Detainees allege soldier mistreatment in custody

Palestinians in Israeli military detention in the occupied West Bank have complained of abuse by Israeli soldiers while in custody. The Ministry of Prisoners Affairs in Ramallah says inmates at Etzion military detention center, south of Bethlehem, complained to a ministry lawyer that they had been beaten by troops and put in stress positions for hours in cold conditions. Prisoners say they are not provided with sufficient or hygienic blankets for the winter weather, a report from minister lawyer Hussein al-Sheikh said. They also allege that forces goad them with inedible food. "When the detainees complained, the officer in charge told them mockingly that the center ran out of sugar, and so they sugared the tea with salt," the report said. Some 5,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli custody following a prisoner swap deal that released near 500 prisoners, according to figures provided by the Palestinian Authority.