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Torture in the Palestinian Authority and Gaza
(Human Rights Watch) Human Rights Watch and Lawyers for Justice submitted an overview of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment by Palestinian government authorities in the West Bank and Gaza to the Committee Against Torture. Years of research indicate that the PA and Hamas authorities routinely mistreat and torture Palestinians in detention. A range of security services have used beatings, including lashing and whipping of the feet of detainees, and forcing detainees into painful stress positions for prolonged periods, including using cables or ropes to hoist up arms behind the back. Security forces mistreat and torture both in order to punish and to intimidate critics and opponents, including those detained for social media posts, critical journalism, or membership in rival political movements or student groups. The habitual, deliberate, widely known use of torture by Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and in Gaza has been used over the years with no action taken by senior officials to stop these abuses, make these practices systematic. They also indicate that these practices amount to government policy.