Sir, - According to the Israeli Ambassador, Zvi Gabay, (March 28th) Ireland does not understand his country's need for security. The Argument for security above all else, made by Israel on countless occasions, is dangerous and has exacerbated a very difficult situation.
In a recent submission to the Oireachtas Joint Foreign Affairs Committee, Amnesty International stressed that very point: international "understanding" of Israel's security needs has resulted in relative international silence about human rights abuses. Yet, as long as Israel unjustly detains, tortures and kills people, there will be no peace. A durable peace with security, which everyone wants, is possible only if human rights are protected in law and in practice.
The prime reason for continued violations is that Israel condones and authorises abuse: there is doublespeak on protection. Israel has ratified the International Convention on Torture, which prohibits torture in all circumstances, yet official guidelines permit the use of "pressure" on detainees, who may be hooded, held incommunicado, deprived of sleep, beaten, violently shaken, confined in cupboard-sized rooms or shackled in painful positions for prolonged periods. Security Service officers themselves have testified in court to using unacceptable treatment. The claim is that "ticking time bomb" situations warrant such treatment. "Eight thousand people have been violently shaken and only one died", said a former prime minister. Amnesty International asks whether all 8,000 were "ticking time bombs."
The UN Committee against Torture is one of the few international fora to raise concern about Israeli "pressure" on detainees, stating that it was "completely Unacceptable. . with ill-treatment in custody in several cases resulting in death." And, at European level, in considering individual state ratification, some governments are expressing concern about the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which has conflicting articles on human rights protection, one of which allows an opt-out from human rights guarantees on the basis of security - precisely the argument Israel uses when accused of abuse. Thus Amnesty International underlines the need for less international "understanding" of Israel's security needs, if the result is acceptance of human rights violations. Instead, the message to Ambassador Gabay should be that peace and security may be attainable, but only alongside respect for human rights: adherence to international standards; official condemnation of torture; the release of prisoners of conscience; fair trial or release for administrative detainees; and a public commitment to the international laws of war. One further point must be made for the sake of balance, undeveloped only in the interests of space and focus: many similar comments can be made concerning the Palestinian Authority. - Yours etc.,
Oireachtas Liaison Team
Amnesty International
Irish Section
Fleet Street
Dublin 2