Yesh Din report: Only 8% of Palestinian complaints against settlers result in indictment

The human rights group Yesh Din on Monday slammed the government for its "faulty" methods of dealing with settlers violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Only 8 percent of Palestinian complaints of settler violence results in indictment, according to the report, which was released on Monday.

The report charges that the Appeals Department of the State Prosecution's office tends to "sweepingly accept the decisions of the police and district attorneys to close cases." Often cases are discounted due to lack of reliable evidence, said the report.

The group recommended a change in procedure to guarantee thorough investigation of alleged attacks by Israeli civilians against Palestinians and their property.

Among the steps recommended is a monthly review of at least 10 percent of of these cases by a special law enforcement team. Yesh Din suggested the team maintain permanent contact with the Appeals Department of the State Attorney's Office "in order to ascertain patterns of failures and defects" in investigations of cases arising in the West Bank.

"If significant changes are not made the situation is only going to get worse," said Lior Yavneh, who drafted the report. "The place has become one without any supervision or legal enforcement, a place where there is no one to issue judgment on violent acts toward Palestinians. Criminal activity of the sort there is always going to increase and worsen."

In its response to the group's report, the Justice Ministry said legal authorities were closely following specific cases, but emphasized that it was not in its authority to deal with every case on the matter.

The report was released a day after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet decided Sunday to ratchet up law enforcement measures directed at extremist settlers and to halt government funding for the some 100 outposts built by settlers.

The outposts were never officially authorized, but have received years of tacit or active government assistance.

Government spokesman Mark Regev said Monday that, according to law, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has two weeks to begin taking steps on the matter and report back to the cabinet.