TEL AVIV, May 6, 2007, (WAFA)- Two HR Israeli organizations reported Sunday that the Israeli Security Service "Shin Bet" employs "irregular" interrogation methods including physical pressure and torture, despite High Court rulings barring such practices.

The report issued by two HR organizations, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied territories (B'Tselem) and Center for the Defense of the Individual (HaMoked) revealed that the physical abuse includes beating, painful binding, back bending, body stretching and prolonged sleep deprivation.

The two organizations said that these methods constitute torture under international law.

The report based on testimony of 73 prisoners arrested between July 2005 and March 2006. The report states that "special interrogation methods" which are considered to be torture are not employed frequently, but are used according to standing regulations.

The report states that the methods are used to break the spirits of the prisoners under questioning, and are alleged to violate High Court rulings governing the conduct of interrogations.

A range of other practices that are aimed at breaking the interrogated prisoners' spirits are employed routinely, and may degenerate into torture, the report continues.

The authors of the report severely criticize the State Prosecutor's Office and the courts for allegedly allowing these practices to be used.

An exception was also made in cases defined as "ticking bombs," in which interrogation could prevent a "terror" attack planned to take place immediately. Under these circumstances, disciplinary steps would not be taken against interrogators who used forms of torture.

The writers of the report identified seven 'special' kinds of torture used in cases where fast divulsion of information is desired.

These were: sleep deprivation for over 24 hours (15 out of 73 suspects reported this), 'invisible' blows, or blows that do not leave a mark (17 cases), painful tightening of handcuffs (five cases), body stretching with hands tied to chair (six cases), turning of the head sideways or backwards while holding chin in place (eight cases), 'frog posture' ? shoving subjects while forcing them to crouch on the tips of their toes (three cases), 'banana posture' ? bending subjects' backs into an arch (five cases).

"These practices are clearly classified as torture under International Law, and are neither common nor negligible," the report states.

"Shin Bet and soldiers do not operate in a vacuum, they are part of a system. The situation described in this document could not have come about without the support of other bodies responsible for implementing the law in Israel."

S.A.S. (15:24P) (12:24GMT)