B'Tselem: the Israeli army does not do enough to combat abuse of Palestinians

16 December 2007

A survey conducted by the Israeli military and published by leading Israeli daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, found that a quarter of soldiers serving at checkpoints in the West Bank perpetrated or witnessed abuse of Palestinians. In response, B'Tselem, said that the numbers are shocking, but not surprising. The organization commends the military for initiating the survey, but states that physical and verbal abuse of Palestinians by soldiers, particularly at checkpoints, has long become routine. In spite of official condemnations, the military does not do enough to ensure accountability and to deter soldiers from engaging in such behavior.

According to B'Tselem, most soldiers who harm Palestinians are never held accountable. Law enforcement authorities place numerous obstacles on Palestinians who try to complain against security forces personnel and only a small minority of complaints result in charges against those responsible for abuse.

Military Police Investigations are often opened after lengthy delays and are conducted in a faulty manner. B'Tselem recently received figures on such investigations which illustrate the enormity of the problem. Over the past seven years, only 36 indictments were filed against soldiers on charges of abusing Palestinians. These figures relate to all abuse, not only to abuse at checkpoints, and do not include death and injury due to gunfire, or damage to property.

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