Palestinians are reportedly being raped in Israeli custody

Hedi Viterbo @HediViterbo

Jul 30 • 31 tweets   Read on X

.Israeli forces have a long record of sexually abusing #Palestinians (and others).

During a massacre in 1948, Israeli forces raped several #Palestinians. Documents that were previously available in the Israeli state archive mention “3 rapes”, including one of a “14-year-old girl”. But Israel has hidden some of these previously public documents.

In an interview with @haaretzcom, officials admitted that they deliberately concealed documents to protect Israel’s reputation, discredit critics, and prevent Palestinian unrest:

3/30 haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

Burying the Nakba: How Israel systematically hides evidence of 1948 expulsion of Arabs***https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2019-07-05/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-israel-systematically-hides-evidence-of-1948-expulsion-of-arabs/0000017f-f303-d487-abff-f3ff69de0000

As a result, most instances of sexual abuse by Israeli forces are probably hidden from the public:

The cases we do know about are extremely distressing.

4/30 haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

Account from ’56 describes slaughter and rape by Israeli troops in Gaza. Is it true?***https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-11-04/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/account-from-56-describes-slaughter-and-rape-by-idf-troops-in-gaza-is-it-true/0000017f-eef4-da6f-a77f-fefee9740000

For example, in 1949, an Israeli army unit captured a Palestinian girl and forced her to shower naked in front of them.

Over the next three days, they gang-raped her. Then, they killed her:  theguardian.com/world/2003/nov…

Israel learns of a hidden shame in its early years Soldiers raped and killed Bedouin girl in the Negev.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/nov/04/israel1

More recently, in 2000, Mustafa Dirani (the former head of the Lebanese Amal movement) was raped by his Israeli captors while being imprisoned without trial or charge: jpost.com/israel/report-…

Report: IDF doctor says Dirani was raped A Tel Aviv court canceled a lawsuit filed by Dirani for having allegedly been tortured.https://www.jpost.com/israel/report-idf-doctor-says-dirani-was-raped

In 2000, Dirani filed a lawsuit to the Israeli Supreme Court, seeking compensation for his rape. 15 years later, the Israeli court dismissed his lawsuit. The court cited a legal rule against examining an enemy’s claim during wartime:  ynetnews.com/articles/0,734…

In 2010, @DCIPalestine reports that Israeli forces sexually assaulted, or threatened of sexual assault, 14 Palestinian children https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/dci-palestine-submits-14-cases-sexual-assault-and-threats-un…

In 2015, a study describes how Israeli forces sexually harassed / abused 60 Palestinian men: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26718999reliefweb.int/report/occupie…
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26718999

DCI – Palestine submits 14 cases of sexual assault and threats to the UN for investigation – occupied Palestinian territory News and Press Release in English on occupied Palestinian territory about Protection and Human Rights; published on 18 May 2010 by DCIP
https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/dci-palestine-submits-14-cases-sexual-assault-and-threats-un

Sexual torture of Palestinian men by Israeli authorities – PubMedIn the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, arrests and imprisonment of Palestinian men in their early adulthood are common practice. The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) col…https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26718999

In 2016, Israel secretly convicted an officer of raping and sexually harassing a Palestinian woman on multiple occasions. The details of the case were only revealed 5 years later: haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

Israel secretly convicted officer of raping Palestinian woman in 2016***https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-10-20/ty-article/.highlight/israel-secretly-convicted-officer-of-raping-palestinian-woman-in-2016/0000017f-e57f-df2c-a1ff-ff7fd3690000

In 2017, an Israeli prison officer was convicted of raping and sexually harassing an imprisoned Palestinian man. The Palestinian couldn’t resist, because he was medicated: nevo.co.il/psika_html/mec…
In 2018, two Israeli soldiers were detained on suspicion of sexually assaulting Palestinian women: haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

Israeli soldiers accused of sexually harassing Palestinian women at checkpoint***https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2018-09-21/ty-article/israeli-soldiers-accused-of-sexually-harassing-palestinian-women/0000017f-ea5d-dea7-adff-fbff75f10000

In 2021, @DCIPalestine publishes a report describing how Israeli interrogators had blindfolded, kicked, beaten, and raped a 15-year-old Palestinian boy using an object: dci-palestine.org/israeli_interr…

Israeli interrogator sexually assaults Palestinian child detainee An Israeli interrogator allegedly physically and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in Israeli custody during interrogation in mid-January at a Jerusalem detention facility.https://www.dci-palestine.org/israeli_interrogator_sexually_assaults_palestinian_child_detainee

According to this former U.S. official, @DCIPalestine told the State Department about the rape. Then, the U.S. asked Israel about these allegations. The next day, Israel broke into the NGO’s office, confiscated its computers, and outlawed it.

In July 2023, @save_children finds that some Palestinian children “report violence of a sexual nature” while in Israeli military detention: savethechildren.net/news/stripped-…

Stripped, beaten and blindfolded: new research reveals ongoing violence and abuse of Palestinian children detained by Israeli military | Save the Children International Save the Children report on Palestinian children in Israeli military detentionhttps://www.savethechildren.net/news/stripped-beaten-and-blindfolded-new-research-reveals-ongoing-violence-and-abuse-palestinian

Then, in November 2023, an @amnesty report describes how a Palestinian woman in the #WestBank was detained, blindfolded, and threatened with rape by Israeli forces: amnesty.org/en/latest/news…

Israel/OPT: Horrifying cases of torture and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees amid spike in arbitrary arrests  Israeli authorities have dramatically increased their use of administrative detention, a form of arbitrary detention, of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank; extended emergency measures that fa…https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/11/israel-opt-horrifying-cases-of-torture-and-degrading-treatment-of-palestinian-detainees-amid-spike-in-arbitrary-arrests

And then, in December 2023, Israeli online magazine @972mag reports that Israeli prison officers are torturing, humiliating, and threatening #Palestinians with rape. Many of those Palestinians were in prison without trial or charge: 972mag.com/palestinians-a…

Palestinians recount abuse inside Israeli prisonsNewly released inmates detail cases of humiliation, torture, rape threats, and a prisoner beaten to death by Israeli forces in the weeks since October 7.https://www.972mag.com/palestinians-abused-israeli-prisons-torture

One Palestinian woman tells @BBCNews at the time: “I was handcuffed and blindfolded. They threatened to rape me … It was clear the goal was to intimidate me”.  bbc.co.uk/news/world-mid…

Released Palestinians allege abuse in Israeli jails Palestinians tell the BBC they were beaten and had dogs set on them while in Israeli detention.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67581915

In January 2024, @Addameer reports that detained Palestinian women are often sexually harassed, threatened with rape, and strip-searched. An 18-year-old Palestinian guy also tells the NGO that the Israeli prison staff photographed him naked: addameer.org/sites/default/…

In February 2024, UN experts describe these allegations as “credible”. They add: “Palestinian women and girls … have also been subjected to multiple forms of sexual assault … At least two female Palestinian detainees were reportedly raped”: ohchr.org/en/press-relea…

That same month, both @PHRIsrael & @save_children publish reports, describing more cases of #Palestinians (men, women, and children) who were raped, sexually harassed, or threatened with sexual violence in Israeli custody:

 phr.org.il/wp-content/upl…
savethechildren.org.uk/news/media-cen…

Palestinian children in Israeli military detention report more violenceRising numbers of Palestinian children detained without charge in the Israel military system since 7 October have reported that they are facing violence and abuse.https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/news/media-centre/press-releases/palestinian-children-in-detention-report-increased-violence

Then, in March 2024, @UNRWA publishes a report on Israel’s widespread abuse of detained #Palestinians from #Gaza, including sexual assault, torture, and beatings: theguardian.com/world/2024/mar…

Palestinians ‘beaten and sexually assaulted’ at Israeli detention centres, UN report claimsInternal analysis by UNRWA, based on interviews with released Palestinians, describes dog attacks and the prolonged use of stress positionshttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/05/gazan-detainees-beaten-and-sexually-assaulted-at-israeli-detention-centres-un-report-claims

The following month, @haaretzcom interviews a Palestinian who was jailed without a trial or charge. He describes how Israeli prison guards abused and assaulted him and other #Palestinians, including by repeatedly kicking their testicles: haaretz.com/israel-news/tw…

Palestinian released from Israeli prison describes beatings, sexual abuse and torture***https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/twilight-zone/2024-04-28/ty-article-magazine/.premium/palestinian-released-from-israeli-prison-describes-beatings-sexual-abuse-and-torture/0000018f-15e9-d2e1-a7df-15efb6590000

In May & June 2024, @CNN & @nytimes publish reports on abuse at Israel’s Sde Teiman detention facility: A @972mag report specifically mentions instances of rape and sexual assault at the facility:  edition.cnn.com/2024/05/10/mid…
web.archive.org/web/2024060604…
972mag.com/sde-teiman-pri…

Israeli whistleblowers detail horror of shadowy detention facility for Palestinians | CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/10/middleeast/israel-sde-teiman-detention-whistleblowers-intl-cmd/index.html

Inside the Base Where Israel Has Detained Thousands of Gazans Since Israel invaded Gaza, the Sde Teiman military base has filled with blindfolded, handcuffed detainees, held without charge or legal representation.https://web.archive.org/web/20240606043728/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/06/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-detention-base.html

‘More horrific than Abu Ghraib’: Lawyer recounts visit to Israeli detention centerAt Sde Teiman, Khaled Mahajneh found a detained journalist unrecognizable as he described the facility’s violent and inhumane conditions.https://www.972mag.com/sde-teiman-prisoners-lawyer-mahajneh

A human rights lawyer who visited the Sde Teiman detention facility says: “The situation there is more horrific than anything [the Americans did at] … Abu Ghraib [prison in Iraq] and [the U.S.] Guantánamo [detention camp in Cuba]”.

In fact, there are many important similarities and links between Israeli & U.S. torture, as discussed in these two articles:  eprints.soas.ac.uk/18371/1/Viterb…
repository.essex.ac.uk/19541/8/Viterb…

Now, Israeli soldiers are suspected of brutally raping a Palestinian man using sharp objects: One Israeli minister has called them “heroic warriors”. Another says they “should get full backing”:

26/30 addameer.org/news/5382
ynetnews.com/article/hkfcjm…
aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/29…

International Call to Action: Investigate the Sde Teiman Raid and Human Rights Violations Against Gaza Detaineeshttps://www.addameer.org/news/5382

Protesters break into IDF detention facility after military police arrest soldiersProtest takes place after soldiers suspected of abusing a terrorist were taken for questioning; Knesset lawmakers and protesters breach gate of facility where Gaza terrorists taken for questioning https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkfcjmsfc

Israeli far-right politicians protest arrest of soldiers suspected of abuseMinisters and members of Knesset slam detention of nine soldiers accused of abusing a Palestinian prisoner.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/29/israeli-far-right-politicians-protest-arrest-of-soldiers-suspected-of-abuse

The Israeli military also has a long record of soldiers sexually abusing their comrades, as part of their hazing rituals.

Since soldiers sexually abuse each other, it’s not hard to believe that they’re also sexually abusing #Palestinians, sometimes in very similar ways.

Hazing practices in the Israeli military reportedly include blindfolding, handcuffing, beating, requiring soldiers to insert objects into their anuses, and calling them derogatory sexual names: Sounds familiar? cambridge.org/core/books/abs…
Israel and its allies often try to deny, downplay, or discredit Palestinian allegations, as detailed here: Also, the Israeli military has a long record of lying, as documented in this thread: cambridge.org/core/books/abs…

But if the requirement to believe rape victims truly applies, then it should apply across the board, regardless of the victims’ nationality and race.

Thread by @HediViterbo on Thread Reader App @HediViterbo: Palestinians are reportedly being raped in Israeli custody. Israeli forces have a long record of sexually abusing #Palestinians (and others). A thread 🧵 (Content warning: severe rape & …https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1818201582246236311.html

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