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.

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.

You can find the full report of testimonies here

  • @BellEnglish
    109•1 month ago

    Do you want to make terrorists? Because this is how you make desperate people feel like their only option is to become terrorists.

      • AmandaEnglish
        22•1 month ago

        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.

    • @DoorbookEnglish
      35•1 month ago

      The irony of calling them terrorists instead of freedom fighters.

    • @MaggotyEnglish
      13•1 month ago

      Netanyahu saw the Bush admin create the Iraqi insurgency and said, “hold my beer”.

    • @rottingleafEnglish
      -13•1 month ago

      This is what Westerners love to say, but from the Israeli (or, say, Azeri and Turkish) viewpoint they’ve already outraged all the potential “terrorists” long ago and there’s nobody else who can oppose them but doesn’t do that yet. That is, they feel impunity. And they are right if a Westerner reading this says something like

      Do you want to make terrorists? Because this is how you make desperate people feel like their only option is to become terrorists.

      , not even bothering to send something poisonous in an envelope to an Israeli embassy, even such a little action.