The November Visit- Part 4

Abu Dis- The Museum

The prisoner museum in Abu Dis paints a vivid picture of the Israeli military internment system, and what life is like inside it. Imagine Guantanamo Bay. Instead of only being one facility though, where foreign nationals are abused, imagine a multitude of facilities, where citizens of their own country are thrown into jail, often without any formal charges or legal representation. Now, imagine the scenes of torture and abuse at Abu Gharib, and apply that to more people, on a larger scale, with more government backing. By doing this, you will have a similar picture of what the Israeli government does to many Palestinians within its prisons. It is sadly said by many in the Occupied Territories, that every Palestinian has some experience of this process, either directly or indirectly.

Tear gas thrown into cells, brutal interrogations, beatings, threats against families, use of the USA's EIT (Enhanced Interrogation Techniques), and even shootings to the head are said to occur within these shadowy complexes. Visits from family are also reportedly either routinely denied or heavily monitored, as well being made deliberately dangerous; as the Israeli guards sometimes use visits as an excuse to arrest more suspects. Guards even force prisoners to rush during their trips to the toilet, in another attempt at making them more uncomfortable. Needless to say, facilities are poor in the prisons, and to get even basic items to pass the time, Palestinians go on hunger strike, which carries a real risk of death either by beating from the Israeli guards or medically unsafe forced feedings.

When females are interned, Israeli prison authorities allegedly often deliberately put them in with Israeli women, convicted of crimes such as drug dealing or prostitution. This policy reportedly results in the widespread abuse of Palestinian women imprisoned in state jails, in a similar way to the men interned elsewhere. The worrying thing is, according to our guide, 50 people, both men and women, are interned in these varied facilities every month, a figure which is noted to be on the rise.