Palestinians are criminalized and imprisoned, and their lives destroyed all because of a weapon that Israel can yield, without any question or consequence: secret evidence.
By Yumna Patel
Over the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about Israel and the use of “secret evidence.”
In the years I’ve been covering Israel’s occupation of Palestine, it’s an issue that arises time and time again. Palestinians are criminalized and imprisoned, and their lives destroyed all because of a weapon that Israel can yield, without any question or consequence: secret evidence.
I’ve seen it used against children, human rights defenders, civil society organizations, NGO workers, activists, and ordinary Palestinians.
It’s a classic move in the Israeli toolbox: in the face of lack of any real evidence of a crime, Israel pulls out the “secret evidence” card.
Is a Palestinian politically active in their community, and could pose a potential ‘threat’ to the state? Imprison them under secret evidence. Is a human rights advocate working to bring attention to Israel’s apartheid? Ban them from traveling under secret evidence. Are Palestinian civil society organizations threatening to hold Israel accountable for its crimes at the International Criminal Court? Criminalize the organizations and outlaw their work under secret evidence.
These are all instances of secret evidence used against Palestinians that have come across my desk in the past year or two alone. And they are just some of many.
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