Israeli Army forces women to strip at Bethlehem checkpoint

These were the words of Manal, a young Palestinian lady from Bethlehem, in the southern part of the West Bank. She is describing what happened to her in June at the Israeli military crossing known as 300 located at the entrance of Bethlehem. This checkpoint cuts Bethlehem from its sister city, Jerusalem.

Manal witnessed a new episode of racist Israeli methods, and this will not be the last time. She said, "I arrived with one of my friends to the Bethlehem checkpoint, and after crossing several inspection points, we waited a little while, and while we were waiting, a group of female university students came out from one of the side rooms in tears. When we asked them why they were crying, they replied that they had been forced to strip naked during inspection. "

Manal continued: "I can not describe what happened to the students! They were forced to strip naked collectively in one of the rooms after women soldiers intimidated them." She added, "The female soldier asked me and my friend to enter the room for inspection, but we refused. She said that we can enter separately to be strip searched, and when we refused again she screamed at us and called us al kind of swear words. Then we got detained inside one of the room at the checkpoint, and after a number of phone calls to human rights organizations my friend and I were allowed to leave the checkpoint."

Manal added that "On this particular day men were not inspected, but only women. This confirms that the Israeli authorities had serious intentions to humiliating us". The young Palestinian lady also noted that, "if there were security reasons for this inspection, why not search all the people? Anyhow, don't the Israeli authorities refuse to grant permission for Palestinians who have security records to cross at this checkpoint? Apart from this we had already entered a number of checkpoints unscathed before this strip search; all these factors raise suspicions".

Manal also stressed that stopping people at the Bethlehem checkpoint and only letting them go through after passing inspection procedures is normal, but forcing women to strip search is a new phenomenon in Bethlehem. This causes real fears among women that this procedure will become normal in the future.

Jamal Zahalka, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament received complaints about this matter. He responded by filing an investigation letter to the Israeli Security Minister Ehud Barak. Zahalka commented on the Israeli soldiers' demeaning act by saying, "There is no end to the moral degradation of the occupation, he who forces women to strip has sunk to the lowest morals level. He is a lowlife. We must stop this shameful action immediately."

It seems that there are plans to topple the honor of Palestinian girls in the clutches of the Israeli intelligence through blackmail at checkpoints and military crossings, and I don’t doubt that inside the inspection rooms there are cameras video taping girls undressing. No wonder Republicans back these filthy perverts.

 

Figures, the Israeli army and the Likud party must have their own versions of "family values" too.

 

No wonder there have been an unprecedented number of trips to Israel by Republicans in the last while. And I see Mitt Romney made a "special" trip to Israel as well.

I just hope he wore his mystical magical mormon underwear.

 

You know I was in Israel awhile back, and a bus was stopped and everyone was made to get off, and everyone was searched and had their luggage gone through. Understandably people were upset, however, before my trip was over a suicide bomber blew up a bus.

Now I dont know anything about this situation of running strip searches on people in this instance, but what was looked at by many as a major inconvenience with the bus incident, was really simply the Israeli soldiers trying to keep everyone safe.

 

No doubt about it, bigrob. I can think of nothing more honorable and trustworthy while "trying to keep everyone safe" than making young girls take off all their cloths while we inspect them for..... whatever. Too bad they didn't think about this undertaking at Virginia Tech. I'm sure that 32 people would be alive today if all the females would have been subjected to this form of degradation on a daily basis. Good point big fella.

 

I am saying I would like to see more information about this. Because everyone complained that the treatment on the bus was terrible, but then it became clear it was for something else.

As I said, if you read, I dont know anything the strip search situation, and would like to know more. And I am not sure what VT has to do with this.

 

Searching luggage of everyone on the bus is one thing, pulling out individuals and strip searching them is another. What are they gunna have, a bomb up their rear? Within reason, what was ever wrong with a metal detection test with those little devices? Or a quick padding down? Maybe the soldiers could still get a grope of boob whilst their at it.

 

Maybe if we could apply this to everyone, such as George W. and Ehud Olmert, we can ascertain first if their genitalia is that of the human species, and secondly if they have gonads or more than likely just psychotic issues.

 

While it is difficult to pass judgement going on what was reported by the girl, I can think of several non-perverted scenarios where this might be wise. Namely, actionable intelligence about a female suicide bomber coming through whichever checkpoint etc. I dont know the explantation given by the Israeli's, if there is one at all. When one has had to deal with the security concerns Israel has, it would be prudent to be safer than sorry. Lets not jump to the conclusion that this is just some perverted individuals.

 

Theres part of your answer Bunz.

 

Well not really, my question boils down to whether this was done for some reason that is reasonable, such as actionable intelligence, i.e. A young girl carrying an explosive belt is supposed to travel through checkpoint X sometime today. In the case of a potential suicide bomber, to disarm them, I would rather stand away from them with guns pointed at them, and told to strip and remove the explosives. Doing a pat search on a suicide bomber is a bad idea.
Or is this a perverted few bent on humilating these people for thier own personal amusement. If this is the case I would hope they are punished for thier actions. I dont discount the trauma these girls experienced, but the author of that story is certainly not a journalist and its doesnt contain much for objectionable information.

 

Yeah I agree with you. I just get the feeling the strip search was un neccessary.

 

The nazis used to treat the Jews the same way in the concentration camps. Well, the neo-cons are keeping notes, and these measures will be coming to your neighborhoods soon, in the continuing war on terror.

 

Some people will rationalize any Zionist depredations.

 

You know it is interesting, because I will call both sides out on thier bad behavior. I could make the same statement in regards to the lengths one will go to to cast the Zionists, Jews, Israelis as a whole group under a bad light.

Including but not limited to, that the Jews were behind 9/11, the Jews have brainwashed the American people through thier ownership on the mass media, the Jews secretly run the world through the dictating of policies of the American government, etc etc etc.

Youll notice that in all most of these threads I was not the one who started the thread bashing one side or the other, but have brought a generally objective view to the issue.

Reading the posts I made, I said if the actions concerned were based on intelligence, then the right thing was done. If this was a couple of perverted soldiers bent on humiliation and perversion they should be punished.