Israeli rights group Yesh Din released a report Wednesday, accusing Israel of "chronic failure" to enforce the law on Israeli citizens who commit offenses against Palestinians in the West Bank
Nine out of 10 investigations of Israeli attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank are closed with no indictment served, the report said.
The incidents, investigated by Israel's "Judea and Samaria police," are overwhelmingly closed after investigators "fail to find suspects and sufficient evidence," Yesh Din found, accusing the state of "not fulfilling its obligation to maintain an effective law enforcement mechanism."
Most of the crimes involve offenses committed against Palestinians and their property, the report noted.
Yesh Din said the report was compiled from a data sheet of information which cataloged 642 complaints and police investigations over the past few years.
At the time of the publication of the report, nine percent of the investigations resulted in the filing of indictments, while the rest were closed for insufficient evidence.
The report noted the highest number of failed investigations when it came to offenses of violence against Palestinians and damage to their property. A total of 78 percent of violence cases and 93 percent of cases of damage to property were closed, the report said, adding that they were terminated "on grounds that suggest that those investigations have failed."
Attorney Michael Sfard, Yesh Din's legal counsel, said the findings "indicate that we have forsaken human beings who are under our control – and this has grave moral and legal implications."
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