Israeli civil liberties groups accused the security services of routinely abusing Palestinian terror suspects. B’Tselem and HaMoked said in a report issued Sunday that Shin Bet interrogators used a “seven-step” system against security detainees that includes solitary confinement, sleep deprivation and beatings. Such methods are illegal and constitute torture, said the groups, which based their findings on interviews with 73 Palestinians who recently were detained.
The Justice Ministry rejected the report as inaccurate, adding that the Shin Bet’s methods conform to Supreme Court rulings on how suspected terrorists are to be handled in cases where they are believed to be withholding information on imminent attacks.
“The last few years have seen many civilian lives saved as a direct consequence of information derived from these interrogations,” the Justice Ministry said.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
