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They treated us like terrorists,say five Israelis held in US(Also,moslem prisoners beat them badly )
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| 11/24/2001
| Allison Kaplan Sommer
Posted on 11/24/2001 12:05:52 AM PST by KQQL
They treated us like terrorists, say five Israelis held in US
By Allison Kaplan Sommer
KIRYAT ONO (November 23) - Five young Israelis recently released from two months in US jails described oppressive conditions and rough treatment yesterday, saying that they "were treated like terrorists" even after it quickly became clear they were not involved in the World Trade Center attack.
Their imprisonment was extremely traumatic and has left physical and emotional scars, Oded Elner and Omer Marmari, of Petah Tikva, who returned on Tuesday, and Paul and Sivan Kurzberg, of Pardess Hanna, and Yaron Shmuel, of Yokne'am, who returned on Wednesday, told reporters last night. They said that they suffer from nightmares following their ordeal.
The five, who worked for a New Jersey moving company, said that they were arrested in a security sweep, after neighbors reported them to the authorities when they heard them speaking Hebrew and thought it was Arabic and that they were somehow tied to the terror attack.
It was reported that they were picked up after they photographed themselves smiling against the backdrop of the burning buildings. After it rapidly became clear that they weren't connected to the attack, they continued to be held for working illegally and, in some cases, overstaying their tourist visas.
They were kept in jail until they were formally deported, and languished for weeks as they waited for their deportation orders to be issued by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, then approved by the Justice Department.
During the first month following the attack, they said, were placed in solitary confinement, before anyone interrogated them. They said that they were deliberately kept with Arab and Moslem prisoners, who beat them badly, and that they were deprived of food and basic sleeping and toilet conditions.
TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
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1
posted on
11/24/2001 12:05:52 AM PST
by
KQQL
To: KQQL
So which is it? They were in solitary confinement or they were in the same cells/exercise area/whatever with Muslims?
Comment #3 Removed by Moderator
To: KQQL
What I want to know is: were they taking pictures of each other smiling in front of the burning towers (which is what the government has said)? If so, I really couldn't care less if somebody beats them up. We deported some Muslim illegals for doing a dance/celebration in front of the towers (and now we've deported these Israeli illegals, too)
4
posted on
11/24/2001 12:31:09 AM PST
by
xm177e2
To: patriciaruth; WileyCoyote22
They were in solitary before they were interrogated, then after they were interrogated, they were put in with the Muslim prisoners. It's pretty clear there in the article.
5
posted on
11/24/2001 12:32:02 AM PST
by
xm177e2
To: patriciaruth
First month they were in solitary confinement, then they were moved with arabs in general prision area, who in turn beat them up.
That's what I gather from the article.
6
posted on
11/24/2001 12:33:21 AM PST
by
KQQL
Comment #7 Removed by Moderator
To: KQQL
It was reported that they were picked up after they photographed themselves smiling against the backdrop of the burning buildings.What a dipsh!t move!! They have NO COUTH!!
The treatment they got will probably make them think about their stupidity for a long time.
8
posted on
11/24/2001 4:02:58 AM PST
by
Norb2569
To: KQQL
There was a NY newspaper article that complained we picked up 61 Israeli citizens, and that the FBI should be ashamed. However, many Israeli citizens are non Jews, and there was and is the distinct possiblity that a Palastinian could "fake" good Hebrew and get a false Israeli passport for cover.
9
posted on
11/24/2001 4:06:22 AM PST
by
LadyDoc
Comment #10 Removed by Moderator
To: KQQL
So who is beating up the Arab and Moslim prisoners? They should put them in with the Arayan Brotherhood.
Seeing that many of the general prison population is Muslim (both orthodox Islam and the Nation of Islam are very big in prison) a bunch of Jews being beat up was inevitable. No, I'm not saying that this is a good thing. It just is the way things are. Perhaps they should have been kept away from the general population but then they would've complained about that.
To: LadyDoc
The mothers (in Israel) of these young men gave interviews and complained to the Israeli media. There are a number of articles published about that. They were/are Jews.
To: KQQL
It appears that these were a bunch of juvenile-acting kids having, as the paper said, a "light" momemt. They were taking a picture of one of their group holding up a lit lighter in the foreground with the towers burning in the background as if to imply jokingly that their lighter set the fire -- not smart but not worth two months. I hope that if they treated these kids as they said, that they are arresting and incarcerating and treating appropriately all the people who have celebrated the 911 attack in mosques and colleges and elsewhere across America -- but I doubt it.
14
posted on
11/24/2001 6:58:20 AM PST
by
Woodkirk
To: thathamiltonwoman
Seeing that many of the general prison population is Muslim (both orthodox Islam and the Nation of Islam are very big in prison) They should keep the Arab and Black Muslims all together and put the Jews with the Fundamentalist Christian prisoners.
15
posted on
11/24/2001 7:20:52 AM PST
by
FITZ
To: KQQL
I believe that standing in front of the ruins of the world trade center ,smiling seems to indicate what their sympathies are. In the very least they were insensitive.They were working ilegally here and their visas had expired. What did they expect? The govt. had good reason to suspect them.
To: LadyDoc
Since they were celebrating, I have no sympathy for them at all. From the feds standpoint, what better way to find out if these guys REALLY WERE palastinians using fake ID's?
I like that idea - throw them in with a bunch of arab scum and say "Here's some Jews"!
Comment #18 Removed by Moderator
To: xm177e2
In regard to your post number four:
They were on a rooftop in Weehawken N.J near the western shoreline of the Hudson River. The WTC was in flames at the time and these guys were posing for photos with the WTC background.
A former neighbor of mine was an eye witness to the above. She had been at a Catholic Church which is very near to the scene where these guys were enjoying the rooftop photo op. The local police were called, the Feds were called, and the subjects were removed, no longer smiling and laughing...
19
posted on
11/24/2001 7:51:03 AM PST
by
JFoxbear
To: Nickatime
Odd that they would have a camcorder with them on an early morning moving job.
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