"Because Khiam prison, and the South Lebanese twilight zone in general, are nothing but an extreme private case of what the sanctity of securitism does to us: the hardening of the heart and disrespect for democratic values when related to others, which inevitably enters our lives; the deterioration of the Shin Bet, that even some of its former heads admit that the easy life they had in the occupied Palestinian territories for 25 years - complete control of the area, a grab on the neck of the people and free use of all means - made it spoiled and unable to operate under more restrictive terms (everywhere except for South Lebanon); the prostitution of the legal system which lends a hand to anything that is surrounded with a halo of security; our active and passive participation in actions that today we can claim that they save Jewish lives (and there is no need to prove, and there is never another question asked), and tomorrow only smart asses and bleeding hearts will talk about their connection to the violence in our lives, to our fucked up democratic conceptions, to the fact that we don't have civil rights and duties like in any normal state."
(Ofer Shelach, Maariv, Oct 1 1999).

RECENT NEWS Please see the Press sections for updated news on Khiam. Oct 28 1999: INTERNATIONAL PROTEST DAY ON KHIAM

Amnesty International (Montreal group) announced Oct 28th as a day devoted to protesting human rights violations in Khiam prison and called for protests around the world. About 150 of us joined by demonstrating in front of the ministry of defense in Tel Aviv. Protests were also carried out in Beirut, Montreal, Corsica, New York, Morocco, Gaza, New Zealand and Norway. International Media coverage the protests: French news agency Lebanon.com Reuters Arabicnews.com Nigerian press Daily Star Future TV Hizbollah's Al Manar TV Israeli Media coverage the protests: On Israeli channel 1 TV, the coverage was excellent. Besides a report about the international protest in the news, with footage of the demo in Tel Aviv and background on the prison, there was a long discussion about Khiam in the 'actualia' show that comes before the news. For the first time, human rights violations in South Lebanon were on the Israeli agenda. "Other Israel" review of the campaign - Nov. 1999