The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has published a major new report documenting how the Israeli prison system has become “a network of torture camps,” where physical, psychological and sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners is normalized and routine.
The report, titled “Welcome to Hell,” collects the testimony of 55 Palestinians who were detained by Israeli authorities since October 7 and later released, almost all without charges. This comes as a group of U.N. experts condemned the widespread torture of Palestinians and as Israel’s Channel 12 News aired shocking footage of Israeli soldiers sexually abusing a prisoner at the Sde Teiman army base, where thousands of detainees from Gaza are held.
Sarit Michaeli, the international advocacy lead for B’Tselem, says the abuse in Israeli prisons is “systemic, ongoing and state-sanctioned,” reflecting the cruelty and thirst for revenge among a growing number of Israelis. “They would like to have a completely open field in terms of what they can do to Palestinians,” says Michaeli.
You can find the full report of testimonies here
It’s interesting how in an attempt to rebuke claims that being against Israel is antisemitic, we have now escalated to mocking the idea of Antisemitism as a whole every time there’s disturbing news about Israel…
I am not a fan of this trend. Antisemitism still exists, and nowhere am I finding any indication that anyone is earnestly making the argument that Israel has the right to rape prisoners.
So what is the point of this comment, other than to preemptively normalize antisemitism as an acceptable response to Israeli human rights abuses?
EDIT: You’ll downvote this, but you’ll upvote the “guess I’m antisemitic” comment, don’t act like you don’t see the creeping normalization. No fucking different than right-wingers “I guess x is racist, so I’m a racist now” narratives. I know you think you’re joking, but when people tell me who they are, it’s still prescient to believe them.
Mocking the kinds of abhorrent claims of “antisemitism” that Israel makes is not even remotely the same as mocking the idea of actual, real life antisemitism.
That’s not what’s being done and you know it
Being against Israel isn’t antisemitic. Zionism is a nationalist movement. Nationalism sucks. You’re welcome.
That is the reality if the Israeli government keeps pretending that all their human rights violations are in the name of Jews everywhere. You can’t hold on to being the victim if you are the one abusing now.