Reconciliation rhetoric fills the air with discussions of Palestinian statehood and Palestinian Authority rehabilitation. Yet do we truly understand this body and its systematic violations of human rights?
Are we aware that the P.A. employs horrifying torture practices characteristic of history's darkest regimes? This occurs despite the Oslo Accords' commitments prohibiting harm to so-called "collaborators."
Two weeks ago, the Jerusalem District Court received nine civil lawsuits against the P.A. from nine people, accused of collaborating with Israel, who endured torture and imprisonment under the P.A.
These represent contemporary horrors occurring under P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas's rule, rather than historical incidents from the Arafat era.
These nine lawsuits supplement dozens of previous legal actions, most resulting in P.A. liability and court-ordered victim compensation.
Bahaa al-Shuwamra, 42, from Hebron, received two million shekels ($600,000) after winning his case. His cooperation with Israel began in 2000.
"Initial contact occurred through another Palestinian operative, developing into direct Shin Bet communication by 2004. Our collaboration continued through 2008, involving extensive weapons seizures and terror-attack prevention,” al-Shuwamra related.
“They ambushed me in 2008. I believed the Oslo Accords promised collaborator protection. I feared beatings but never anticipated detention. Armed personnel seized me," he said.
‘How is it that the P.A. protect murderers?’
Al-Shuwamra’s home had been attacked two years earlier. "In 2006, 10 masked men fired 200 bullets at my house and fled. It was a message for me," he said.
“After this incident, my Israeli contact said they wanted to protect me and offered me residence in Israel, but I refused."
Al-Shuwamra continued working for Israel for two more years, then the P.A. struck. "When they arrested me, I was in shock. Very quickly, they started with torture," he said.
“I was in my underwear the whole time. For a very long period, I was in isolation in a room of one meter by one and a half meters. The floor was full of water. In interrogations, they beat people all the time,” he added.
"Hebron terrorists who murdered a female soldier and seized her weapon surrendered to the P.A. for protection from Israeli arrest. How is it that the Palestinian Authority protect murderers?" he asked.
Seven years in P.A. prison brought consistent torture. "Once, they brought the imam so we would say our last words because they wanted to kill us. I suffered greatly," he said.
In 2015, al-Shuwamra was released and moved to Israel. Today, he lives in Beersheva with his wife and children and works in construction. In 2018, he filed his lawsuit against the P.A. and eventually received some two million shekels in compensation that was offset from tax money Israel transfers to the P.A.
"I live in dignity today. I'm active in Likud, and after October 7, I came to support the south and the soldiers. A person who helped thwart terror is a person who loves life. He deserves honor, he deserves everything," said al-Shuwamra.
P.A. harms those who try to prevent terror
During the past decade, the Arbus-Kedem-Tzur law firm has represented about 100 collaborators in lawsuits against the P.A.
"So far, we have received about 50 court rulings with a total sum of compensation of some 120 million shekels [$36 million]," attorney Barak Kedem said.
"Part of the compensation we already collected through enforcement, but the lion's share is still in collection and offset stages from P.A. tax money. Recently, we filed nine new lawsuits, and there are several more on the way.
“These tortures are directed against political suspects, meaning sellers of land to Jews or collaborators, against anyone who harms the P.A.'s interests. The P.A. not only encourages terrorists and finances shahids [‘martyrs’], it also harms collaborators who try to prevent terror," said Kedem.
"There's no difference between the P.A. and Hamas. People think the horrors we saw on Oct. 7 were Hamas, but the P.A. carries out the same horrors.
“It's a different group, but the same people would commit the same horrors, only 10 times worse, because the P.A. is much larger and has more capabilities and resources. If they had the opportunity, they would do October 7 squared," he said.
Q: Is there a fixed pattern of torture? Is this systematic?
A: "It's systematic. Some tortures repeat constantly, for example, hanging with legs up and head down, and whipping the interrogated person while beating them. These are testimonies we heard from the hostages in Gaza. What Hamas does, the Authority also does.
"There's a recurring pattern of damage to teeth. Many people had their teeth broken with clubs or teeth extracted with pliers. We also have a female collaborator, whose fingernails and toenails were extracted with pliers,” reported Kedem.
Q: How many female detainees are there?
A: "Recently, we began dealing with a husband and wife who both suffered torture. The woman was in prison for two years. It was a men's prison, and she was there in a separate room, but all the guards were men.
“When I asked her if she experienced sexual assault in prison at some point, she broke down and started crying hysterically. It was difficult for her to speak next to her husband.
“We had another case of a 19-year-old girl who was arrested on suspicion of collaboration. They tortured her and then shot her in the head and threw her body away. The family filed a lawsuit and received compensation of 4.5 million shekels [$1.35 million]. But women are quite rare. Women are less active in the security arena,” said Kedem.
‘I walk with my head held high’
Among former collaborators, it's easier to find someone willing to speak. One who spoke to Israel Hayom asked to remain anonymous so as not to harm family members who remain in the P.A.
H., 54, grew up in Samaria. He studied at the university in Nablus. "A friend connected me to the Shin Bet, and I started passing information that prevented attacks and saved lives. During this period, most attacks came from the universities. I don't regret what I did."
In 1996, the friend who connected him to the Shin Bet was arrested by the P.A., and shortly thereafter, he was also arrested.
"They came to my house, put me in the trunk of a car and took me to Jericho for interrogation.
“For six years, I didn't see a judge, prosecutor or lawyer. In 2002, during the ‘Defensive Shield’ operation, the Israeli army freed me. The Threatened Persons Committee gave me a residence permit in the country," said H.
Since then, he has lived in central Israel with a residence permit, but without any other rights. "I have no health insurance, no driver's license, no work permit.
“I can't go to a doctor. My mother and brother stayed there. I haven't seen them since; we only talk on the phone. I have no wife and children.
“In 2017, I filed a lawsuit against the P.A. In the end, the judge ruled in my favor. The compensation is three million shekels [$900,000], but I still haven't received the money," said H.
Q: How do the tortures you underwent affect you today?
A: "I still suffer from them to this day. I wake up at night every three hours, screaming, shouting, seeing them in dreams. I have marks that don't disappear on the body and soul. They brought me to a state where I cannot have sexual relations.
“They put something in my sex organ and would light it with fire. The interrogators would tell me, 'We'll make sure you have no future and won't remember the past, only this pain. You won't have continuation, children, and grandchildren.' They succeeded in this.
“Thank God, today I see the neighborhood children as my children."
Over the years, H. worked odd jobs, mainly renovations. Everything is under the table because he's not allowed to run a business.
He's alone, has no friends and family, and yet he says again and again: "I don't regret it. I walk with my head held high and tell myself, maybe the people walking here next to me were saved from an attack thanks to me.
“This gives me the strength to continue, like fuel. For several years, I've wanted to leave the country, to live in another country, but for that, I need a travel document. They don't give me a travel document. I can't get a Palestinian passport, there's no chance in the world, and in Israel I can't apply for recognition as a refugee."
Q: Why didn't the Shin Bet recognize you?
A: "The Shin Bet only recognized 2% of the collaborators. In ‘Defensive Shield,’ many people were released from prison, so they only gave us residence permits and that's it."
Q: Does the compensation awarded to you provide some justice?
A: "It's less than what I thought I would receive. I spent more than three million [shekels] in 25 years, so more is due, but at least it will be like a pension.
“Soon, I won't have the strength to continue working. I'm hopeful that something will change for the better. That they'll give me a travel document, that I can meet my family in another country, and that I can start a new life," said H.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT';
document.head.appendChild(script);
script.onload = function () {
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT');
gtag('event', 'page_view', {
'Topics': 'benjamin-netanyahu,josh-shapiro,kamala-harris,tim-walz,2024-u-s-presidential-election,u-s-news',
'Writers': 'joseph-frager',
'publication_date': '24/8/11',
'article_type': 'Opinion',
});
}
