25/09/2026
When Isr*eli lawyer Ben Marmarelli detailed the systemic s*xual abuse of P*lestinian prisoners on journalist Samira Mohyeddin’s ‘On The Line’ programme, a specific quote stood out.
“It’s gotten to the point where he asks me not to come anymore because every time I come, they r*pe him,” Marmarelli said, in reference to one of his clients - a P*lestinian political prisoner.
Detailing the targeted violence faced by his sole client, the lawyer explained that he has shown him “boot marks on his back,” deep handcuff scars, and “bruises all over his body”.
Because “P*lestinian political prisoners don’t get any visits for years” and “their only connection to the outside world is a lawyer’s visit,” ensuring that such abuses act as a direct deterrent against communication.
Yet, Marmarelli stressed that these recurring assaults are only a fraction of a much larger, systemic pattern of abuse.
“The r*pe is the least of his problems,” he said, adding that “the issue is the conditions of the prisoners, and the r*pe is just one of the many pieces of the puzzle, which is Isr*el torturing the P*lestinian prisoners.”
Marmarelli also drew reference to the abuse at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Isr*el, where he claimed torture and s*xual violence are pervasive and documented by internal surveillance systems.
Pointing to Isr*eli complicity, the lawyer said “if they really wanted to act against the r*pe and the beatings and the torture, we could have done this years ago. They don’t do it.”
