Haaretz
Adar 16, 5767
Israeli security forces
frequently beat Palestinians working illegally
in the country,
sometimes severely, and detain them for hours without food and water, an
Israeli human rights group said in a report published
Tuesday.
Security officials said in response to the report by the
B'Tselem human rights group that the troops are operating under tough
conditions to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers from infiltrating the
country. Any abuse allegations are investigated, the officials
said.
Each week, Israeli security forces catch thousands of West
Bank Palestinians sneaking into Israel through holes in Israel's
uncompleted separation barrier, human rights groups say. With unemployment
in the West Bank running around 25 percent, workers have grown more
desperate to cross.
While Israel used to permit tens of thousands
of Palestinian laborers into the country, it has sharply reduced that
number during the past six years of violence. Israel says the barrier,
whose more than 400-mile (600-kilometer) route is roughly two-thirds
complete, is needed to protect against suicide bombers.
"Workers
sneaking into Israel are frequently detained by Israeli border police for
much longer than the few hours allowed by Israeli law, often in the hot
sun or rain without food or water," said Eitan Diamond, a B'Tselem
researcher. The detention appears to be used as a form of punishment,
since the workers are usually not thrown in jail due to
overcrowding,
Diamond said.
In interviews with dozens of workers, B'Tselem found
that beatings are common, the report said.
"Every worker we talked
to told us that at least once they were beaten, and sometimes severely,"
Diamond said. There is a constant fear of a clash with the border
police.
There have been some well-publicized incidents of Israeli
security forces shooting and killing illegal Palestinian workers. In two
such cases last year, indictments were issued against border policemen.
But many instances of abuse are never revealed, B'Tselem said.
In
its report, B'Tselem said one Palestinian man was beaten so badly by
Israeli police near Tel Aviv last Nov. 11 that his arms were broken in
three places.
In another instance, Israeli soldiers shot at a man,
and after missing, beat him, cut his face and stabbed him in the shoulder,
B'Tselem said.
Israel Defense Forces said its forces were trying to
thwart frequent infiltration attempts by suicide bombers and tries to
operate without opening fire. The army investigates instances in which
soldiers are accused of abusing their power, the army said.
Israeli
police officials did not immediately comment.
The Justice Ministry,
which investigates complaints against border police, said many cases are
closed due to lack of evidence, but several have resulted in indictments.