just when you thought it was safe to start interrogating again...
a news item that appeared on the al jazeera english language website entitled "israeli lessons for the us in iraq" (datelined 4/7/04) speculated the us had adopted or been taught israeli techniques for interrogating detainees.
according to the article's author, "tens of thousands of Palestinians" who've been detained and interrogated in israeli prisons and detention centers perceive a "striking similarity" between their experiences and abuses being reported at abu ghurayb. abd al-razzaq--identified as a "palestinian authority minister in charge of overseeing and catering for more than 7000 palestinian prisoners in israel" who spent a long time imprisoned in israel prior to 1993--is quoted as saying, "i am inclined to think that the americans copied the israeli techniques. i can’t prove it in an objective manner, but the striking similarities are overwhelming."
'hooding" is a "carbon copy" technique specifically mentioned by al-razzaq, as are actual or threatened sexual abuse and "shabh" which consists (according to this article) of keeping a prisoner tied tightly to a chair with his hands tied to his back "for weeks."
another source--israeli-arab knesset member, talab al-sanai--alleges israeli involvement in "the systematic mistreatment of iraqi people at the hands of the american occupation troops".
al-sanai is also quoted as saying, "it is not secret at all, there are many israeli experts on torture in iraq who are transferring to the americans their accumulative experience of thirty seven years of torturing and mistreating palestinians." according to al-sanai, american officers came to jenin in earlier in 2004 to learn israeli methods and techniques of repressing civilians.
had this been the sole content of this article, i would have categorized it as 'dog bites man' and moved on.
here's the bizarre part.
according to the author, one ofer yisler, reportedly an israeli prison authority spokesman, vehemently denied any "similarity between our treatment of the palestinians and what we have seen in iraq".
yisler went on to point out, "there is no comparison whatsoever, what the americans did in iraq is something entirely different." he declined to comment on specific techniques according to al jazeera. the interview was then terminated and yisler refused to answer additional questions unless they were submitted in writing.
if i were executive editor or editorial director at al jazeera, khalid amayreh, who reported this piece from the west bank, wouldn't be doing much of anything in any bank that involved a paycheck. he would have been fired immediately for journalistic negligence. he didnt even attempt to answer the BIG question.
is isreal disavowing any connection in this matter because: a. it took no time at all for the us to master stuff that took the israelis 37 years of trial and error (or perhaps that should be 'no trial and error"?) to develop? b. they have a global reputation for professionalism in this field and they dont want to risk it by associating with amateurs? c. this whole thing could adversely affect or compromise israel's image as a defender of human rights and tolerance for dissent?
inquiring minds want to know.