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Since the 1980’s many reports have been published on law enforcement upon Israelis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. All of the reports – whether published by official government bodies or produced by human rights organizations – warned against the failure of the authorities to enforce the law effectively upon Israeli offenders, especially those who committed offenses against Palestinian civilians. The conclusion that arises from all the reports is serious: Israel is abusing its obligation to defend the Palestinian civilian population in the OPT against the criminality of Israeli civilians. Years have gone by, committees have been established, recommendations have been made, and governments have come and gone – yet the problem of attacks against Palestinian people and property by Israelis has only grown worse, becoming a daily occurrence.
In March 2005 Yesh Din - Volunteers for Human Rights was established. Yesh Din (Hebrew for “There is Law”) volunteers decided upon its foundation that the organization’s first project would be an examination of law enforcement procedures upon Israelis who harass Palestinians in the West Bank. The main goal of the project is “to strengthen law enforcement proceedings relating to Israelis in the West Bank.” As part of the project, the Yesh Din volunteers are attempting to help bring those responsible for attacks to justice, while at the same time examining the actions of the authorities and seeking to identify the reason for the failings in this field, as pointed out by the aforementioned governmental and non-governmental reports. Yesh Din adopted a unique method. Teams of specially-trained volunteers visit Palestinian communities that report criminal behavior by Israeli civilians.
The teams record testimonies from victims and witnesses, gather documents, photograph the places where incidents occurred, and, after completing their investigation, accompany victims to the police to file complaints and give evidence. Complainants who wish to do so authorize the legal advisor of Yesh Din to monitor the investigation of their case and, when necessary, to appeal against the closure of the investigation file.
To download the full report please click below:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| ASemblanceofLaw-Eng.pdf [2] | 2.33 MB |
Links:
[1] http://www.americantaskforce.org/resources
[2] http://www.americantaskforce.org/sites/default/files/ASemblanceofLaw-Eng.pdf
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