10 nov 2013
On Tuesday Oct 29th, 2 Israeli based organisations and three individuals made an application to the Australian Federal Court against Professor Jake Lynch. The case is Shurat HaDin – The Israel Law Center & Ors v Jake Lynch, NSD2235/2013.
The applicants are: Shurat HaDin, Green Freedom Limited (Israel Company Number 514 331 479), Andrew Hamilton, David Hans Lange and Jonathan Rose. The following media alert was released as a result of this action and prior to a press conference on Wed Oct 30th led by Professor Stuart Rees and Associate Professor Peter Slezak (Professor Jake Lynch is currently overseas on sabbatical leave).
Australian academic faces lawfare attack The right to criticize the policies of another country is at stake.
Today an Israeli based law centre, Shurat HaDin, filed a case in the Federal Court of Australia, against Professor Jake Lynch from the University of Sydney’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. They claim that he has supported policies which are racist and discriminatory by his specific endorsement of an academic boycott of Israeli institutions and individuals within them, because of these institutions’ support of the illegal occupation of Palestine and their close connections with the Israeli armament industry.
This lawfare attack against academic freedom and freedom of speech has been condemned by over 2000 Australian and international human rights advocates from some 60 countries, who have all signed a pledge supporting BDS and offering to be co-defendants in any legal action taken against Lynch.
Shurat HaDin has taken many similar actions internationally against groups who supported the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement. Professor Stuart Rees comments, “It seems that this firm, Shurat HaDin works in the civil courts as a proxy for the Israeli government and security forces, seeking to shut down any criticism of the state and its ongoing human rights abuses and violations of international law.”
In August, Shurat HaDin lodged a complaint in the Human Rights Commission against Jake Lynch’s refusal to sponsor an Israeli academic from the Hebrew University because of that institution’s links to the Israeli military and the ongoing Occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza.
This overseas firm now wants to silence this highly regarded academic, by taking their complaint to the Federal Court. This challenges the right to take non violent action in support international human rights law and the rights of the dispossessed Palestinians. Australians for BDS condemns racism in all forms, and specifically anti-Semitism.
“Israel’s occupation and ethnic cleansing machinery continue unabated but the moral force that used to drive that process is fast eroding and, as out of touch as the Abbott government and anti-BDS activists in Australia may be, there is an undeniable shift in the balance of moral power. .. International civil society is holding Israel to account in a way no government has ever been able to do”......Randa Abdul Fattah, Palestinian lawyer and writer resident in Sydney.
Professor Jake Lynch released the following statement which was read at the press conference on Wed Oct 30th in Sydney.
“I am confident we will successfully fight off this despicable attack on freedom of expression, which is backed ultimately by the Israeli security state. The Shurat HaDin law centre has links to the Israeli National Security Council, and the Mossad, and has admitted in the past being directed by them as to which targets to pursue. That makes this attempt to subvert political debate in Australia all the more sinister.
In respect of the claims by Shurat HaDin, the boycott policy I wrote for CPACS, after a public meeting held at the University of Sydney, was carefully conceived to avoid discrimination, being confined to a request to the Vice Chancellor to revoke institutional links with two Israeli universities. And when I turned down the request by Professor Dan Avnon, to use my name on his application under one of those same schemes, I was (a) not in a position to prevent his coming to Sydney, since he had only to collect two names as host academics out of 3,000 at the University and (b) using my discretion - in effect, being asked for a favour. The law cannot require me to use my discretion in a particular way or it ceases to be discretion!”
A number of opinion pieces have been published recently outlining the issues raised by this action and we have posted links to them below. Your support and pledge to be a co-defendant in this case represents a strong stand against this unfounded and spurious lawfare attack by Shurat HaDin. It is unlikely that this organisation will desire to co-join any other defendants, but your ongoing support is crucial as Australians for BDS fights this foreign organisations’ attempts to gag free speech and academic freedom in Australia.
Please encourage others to sign onto the pledge and leave their comments on the site. And if you are an academic, please encourage your colleagues to sign on with their title eg. Prof, Dr., as we will be contacting all academics shortly to sign a statement of support for Professor Jake Lynch.
The applicants are: Shurat HaDin, Green Freedom Limited (Israel Company Number 514 331 479), Andrew Hamilton, David Hans Lange and Jonathan Rose. The following media alert was released as a result of this action and prior to a press conference on Wed Oct 30th led by Professor Stuart Rees and Associate Professor Peter Slezak (Professor Jake Lynch is currently overseas on sabbatical leave).
Australian academic faces lawfare attack The right to criticize the policies of another country is at stake.
Today an Israeli based law centre, Shurat HaDin, filed a case in the Federal Court of Australia, against Professor Jake Lynch from the University of Sydney’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. They claim that he has supported policies which are racist and discriminatory by his specific endorsement of an academic boycott of Israeli institutions and individuals within them, because of these institutions’ support of the illegal occupation of Palestine and their close connections with the Israeli armament industry.
This lawfare attack against academic freedom and freedom of speech has been condemned by over 2000 Australian and international human rights advocates from some 60 countries, who have all signed a pledge supporting BDS and offering to be co-defendants in any legal action taken against Lynch.
Shurat HaDin has taken many similar actions internationally against groups who supported the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement. Professor Stuart Rees comments, “It seems that this firm, Shurat HaDin works in the civil courts as a proxy for the Israeli government and security forces, seeking to shut down any criticism of the state and its ongoing human rights abuses and violations of international law.”
In August, Shurat HaDin lodged a complaint in the Human Rights Commission against Jake Lynch’s refusal to sponsor an Israeli academic from the Hebrew University because of that institution’s links to the Israeli military and the ongoing Occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza.
This overseas firm now wants to silence this highly regarded academic, by taking their complaint to the Federal Court. This challenges the right to take non violent action in support international human rights law and the rights of the dispossessed Palestinians. Australians for BDS condemns racism in all forms, and specifically anti-Semitism.
“Israel’s occupation and ethnic cleansing machinery continue unabated but the moral force that used to drive that process is fast eroding and, as out of touch as the Abbott government and anti-BDS activists in Australia may be, there is an undeniable shift in the balance of moral power. .. International civil society is holding Israel to account in a way no government has ever been able to do”......Randa Abdul Fattah, Palestinian lawyer and writer resident in Sydney.
Professor Jake Lynch released the following statement which was read at the press conference on Wed Oct 30th in Sydney.
“I am confident we will successfully fight off this despicable attack on freedom of expression, which is backed ultimately by the Israeli security state. The Shurat HaDin law centre has links to the Israeli National Security Council, and the Mossad, and has admitted in the past being directed by them as to which targets to pursue. That makes this attempt to subvert political debate in Australia all the more sinister.
In respect of the claims by Shurat HaDin, the boycott policy I wrote for CPACS, after a public meeting held at the University of Sydney, was carefully conceived to avoid discrimination, being confined to a request to the Vice Chancellor to revoke institutional links with two Israeli universities. And when I turned down the request by Professor Dan Avnon, to use my name on his application under one of those same schemes, I was (a) not in a position to prevent his coming to Sydney, since he had only to collect two names as host academics out of 3,000 at the University and (b) using my discretion - in effect, being asked for a favour. The law cannot require me to use my discretion in a particular way or it ceases to be discretion!”
A number of opinion pieces have been published recently outlining the issues raised by this action and we have posted links to them below. Your support and pledge to be a co-defendant in this case represents a strong stand against this unfounded and spurious lawfare attack by Shurat HaDin. It is unlikely that this organisation will desire to co-join any other defendants, but your ongoing support is crucial as Australians for BDS fights this foreign organisations’ attempts to gag free speech and academic freedom in Australia.
Please encourage others to sign onto the pledge and leave their comments on the site. And if you are an academic, please encourage your colleagues to sign on with their title eg. Prof, Dr., as we will be contacting all academics shortly to sign a statement of support for Professor Jake Lynch.
4 nov 2013
The Israeli Military's Advocate General ruled Sunday that Palestinian villages can continue to be used for Israeli military trainings under the principle of “belligerent occupation”.
This is an Israeli military concept that allows its soldiers virtual impunity with regard to their behavior in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, under the pretext that the Israeli military is the sovereign authority over the entire territory.
This edict contradicts international law and numerous United Nations resolutions that question the Israeli claim to sovereignty over all Palestinian land.
The Israeli military frequently invades Palestinian towns and villages, with soldiers running through streets and alleys with loaded automatic weapons, ransacking homes and terrorizing residents, for the purposes of 'training'.
When a human rights organization filed a challenge to this practice earlier this year after several particularly egregious 'training' raids, the Israeli military said they would respond to the complaint. Today, several months later, the military ruled that the trainings are all in accordance with the dictates of martial law as it applies to the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian land in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
According to the military Advocate General's statement, there is “no legal obstacle to holding training in inhabited areas as part of maintaining security in the area. The orders issued for the drills that take place in populated urban areas include a statute requiring coordination with the ones doing the drill. It will also be made clear that as part of the training exercises, the soldiers must avoid putting the population at risk, damaging their property or causing unreasonable disturbance to their daily routine.”
However, the Palestinian residents subjected to these 'training exercises' and the human rights groups representing them have provided numerous examples of the soldiers tearing through homes and yards, breaking into houses, running up and down stairs and taking over rooftops of family homes as part of these exercises.
All of the villages where these trainings take place have experienced actual Israeli military invasions on a regular basis, and since the military makes no attempt to differentiate or announce that any particular invasion is a 'training exercise', the villagers are just as terrorized as they are during actual raids.
This is an Israeli military concept that allows its soldiers virtual impunity with regard to their behavior in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, under the pretext that the Israeli military is the sovereign authority over the entire territory.
This edict contradicts international law and numerous United Nations resolutions that question the Israeli claim to sovereignty over all Palestinian land.
The Israeli military frequently invades Palestinian towns and villages, with soldiers running through streets and alleys with loaded automatic weapons, ransacking homes and terrorizing residents, for the purposes of 'training'.
When a human rights organization filed a challenge to this practice earlier this year after several particularly egregious 'training' raids, the Israeli military said they would respond to the complaint. Today, several months later, the military ruled that the trainings are all in accordance with the dictates of martial law as it applies to the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian land in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
According to the military Advocate General's statement, there is “no legal obstacle to holding training in inhabited areas as part of maintaining security in the area. The orders issued for the drills that take place in populated urban areas include a statute requiring coordination with the ones doing the drill. It will also be made clear that as part of the training exercises, the soldiers must avoid putting the population at risk, damaging their property or causing unreasonable disturbance to their daily routine.”
However, the Palestinian residents subjected to these 'training exercises' and the human rights groups representing them have provided numerous examples of the soldiers tearing through homes and yards, breaking into houses, running up and down stairs and taking over rooftops of family homes as part of these exercises.
All of the villages where these trainings take place have experienced actual Israeli military invasions on a regular basis, and since the military makes no attempt to differentiate or announce that any particular invasion is a 'training exercise', the villagers are just as terrorized as they are during actual raids.
23 oct 2013
2 Years Following Their Deaths
Lawyers of the Legal Aid Unit at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) succeeded in ensuring remedy for the families of 3 Palestinian children, who were killed by Israeli forces in 2001.
Following years of legal work and vigorous follow-up, a settlement was concluded with the Israeli Military Prosecution’s representatives to pay NIS166,000 for each family of the victims in exchange for closing the file. Procedures to submit the amounts of money to the families are now in process.
On 30 August 2004, PCHR filed a compensation claim before Gedera District Court for the killing of the 3 children by Israeli forces.
Many hearings were held in the past years and PCHR provided evidence to confirm the Israeli forces' responsibility for the attack, the most important of which was the appearance of witnesses before the court.
Of the witnesses were Tamar Jasinski, the then head of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and doctors from Physicians for Human Rights and from the Popular Committee against Torture.
The Israeli prosecution was obliged as a result to end the file through the above-mentioned settlement.
Intensive effort was exercised by PCHR following the attack which resulted in killing the 3 children to prove Israeli forces had been responsible for willfully killing them although the children did not pose any threat to the Israeli soldiers. The Israeli authority kept claiming that the 3 children had been armed.
The attack took place on 30 December when Israeli forces fired a number of artillery shells 2001 at Ahmed Mohammed Banat (15); Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Madhoun (16); and Mohammed Ahmed Lubbad (17).
They are all from al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza city. According to investigations conducted by PCHR at that time, an Israeli tank positioned in the vicinity of "Eli Sinai" settlement that was located to the north of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, fired 4 artillery shells at an agricultural land in the north of Beit Lahia that is about 1,200 meters to the south of the above mentioned settlement.
30 minutes later, Israeli forces announced they had killed 3 armed Palestinians who attempted to sneak into the settlement. They changed their allegation later and claimed that the 3 persons were trying to plant explosives in the area. However, the official story of Israeli forces stated the 3 persons had carried knives.
The victims' names and ages were not identified then, as Israeli forces kept the corpses. At the same time, 3 families from al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City reported that 3 of their children were missing after they returned from a visit to their friend in Beit Lahia.
There were concerns that they would be the victims in the attack.
On 02 January 2001, PCHR continued following the case and sent a letter to the legal adviser of the Israeli forces demanding him to deliver the 3 corpses to the Palestinian Authority to identify them.
PCHR demanded also initiating an investigation in the incident. Although Israeli forces deliver the corpses to the Palestinian Authority on the same day, an investigation was not initiated.
PCHR followed up the case through its lawyer regarding the investigation. Moreover, it had coordination with the Popular Committee against Torture and Physicians for Human Rights after providing them with the facts and results PCHR had in order to exert pressure for the interest of investigating the incident.
The Israeli Knesset assigned a session for the case, during which some information was revealed on Israeli forces' involvement in willfully killing the children and how a tank drove over one of the corpses.
Along with the legal effort, PCHR followed up the case at the international level via sending letters to John Dugard, the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions; and Olara Otunnu, Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
PCHR demanded the international officials to take immediate steps to ensure opening a comprehensive and impartial investigation by an international independent committee.
This is not the first time that PCHR achieves success in regard to efforts to prosecute war criminals via Israeli courts. PCHR had achieved other successes in this field, the latest of which was in September 2012, despite the financial, physical and legal barriers imposed by the Israeli authorities to hinder the Palestinian victims' access to justice and judicial remedy.
This Article Was First Published By PCHR
Lawyers of the Legal Aid Unit at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) succeeded in ensuring remedy for the families of 3 Palestinian children, who were killed by Israeli forces in 2001.
Following years of legal work and vigorous follow-up, a settlement was concluded with the Israeli Military Prosecution’s representatives to pay NIS166,000 for each family of the victims in exchange for closing the file. Procedures to submit the amounts of money to the families are now in process.
On 30 August 2004, PCHR filed a compensation claim before Gedera District Court for the killing of the 3 children by Israeli forces.
Many hearings were held in the past years and PCHR provided evidence to confirm the Israeli forces' responsibility for the attack, the most important of which was the appearance of witnesses before the court.
Of the witnesses were Tamar Jasinski, the then head of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and doctors from Physicians for Human Rights and from the Popular Committee against Torture.
The Israeli prosecution was obliged as a result to end the file through the above-mentioned settlement.
Intensive effort was exercised by PCHR following the attack which resulted in killing the 3 children to prove Israeli forces had been responsible for willfully killing them although the children did not pose any threat to the Israeli soldiers. The Israeli authority kept claiming that the 3 children had been armed.
The attack took place on 30 December when Israeli forces fired a number of artillery shells 2001 at Ahmed Mohammed Banat (15); Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Madhoun (16); and Mohammed Ahmed Lubbad (17).
They are all from al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza city. According to investigations conducted by PCHR at that time, an Israeli tank positioned in the vicinity of "Eli Sinai" settlement that was located to the north of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, fired 4 artillery shells at an agricultural land in the north of Beit Lahia that is about 1,200 meters to the south of the above mentioned settlement.
30 minutes later, Israeli forces announced they had killed 3 armed Palestinians who attempted to sneak into the settlement. They changed their allegation later and claimed that the 3 persons were trying to plant explosives in the area. However, the official story of Israeli forces stated the 3 persons had carried knives.
The victims' names and ages were not identified then, as Israeli forces kept the corpses. At the same time, 3 families from al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City reported that 3 of their children were missing after they returned from a visit to their friend in Beit Lahia.
There were concerns that they would be the victims in the attack.
On 02 January 2001, PCHR continued following the case and sent a letter to the legal adviser of the Israeli forces demanding him to deliver the 3 corpses to the Palestinian Authority to identify them.
PCHR demanded also initiating an investigation in the incident. Although Israeli forces deliver the corpses to the Palestinian Authority on the same day, an investigation was not initiated.
PCHR followed up the case through its lawyer regarding the investigation. Moreover, it had coordination with the Popular Committee against Torture and Physicians for Human Rights after providing them with the facts and results PCHR had in order to exert pressure for the interest of investigating the incident.
The Israeli Knesset assigned a session for the case, during which some information was revealed on Israeli forces' involvement in willfully killing the children and how a tank drove over one of the corpses.
Along with the legal effort, PCHR followed up the case at the international level via sending letters to John Dugard, the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions; and Olara Otunnu, Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
PCHR demanded the international officials to take immediate steps to ensure opening a comprehensive and impartial investigation by an international independent committee.
This is not the first time that PCHR achieves success in regard to efforts to prosecute war criminals via Israeli courts. PCHR had achieved other successes in this field, the latest of which was in September 2012, despite the financial, physical and legal barriers imposed by the Israeli authorities to hinder the Palestinian victims' access to justice and judicial remedy.
This Article Was First Published By PCHR
14 oct 2013
Israel refuses to evacuate the illegal settlement of Amoneh, which was constructed on a private land belonging to residents from Silwad village, east of Ramallah.
Following an appeal submitted by the Palestinian land's owners, the Israeli court ruled for the evacuation of the settlement in 2008. Five years later, the Israeli government still refuses to evacuate it.
Israeli prosecution claimed that evacuation in this period might negatively affect Israel's political interests.
Following an appeal submitted by the Palestinian land's owners, the Israeli court ruled for the evacuation of the settlement in 2008. Five years later, the Israeli government still refuses to evacuate it.
Israeli prosecution claimed that evacuation in this period might negatively affect Israel's political interests.
Villagers in Khirbat Zanuta
The Israeli High Court is set to rule on the forced expulsion of all of the residents of the village of Khirbat Zanuta, southwest of Hebron in the southern West Bank on Monday.
The decision comes five years after the initial order was made by the court to demolish the village. That decision was put on hold when an appeal was filed on behalf of the villagers by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, “Last year, a Jewish expansionist organization named Regavim succeeded in reviving the case by filing an amicus-curia request; soon thereafter, the state submitted its full response to the petition. In April 2012, the Civil Administration issued additional demolition orders for new structures in the village, including several cisterns (ACRI is arguing that objections to the new orders should be joined to the original petition, but the Civil Administration disagrees). The Supreme Court heard additional arguments on July 30, 2012. During the hearing, the justices delivered harsh criticism of the State for its intent to demolish the village without suggesting a solution for its residents.”
But the decision on Monday is expected to result in the forced expulsion of all of the village's inhabitants, who have lived on the land of their ancestors for as long as they can remember. They consider themselves stewards of the ancient archaeological site on which they live and tend their sheep, and have prevented any looting or destruction of artifacts on the site.
The Zionist organization Regavim that managed to revive the demolition order on the village had a quick response time from the court. The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reports that the organization has a “cozy relationship with the authorities”, according to its Director Bezalel Smotrich, who told the settler website Hakol Hayehudi on July 31, 2012, “Another parameter of the success of Regavim's activities is the treatment by authorities in the establishment. Among the ranks in the field and in a lot of departments of the Interior Ministry, Israel Land Administration, the Justice Ministry and more, they view Regavim as a positive factor that is coming to their aid to steel them against the pressure they receive from the left. Most of them are good people, idealistic people... happy for the counter-pressure we exercise after years in which they absorbed so much heat in the form of pressure and letters from left-wing organizations.”
The inhabitants of Khirbat Zanuta are shepherds, who have traditionally lived in caves and structures around the cave entrances. The village is located in what Israel calls 'Area C', a designation created under the Oslo Accords in 1993 for land that was to temporarily remain under Israeli civil administration control, but should have been transitioned to Palestinian rule within five years. That never happened, and all of the areas designated as 'Area C' in 1993 remain under full Israeli control today – most of the 500,000 Israeli settlers that have taken over land in the West Bank in the twenty years since that designation have moved into 'Area C'.
According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, “
The case of Zanuta is demonstrative of the Israeli government’s planning policy as it relates to the Palestinians in Area C, in which actions as severe as the destruction of basic humanitarian structures are justified by an absurd Catch 22 that penalizes residents for failing to apply for a permit they could never have been granted. If these demolition orders are carried out, the residents of Zanuta will be stripped of their most basic humanitarian rights: shelter, water, and livelihood, not to mention dignity, culture, and way of life. As an occupying power in Area C, Israel is bound by international law to protect the indigenous community. The case exemplifies a policy of demolishing buildings in Palestinian villages that removes indigenous peoples from their lands in absolute violation of the international law which protects them.”
The Israeli High Court is set to rule on the forced expulsion of all of the residents of the village of Khirbat Zanuta, southwest of Hebron in the southern West Bank on Monday.
The decision comes five years after the initial order was made by the court to demolish the village. That decision was put on hold when an appeal was filed on behalf of the villagers by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, “Last year, a Jewish expansionist organization named Regavim succeeded in reviving the case by filing an amicus-curia request; soon thereafter, the state submitted its full response to the petition. In April 2012, the Civil Administration issued additional demolition orders for new structures in the village, including several cisterns (ACRI is arguing that objections to the new orders should be joined to the original petition, but the Civil Administration disagrees). The Supreme Court heard additional arguments on July 30, 2012. During the hearing, the justices delivered harsh criticism of the State for its intent to demolish the village without suggesting a solution for its residents.”
But the decision on Monday is expected to result in the forced expulsion of all of the village's inhabitants, who have lived on the land of their ancestors for as long as they can remember. They consider themselves stewards of the ancient archaeological site on which they live and tend their sheep, and have prevented any looting or destruction of artifacts on the site.
The Zionist organization Regavim that managed to revive the demolition order on the village had a quick response time from the court. The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reports that the organization has a “cozy relationship with the authorities”, according to its Director Bezalel Smotrich, who told the settler website Hakol Hayehudi on July 31, 2012, “Another parameter of the success of Regavim's activities is the treatment by authorities in the establishment. Among the ranks in the field and in a lot of departments of the Interior Ministry, Israel Land Administration, the Justice Ministry and more, they view Regavim as a positive factor that is coming to their aid to steel them against the pressure they receive from the left. Most of them are good people, idealistic people... happy for the counter-pressure we exercise after years in which they absorbed so much heat in the form of pressure and letters from left-wing organizations.”
The inhabitants of Khirbat Zanuta are shepherds, who have traditionally lived in caves and structures around the cave entrances. The village is located in what Israel calls 'Area C', a designation created under the Oslo Accords in 1993 for land that was to temporarily remain under Israeli civil administration control, but should have been transitioned to Palestinian rule within five years. That never happened, and all of the areas designated as 'Area C' in 1993 remain under full Israeli control today – most of the 500,000 Israeli settlers that have taken over land in the West Bank in the twenty years since that designation have moved into 'Area C'.
According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, “
The case of Zanuta is demonstrative of the Israeli government’s planning policy as it relates to the Palestinians in Area C, in which actions as severe as the destruction of basic humanitarian structures are justified by an absurd Catch 22 that penalizes residents for failing to apply for a permit they could never have been granted. If these demolition orders are carried out, the residents of Zanuta will be stripped of their most basic humanitarian rights: shelter, water, and livelihood, not to mention dignity, culture, and way of life. As an occupying power in Area C, Israel is bound by international law to protect the indigenous community. The case exemplifies a policy of demolishing buildings in Palestinian villages that removes indigenous peoples from their lands in absolute violation of the international law which protects them.”
10 oct 2013
Lawyer of Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), Mufeed al-Haj, confirmed that the Israeli Magistrate Court in occupied Jerusalem has issued a decision ordering investigators to question Palestinian children in the presence of their parents. Al- Haj added that this decision came after the PPS informed the court of the need to allow the parents of detained children to attend the interrogation in its first phase.
The judge accepted the PPS demand and allowed parents into the questioning first stages, according to a statement issued by the PPS.
The judge accepted the PPS demand and allowed parents into the questioning first stages, according to a statement issued by the PPS.
6 oct 2013
An appeal against Arab MK haneed Zoabi is to be heard Tuesday by Judge Asher Grunis while advocate Hassan Jabareen from Adala will represent Zoabi, local media reported. The former right-wing MK Michael Ben-Ari and the extremist activist Itmar Ben-Gvir had filed the appeal even though a previous decision by the Attorney General officially closed the case against Zoabi due to lack of evidence.
The Supreme Court had also overturned a previous decision that disqualified her from running for elections due to her participation in the Freedom Flotilla set to Gaza in May 2010.
Commenting on the disqualification complaint, Judge Salim Jobran said: "Participation in the Flotilla alone does not rise to the level of dangerous expression on supporting armed struggles."
Lawyer Jabareen pointed out that the new appeal: "Does not mention the fact that local criminal laws are not applied on Zoabi in this case as the Flotilla was seized in international waters."
He further added that the petitioners did not bring enough evidence that Zoabi had used violence against anyone during the operation on board the Flotilla to support their argument.
Zoabi, meanwhile, said "Those who killed the nine activists and imposed a blockade on Gaza should be convicted. The culprit here is the Israeli government not Hanin Zoabi."
The Arab Knesset member was attacked in a previous hearing by Jewish extremists. When asked whether she would attend the new hearing or not, she answered: "Yes, I would. I am not representing myself, but all my people."
The Supreme Court had also overturned a previous decision that disqualified her from running for elections due to her participation in the Freedom Flotilla set to Gaza in May 2010.
Commenting on the disqualification complaint, Judge Salim Jobran said: "Participation in the Flotilla alone does not rise to the level of dangerous expression on supporting armed struggles."
Lawyer Jabareen pointed out that the new appeal: "Does not mention the fact that local criminal laws are not applied on Zoabi in this case as the Flotilla was seized in international waters."
He further added that the petitioners did not bring enough evidence that Zoabi had used violence against anyone during the operation on board the Flotilla to support their argument.
Zoabi, meanwhile, said "Those who killed the nine activists and imposed a blockade on Gaza should be convicted. The culprit here is the Israeli government not Hanin Zoabi."
The Arab Knesset member was attacked in a previous hearing by Jewish extremists. When asked whether she would attend the new hearing or not, she answered: "Yes, I would. I am not representing myself, but all my people."
4 oct 2013
Palestinian farmers in the northern West Bank returned Thursday to their land for the first time in almost 40 years, according to The Jerusalem Post, and began to plant olive trees. The area used to have an illegal Israeli settlement, Homesh, which was one of 4 settlements in the northern West Bank to be destroyed in the 2005 disengagement.
In June, Israel canceled the 1978 military land seizure that had allowed the illegal settlement to be built, and in September the Attorney-General’s Office ruled that the area was no longer closed to Palestinians.
Israelis are forbidden entrance to the site, according Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din which filed in 2010 the petition on behalf of Palestinians from Burka, a nearby village, that led the state to rescind the 1978 military order.
Palestinians entered the area Thursday and started planting olive trees while waving Palestinian flags, according to Yesh Din spokeswoman Reut Mor, whose volunteer organization accompanied the farmers. Mor said Thursday’s action was only the first of many days in which Palestinians will work the land.
Commenting on the letter sent by the Attorney-General's Office stating that Palestinians could re-enter the area, Attorney Shlomy Zachary of the Yesh Din legal team commented: “Thirty-five years have passed since the land was usurped from its lawful owners, and we are now informed that they may lawfully return to their land. Regrettably, we are well aware of the regular and unlawful presence of Israelis in the area. Following the notification by the Attorney General, we hope that the law will now be enforced and Israelis present in the area will be removed, so that the Palestinian landowners may safely access their land and begin the work of rehabilitation.”
Israeli settlers have returned to Homesh consistently since its destruction in 2005 to hold festivals and events, during which they called on the Israeli state to allow them to rebuild.
The ruins of three other illegal settlements, Sanur, Ganim and Kadim, which were all destroyed in 2005, are closed military zones.
It is worth mentioning that Yesh Din filed this week a petition for Israel to rescind the 1979 military order that allowed a plot of private Palestinian land to be included in the illegal settlement Beit El, which was built in 1970.
The petition was filed on behalf of Ahmad Abd al-Rahman Qassam, the Palestinian landowner from the nearby village Dura al-Kara, who has already been battling in court to abort the construction of five buildings on his land. The illegal construction has already begun.
In June, Israel canceled the 1978 military land seizure that had allowed the illegal settlement to be built, and in September the Attorney-General’s Office ruled that the area was no longer closed to Palestinians.
Israelis are forbidden entrance to the site, according Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din which filed in 2010 the petition on behalf of Palestinians from Burka, a nearby village, that led the state to rescind the 1978 military order.
Palestinians entered the area Thursday and started planting olive trees while waving Palestinian flags, according to Yesh Din spokeswoman Reut Mor, whose volunteer organization accompanied the farmers. Mor said Thursday’s action was only the first of many days in which Palestinians will work the land.
Commenting on the letter sent by the Attorney-General's Office stating that Palestinians could re-enter the area, Attorney Shlomy Zachary of the Yesh Din legal team commented: “Thirty-five years have passed since the land was usurped from its lawful owners, and we are now informed that they may lawfully return to their land. Regrettably, we are well aware of the regular and unlawful presence of Israelis in the area. Following the notification by the Attorney General, we hope that the law will now be enforced and Israelis present in the area will be removed, so that the Palestinian landowners may safely access their land and begin the work of rehabilitation.”
Israeli settlers have returned to Homesh consistently since its destruction in 2005 to hold festivals and events, during which they called on the Israeli state to allow them to rebuild.
The ruins of three other illegal settlements, Sanur, Ganim and Kadim, which were all destroyed in 2005, are closed military zones.
It is worth mentioning that Yesh Din filed this week a petition for Israel to rescind the 1979 military order that allowed a plot of private Palestinian land to be included in the illegal settlement Beit El, which was built in 1970.
The petition was filed on behalf of Ahmad Abd al-Rahman Qassam, the Palestinian landowner from the nearby village Dura al-Kara, who has already been battling in court to abort the construction of five buildings on his land. The illegal construction has already begun.
1 oct 2013
Palestinians in the Jordan Valley have petitioned the High Court of Justice to have their land between the border fence and Jordanian border returned, and to have the settlers cultivating dates there removed.
In January, a Civil Administration document confirmed that over the past 20 years, under the military order barring Palestinians from entering the area, more than 5,000 dunams (1,250 acres) belonging to Palestinians had been awarded to settlers. In some places the border fence is up to two kilometers from the Jordan River.
The land was handed over to the World Zionist Organization, backed by an opinion from the State Prosecutor's Office and the approval of the Central Command head at the time, Amram Mitzna. The WZO leased the land to the settlers; the government hoped to create a kind of buffer zone along the border.
The land was cultivated by Palestinians even after the Six-Day War. They were banished in 1969 after Palestinians began trying to return to the area from Jordan. Before January, the Palestinians had not realized that others were cultivating the land.
Heirs of three landowners petitioned the High Court via attorney Wissam George Asmar.
"As a result of the investigation, the petitioners examined the issue of their real estate; they discovered that it is part of the same real estate being cultivated by settlers who have no possessory connection,” the petition reads, adding that the settlers had planted Medjool date orchards, “which is considered a very profitable and flourishing industry.”
According to the petition, “over the years, the late owners and their heirs, the petitioners, believed that the real estate continued to be minefields and/or a closed military area not in use, and that therefore conditions were not yet ripe to restore their possessory right.”
The petitioners are also requesting an interim order that will halt the current cultivation of the site by the settlers. Justice Uri Shoham gave the state 21 days to respond.
This article was originally posted on Haaretz.
In January, a Civil Administration document confirmed that over the past 20 years, under the military order barring Palestinians from entering the area, more than 5,000 dunams (1,250 acres) belonging to Palestinians had been awarded to settlers. In some places the border fence is up to two kilometers from the Jordan River.
The land was handed over to the World Zionist Organization, backed by an opinion from the State Prosecutor's Office and the approval of the Central Command head at the time, Amram Mitzna. The WZO leased the land to the settlers; the government hoped to create a kind of buffer zone along the border.
The land was cultivated by Palestinians even after the Six-Day War. They were banished in 1969 after Palestinians began trying to return to the area from Jordan. Before January, the Palestinians had not realized that others were cultivating the land.
Heirs of three landowners petitioned the High Court via attorney Wissam George Asmar.
"As a result of the investigation, the petitioners examined the issue of their real estate; they discovered that it is part of the same real estate being cultivated by settlers who have no possessory connection,” the petition reads, adding that the settlers had planted Medjool date orchards, “which is considered a very profitable and flourishing industry.”
According to the petition, “over the years, the late owners and their heirs, the petitioners, believed that the real estate continued to be minefields and/or a closed military area not in use, and that therefore conditions were not yet ripe to restore their possessory right.”
The petitioners are also requesting an interim order that will halt the current cultivation of the site by the settlers. Justice Uri Shoham gave the state 21 days to respond.
This article was originally posted on Haaretz.
23 sept 2013
Hebron - Soldiers Kidnapping Palestinians
Following the deadly shooting of an Israeli soldier in Hebron city, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to boost settlement activities, and ordered the Civil Administration, to take all needed measures to allow the return of Israeli settlers into Palestinian home they previously occupied in Hebron.
The Israeli Civil Administration Office is run by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank.
Back in April of 2012, a group of settlers was removed from the home, near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. They allegedly purchased the property but the purchase was deemed invalid, especially since such deals must be first approved a commander of the Israeli occupation army.
The settlers were removed after the then-Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, issued an order in this regard following a court ruling.
The decision to allow the settlers to return to the property was made on Sunday at night; Netanyahu said that the settlers “must be allowed into the home without any delay”.
After being removed from the property, the settlers filed several court appeals, demanding a recognition of the alleged transaction, while Israeli Defense Minister, Moshe Ya’alon, also vowed to do whatever he can to authorize their “return to the home”.
Netanyahu made his decision hours after a Palestinian sniper shot and killed an Israeli soldier in Hebron, following ongoing tension that led to clashes between the soldiers and dozens of local youths who hurled stones at them.
It is also related to the death of an Israeli soldier who was killed two days ago in the Qalqilia district, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
“Anyone who attempts to remove us from Hebron, from the city of our patriarchs, will just achieve the exact opposite”, Netanyahu said according to Israeli daily Haaretz, “We will boost our settlement activities”.
Netanyahu said that the “return” of the settlers to the Hebron home would still have to go through legal means”; yet, he ordered all related government facilities, to do whatever they can to ensure their fast return.
His decision comes despite the fact than an appeals committee, looking into the purchase did not recognize the documents presented by the settlers, but criticized the way this purchase was denied.
Haaretz added that, should the process be finalized, Netanyahu and his Defense Minister could sign off the deal, and authorize the settlers back.
In related news, Israeli Economics Minister, Neftali Bennet, demanded Netanyahu to stop the release of Palestinian political prisoners, as part of peace talks with the Palestinians, and said that the Palestinians “must be punished for the killing of the two Israeli soldiers.”
Bennet, of the Jewish Home Party, who also serves at the Ministerial Council, said that “the release of Palestinian prisoners is based on progress of talks, and our duty should be a war on murderers…” according to the official.
Israel’s Transportation Minister, Yisrael Katz, said that he previously voted against the release of any detainee, and that the release of what he called “terrorists” encourages others to attack Israel.
Following the fatal shooting of the Israeli soldier in Hebron, the army initiated a large campaign, broke into and searched hundreds of homes, close to the Ibrahimi Mosque area where the soldier was shot.
Hundreds of Palestinians were kidnapped, and where rounded up in the southern area of the occupied city of Hebron.
The soldiers also occupied rooftops of several homes, using them as monitoring towers, while the army operated in the area.
The military declared Hebron a closed military zone, preventing the Palestinians from entering or leaving it.
Last week, Israeli soldiers shot and killed one Palestinian, and injured four, including three children, in different attacks carried out in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The army carried out 49 invasions into Palestinian communities, and kidnapped at least 41, including 9 children.
Two Palestinians have been killed, dozens have been injured, and hundreds were detained, by Israeli forces since the beginning of the month.
Following the deadly shooting of an Israeli soldier in Hebron city, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to boost settlement activities, and ordered the Civil Administration, to take all needed measures to allow the return of Israeli settlers into Palestinian home they previously occupied in Hebron.
The Israeli Civil Administration Office is run by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank.
Back in April of 2012, a group of settlers was removed from the home, near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. They allegedly purchased the property but the purchase was deemed invalid, especially since such deals must be first approved a commander of the Israeli occupation army.
The settlers were removed after the then-Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, issued an order in this regard following a court ruling.
The decision to allow the settlers to return to the property was made on Sunday at night; Netanyahu said that the settlers “must be allowed into the home without any delay”.
After being removed from the property, the settlers filed several court appeals, demanding a recognition of the alleged transaction, while Israeli Defense Minister, Moshe Ya’alon, also vowed to do whatever he can to authorize their “return to the home”.
Netanyahu made his decision hours after a Palestinian sniper shot and killed an Israeli soldier in Hebron, following ongoing tension that led to clashes between the soldiers and dozens of local youths who hurled stones at them.
It is also related to the death of an Israeli soldier who was killed two days ago in the Qalqilia district, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
“Anyone who attempts to remove us from Hebron, from the city of our patriarchs, will just achieve the exact opposite”, Netanyahu said according to Israeli daily Haaretz, “We will boost our settlement activities”.
Netanyahu said that the “return” of the settlers to the Hebron home would still have to go through legal means”; yet, he ordered all related government facilities, to do whatever they can to ensure their fast return.
His decision comes despite the fact than an appeals committee, looking into the purchase did not recognize the documents presented by the settlers, but criticized the way this purchase was denied.
Haaretz added that, should the process be finalized, Netanyahu and his Defense Minister could sign off the deal, and authorize the settlers back.
In related news, Israeli Economics Minister, Neftali Bennet, demanded Netanyahu to stop the release of Palestinian political prisoners, as part of peace talks with the Palestinians, and said that the Palestinians “must be punished for the killing of the two Israeli soldiers.”
Bennet, of the Jewish Home Party, who also serves at the Ministerial Council, said that “the release of Palestinian prisoners is based on progress of talks, and our duty should be a war on murderers…” according to the official.
Israel’s Transportation Minister, Yisrael Katz, said that he previously voted against the release of any detainee, and that the release of what he called “terrorists” encourages others to attack Israel.
Following the fatal shooting of the Israeli soldier in Hebron, the army initiated a large campaign, broke into and searched hundreds of homes, close to the Ibrahimi Mosque area where the soldier was shot.
Hundreds of Palestinians were kidnapped, and where rounded up in the southern area of the occupied city of Hebron.
The soldiers also occupied rooftops of several homes, using them as monitoring towers, while the army operated in the area.
The military declared Hebron a closed military zone, preventing the Palestinians from entering or leaving it.
Last week, Israeli soldiers shot and killed one Palestinian, and injured four, including three children, in different attacks carried out in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The army carried out 49 invasions into Palestinian communities, and kidnapped at least 41, including 9 children.
Two Palestinians have been killed, dozens have been injured, and hundreds were detained, by Israeli forces since the beginning of the month.
17 sept 2013
Israeli forces on Tuesday raided an area of land near Nablus which was formally the site of Homesh settlement, locals said.
On Monday, Israel's military said that land confiscated in 1978 by a military order would be returned to its Palestinian owenrs.
The land, which belonged to the village of Burqa, was used to build the settlement of Homesh, which was evacuated in 2005.
Witnesses said that five military vehicles raided the area on Tuesday and remained there for over three hours.
They then left the area without providing an explanation, locals said.
Palestinians say that armed Jewish settlers have been trickling back to try and reestablish a permanent presence there.
"Thirty-five years have passed since the land was taken from its lawful owners and now we have been informed that they can lawfully return to their land," Yesh Din said in a statement on Monday.
"To our regret, we are well aware of the permanent and illegal presence of Israelis at the site," it went on. "We hope...that the law will be enforced and the Israelis staying there will be removed and the Palestinian owners can return safely to their lands."
Former settlement to return to Palestinian owners
Land confiscated by Israel 35 years ago to build a Jewish settlement in the West Bank will finally be returned to its Palestinians owners, the Israeli military said on Monday. In 1978 Israel confiscated by military order land belonging to the Palestinian village of Burqa in the northern West Bank.
It was used to erect an army encampment and later became a government-authorized civilian settlement.
It was shut down with three other small remote West Bank settlements alongside Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
The order requisitioning the land from the Palestinians remained in force however, prompting Burqa residents to petition the Israeli Supreme Court in December 2011.
"The decree that established Homesh...was nullified several months ago as a result of an appeal brought to the Supreme Court," the Israeli military forces spokesman wrote Monday in response to a query by AFP.
"In addition, the closure order that restricted the access of Palestinians to the land was lifted, and the representatives of the petitioners were notified," he added.
He went on to say that by military order Israelis were now barred from the site, but Israeli NGO Yesh Din, a party to the Burqa residents' petition, said that settlers were still there.
Despite the military ban, Palestinians say that armed Jewish activists have been trickling back to try and reestablish a permanent settler presence there.
The far-right Jewish home party, which draws much of its support from the settlement movement, became a key player in the coalition government formed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after January elections.
"Thirty-five years have passed since the land was taken from its lawful owners and now we have been informed that they can lawfully return to their land," Yesh Din said in a statement on Monday.
"To our regret, we are well aware of the permanent and illegal presence of Israelis at the site," it went on. "We hope...that the law will be enforced and the Israelis staying there will be removed and the Palestinian owners can return safely to their lands."
On Monday, Israel's military said that land confiscated in 1978 by a military order would be returned to its Palestinian owenrs.
The land, which belonged to the village of Burqa, was used to build the settlement of Homesh, which was evacuated in 2005.
Witnesses said that five military vehicles raided the area on Tuesday and remained there for over three hours.
They then left the area without providing an explanation, locals said.
Palestinians say that armed Jewish settlers have been trickling back to try and reestablish a permanent presence there.
"Thirty-five years have passed since the land was taken from its lawful owners and now we have been informed that they can lawfully return to their land," Yesh Din said in a statement on Monday.
"To our regret, we are well aware of the permanent and illegal presence of Israelis at the site," it went on. "We hope...that the law will be enforced and the Israelis staying there will be removed and the Palestinian owners can return safely to their lands."
Former settlement to return to Palestinian owners
Land confiscated by Israel 35 years ago to build a Jewish settlement in the West Bank will finally be returned to its Palestinians owners, the Israeli military said on Monday. In 1978 Israel confiscated by military order land belonging to the Palestinian village of Burqa in the northern West Bank.
It was used to erect an army encampment and later became a government-authorized civilian settlement.
It was shut down with three other small remote West Bank settlements alongside Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
The order requisitioning the land from the Palestinians remained in force however, prompting Burqa residents to petition the Israeli Supreme Court in December 2011.
"The decree that established Homesh...was nullified several months ago as a result of an appeal brought to the Supreme Court," the Israeli military forces spokesman wrote Monday in response to a query by AFP.
"In addition, the closure order that restricted the access of Palestinians to the land was lifted, and the representatives of the petitioners were notified," he added.
He went on to say that by military order Israelis were now barred from the site, but Israeli NGO Yesh Din, a party to the Burqa residents' petition, said that settlers were still there.
Despite the military ban, Palestinians say that armed Jewish activists have been trickling back to try and reestablish a permanent settler presence there.
The far-right Jewish home party, which draws much of its support from the settlement movement, became a key player in the coalition government formed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after January elections.
"Thirty-five years have passed since the land was taken from its lawful owners and now we have been informed that they can lawfully return to their land," Yesh Din said in a statement on Monday.
"To our regret, we are well aware of the permanent and illegal presence of Israelis at the site," it went on. "We hope...that the law will be enforced and the Israelis staying there will be removed and the Palestinian owners can return safely to their lands."
14 sept 2013
No justice for 17-year-old Hammam after he refused to give a statement to Israeli officers in the same military responsible for his abuse without his lawyer present.
Israeli military investigators closed this week their investigation into the alleged abuse of a Palestinian teenager after he refused to testify without the presence of his lawyer.
Defense for Children International Palestine submitted a complaint to the Military Police Criminal Investigations Division in August 2012 about the ill-treatment endured by Hammam N, then 16, during his arrest, transfer and interrogation in June of that year.
“We attempted to obtain the complainant’s statement, but … the complainant’s lawyer refused to let him testify without a lawyer present during the testimony,” stated the letter DCI-Palestine received from the prosecutor for operational affairs. “Given the lack of substantial and factual evidence to support the complaint, we decided to close the investigation without taking any action against any military body.”
This marks the third time this year that a complaint submitted by DCI-Palestine results in the military advocate general’s decision to close the investigation due to insufficient evidence. In both previous petitions, Israeli authorities cited the refusal of the victims to testify without the presence of their lawyer as a reason for closing the cases.
“These letters prove Israeli investigators have no intention of holding impartial and thorough investigations,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director. “Israel’s poor record of accountability, in practice, sends a loud message that grave human rights violations against Palestinians can be committed with total impunity.”
All Israeli children enjoy the right to an attorney when giving a statement against their suspected abusers during an investigation. Such a basic right exists in all legal systems that respect the rule of law.
This year, DCI-Palestine submitted a total of seven complaints about the alleged ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers. In six of the cases, Israeli authorities failed to notify DCI-Palestine whether they had opened an investigation.
Since 2000, Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group, reports [PDF] only five percent of complaints submitted to the Military Police Criminal Investigations Division lead to an indictment.
Israeli military investigators closed this week their investigation into the alleged abuse of a Palestinian teenager after he refused to testify without the presence of his lawyer.
Defense for Children International Palestine submitted a complaint to the Military Police Criminal Investigations Division in August 2012 about the ill-treatment endured by Hammam N, then 16, during his arrest, transfer and interrogation in June of that year.
“We attempted to obtain the complainant’s statement, but … the complainant’s lawyer refused to let him testify without a lawyer present during the testimony,” stated the letter DCI-Palestine received from the prosecutor for operational affairs. “Given the lack of substantial and factual evidence to support the complaint, we decided to close the investigation without taking any action against any military body.”
This marks the third time this year that a complaint submitted by DCI-Palestine results in the military advocate general’s decision to close the investigation due to insufficient evidence. In both previous petitions, Israeli authorities cited the refusal of the victims to testify without the presence of their lawyer as a reason for closing the cases.
“These letters prove Israeli investigators have no intention of holding impartial and thorough investigations,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director. “Israel’s poor record of accountability, in practice, sends a loud message that grave human rights violations against Palestinians can be committed with total impunity.”
All Israeli children enjoy the right to an attorney when giving a statement against their suspected abusers during an investigation. Such a basic right exists in all legal systems that respect the rule of law.
This year, DCI-Palestine submitted a total of seven complaints about the alleged ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers. In six of the cases, Israeli authorities failed to notify DCI-Palestine whether they had opened an investigation.
Since 2000, Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group, reports [PDF] only five percent of complaints submitted to the Military Police Criminal Investigations Division lead to an indictment.
