confinement is also often used during the interrogation period, which can last for up to 180 days.205 During this period visits from lawyers and the Red Cross are often delayed so that the intense detachment created by the confinement would pressure them into signing a confession.206 The use of this tactic to falsely imprison activists and others, regardless of whether or not they were involved in illegal activity, and then debilitate them once they are incarcerated, can be perceived as a punishment and a deterrent against participation in politics and/or protests. It is also employed strategically to not only suppress the actions of individuals but also wider social movements and resistance through the targeting of key leaders and activists.207 Through isolation, Israel has sought to neutralize these leaders, prevent them from taking part in Palestinian political discourse both inside and outside prison, and quash collective action. In recent times, for example, it has been most commonly used against those leading hunger strikes.208 Torture and Ill-treatment Legal Framework Under international law, the terms ‘torture’ and ‘ill-treatment’ are considered legally distinct from one another. According to the CAT, for an action to be considered torture it must be intentional, cause severe pain or suffering, be used to achieve a purpose such as gaining information or punishment, and done by, or with the permission of, a public official. Treatment that is cruel, inhuman and degrading but does not meet all four of these conditions constitutes ill-treatment, according to the criteria enshrined within the CAT.209 Despite the difference, however, there is an “absolute prohibition” on both under international law, enshrined specifically in the ICCPR, the CAT, and the Fourth Geneva Convention.210 This means that torture and ill-treatment are never legally permissible and no “exceptional circumstances, such as war, 205 Addameer, Torture and Ill-Treatment. Available at: http://www.addameer.org/key_issues/tortureand-ill-treatment 206 Addameer, Isolation and solitary confinement of Palestinian Prisoners, op. cit., February 2016 207 Ibid. 208 Ibid. 209 OHCHR, Interpretation of torture in the light of the practice and jurisprudence of international bodies, 2011. Available at: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Torture/UNVFVT/Interpretation_ torture_2011_EN.pdf 210 ICCPR, Article 7; CAT; UDHR, Article 5; Geneva Convention, common Article 3; Geneva Convention IV, Article 32 57