The U.S. is coming under increasing criticism for its tactics in Iraq that mirror Israel tactics in the Occupied Territories. The New York Times on Sunday reported the military has begun wrapping entire Iraqi villages in barbed wire, demolishing homes believed to be used by members of the Iraqi resistance and jailing the relatives of suspected militants. At the Iraqi town of Abu Hishma, barb wire surrounds the perimeter of the town. A U.S. checkpoint guards the town’s only entrance. Residents wait in line to enter and leave. Only residents with U.S.-issued ID cards are allowed entry. A local teacher said, “This is absolutely humiliating. We are like birds in a cage.” Another resident told the New York Times, “I see no difference between us and the Palestinians. We didn’t expect anything like this after Saddam fell.” The U.S. has acknowledged they have closely studied Israel’s tactics in the Occupied Territories. Despite the criticism, U.S. officials interviewed by the Times defended the actions. Captain Todd Brown of the Fourth Infantry Division said, “You have to understand the Arab mind. The only thing they understand is force — force, pride and saving face.”