Anger is a legitimate emotion in the face of injustice. Passive acceptance of evil is not a virtue.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Israel claims its army is “one of the most moral armies” in the world as it treats prisoners and detainees with honor.
Unit 504: Israeli Torture Methods Revealed
An Israeli reserve military colonel has revealed disturbing information about indecent torture methods exercised against Arab and Iranian prisoners in Israel's notorious Unit 504 interrogation center.
Unit 504 is the Israeli army's Intelligence Corps unit tasked with interrogating prisoners, particularly those with Arab and Iranian nationalities.
The colonel, who has come to be known as Het, shed light on the cruel abuse and inhumane treatment of Iraqi refugees by an Israeli inspector identified as Captain George.
He has also divulged details on how Captain George tortured his subjects including Mustafa Dirani, a former member of the Shia Lebanese Amal Movement, founded in 1974.
Het said that he attended an interrogation session during which Captain George raped a prisoner using a baton. The captain, who has never been questioned, now serves as the Arab affairs adviser to the chief of the Jerusalem district police.
This is while Dirani, who was abducted by Israeli forces in 1994, has testified that he was sodomized and tortured while being interrogated in Unit 504.
According to media reports, Israel's Channel 2 later aired a footage showing a nude interrogator stripping Dirani while beating and raping him with a rod.
In 1999, Het contacted Zvi Rish, an Israeli attorney who represented Diraini and some abused Iraqi refugees, and insisted that he was seriously ill and wished to disclose his unit's interrogation methods to "clear his conscience."
Additionally, in late December 2010, a human rights group called Public Committee Against Torture in Israel revealed that Palestinian detainees are systematically denied the right to meet a lawyer during interrogations.
Being shackled to chairs for long periods, sleep deprivation, intimidation, torture and abysmal detention conditions are some of the cases the rights group documented in its report.
Israel claims its army is “one of the most moral armies” in the world as it treats prisoners and detainees with honor.
But in recent years videos have come out, showing how Israeli soldiers abuse and humiliate blindfolded and handcuffed Palestinian detainees.
(Press TV)
It is difficult to discuss these issues because people get very emotional.
ReplyDeleteGenerally people in countries "LOVE" and "ADMIRE" their armies. True in Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Pakistan, America, India, France, Australia. Generally people project the best qualities they can imagine into their army. Assume that the soldiers in their armies are the smartest and most moral among them.
It is natural for Israelis to genuinely believe likewise.
There is a secondary phenomenon. Each generation is generally better than their parents . . . more idealistic, smarter, wiser, more moral. Over time societies tend to get richer, safer, more value oriented, and more faith [spiritually] oriented. Progress doesn't move in a straight line, but the trend is generally positive.
No doubt the current IDF is far better than the IDF was 20 years ago. And the IDF 20 years was far better than the IDF 40 years ago. And the IDF 40 years ago was far better than the IDF 60 years ago.
I think it is undeniably true that the current IDF is becoming more moral, more technically competent and better over time. It is also true that the IDF has substantial room for additional improvement.
What is also true is that the Palestinian National Security Forces have improved over time. I would argue that the Palestinian National Security Forces have improved faster than the IDF has.
Be curious to hear VAA's perspectives. TGIA's and everyone else's too. Have learnt a lot from VAA and TGIA over the years.
It is difficult to discuss these issues because people get very emotional.
ReplyDeleteGenerally people in countries "LOVE" and "ADMIRE" their armies. True in Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Pakistan, America, India, France, Australia. Generally people project the best qualities they can imagine into their army. Assume that the soldiers in their armies are the smartest and most moral among them.
It is natural for Israelis to genuinely believe likewise.
There is a secondary phenomenon. Each generation is generally better than their parents . . . more idealistic, smarter, wiser, more moral. Over time societies tend to get richer, safer, more value oriented, and more faith [spiritually] oriented. Progress doesn't move in a straight line, but the trend is generally positive.
No doubt the current IDF is far better than the IDF was 20 years ago. And the IDF 20 years was far better than the IDF 40 years ago. And the IDF 40 years ago was far better than the IDF 60 years ago.
I think it is undeniably true that the current IDF is becoming more moral, more technically competent and better over time. It is also true that the IDF has substantial room for additional improvement.
What is also true is that the Palestinian National Security Forces have improved over time. I would argue that the Palestinian National Security Forces have improved faster than the IDF has.
Be curious to hear VAA's perspectives. TGIA's and everyone else's too. Have learnt a lot from VAA and TGIA over the years.