Israel's Use of Torture to Question Terrorism Suspects

The United Nations Committee against torture recently condemned Israel's methods of questioning terrorism suspects, which often involve, among other things, forcefully shaking detainee, the use of painful restraints, and sleep deprivation. Defenders of Israel's methods counter that over the past four years more than 200 Israelis have been killed by terrorists. They also contend that in the last two years, Israel's secret service, the Shin Bet, has prevented ninety planned terrorist attacks, often through the use of what the Shin Bet terms, "moderate physical pressure" in questioning suspects. Furthermore, the defenders of Israel's methods note that Israel lives in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls, "a very tough neighborhood," in which its adversaries often go much further than Israel in applying force to detainee. Is the use of physical force when questioning individuals suspected of terrorist activity justified under the kinds of conditions that currently exist in Israel? If so, why? If not, why not?