Prisoners of war: a report

Abstract

Al-Ansar is a large prison camp built by the Israelis in southern Lebanon (near Nabatiyeh) to house the thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese the Israeli ar my rounded up during its occupation of the South. In mid-September, after the Israelis invaded Beirut, in breach of their international commitment not to do so, thousands more were seized by the Israeli Defence Forces. In these mass ar rests, the Israelis targeted all Palestinian men between the ages of 14 and 60, but they also arrested many Lebanese and anyone else suspected of a connection to a Palestinian political or service organisation, including foreigners working in hospitals, schools and other social service institutions. The exact number of those arrested is not known, but according to Red Cross officials, 15,000 is a 'very realistic' figure.1 A I-A nsar is but one Israeli prison camp. There are others in undisclosed loca tions in northern Israel. The following report by an Israeli soldier stationed at the Ansar camp gives a vivid description of the inhumane conditions existing at the camp. There are other frequent reports, appearing even in the Israeli press, that prisoners are routinely beaten, denied basic needs and kept in degrading and overcrowded conditions. 2 Repeated efforts by international agencies to ob tain a complete list of prisoners from the Israeli authorities have been unsuc cessful. Israel also refuses to grant prisoner-of-war status to its detainees, in de fiance of international law.3