#Israel / We Served on Israel's Sde Teiman Base. Here's What We Did to Gazans Detained There
This investigative report in #Haaretz contains disturbing testimonies from several #IDF soldiers and medical personnel who served at the Sde Teiman detention facility (allegedly torture camp) in Israel, where Palestinian detainees from Gaza (mostly civilians with no relation to the Hamas, Nukhbah or October 7) are held.
The testimonials document the inhumane conditions, psychological abuse and practices, like constant restraint, sensory deprivation, and threat of violence. The
testimonies mention being instructed to view the detainees as non-human, to enable or justify abusive behavior. They also reveal the issue of inadequate medical care, lack of oversight, whihc allow abusive acts (often occurred in areas without camera coverage,) and little accountability for mistreatment.
More interestingly, soldiers show mixed reactions. Some were disturbed by what they witnessed, others seemed to accept or even enjoy the abusive treatment of detainees. Some personnel tried to justify the harsh treatment by citing "security needs", or what's really at play, revenge for the October 7 attacks.
There's also indication that conditions at Sde Teiman may have marginally improved in recent months. The publication of this report, given existing international awareness of Sde Teiman, could be strategically timed to demonstrate the functioning of Israel's legal system and internal oversight mechanisms. While efforts were made to limit information flow about the facility, the controlled release of such reports can serve Israel's interests by portraying a degree of transparency and self-correction. However, a more effective approach to ensuring humane treatment and adherence to international law would be to implement independent, international oversight of these detention facilities.
The choice of imagery by Haaretz for this report is notably sterile and less disturbing compared to surveillance camera footage shown on Channel 12 news earlier, showing detainees lying on the ground in diapers.
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