
Edit: Video Link. Couldn't find anything outside twitter/insta/tiktok, none of which I ever visit directly. Kind if telling that American news outlets don't have it posted anywhere I could easily find but whatever. While I've had folks attest to the accuracy of the translation, I don't speak Hebrew so feel free to continue to pretend it isn't happening.
Meanwhile their politicians are freeing these rapists, and discussing in the Knesset (basically their parliament) if rape is an appropriate punishment. Their TV channels are discussing the same thing publicly, and bringing IDF soldiers on the shows to defend raping prisoners. I don't understand how a society can become so disgustingly genocidal. Nazi shit.
They will of course find it not to be rape as according to Israeli law, only a citizen is capable of being raped. Captured Palestinians are not citizens.
And it is ridiculous how many people on social media somehow think this makes everything okay.
It probably happened. If you've shown the whole world that you bomb refugee camps and international food relief convoys, then you don't get "the benefit of the doubt" anymore.
It's time to hold Netanyahu accountable for his atrocities. If the U.S. refuses to participate in ICC proceedings, we should at least discontinue our abusive, manipulative, toxic relationahip with Israel.
Israel has a rich legacy of treating their neighbors like absolute shit while using the U.S. as their personal weapon. They should defend themselves from the neighbors they have mistreated for the last several decades. It's time for them to grow up and be responsible for their own actions.
I'm glad it's being documented, but we all pretty much expected this, right? These are the same guys that use injured Palestinians as hood ornaments in public. They get in trouble for that then, but in private, who knows what you can get away with?
Do me next! But let's use the smooth stick 🍡🏒 with no spikes okay 👍😜 and do it gently and slowly. I brought my own ky....how much is this service again? Oh it's free? WOW!
Oh wait, hold on! Hold on, I'm a little sore now. I'm thinking I gotta go home now. But can I come back next weekend? Please 🥺??? ...oh I can't leave? I won't say anything I swear!