In conformity with the EU-Israel Association Agreement (1995) Israeli institutions and companies enjoy a privileged entry to European long-range programs for research and innovation (R&D). Israel is well aware of….
In conformity with the EU-Israel Association Agreement (1995) Israeli institutions and companies enjoy a privileged entry to European long-range programs for research and innovation (R&D). Israel is well aware of the enormous advantages R&D collaboration with Europe has given it all this years.[[The newly appointed managing director of the Israel-Europe R&D Directorate (ISERD), Nili Shalev, admitted October 14, 2016: “Israel’s participation in European R&D programmes over the years has brought tremendous benefits to industrial, academic and other organisations in Israel which have taken part in it”]] The current program, Horizon 2020, is funding projects for 77 billion euro.
“Law-Train” is one of the projects European and Israeli entities are taking part in together.[[Project reference: 653587; description: “Mixed-reality environment for training teams in joint investigative interrogation-Intelligent interrogation training simulator”, financed under “H2020-EU.3.7. – Secure societies – Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens”. [“consulted” Sept 1, 2016]. The project’s budget amounts to 5 million euro.]] The Israeli Bar-Ilan University coordinates the project, with the Israeli Ministry of Public Security/ the Israel National Police as one of its Israeli partners.[[Is an Israeli partner as well: Compedia Software & Hardware Development Ltd. It was taken on board because of its experience in developing training platforms and ‘serious games’. The funding for the Israeli partners taken together amounts to € 2,374,062.]] Among the European partners of the project we find, next to private research centres and companies, the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Portuguese Ministry of Justice/the Portuguese Police. However, end of August, the Portuguese authorities decided to withdraw from the project.[[“Portugal pulls out of law enforcement project led by Israeli university”, (Aug. 25, 2016, Jewish Telegraphic Agency). [C. on Aug 27, 2016] ]] Belgian partners are: Le Service Public Fédéral Justice (Federal Prosecutors Office) and, being the only European university to take part, the Catholic University of Louvain (KU Leuven).[[Complete list of the project’s partners, c. Sept 1, 2016.]] The project’s aim is to develop “cross cultural interrogation methods and training modules based on multicultural research in criminology”; a “virtual suspect” electronic platform is developed for the sake of training.[[The website of Law-Train (c. Sept 8, 2016). More here (c. on 2016). Interesting as well: the (summary of an) interview met coordinator Prof. Sarit Kraus (c. Sept 20, 2016).]] We quote[[ See here (C. on Sept. 1, 2016).]]:
“Interrogations of suspects in international crime are very difficult and require sophisticated skills, familiarity with different cultures, laws and methods, and cross-border teamwork. Training law enforcement agents on how to conduct such inter-rogations is the key to fighting these crimes. LAW-TRAIN applies an interdisciplinary approach for international criminal interrogations. It will unify the methodology for such interrogations and will develop a distributed mixed-reality gaming platform”.
With the present dossier we would like to draw the reader’s attention to the broader ethical and legal context within which, in our view, this Israeli project needs to be evaluated. That context is one of systematic violation by the Israeli state of international law and of the human and civil rights of the Palestinian people. The Israeli police and security services, together with the Israel Defense Forces, play a leading part in the existing oppression and apartheid within historic Palestine. In the following pages we intend to concentrate on its practical effects as far as it concerns the daily policing routine of repression, arrest, detention, imprisonment and interrogation of Palestinian suspects.[[For a critical dossier on the project, see: Stop the Wall: “LAWTRAIN: European license for Israeli torture” (pdf, 6p.) (c. Aug 20, 2016). We made also use of the dossier assembled by the Leuvense Actiegroep Palestina (LAP), aug-sept 2016.]]
PS 1: At the end of the exposé readers will find a list with (the electronic addresses of ) human rights reports and statements we made use of, as well as a list of international conventions and treaties.
PS 2: In the notes and the lists we added the dates of consultation, publications from this year though are excepted.
Contents
- Prologue: p. 2
- Arrest and Detention: p. 3
- Incarceration and Interrogation: p. 9
- “Bar-Ilan is all security”: p. 14
- “Ethics Check”: p. 17
- Epilogue: p. 20
- Human Rights Organizations: Reports: p.20
- International Conventions: p. 24