Amman, Jordan - Whenever we hear Americans trying to argue why they should not approve torture, they give the argument that this could backfire in the future when Americans might be arrested. While this argument might be convincing to some in the military , torture should not be outlawed because it is illegal, immoral and ineffective. Full stop.

It is illegal by U.S. law and international law no matter how much Mr. Gonzales tries to justify and finesse it. Totrure is immoral by all counts.

It is also ineffective. Our experience as Palestinians is that excessive force produces whatever results the torturer wants to hear but not necessarily the truth. Arguments made in Israeli courts by military officials have proven that good investigations produce much more effective results than physical pressure which does produce results, but often wrong ones.

The single exception to the above is the ticking bomb situation. When you arrest someone while a bomb is actually ticking and information extracted from the arrested person can directly prevent death and destruction. This argument is limited in time or place and can never apply to a situation like those arrested in Guantanamo who have been held for months and years.