US Funds 'Secret' Underground Prisons in Nation Building Abroad
The Al Jazeera report, sourcing lawyers, describes a horror show in Israeli detention facilities—an 'underground prison' where Palestinian and Lebanese detainees face 'harrowing abuse.' This isn't groundbreaking news for anyone paying attention. For decades, human rights organizations have documented systematic abuse, torture, and degrading treatment in Israeli prisons, often under 'administrative
detention' without charge or trial. This practice, a relic of the British Mandate, allows indefinite imprisonment without due process, which would be an international incident if, say, Iran did it. While this particular 'secret' dungeon gains some spotlight, the American political establishment has been too busy greenlighting billions in aid to ask awkward questions. For example, Rep. Steny Hoyer
(D-MD) has received $426,897 from pro-Israel groups (OpenSecrets.org, since 1990) and consistently votes for aid that directly or indirectly supports such systems. The silence from those whose campaign coffers are filled by groups like AIPAC (which spent $42 million in 2022 elections according to OpenSecrets.org) is deafening. Apparently, 'universal values' only apply above ground, or when the
victims don't interfere with strategic regional interests.