A sample of Palestinian male political ex-prisoners who had reported various degrees of torture and ill-treatment was examined. The first aim was to analyze the dimensionality and distribution of different defence mechanisms. The second was to examine which defences would moderate the association between the reported torture and ill-treatment and the post-traumatic symptoms. Third, the direct associations between reported torture and ill-treatment and defences and between the defences and symptoms were explored. Defence mechanisms were assessed by a 40-item version of the Defense Style Questionnaire, and Post-traumatic symptoms by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, and experiences of torture and ill-treatment by a scale developed for that purpose. The defences used were characteristic responses among trauma victims. The principal component analysis revealed four defence dimensions, differentiated by the level of maturity and the approach to reality: the mature reality-based, the consciousness-limiting, the immature reality-escaping, and the immature reality-distorting defences. The moderating analyses indicated that the reported torture and ill-treatment were relatively more associated with vigilance, avoidance, and intrusion symptoms if men used consciousness-limiting defences.