The Arab League has strongly condemned the violations, crimes, and brutal repressive policies carried out by the Israeli occupation against prisoners and detainees in its prisons and secret detention centers.
In a press statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Arab League (Department of Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories) on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with Prisoners and Detainees in Israeli Prisons and Secret Detention Centers, which falls on August 3rd, the Arab League emphasized that these repressive policies are a direct result of Israel’s unilateral actions against the Palestinian people in the face of international community silence.
The General Secretariat called on Arab and international media, as well as Arab, regional, and international human rights organizations, to expose the violations and inhumane practices of the occupation, which include starvation, thirst, torture, sexual assaults, medical crimes, isolation, and humiliation.
These practices constitute gross and flagrant violations of international laws and regulations, as well as all humanitarian considerations that require the dignified treatment and right to life of prisoners and detainees.
The Arab League stressed the need for the international community and the Red Cross to take responsibility for the prisoners and detainees, urging human rights institutions and the international community to compel Israel (the occupying power) to adhere to the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners.
The statement also called on international justice institutions to break their silence and take strong stances and practical steps regarding the revelations of brutal torture based on collective punishment and dehumanization faced by Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
These practices have included killing, rape, and other forms of sexual violence, as well as forced injections with unknown substances. The Arab League underscored the need to hold Israel accountable for ending all torture, inhumane treatment, and enforced disappearances against Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The General Secretariat emphasized the urgent need for the international community to intervene and pressure the occupation government to cease the enforced disappearance of Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza, immediately reveal all secret detention camps, and disclose the names and locations of all Palestinians it holds. It called for full responsibility for their lives and safety.
The statement urged the Special Rapporteur on torture and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into the conditions of all prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons and detention centers since the beginning of the occupation’s war on Gaza, including those who were killed inside.
It also called for appropriate steps to hold those responsible accountable and ensure justice for the victims, affirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state as the sole path to achieving peace.
The General Secretariat reiterated its solidarity and unwavering support for Palestinian prisoners and the just struggle of the Palestinian people.
It expressed pride in their resilience, honored their martyrs, and valued their sacrifices, reaffirming its belief in the ultimate victory of Palestinian will and the realization of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, stating that the occupation will inevitably end.
The statement highlighted that Israeli authorities continue their organized terrorism and atrocious crimes against prisoners in occupation prisons and secret detention centers since October 7th.
It pointed out that, amid the global focus on the war of extermination and destruction in Gaza, thousands of Palestinian civilians, including the elderly, women, and children from Gaza, as well as nearly ten thousand arrests from the West Bank, have been detained in the widest and unprecedented campaigns.
The statement added that methods of torture, abuse, and physical liquidation vary under a complete blackout of the horrifying crimes and repressive practices against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and secret camps, including brutal sexual assaults and the adoption of starvation and thirst policies.
This was confirmed by statements from the Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who asserted that Palestinian detainees would receive minimal rights and food, calling for the legalization of their execution.
Additionally, the statement noted the deliberate medical neglect and deprivation of treatment, the withdrawal of all basic life necessities, isolation from the outside world, and the prohibition of International Red Cross visits, coinciding with the absolute suspension of family visits.
The statement continued, “The testimonies of Palestinian detainees released from Israeli prisons and detention centers were shocking, confirming the continued systematic torture, inhumane, and degrading treatment of thousands of Palestinian civilians.
This includes the documented cases of the Israeli army using Palestinian civilian detainees from Gaza as human shields and forcing them to explore dangerous combat zones, reflecting the brutal and inhumane behavior of the occupation army, not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank during repeated incursions.”
