The U.S. State Department’s annual human rights report cites allegations that Israel tortured Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli government “generally respected the human rights of its citizens,” the report says in its introduction. “However, there were problems in some areas, including serious abuses by some members of the security forces against Palestinian detainees.” The report cites nongovernmental organizations in making its claims. “During the year, reputable NGOs filed numerous complaints with the government alleging that security forces tortured and abused Palestinian detainees,” it said. In one case the report recounts a detainee from the West Bank who for 25 days allegedly was “subjected to illegal means of interrogation, including simulated choking, painful positioning, sleep deprivation, beatings, and threats to arrest his family or destroy his home.” Israel s Supreme Court banned such techniques in 1999 except in ticking bomb situations. Israeli officials would not comment, pending a full review of the report, but some pro-Israeli commentators have claimed that the NGOs have exhibited a marked anti-Israel agenda.
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