Indoctrination – Lasting Effects on Children and Conflicts
Indoctrination as a concept can be divisive and problematic. To an extent it can be positive, as this allows for the creation of communities that share the same values, giving stability to the people of those groups. However, it can also be dangerous
To differentiate between the positive and negative sides of indoctrination, Tom Nachtigal’s definition[1] will be used. As such, in this context, indoctrination will be defined as “teaching with the intention of instilling certain beliefs and propositions among pupils, by disregarding evidence, reasoning, and logic in the teaching process”. More specifically, this article will focus on systematic indoctrination into hatred and violence and its lasting consequences.
As referred above, vulnerable groups such as children (which according to the Rome Statute are persons below 15 years old) are more sensitive to these influences, as their associated naivety makes them more likely to process information without questioning it.
The resulting consequence of indoctrination can be catastrophic. Children of all ages can suffer unimaginable amounts of pain simply by trusting the teachings of a wrong adult. And from all the possible horrors they could face, it is in becoming a soldier that this article will focus on. Throughout conflict areas in the world, from Colombia to the Philippines, children have been sought and used as tools for war.[2]
Such was the case with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the ultra-nationalist heterodox group that terrorized Uganda from the 1980’s. Currently dispersed between the borders of the DRC, Central African Republic and South Sudan, this group is known for abducting the majority of their top leaders while they were kids.
After weaponizing these children, they were then used to cause mayhem, killing and abducting tens of thousands of other children along the way. By continuing this practice, conflict ensued, displacing almost 500,000 people in the Ugandan plains during the group’s active years[3]. Even though they are largely inactive in currently, the story of the rebel militia is still being mirrored throughout our world. And the effect of such practices is felt to this day.
As reported by the Washington Post[4], abducted children that manage to defect from the LRA face an arduous uphill battle for reintegration. After serving under uneducated authoritarian superiors, who mercilessly kill any caught defector by way of a firing squad, the surviving children face the mental adjustment to day-to-day life. This is compounded by the added paranoia-like pressure of seeing comrades get promoted through informing on each other, and “commanders” being punished for doing acts of kindness. This results in severe mental health issues that surface many months after their release. PTSD is common and in extreme cases, suicide is an escape from the horrors faced during their time as conscripted soldiers.
This fear-based indoctrination of children by the LRA finds its direct counterpart in Hamas’s indoctrination. The terrorist organization has a reported use of 17,000 children, directly or indirectly, throughout the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather than abducting, Hamas ensures that from an early age the children of the Gaza Strip are slowly pushed to dehumanize and stigmatize the Israeli citizen.
In kindergarten, through their considerable influence in the region, Hamas uses the public Al-Aqsa channel to broadcast anti-Semitic shows that promote a jihadist mindset and violence against the Israeli forces.[5]
This is then furthered by the dubious curriculum employed in the Gaza Strip (and in many cases, the remaining Palestinian territories).[6] There are reported uses of clear ennoblement of martyrdom, in particular against the Israeli enemy, and incitement to violence.[7]
Despite all this, Hamas further organizes summer camps each year whereby teenagers reportedly use and practice gunplay and military-like exercises. [8]In addition, preachers (religious authorities of the region) stimulate the aforementioned feelings towards martyrdom and against Israel.[9]
It is through this systematic, determined effort that the infamous terrorist group ensures the continuation of their own war efforts. Children can be used to bolster their army and kill if needed[10]. If successful in a military endeavour, these kids are then encouraged and hailed as heroes, further cementing in their minds that their behaviour was/is correct[11]. Even when building dangerous tunnels to cross the border of Gaza with Israel, children are used as builders.[12]
Whilst these practices were several times noted during Haniyeh’s tenure as de facto and de jure leader of the group, there is no sign that ensures they have all summarily stopped and been reversed under Sinwar’s rule. As explained above, the scars left on rescued child soldiers can remain for a long time after they leave their military service. More so, they are ruthlessly effective in promoting warmongering and belligerence. Thus, they make sure that the next generation will perpetuate conflict and that a polarizing mentality is the norm in an already precarious society.
As a matter of fact, the tendency is that the militarization of children will be increased. From 2013 onwards, Hamas has purportedly included military training in the Gazan high school curricula[13]. Moreover, the increasingly hostile summer camps – such as the “Pioneers of Liberation”[14] camps – ensure that this military education is year-round, as is the spread of violence towards their “Zionist Enemy”. In fact, Abu Muhammad, responsible for the recruitment unit of the camps was recorded stating that the goal of the camps was to provide educational and military activities to train the coming generations to fight the [Israeli] “occupation”[15]. He then continued, stating the generation in front of him was “determined to put an end to the Israeli entity”.[16]
A very important question is then to be asked – what can we do? Any individual effort is unlikely to succeed in the face of such atrocities. As such, it is highly recommended that we take a look at successful preventive programs[17] and reintegration programs[18]. Only through this can the Children of today, not become the Soldiers of tomorrow.
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[1] Nachtigal, T. (2019). Responsible Education: Responsibility under International Law for Indoctrination to Hatred and Violence in Education Systems. Columbia Journal of Transnational Law. [online] Available at: //jtl.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/09/Nachtigal_CJTL-57-600.pdf (Accessed 23 Sep. 2019].
[2] Information retrieved from //childsoldiersworldindex.org/hostilities (Accessed 21 Sep. 2019)
[3] Retrieved from //childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/the-lords-resistance-army-and-children/ (Accessed 21 Sep. 2019)
[4] Retrieved from //www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/kidnapped-as-children-they-escaped-from-konys-lra-to-be-reunited-with-their-families-in-uganda/2018/08/10/625e5b12-8f67-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d_story.html (Accessed 21 Sep. 2019)
[5] Israeli Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center, Educating for Hatred and Violence Against Israel in a Performance Held in a Kindergarten Sponsored by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, (December 31, 2017); available at //www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/educating-for-hatred-and-violence-against-israel-in-aperformance-held-in-a-kindergarten-sponsored-by-the-palestinian-islamic-jihad-pij/ (Accessed 22 Sep. 2019)
[6] Groiss, A. and Shaked, R. (2017). Schoolbooks of the Palestinian Authority (PA): The Attitude to the Jews, to Israel and to Peace. [online] Center for Near East Policy Research Available at: //israelbehindthenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Schoolbooks-PalestinianAuthority2017.pdf [Accessed 23 Sep. 19].
[7] P. 62 ff. (n6)
[8] ITV News, Inside the Hamas Summer Training Camp for Gaza Teens, (added on July 27, 2016); video available at: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD2FezhJgqA ; 4 Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Incitement to Terrorism and Hatred, (June 8, 2017); //www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/21218/
[9] Hamas’s new way of poisoning the minds of Palestinian Children, Gatestone Institute, 1 April 2016. //www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7804/palestinian-children-torture (Accessed 23 Sep. 19)
[10] Riley Clafton, At Summer Camp, Hamas Raises the Next Generation of Killers, The Tower (August 2016); available at: //www.thetower.org/article/at-summer-camp-hamas-raises-the-next-generation-of-killers/ (Accessed 23 Sep. 19)
[11] IDF Website, The Status of Children in Gaza; //www.idf.il/en/minisites/facts-and-figures/hamas/thestatus-of-children-in-gaza/ (Accessed 23. Sep 19).
[12] Lea Spyer, How Child Labor in the Terror Tunnels is Killing Palestinian Children, (July 27, 2014); available at: //www.breakingisraelnews.com/18992/child-labor-terror-tunnels-killing-palestinian-children/; Myer Freimann, Hamas Killed 160 Palestinian Children to Build Tunnels, (July 25, 2014); available at: //www.tabletmag.com/scroll/180400/hamas-killed-160-palestinian-children-to-build-terror-tunnels
[13] Retrieved from //www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/20511/
[14] Summer Camps in the Gaza Strip: A tool for indoctrinating the younger generation with radical ideologies and training them to become future operatives in the terrorist organizations, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. (14 July 2019). The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre. Available at: //www.terrorism-info.org.il/app/uploads/2019/07/E_156_19.pdf [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].
[15] Page 8 (n15)
[16] Ibid.
[17] As the “Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative” (//www.childsoldiers.org)
[18] As “The Save Children Fund” (//www.savethechildren.net)
Everyone Loses in War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBlxdFsWgpo
"All that we strive for as a human family, dignity and hope, progress and prosperity, depends on peace. But peace depends on us."
Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres. Be a voice for the voiceless! Share this video!
Ismail Haniyeh - Crimes Against Humanity
Communication to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court regarding Crimes against Humanity committed by Ismail Haniyeh against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip from June 2014 through July 2018
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
We, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, submit this communication to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court concerning Ismail Haniyeh’s crimes against humanity committed through widespread and/or systematic acts of murder, imprisonment, and torture of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
On January 16, 2015, the Prosecutor began a preliminary examination into the “situation in Palestine” to determine whether a full investigation should be opened for crimes committed within the Palestinian territories. In this communication, we contend that if any full investigation is to be pursued into crimes committed in such territories or by Palestinian nationals, then a case should be lodged against Haniyeh.
Haniyeh is, and has been at all times material to this communication, a senior leader of Hamas. He has played a pivotal role in developing and enforcing Hamas’ extremist ideology and consistent human rights violations against the Gazan civilian population as well as others. As the de facto and subsequently de jure leader of Hamas, Haniyeh wielded effective control over the relevant activities in Gaza. Hamas’ interconnected command structure is such that the political, social, and military wings of the organization are intertwined, and in reality, under a common, highly-centralized leadership. Accordingly, Haniyeh knew of and was in a position to prevent the crimes against humanity that have been committed against the civilian population of Gaza; yet he has manifestly failed to do so.
The case is grave enough to merit further investigation. Haniyeh’s crimes have had and will continue to have devastating consequences on the entire population of Gaza, as well as their families and the rest of society in the surrounding region. These crimes benefit no one but the Hamas leadership. As the Hamas-dominated Gazan courts have done nothing to punish those who play a direct role in committing these crimes against humanity, there is no prospect of local justice.
Haniyeh’s crimes are not merely historical; they are ongoing and contribute to the continued conflict between Hamas and Fatah and to the instability in the region. This internal conflict within the Palestinian leadership is damaging to the Palestinian population it is supposed to represent, and it constantly diminishes any chance of peaceful coexistence with its neighbours. The ICC has the rare opportunity to take an important step not just in punishing perpetrators and deterring crimes against humanity, but also in improving Gaza’s civil society and promoting peace. For all these reasons, if any investigation is to be pursued into crimes committed in Palestine, then we respectfully urge the Office of the Prosecutor to launch a full investigation into the actions of Haniyeh.
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LEGAL ACTION IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA
The Jerusalem Institute of Justice has been actively engaged in legal proceedings before the International Criminal Court (ICC), particularly focusing on the actions of Hamas and other terrorist organizations. In response to the October 7, 2023, attacks, JIJ has intensified its efforts to hold these groups accountable, arguing that these acts meet the criteria for genocide under international law. The legal documents submitted by JIJ underscore the historical context of the Genocide Convention of 1948 and emphasize the legal definition of genocide as codified in the Rome Statute of the ICC.
In past years, JIJ has filed extensive legal complaints and memos to both national and international bodies, highlighting human rights violations in the region. Their goal is to bring perpetrators, who have enjoyed impunity, to justice. Notably, JIJ has filed lawsuits against Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh for war crimes committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza and against Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for crimes against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
In addition to these efforts, JIJ has submitted fifty-two Palestinian testimonies to the ICC in The Hague, revealing severe abuses committed by the Palestinian Authority against their own citizens. These testimonies detail brutal acts, including murder, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture, and rape of Palestinian and Israeli citizens residing in the West Bank. A landmark 1,800-page verdict by Judge Moshe Drori of the Jerusalem District Court has also held the Palestinian Authority accountable for these severe abuses.
Irredeemable and Flawed
By Rachel Rosen.
"There is no doubt that we [UNRWA] have contributed to one of the most remarkable human development processes and significantly advanced several key sustainable development goals for Palestine refugees...”
The United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestinians, or UNRWA, is a UN agency that purports to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees. A simple click on their website will bring forth an array of quotes and pictures of children happily reaping the benefits of UNRWA services, such as engaging in art projects and sports competitions at UNRWA schools. According to UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl, "There is no doubt that we [UNRWA] have contributed to one of the most remarkable human development processes and significantly advanced several key sustainable development goals for Palestine refugees...” If UNRWA is in fact providing essential humanitarian aid to refugees however, then what are the issues with this agency that have caused the US to stop funding it?
Unlike the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), the UN program which gives aid to refugees from all over the world, UNRWA is dedicated to helping Palestinians alone. Even more striking is the fact that UNRWA created a new definition of refugees that applies only to Palestinians, including not only those who were displaced after the 1948 and 1967 wars, but also their descendants. While UNRWA is commonly depicted as a humanitarian agency that provides educational, health, and welfare services to displaced Palestinians across the Middle East, it is in fact stewing a false hope among Palestinians that they will return to an Arab State of Palestine, and thus erase the State of Israel.
What does UNRWA accomplish? What are the issues it causes?
UNRWA’s definition of refugee has exponentially increased the Palestinian refugee population. While it originally aided 750,000 people, today UNRWA serves 5 million people. Consequently, many Palestinians, have acquired citizenship in other states, in Jordan in particular. Only the return of refugees and their descendants to their homes could remove their refugee status. Several Arab states, such as Lebanon and Syria, do not want to fully integrate Palestinians in an effort to not deny them their right to return to modern-day Israel. According to Einat Wilf, UNRWA expert and former Member of Kennest, this has focused Palestinian national identity on the right of return and on eliminating the modern State of Israel.
The educational system funded by UNRWA is especially problematic. UNRWA schools indoctrinate students in the West Bank and Gaza with violent, hateful ideologies. Students are taught that Israel has no right to exist, that Palestine and Israel cannot coexist, and that the Land of Israel should only contain an Arab Palestinian state. The Center for Near East Policy Research found that textbooks in UNRWA schools were filled with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements. These instructional materials promote the deligitmization and demonization of Israel and Jews and advocate for a violent struggle for liberation of 1948 Palestinian borders.
The UNRWA definition of Palestinian refugee status and its support for a biased education system does not contribute to peace efforts between Palestinians and Israelis, but rather, perpetuates the conflict. Refugee status is passed on from generation to generation. This ensures that many Palestinian children attend UNRWA schools where they are indoctrinated with hateful, anti-Israel, anti-peace beliefs. Hamas leaders put these beliefs into practice in UNRWA facilities by training children to become terrorists and by using these spaces for terrorist operations- such as digging tunnels under schools or storing weapons in hospitals.
Why has the US stopped funding it?
The defunding of UNRWA is one out of several steps the Trump Administration is taking to strengthen Israel. The US was the largest single donor to UNRWA, giving more than $350 million in 2017. After, however, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to enter US-led peace talks with Israel, the US froze $125 million in aid. The decision was made at a meeting between Jared Kusher and Mike Pompeo, however, many other leaders- including President Trump and National Security Advisor John Bolton- were supportive. Trump stated, “...With Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?” Abbas’s refusal to engage in peace talks stems from the fact that Palestinians do not see the US as a fair, peace-making body. In moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he claims that the Trump administration alienated Palestinians from the peace process.
Both US and Israeli leaders view UNRWA as a means of deepening Palestinian problems. Their alienation from the peace process is not the fault of the US, but rather can largely be attributed to their own neglect to work towards coexistence. US leaders tend to point to the issue of how UNRWA defines refugee, while their Israeli counterparts discuss the existential threat that UNRWA poses to Israel. According to National Security Advisor John Bolton,
“UNRWA is a failed mechanism. It violates standard international law on the status of refugees. UNRWA’s program is the only one in history based on the assumption that refugee status is hereditary... it is long overdue that we have taken steps to reduce funding.”
US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, affirmed Bolton’s point, claiming that in order for UNRWA to receive US dollars, the number of refugees will need to be changed to an accurate count. Heather Nauert, State Department spokeswoman, called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to support the US decision to withdraw funding from UNRWA, describing the program as an “irredeemably flawed operation” that is based on an “unsustainable” business model. The Prime Minister’s office affirmed Netanyahu’s support for the US’s “critical attitude towards UNRWA” and claimed that “practical steps need to be taken in order to change the fact that UNRWA is being used to entrench the Palestinian refugee problem instead of solving it.” The hawkish view of Israeli leaders is reflected in statements made by former and current Israeli ambassador to the UN, Ron Proser and Danny Danon, in which they describe how UNRWA-funded facilities are used for terrorist activities. Proser describes UNRWA schools as a “hotbed of incitement” against Israel, Jews, and the West, while Danon points to UNRWA’s adoption of a unilateral political position and the anti-peace rhetoric in course materials taught at UNRWA schools.
What are the solutions to UNRWA?
The largest problem with abolishing UNRWA is addressing who would provide humanitarian aid to poor Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Several solutions have been suggested that seek to reform who controls UNRWA and who oversees where funds get allocated. One solution would be to transfer UNRWA’s responsibilities to the UNHCR. If UNRWA operated under the UNHCR, it would to adopt the UNHCR rules and regulations, ensuring that Palestinian refugees were treated the same as all other refugees around the world. This would revoke the unique refugee status of Palestinians. Another solution would be to put UNRWA under the sole control of the Palestinian Authority, thus terminating its affiliation with the UN and UN funding. A third solution on the table is increasing UNRWA’s transparency in order to ensure that its budget and equipment are used for the correct purposes and to ensure that educational programs are supervised. In a statement to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Haley stated, “UNRWA can stay there, and we will be a donor if it reforms what is does... If it goes and makes sure that they’re not doing those teachings in textbooks, if they actually change the number of refugees to an accurate account. We will look back partnering with them.” She noted that the administration is seeking to bring resolutions to the UN that will hold Hamas accountable for human rights abuses in Gaza, such as the use of children as human shields.
How the United Nations Indirectly Funds Hamas
Article by Beniamino Parenzo as an intern at the Jerusalem Institute of Justice.
The United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Western governments funnel critical financial support to a Hamas-tied “charity” organization in disregard of its known history.
Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) is an international organization based in the United Kingdom that maintains offices around the world, including Gaza and the West Bank. IRW operates, ostensibly, as an international relief and development charity. Their website’s mission statement reads, “inspired by Islamic faith, we have been striving to make the world a better and fairer place.” Apparently, making the world ‘a better and fairer place’ includes financing Hamas.
According to investigations carried out by the Israel Security Agency, IRW has played a central role over the years in channeling money to this terrorist organization. Based on Shin Bet’s findings, Israel’s Defense Minister declared IRW illegal on June 19, 2014 and banned it from operating anywhere in Israel and the West Bank.
This should hardly have come as a surprise to any impartial observer. As long ago as 2006, the Israeli Ministry for Foreign Affairs had designated IRW a terrorist front, noting that “IRW provides support and assistance to Hamas’s infrastructure.” That same year, on May 10th, Israeli police arrested IRW’s Gaza coordinator, Iyaz Ali, who admitted he was aware that “. . . several of the organizations supported by the IRW in Judea, Samaria and Gaza were indeed identified with Hamas.”
A Long History of IRW Ties to Extremist Organizations
While ties to Hamas mark IRW’s most striking alliance, this ‘charity’ organization boasts a long history of personal and financial connections to varied Islamic extremist groups and pro-terror organizations. The reader’s eye cannot fail to notice Al Qaeda-related organizations, including the “Charitable Society for Social Welfare” and “Human Concern International,” as well as the Hamas-funded “Human Appeal International” on the public list of IRW donors. To say this is concerning understates the likely impact of these donors upon IRW actions.
Not only does the IRW receive funds from terrorist organizations, but some of its trustees and directors have long-maintained personal ties to other extremist organizations. For instance, Essam El-Haddad, a former trustee of both IRW and Islamic Relief UK, left IRW in 2012 to become the National Security Advisor for Egypt’s former President, Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood party. Abdul Wahab Noorwali, another trustee of IRW, was the Assistant Secretary General of the “World Assembly of Muslim Youth,” an association that the U.S. government has accused of linkage to Osama Bin Laden and the Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. In 2003, Yassin thanked the World Assembly of Muslim Youth for their continued financial support. Ahmed Al-Rawi, a director of IRW, was the former head of the “Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe” and president of the “Muslim Association of Britain,” both regarded as groups aligned with the European Muslim Brotherhood. And the list goes on.
The Funding of IRW by UNOCHA
While shutting off IRW funding to Hamas falls outside the scope of international mandates, those who defend democracy and human rights might well expect the United Nations to act in concert with Europe and the United States to limit, where possible, IRW access to western funds. To the contrary, the U.N. funds IRW, provoking this compelling question: “what motivates the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), under-written by Western governments, to provide direct financial support to IRW and, thereby, to provide indirect financial support to Hamas through IRW?”
UNOCHA, an arm of the United Nations Secretariat, serves as the primary coordinator of NGO funding and activity and is charged with responsibility “for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies.” UNOCHA determines the relative priorities and needs of societies in crisis, sets strategic response objectives and coordinates the funding of local NGOs tasked with meeting those needs by defining so-called Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs).
IRW has been permitted to continue its activities as a “Participating Organization” in UNOCHA’s HRPs, despite the decree issued by the Israeli Defense Minister that bans the organization for its financial ties with Hamas.
All funding records managed by UNOCHA are publicly accessible from the Financial Tracking Service (FTS) database. Taking into account both the pledged and paid contributions made to IRW after the 2014 banning decree, this organization has been given, or promised, more than $80 million U.S. Dollars through the UNOCHA humanitarian coordinating mechanism. The European Union, United Kingdom and Sweden are listed alongside other stated donors to IRW.
An Unacceptable Situation
Who would not wish to believe that the governments named above were unaware of the alleged role played by IRW in financing what they themselves deem a terrorist organization? However, following the Israeli warrant against IRW in 2014, the NGO Monitor made a formal inquiry into the funding of Hamas through IRW. While all of the entities named above did reply, none took a position on IRW’s alleged misconduct, nor did they implement a satisfactory monitoring mechanism to track the spending of funds donated to IRW. In other words, the status quo was reaffirmed.
In short, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) sustains a long, unbroken history of ties with controversial extremist groups that has been banned from operating in Israel and the West Bank because of its role in funneling money to Hamas. Yet, this same organization receives funds from multiple Western governments through a mechanism set up, approved, and controlled by the United Nations. None of these entities have addressed the unchallengeable Israeli claim that IRW channels money to a known terrorist organization.
This is not science fiction, though it would have seemed so a few short years ago. We cannot answer the question raised earlier about the motivations which direct U.N. funding of Hamas through Islamic Relief Worldwide. However, whatever the motivation, the unbelievable, unacceptable and shocking truth which connects UNOCHA to extremism and terrorism demands immediate, corrective action by the United Nations.
This article originally appeared in The Times Of Israel, here.
Torture and Inhumane Treatment
“The Palestinian Authority is responsible for severe abuses, including: the murder, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture, and rape of 52 Palestinian and Israeli citizens, residents of the West Bank,” stated the long (1,800 pages) precedent setting verdict that was issued approximately two years ago by judge Moshe Drori of the Jerusalem District Court.
The verdict described horrifying torture. Electric shocks, hanging upside down for long periods of time, pouring boiling plastic on the body, extraction of nails and teeth, sterilization, sleep deprivation, food restriction, the killing and raping of family members, the removal of a pre-mature baby from her incubator, and other forms of inhumane abuse.
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52 testimonies of cruel torture
Notice to the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court
Crimes against Humanity committed
against Palestinian citizens
Fifty-two Palestinian testimonies were submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. These testimonies expose the brutal abuses committed by the Palestinian Authority against their own citizens.
“The Palestinian Authority is responsible for severe abuses, including: the murder, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture, and rape of 52 Palestinian and Israeli citizens, residents of the West Bank,” stated the long (1,800 pages) precedent setting verdict that was issued by judge Moshe Drori of the Jerusalem District Court.
The verdict described horrifying torture. Electric shocks, hanging upside down for long periods of time, pouring boiling plastic on the body, extraction of nails and teeth, sterilization, sleep deprivation, food restriction, the killing and raping of family members, the removal of a premature baby from her incubator, and other forms of inhumane abuse.
The verdict stated that the Palestinian Authority is responsible for murder and torture. The court ordered the PA to pay the plaintiffs partial compensation totaling over 3.8 million dollars for their imprisonment and over 400,000 dollars for trial expenses. Currently, the court continues to discuss the rate of additional compensation to the plaintiffs for the tortures, suffering, and disabilities they endured and for their property that was seized. It is estimated that the total compensation will amount to almost 28 million dollars.
The Jerusalem Institute of Justice along with Attorney Barak Kedem from the Arbus Kedem-Tzur firm, who represented the plaintiffs at the District Court of Jerusalem are working together in order to show the world the cruelty of the Palestinian Authority to their prisoners. These horrifying testimonies were submitted the to the ICC.
Attorney Uri Morad, Dir. of the International Law Department at the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, explains: “In February we addressed the ICC requesting that the Office of the Prosecutor open criminal investigations against the chair of the PA, Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen), for crimes he committed against his own people, including a long, systematic campaign of murder, torture, and imprisonment. These testimonies point to the existence of a well-oiled machine that oppresses a civil society.”
Attorney Barak Kedem adds, “The fact that there are people who experience this hell on earth should shock every human being, regardless of their nationality or political affiliation. One can’t stand idly by after hearing of the PA’s atrocities. I hope that the statements presented to the ICC will cause world leaders to ask themselves: ‘Do I want to continue to be part of this machine that transfers funds to the PA?’ The ICC will bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Prior to filing the testimonies, some of the plaintiffs agreed to be filmed and explain the horrors they experienced. From the testimonies-
“After the arrest, I suffered a heart attack, after seeing my little daughter paralyzed, because the PA removed her from her incubator in order to get revenge on me.”
“I wanted to die over 20 times a day, due to the suffering. The torture was horrible. One time they sat me on an electric chair, I was sure I would die.”
“A PA official showed me an explosive belt and told me that either I would wear it and perform a suicide bombing in Israel, or that they would kill me there.”
Included in the testimonies brought to the ICC is the account of a Palestinian civilian who entered Israel to carry out a terrorist attack. He was injured in a car accident on his way. He received high quality medical attention in Israel, and his life was no longer at risk. Following the treatment, he changed his position and became a collaborator and aided Israel in its war on terror. The PA’s retaliation was cruel. His wife was giving birth to a premature baby that needed the support of an incubator. The PA immediately removed them both from the hospital. This baby grew up to have severe physical and cognitive disabilities. Today she is 17 years old, and lives in a rehabilitative hospital in Beit Levinstein.
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Getting BDS Right
This past week, the founder of the BDS movement, Omar Barghouti, was denied entrance into the United States.
Barghouti’s chief allies claimed this amounted to a gross human rights violation. Others charge the Trump administration for failing to uphold press freedoms. Some American Jewish leaders, notably Peter Beinart, argued that providing a platform for Barghouti’s views would have demonstrated the maturity and vitality of Judaism.
Here is how Barghouti himself characterized the move: “Israel is not merely continuing its decades-old system of military occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing. It is increasingly outsourcing its outrageous McCarthyite repression to the U.S., and to xenophobic, far right cohorts across the world.”
To weigh their criticisms, right or wrong, we have to get BDS itself right.
Omar Barghouti is a Qatari who grew up in Egypt, moved to Israel, and then styled himself a Palestinian. He belongs to a wealthy, politically connected Arab clan that includes two cousins active in explicit anti-Israel terrorism.
Barghouti has written books in Arabic which deny any ancient Jewish claims to the Land; repudiate decades of international law which gave sovereignty to Israel alongside similar grants of sovereignty for other Arab states; and ignore the absolute rejection by Palestinians of multiple Israeli offers to share peace within the Land. He believes Jews in Israel never had, and so do not have, even today, any rights to collective self-determination, and has often stated that “no Palestinian can ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.” Interviewed after the visa denial, Barghouti repeated the baseless charge on which he founded BDS: “Since its creation, Israel has always been an apartheid state.”
The American action may well have arisen from conviction that Barghouti is, at root, an anti-Semite working slyly by stages towards the elimination of Israel. This accords with his life history, BDS strategy and numerous public statements. It would hardly represent a novel interpretation by the Trump administration. Many have charged Barghouti with antisemitism over the years. His scheduled NYC workshop included one main speaker recently fired by CNN, hardly a conservative outlet, as an anti-Semite. The other has stalwartly defended Ilhan Omar against all-too-credible charges of antisemitism.
The novelty, even shock that Barghouti experienced over his rejection, comes from this President’s continued determination to act upon pronouncements which have often served as mere diplomatic posturing for past administrations. This decision may also be connected with the recent appointment of Elan Carr as the face of U.S. opposition to BDS and growing antisemitism world-wide.
Some have suggested another reason the American government has refused comment on Barghouti’s visa denial. They, as well as the Israelis, may suspect he planned other activities along the way similar to the ones which led to criminal tax evasion charges in 2017.
In any case, the visa denial could not have stemmed from the obvious delusion that this would somehow suppress, successfully, the speech rights of Omar Barghouti, let alone from some absurd, hypocritical right-wing ‘fear’ of free speech. Undoubtedly, and this must have been anticipated, his trip has received far more public attention, even sympathy, than if he had traveled physically. Notably, those condemning the American position have not commented on Barghouti’s virtual presence at the same panels for which he was scheduled. Some of these critics have been central participants to these discussions.
For Barghouti, this could become a case of ‘be careful what you wish for, lest it happen’. He has always craved the media spotlight, which has now been turned up brighter than ever before. Naturally, he has wasted no time in reframing his finely-honed narrative to include this unexpected embarrassment. However, first Israel, and now America, has put Barghouti on public notice that they are also watching his actions, on- and off-stage, with ever-increasing attention. The latter may finally be getting BDS right.
Amnesty International- Hamas excessive use of force
March 28th, 2019
Amnesty International Israel
Kibutz Galuyot Rd. 32
Tel Aviv – Yaffo
Dear Amnesty International,
As an NGO who shares the objective of defending human rights, we endorse your condemnation of terrorist organization Hamas’ brutal and excessive use of force against Palestinian protesters, journalists, and human rights workers and your related call for action.
The Jerusalem Institute of Justice strongly condemns how Hamas’ security forces countered the peaceful Palestinian demonstration known as “The revolt of the hungry” on March 14th. We want to express our contempt for Hamas’ actions such as arbitrary arrests, beatings, torture and the use of grenades and live ammunition. Not only did the Palestinian population suffer, so did journalists and human right workers. We decry the detention of Hind Khoudary and the threats directed towards her.
We understand that this event affected your organization on a personal level. And this makes us wonder, where were the reports on Hamas’ previous crimes against the Palestinian population when you were not personally targeted? Why would you only raise issue with Hamas’ atrocities now?
Since 2016, 17.000 Palestinian children have been used and abused for military purpose. Where have you been? Where were you when Hamas opened summer camps for Palestinian children where they ‘enjoy’ various activities such as military training and Hamas ideology indoctrination?
It suggests that you genuinely care about Human Rights violations. However, only when they happen on your doorstep, with your own people involved. Moreover, because the use of excessive force by Hamas against its own population reached alarming levels long before March 14th 2019, may we ask what makes this event different?
Apart from these critical questions, we support your recent condemnation and your call for action regarding Hamas’ human rights violations on March 14th. Better now than never. And we see your statement about watching the Gaza authorities and your call for investigations as a message of hope. We therefore look forward to your follow up reports and reply on this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Flavia Sevald, CEO
Jerusalem Institute of Justice