During the last week of March and throughout the court proceedings
regarding six petitions presented by human rights associations
against the use of torture during investigations by the general
intelligence agency Al-Shabak, Israeli Attorney-General Shy Netsan
announced that Al-Shabak is considering the use of easier-fitting
hand-shackles and a less-offensive-smelling head sack to be used on
Palestinians under investigation. <o:p></o:p>

Torture continues<o:p></o:p>
In other words, Israel intends to continue torturing young
Palestinians, albeit in a less-harmful manner compared with the
methods used by Al-Shabak, during investigation. If these torture
methods are carried out according to the announcements in the secret
chapters of the report prepared by the Lanwood committee, they would
be considered legal and permitted; however, the significance of the
term "torture" has become more complicated in terms of the medical
repercussions in this past year than ever before. The Attorney-
General replied to one of the petitions against torture presented to
the Supreme Court of Justice in this respect on 28 May1998, which had
been presented on the initiative of some human rights associations—
namely the Citizen Rights group and Hum-kid—saying that doctors are
present for 24 hours during the torture session in the intelligence
cells, which practice has been going on for more than a year. This
indicates that doctors are not only present during the actual torture
but they also legalize the torture by their signatures on their
medical reports that include the information on their examinations of
the captives before, after and during the investigation as well.
Aside from the discussion regarding the necessity of the use of
torture in the cases known as "tactical bombs", whereby torture is
used and even condoned in order to force the young to give out
information in order to prevent any catastrophe as soon as possible,
the presence of the doctors during investigation is considered a
moral dilemma.<o:p></o:p>

Doctors disgrace their profession<o:p></o:p>
The moral objection to the doctors' presence during investigation is
that they give medical data to the detectives in order that they may
determine the degree of torture the captive can stand. Consequently,
the doctors examine the captives before, after or during the
investigation. In addition, the doctors do not prevent the detectives
from carrying on even though they are sure that the torture will hurt
the captive thereby dishonouring their profession. These doctors,
according to opponents, contradict the Hippocratic Oath, as well as
the two international treaties: Tokyo-1975 and the UN charter of
medical ethics in 1982, both of which prohibit doctors from
participating in torture or any disgraceful deed. These treaties
oblige doctors to rescue the life of, as well as prevent the
suffering of any human being, ensuring that doctors remain different
from detectives because their duty is to serve the people—not to
focus on the "tactical bomb".

In Gaza, during the intifadah, the Doctors for Human Rights
Association, which is comprised of 300 doctors and specialists in the
medical trades, has been trying for more than a year to make the
Israeli Doctors Union adopt new regulations that would prevent
Israeli doctors from taking part in investigations carried out by Al-
Shabak. However, the Chairman of the Ethical Committee in the union,
Eran Dolep, has been hesitating in carrying out this mission. This
union was established by Israeli psychiatrist Rohaha Marton, who told
doctor Elan Ghal, the Chairman of the Association, that she had
established this Association when a doctor called on a dozen Israeli
doctors to have a look at the medical conditions in Gaza. Doctor Ghal
said that they were astonished when they saw the miserable conditions
in Al-Shefa'a Hospital in Gaza, especially the halls crowded with
both young and old people in wheelchairs, a kitchen without food even
for the cats, and nothing was found in the cellar except some Akamwa
fruit. The doctors saw how medicine could be used as a means of
blackmail by politicians, and how depriving people of medical care
had become a political weapon. This Association grants medical
support to the Palestinians and foreign workers, and fights for
justice and equity in medical care. During the last six months, the
Association has concentrated on persuading the Israeli Doctors Union
to prevent doctors from involving themselves in investigations. The
Union asked the Association to send a list of the names of those
doctors, but the Association replied that these lists are not
available except for two or three doctors who had signed some medical
test forms used by Al-Shabak. Hadfa Rodovents, the Director of the
Association, said that they do not aim to hurt those doctors,
especially those who work in prisons, but they are sometimes sent to
help in investigations as a part-time job or called from outside, and
they will stop this practice as soon as the Union prohibits this.
Hadas Zeiv, the Director of Projects in the Union, said that if
doctors stopped doing so, torture would also be stopped similar to
what happened in Ireland where doctors played a significant role in
this respect.<o:p></o:p>

Comprehensive violation<o:p></o:p>
According to Bet'saleem organization reports and official data,
between 1,000 and 1,500 Palestinians are investigated annually by Al-
Shabak; 850 of these are dealt with according to what the so-called
Lendaw Committee outlined as using moderate physical pressure.
Professor Ravi Veldan, a member of the Rava'el administration and
Peres's brother-in-law, said that the presence of doctors gives
torture a chance to continue.

Q: What is the tactical bomb about?

A: VELDAN: The tactical bomb does not concern the doctor because his
mission is to rescue people and reduce their suffering, which is
completely different from what happens in Al-Shabak cells. It has
been understood that most of the doctors are newcomers from Eastern
European countries who have difficulty finding a job or even earning
their living decently, but they will stop doing so if they realize
that this action will make them lose their license.

Ottoman's Shirt: The tactical bomb is similar to Ottoman's Shirt,
which is used as a pretext by Al-Shabak members because when they go
home, they leave the captives in this trap. Veldan believes that
doctors who work for Al-Shabak do not have jobs because they do not
have other choices, and they feel embarrassed and isolated because
they cannot communicate with the Arab captives. Consequently, those
doctors will not be arrested and punished because they have been
ordered to do so by Al-Shabak. The Association has been trying to
hold a meeting with the Doctors' Union for five months but in vain
because the date has been delayed several times. When Veldan was
asked about the reason, he replied that the reasons behind this could
not be political because some officials of the Union are cautious not
to stir up any trouble which may harm their professional future.

Why do they keep silent? Doctor Raves, a psychiatrist and a member of
the Union, said that he had asked to publish an essay in the official
magazine of the Union, Medicine, after he had been asked to examine
14 Palestinian captives who presented a petition against torture;
however, the essay was not published because it dealt with political
and security matters. He added that he had examined the captives and
found out that they had been arrested and tortured by depriving them
of food and sleep because they had committed minor offenses such as
stone-throwing or writing certain mottoes on the walls. The problem
is rather complicated because the Ethical Committee could not do
anything, and the basic crisis is that some parts tend to consider
the humane aspects of torture. The Chairperson of the Ethical
Committee believes that the right policy is to be very cautious in
order not to be entangled.
<o:p></o:p>