‘Torture isn’t new to Palestinians’: How Israel learned from colonialism
Warning: This story includes descriptions of sexual assault that some readers will find disturbing. A companion essay to Al Jazeera’s Bodies of Evidence: Israel’s Darkest Weapon , directed and execu…
Warning: This story includes descriptions of sexual assault that some readers will find disturbing. A companion essay to Al Jazeera’s Bodies of Evide
Read Full Story at Al Jazeera →Why This Matters
The revelations about systemic torture in Palestinian detention facilities expose a rarely discussed dimension of Israel’s occupation: its reliance on methods honed in colonial-era policing. This isn’t merely a case of isolated abuses but a deliberate strategy of psychological and physical coercion that has normalized violence as a tool of control, with implications for international law and global human rights frameworks.
Background Context
Israel’s detention practices didn’t emerge in a vacuum; they draw from a century of colonial policing in the region, where interrogation techniques were refined to suppress dissent. British colonial authorities in Palestine pioneered mass detentions, administrative detention, and the normalization of torture—methods later inherited and expanded by Israeli security institutions. The continuity of these practices underscores how occupation is not just a territorial issue but a deeply institutionalized system of oppression.
What Happens Next
As international scrutiny intensifies, Israel may face renewed pressure to reform its detention policies, though historical precedent suggests little will change without sustained external intervention. The documentation of these abuses could galvanize legal challenges, particularly at the ICC, but political realities in Washington and Brussels may blunt their impact. Meanwhile, the normalization of torture risks emboldening further escalation, as impunity reinforces the belief that such methods are acceptable.
Bigger Picture
This pattern reflects a broader erosion of humanitarian norms in conflict zones, where state actors increasingly treat torture as a tactical rather than exceptional measure. From Western Sahara to Kashmir, the playbook of colonial-era repression has been repurposed for modern asymmetrical warfare, revealing how occupation morphs rather than fades over time. The Palestinian experience serves as a cautionary tale about the long-term consequences of unchecked state violence.
