Former Guantanamo Detainees Draw Alarming Parallels Between US and Israeli Detention Practices

Former prisoners of US detention facilities, including the notorious Guantanamo Bay, are sounding the alarm over what they perceive as striking similarities between their experiences and the reported treatment of Palestinian detainees by Israeli forces. This comparison comes amid growing international concern over the treatment of Palestinians in Israeli custody since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Asadullah Haroon, who spent 16 years in Guantanamo without charge before winning his case against the US government in 2021, believes Palestinians held in Israeli prisons are enduring similar physical and mental torture to what he experienced. "When you are labelled as a terrorist, you cannot defend yourself in any way," Haroon states, drawing parallels between the methods used in Guantanamo and those reportedly employed by Israeli forces.

The situation in Israeli prisons has become increasingly dire since October 2023. According to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs in Gaza, 54 Palestinians have died in Israeli jails during this period. The United Nations Human Rights Office in Palestine has received numerous reports of mass detentions, prisoner abuse, and forced disappearances of Palestinians.

In late April, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published disturbing accounts of abuse in Israeli prisons, including regular beatings, prisoners being attacked by dogs, forced to kiss the Israeli flag, deprived of water, and subjected to various forms of humiliation. These reports bear a striking resemblance to the abuse scandals that rocked US detention facilities like Abu Ghraib in Iraq.

Human rights organizations, including the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), have called for urgent action from the United Nations special rapporteur on torture to end the systematic abuse of Palestinian prisoners. Their submission describes a "brutal escalation" of violence and ill-treatment against Palestinians in Israeli custody across seven different prisons and detention facilities.

Clive Stafford Smith, a human rights lawyer who has represented Guantanamo detainees, including Haroon, argues that the US has set a dangerous precedent in prisoner treatment over the past two decades. "Whether it is ISIS copying the orange uniforms, or other countries, including Israel according to the UN, using abusive interrogation methods, all this can be traced back to the sordid example of Guantanamo Bay and the other secret US prisons," Stafford Smith asserts.

The situation is further complicated by Israel's practice of administrative detention, under which more than 3,500 Palestinians are currently held without charge. This system allows for indefinite detention based on "secret evidence" that neither the detainees nor their lawyers are permitted to see. Human rights advocates consider these individuals to be hostages with no legal recourse.

Moazzam Begg, another former Guantanamo detainee turned human rights advocate, sees clear parallels between the treatment of Palestinians and detainees in the "War on Terror." He points to similar patterns of abuse, including stripping prisoners naked, mistreatment, and the abuse of religious and racial attributes.

Despite calls for justice from rights groups and lawyers, some former detainees express pessimism about the prospects for change. Begg laments the repeated violations of international law and UN resolutions, stating, "There's no hope. I don't see any hope in relation to international law, in relation to the United Nations resolutions – multitudes of them have been violated."

As the situation continues to unfold, human rights organizations are demanding an urgent international investigation to hold the perpetrators of torture and abuse accountable. The Euro-Med Monitor, which has documented testimonies of former Palestinian prisoners, concludes that the Israeli army routinely commits crimes of arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, willful killing, torture, inhumane treatment, sexual violence, and denial of fair trials.

The parallels drawn between US detention practices and the current treatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces serve as a stark reminder of the lasting impact of controversial detention policies and the ongoing struggle for human rights in conflict zones around the world.