Israel and the Palestinian Territories Main

Middle East Human Rights Defenders Program For more information on the Human Rights Defenders Program, contact Elizabeth Jordan Tel: 212 845 5298

Rights Activists' Work in Israel and Palestinian Territories Obstructed

Human Rights First remains deeply concerned about escalating violence in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories in the West Bank. It renews its call on all parties to the conflict to desist from violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. In particular, Israeli and Palestinian civilian life must be safeguarded, and all attacks on civilian targets must stop.

The continuing violations of international law being reported only nurture the sense of injustice felt by both sides and fuel further conflict. If the cycle of violence in the region is to be broken, respect for human rights by all actors in the conflict must be restored.

Human rights defenders have an essential role to play in systematically and objectively monitoring human rights conditions, and in demanding accountability from government and other responsible officials. Their activities can help to deter further violations of international law, and can contribute to de-escalating conflict by building confidence that those engaged in or inciting violations will be observed and held accountable.

In that context, Human Rights First notes with deep concern the recent measures taken by Israeli authorities to obstruct and impair the work of human rights defenders in the occupied territories. These measures include:

• Despite a resolution issued by the United Nations Human Rights Commission, fact finders instructed to prepare a report on the human rights situation in the West Bank have been unable to carry out their mission. According to an April 15 statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, the mission was blocked "due to the absence of a positive response from the occupying power."
  
  
• Field workers from Israeli human rights organizations, like B'Tselem have protested repeatedly that they have been denied access to Palestinian cities to carry out fact finding.
  
  
• International organizations like Amnesty International have been obstructed from sending their researchers to investigate scenes of alleged gross violations of international humanitarian law, like the Jenin refugee camp. An AI research team finally gained limited access to the Jenin refugee camp on April 17, as Israeli forces drew back.
  
  
• Independent Palestinian human rights organizations, like LAW, the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Law and the Environment, and Al-Haq, an independent non-governmental organization based in Ramallah, remain disrupted because of Israeli military raids on their offices over the last two weeks, and because of continuing severe restrictions on the movements of the Palestinian civilian population.
  
  
• Al Haq employee Yasser Dissi has been issued with a three- month administrative detention order, after having been taken from his offices during the Israeli army's incursion into Ramallah on March 30. Mr. Dissi is now being held without charge or trial. Human Rights First calls for him either to be charged with a criminal offense, or to be released immediately.