Between 1967 and 1998, approximately 600,000 Palestinians have been held in Israeli jails for periods ranging from one week to life. The transfer of Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territory to facilities inside Israel is a war crime under international humanitarian law. .
• Torture also remains common against Palestinian prisoners during interrogations by Israeli forces, despite a 1999 Israeli Supreme Court ruling outlawing some interrogation methods. Such practices include: beatings, violent shaking, shining a hot burning light into the eyes and face at close range, sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, painful shackling, and forcing prisoners to remain in excruciating positions for long periods of time. .
• The UN Committee Against Torture has reminded Israel that there can be no justification for torture under any circumstances. .
• Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, torture is a war crime. Prison conditions for Palestinians often fail to meet minimum basic standards. Palestinian prisoners are kept in overcrowded jails, often exposed to extremes of temperature with inadequate nutrition and poor hygiene. Access to medical care is also unsatisfactory. Palestinian minors are sometimes confined with Israeli criminals, exposing them to physical and psychological dangers. .
• Israel has also ratified International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. .
UN Agencies in Palestine: Occupied Territories.
• The United Nations has played a role in the Palestinian refugee case from its beginnings half a century ago. Unlike other cases the UN has established a separate regime to provide protection and assistance to the Palestinians. The special regime established for the Palestinians is comprised of the UN Conciliation for Palestine (UNCCP) and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
