Torture

Israel is the only country in the world whose judiciary has faced the issue of whether it is ever justified to engage in even a modified form of non-lethal torture in order to obtain information deemed necessary to prevent a ticking bomb from killing dozens of civilians. On September 6, 1999, the Israeli Supreme Court decided that not only is torture absolutely prohibited, but even the types of physical pressure currently being used by the US (sleep deprivation, forced uncomfortable positions, loud music, shaking, hoods over the head) are prohibited by Israeli law, even in cases in which the pressure is used not to elicit a confession but rather to elicit information that could prevent an imminent terrorist attack.

This contrasts sharply with the situation in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and other Muslim countries, where torture- including lethal torture of purely political prisoners - is common and approved at the highest levels of government. It also contrasts even with the situation in the US, where modified forms of torture that include physical and psychological components are practiced and are not easily subject to judicial review. A debate about this difficult issue is currently underway in Germany. Other countries, such as France, publicly condemn all forms of torture while quietly tolerating some of its worst forms. England employed tactics similar to those used by Israel, when interrogating suspected terrorists in Northern Ireland. But only Israel has been so repeatedly and viciously condemned for a practice that their law does not even permit!