Israel compensates Palestinians, lawyer says

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Israel has settled a decade-old lawsuit by Palestinians who alleged they were tortured while in military custody, paying damages in an out-of-court deal in which the state did not admit fault, lawyers said on Wednesday. Israel's closed-door interrogation methods, which it calls crucial for counter-terrorism, have drawn mounting censure from anti-torture campaigners, especially since a Palestinian uprising erupted in the occupied West Bank and Gaza in 2000.

The lawyer for 28 Palestinians arrested and interrogated during a previous revolt, in the early 1990s, said his clients received 2.5 million shekels ($536,000) last month and in exchange agreed to abandon their lawsuit against the state."

<snip>

"The plaintiffs had filed suit in 1996 alleging that they suffered trauma as a result of torture during their questioning by the army or Shin Bet security service, including methods that Israel sanctions using "moderate physical pressure".

"Some were shaken until they lost consciousness, others deprived of sleep for weeks. We are talking about serious emotional and physical damage," Bishara Jibali, who represented the plaintiffs, told Reuters."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L01637971.htm

[Tom Joad]

1. Torture. Routine as demolishing a Palestinian home.