Israel's agreements aren't
worth the paper they're written on.
Rogue states don't deal. They demand. They lie. They cheat. They betray.
They're intolerant of justice and other democratic values.
On May 14, Egyptian and Palestinian representatives said Israel accepted
prisoner demands in exchange for ending weeks of hunger striking.
Terms included:
Israel would make specific accusations or release administrative detainees
when their terms expired.
Solitary confinement would end within 72 hours. All detainees were included.
Family visit bans would end. The punitive Shalit Law imposing them would
be revoked.
Overall draconian prison conditions would improve. Details were lacking.
So were assurances that deal terms would hold.
Straightaway they were violated. Administrative detentions were extended.
Solitary confinement continues. So do torture and other abuses.
Gazan detainees were transferred to where family members can't visit.
Gulag conditions remain draconian.
Prisoners should have known that negotiating with a snake assures being
bitten.
Now they're back to square one. Perhaps hundreds or more will resume
striking. It's their only way to get world attention. Doing it, of course,
risks their health, well-being, and lives.
It also means detainees freed may be rearrested. It's standard Israeli
practice.
On June 21, Addameer headlined "Urgent: Hunger striker's administrative
detention order renewed in violation of recent agreement," saying:
Addameer lawyer Fares Ziad confirmed that Hassan Safadi "re-launched
his hunger strike and is currently being held in solitary punishment."
He's likely being beaten and punished other ways. Israel's gulag matches
the world's worst in harshness.
Safadi refused food for 71 days before ingesting food. He risked his
life for justice. It brought him more pain.
He was promised release. Instead, Israel ordered his lawless administrative
detention extended another six months. Indefinite renewals may follow.
He's uncharged and untried. He committed no crimes. He's held for political
reasons like thousands of other Palestinians.
While on strike, he "was subjected to severe ill-treatment by Israeli
prison authorities...."
He was restrained and forcefully injected with unknown substances. Doing
so violates fundamental medical ethics.
Adopted by the World and Israeli Medical Associations, the Malta Declaration
states:
"Physicians need to satisfy themselves that food or treatment refusal
is the individual's voluntary choice. Hunger strikers should be protected
from coercion."
"Physicians can often help to achieve this and should be aware that
coercion may come from the peer group, the authorities or others, such
as family members."
"Physicians or other health care personnel may not apply undue pressure
of any sort on the hunger striker to suspend the strike. Treatment or
care of the hunger striker must not be conditional upon suspension of
the hunger strike."
When Hassan resumed eating, he was in critical condition. During his
hunger strike, he was severely beaten. He sustained injuries.
Israeli prison doctors refused treatment. Independent physicians were
denied permission to see him.
He's been imprisoned for nearly a year uncharged. Extending his term
another six months blatantly violates agreement terms. Addameer fears
he'll resume striking and risk death. He's extremely frail and can't
tolerate much more.
Addameer also believes this breach means others will follow. Hundreds
of hunger strikers will be betrayed.
Numerous other violations already occurred. Others will follow. Striker
Dirar Abu Sisi remains isolated. He wasn't returned to the general prison
population as promised. Another Palestinian was also placed in solitary
confinement.
Israel promised to end the practice. It's ordered punitively for revenge.
Five weeks after May 14 terms were finalized, Addameer sees "no change
in Israel's overall administrative detention policy" and other draconian
practices.
They'll continue without sustained worldwide pressure to end them.
A Final Comment
On June 22, the Palestine News Network headlined "178 International
Decisions in Condemnation of Israel's Mistreatment of Palestinian Prisoners,"
saying:
June 26 is International Day against Torture. It denounces the practice.
It honors victims. It also supports them and survivors worldwide.
A Detainees and Ex-Detainees Society report "reveal(s) that (Israeli
authorities continue to) tortur(e) Palestinian prisoners and humiliat(e)
them."
It deprives them of their humanity and dignity. It's not for interrogation
purposes. Men, women and young children are abused. Israel makes no
distinction.
Photos show Israeli authorities "appear happy and proud of their handiwork."
"The International Day against Torture addresses the physical and psychological
torture used continuously by the Israeli interrogators...."
"(I)mmediate intervention" is urgently needed to "condemn (these) crimes....in
serious violation of international humanitarian law."
Minister of Detainees and Ex-Detainees society, Issa Qaraqe, called
on UN authorities "to declare that Israel is not a state above the international
humanitarian law, and to withdraw its membership from the UN because
it hasn't respected the human rights law and the UN conventions, which
were the main reason to for accepting Israel as member state in the
UN."
He said 178 previous UN resolutions and "decisions" condemned Israeli
practices since 1967.
Israel doesn't observe its international law obligations. It's gotten
away with murder, torture, and other abuses for decades.
In response, he wants long overdue punishments ordered. Getting them
is another matter entirely.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge
discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News
Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time
and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy
listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
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