By: IBRAHIM Jaafar
Oren Asaf Hazan, an Israeli politician and a popular critic of Palestinians, expressed support for China's method of incarcerating members of its Muslim minority in "re-education camps," and suggested Israel should follow suit.
"Tearing down homes – the High Court prevents it. Deporting families – it's already losing it," Hazan wrote on Twitter, referring to Israeli government efforts to penalize the families of Palestinians under occupation. "Then came the Chinese and apparently found the right legal outline to combat terrorism – as I am sure there is no convention, not even in Geneva, that in 2018 objects to proper education. I'm for it."
Over a million people, most of whom are Uighur – the Muslim minority in China, are detained in camps in northwestern China, according to assessments.
Former detainees described the China's internment camps as facilities policed by armed guards where Muslims were forced to disavow their religious beliefs, criticize themselves and their loved ones and give thanks to the ruling Communist Party.
Beatings and deaths have been reported despite authorities’ tight control on information from the region.
The detention program has swept up people, including relatives of American citizens, on ostensible offenses ranging from accessing foreign websites to contacting overseas relatives.
Other aspects of the security crackdown include all-encompassing digital surveillance, mass deployment of police and severe regulations against religious customs and dress.
A United Nations panel of human rights experts said on August 10 it had received many credible reports that 1 million ethnic Uighurs in China were being held in what resembles a "massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy."
Western countries including Canada, France and Germany called on China to close down detention camps, which activists say hold 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims but China rejects all accusations of mistreatment and denies mass internment.
Hazan recently resumed participating in Knesset sessions after a six month suspension, a result of his remarks against fellow MKs (Israeli Parliament), particularly from the Joint List.
June marked 50 years since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories and the start of the 11th year of its illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, subjecting approximately 2 million inhabitants to collective punishment and a growing humanitarian crisis.
Israeli forces unlawfully killed Palestinian civilians, including children, and unlawfully detained within Israel thousands of Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), holding hundreds in administrative detention without charge or trial. Torture and other ill-treatment of detainees, including children, remained pervasive and was committed with impunity.
Since the Israel approach of inflicting pains on Palestinian is open and attracts much condemnation, Hazan is encouraging the adoption of Chinese style of Muslims incarceration.