By Adel Yaseen *

I am fully aware that words have lost much of their meaning and power in the face of the scenes broadcast a few days ago on Channel 14, where speakers — including officers, ministers, and analysts — openly boasted about turning prisons into a living hell and a space of real suffering for unarmed Palestinian detainees.

Despite recognizing the inadequacy of language to fully describe the deliberate humiliation and degradation inflicted upon prisoners, and despite questioning the effectiveness of words themselves, silence would be shameful — indeed, a form of indirect complicity. What I write here is an attempt to bear witness and to express anger at the deteriorating moral reality we have reached. The issue is not merely the humiliation of prisoners, but the documentation and broadcast of such scenes during the month of Ramadan — an act perceived as a direct affront not only to Arabs and Muslims, but to humanity as a whole.

Those seeking further context may examine the circumstances surrounding the visit of far-right Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to Ofer Prison just days before Ramadan. This article also serves as a reminder to the global conscience — in the hope that it might awaken and recognize its moral and humanitarian responsibility in the face of violations that appear to lack legal, professional, or ethical restraint. Everything seems permissible in order to satisfy the desire of the far-right for revenge by any means necessary.

What prisoners are reportedly subjected to defies imagination: psychological abuse, constant humiliation, and physical violence, sometimes carried out by elite units and attack dogs, against detainees who have no power over their circumstances.

What deepens the pain is the apparent use of such scenes for political gain. The exploitation of detainees’ suffering to raise electoral standing reduces human beings to instruments in political campaigns, a troubling development in any society that claims to uphold democratic values.

These raise pressing questions: Are such practices consistent with the principles of democracy and liberalism that Israel frequently invokes? Should not detainees, regardless of the charges against them, be tried and treated in accordance with international law and recognized human rights standards?

Do these publicly circulated images not also challenge the credibility of the broader democratic world? Where is the commitment to safeguarding the principles that democratic societies claim to defend?

Is strength measured by deploying heavily armed units, dogs, tear gas, and force against restrained detainees? Or are we witnessing a moment in which humanity itself is being tested?

The preservation of human dignity is indivisible. Respect for international law cannot be selective, applied to some and denied to others. It is a foundational pillar of any system that claims membership in the community of democratic nations.

So when will the human conscience awaken — not only to judge others, but to preserve itself from the judgment of history?

* A journalist specialized in Israeli affairs and a professional translator from Hebrew to Arabic.

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