The Kutler Report

The Kutler Report
By Crystal Robert

An extensive enquiry into the physical conditions inside the prisons located within pre-1967 Israel, written by Israeli journalist Yair Kutler, was published in Haaretz. Kutler concluded that life in Israeli prisons is “hell on earth.”
What he observed follows…
Kfar Yonah (the grave of Yonah): This detention center terrifies those who pass through its gates. It is also named Meurat Petanim (The Lair of Cobras.) The reception for those awaiting trial is really frightening.
Extremely cold and dam cells are “furnished” with shabby and filthy mattresses. The cells are so overcrowded that most inmates must sleep on the floor. The stench of human excretions, sweat and filth is absolutely overwhelming. A putrid odor floats in the cells all the time. In Wind D, three rooms are crammed with 12, 18, and 20 prisoners.
Central Prison of Ramle: One of the harshest prisons in Israel, Ramle was once used as a stable for horses. Later, it was used as a British police station. Overcrowded and stinky, it is packed with no less than 700 inmates. Many detainees do not have a few square meters, a small corner, or a bed for themselves. It is frequent to see one-hundred men lying on the floor.
Ramle counts twenty-one isolation cells (‘X’s). The sun never penetrates the isolation cells, which are totally sealed-off. Only a dangling bulb from the ceiling gives off some kind of light all day long.
There are also dungeons in Ramle! Dark and filthy, the stench is unbearable. There are no light bulbs. The sole light hitting the cells comes from a small opening in the door giving to the corridor. Before an inmate is placed in the dungeon cell, he is first stripped naked. He is being given a thorn and thin overall. He gets to use the toilet once a day. The rest of the day, he has to contain himself for another 24 hour period. He can urinate through a wire mesh in the door. No daily walk or shower is allowed.
Beatings are frequent at Ramle. Guards enjoy using the “blanket method” where a few guards cover the prisoner’s head and beat him until he falls unconscious. If an inmate wants to avoid solitary confinement, he must know how to live a life of self-abasement and of total submission.
Shattah: The stench can be smelled from a far distance. The overcrowding is beyond imagination. The cells are damp and dark and the air is suffocating. During the hottest period of summer, the prison is a blazing hell.
Sarafand: It sits behind a high wire fence that tourists can see when they pass by on the road from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, and five miles from Ben Gurion Airport, Sarafand covers ten square miles.
It is the largest army ordinance and supply depot. It is the repository of the Jewish National Fund and stores equipment for construction of new settlements, in pre-1967 Israel and the post-1967 Occupied Territories.
It is evident that there exists an inexorable relationship between occupation, settlements, colonization, and the system of torture visited on Palestinians. As the “torture center”, Sarafand has historical relevance.
Built prior to WWII, it served as the principal ordinance depot for Britain. It is known as one of the most notorious camp for detainees during the Palestinian uprising against the British rule and Zionist colonization of the land.
The old British Mandate buildings were taken over by Israeli authorities, their function unaltered and used for a new Palestinian detainee generation. During the British Era, both Israelis and Palestinians knew the center as the “concentration camp” and have been kept as such in use and character.
Nafha- A political prison: While they have not received the status of Prisoners of War, prisoner camps are being built for them. Its inhabitants have given it the term “political prison.”
Located eight kilometers in the desert from Mitzoe Ramon and halfway between Beersheba and Eilat, Nafha is a barren area with terribl sandstorms. Sand penetrates everything. It is extremely cold at night and the heat is unbearable during the day. Snakes and scorpions roam the cells.
In Nafha, a typical cell is 18 feet by 9 feet [6x3m]. Ten mattresses cover the floor leaving no other space. There is a primitive lavatory in a corner and a shower just above it. While one is using the toilet, others are washing themselves or doing dishes. Ten prisoners share this cell twenty-three hours a day.
Everyday, ten prisoners must walk half-an-hour daily in a small concrete yard 15 feet x 45 feet [5mx15m]. Many of the inmates are ill, after repeated torture sessions; the living conditions in Nafha are simply brutal. The more I keep digging into this, the more I wonder how a human being can remain sane while being submitted to such horrible living conditions…
The Palestinian people need the international community to step up and do what is right. We must ask for the unconditional release of all Palestinian political prisoners and this immediately. We absolutely need to raise awareness of this situation in the Western hemisphere where the mainstream media paints a different picture and make people believe that “Israel has the right to defend itself.” People seem hypnotized by these words and whenever I bring up this important issue to people, I get this “Israel has the right to defend itself” mantra….
On the bright side, people are finally becoming more receptive to our message… There has been some improvement during the last five years, due to several anti-Zionist groups that have popped all over the internet. They had not counted with the internet. Now, we have a way to connect in seconds globally and news travel at internet speed.