UN Agency Calls on Israel to Form an Investigation Committee into Torture Allegations Against Palestinian Prisoners

SadaNews - On Friday, the UN Committee Against Torture urged Israel to form a committee to investigate "all allegations of torture" against Palestinian prisoners.

In order to prosecute "those responsible, including senior officials," the UN committee, in a statement, called on Israel to establish a "specialized independent and impartial effective investigation committee to look into and investigate all allegations of torture and maltreatment committed during the current armed conflict."

While the committee "unequivocally condemned the attack carried out by Hamas and other factions against Israel on October 7, 2023," it also expressed "deep concern over the disproportionate nature of the Israeli response to these attacks."

During a review of the situation in Israel in mid-November, the committee's rapporteur, Peter Vidal Kissing, noted that its members felt "horrified by the descriptions in numerous reports from various sources of what appears to be systematic and widespread torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians, including children and vulnerable groups" in its prisons.

The documented torture in reports issued by UN bodies and organizations included "severe beating, including to the genitalia; electric shocks; forcing individuals to remain in stressful positions for prolonged periods; deliberate inhumane conditions and starvation; water torture; widespread sexual humiliation and threats of rape."

The committee also expressed its concern on Friday about "settler violence" and the "use of administrative detention," which "have reached unprecedented levels."

It also expressed concern about the continued allowance of the use of undisclosed "special means" as a coercive method during interrogations.

In this regard, the committee urged Israel to enact "a separate criminal offense for torture that includes a definition consistent with the convention," provide accurate information about the nature of the "special means" used, and ensure that "no exceptional circumstances are invoked to justify torture or ill-treatment."

In response to the committee in mid-November, the co-chair of the Israeli delegation and the Israeli ambassador to the UN rejected the accusations against his country, asserting that Israel is "committed to fulfilling its obligations in accordance with our values and ethical principles, even in the face of the challenges posed by a 'terrorist' organization that does not hesitate to openly declare its intention to inflict maximum suffering on civilians in Gaza."