B'Tselem's 2005 activities: Summary and highlights

B'Tselem issued four publications in 2005, addressing movement in Gaza , the use of lethal force during arrest operations, the threatened expulsion of Palestinians from the Southern Hebron Hills, and the connection between the route of the Separation Barrier and settlement expansion. These publications were produced in both Hebrew and English and distributed to more than ten thousand policymakers, journalists, organizations and individuals in Israel and around the world. In Israel , B'Tselem's reports are distributed to all Members of Knesset, all judges, all government ministries, and a wide range of officials within the military, and the judicial community. B'Tselem also prepared an Arabic summary of all reports.

B'Tselem continues to serve as a primary source of information on human rights in the Occupied Territories . B'Tselem regularly briefed local policymakers and the diplomatic community on developments, and gave presentations to visiting foreign policymakers and delegations from around the world.

B'Tselem launched its new website, which includes special features such as a photo archive and access to B'Tselem's statistical databases. The site now receives close to 3,000 visitors per day. The organization continued to issue monthly email updates to over 9,000 subscribers, and issued 5 one-page briefings to over 2,000 local and foreign policymakers.

B'Tselem worked extensively with the media, issuing press releases, accompanying dozens of journalists into the West Bank and Gaza , and giving interviews. B'Tselem played a leading role in generating public attention to various issues, including settler violence and the plan to transport garbage from Israel into the West Bank . B'Tselem's work on these issues contributed to a wave of media attention, a high court petition and an inter-departmental commission of inquiry.

B'Tselem continued to expand its public education efforts. The organization initiated a dramatic expansion of its use of video and photographic documentation by hiring a professional video coordinator, setting up a video editing room, and gathering new footage. B'Tselem now regularly produces video testimonies and short movies to accompany the publication of reports.

B'Tselem conducted over 85 bus and jeep tours for groups of journalists, policymakers, visiting delegations from abroad and the Israeli public. The tours focused primarily on restrictions on movement, the separation Barrier and East Jerusalem , but also touched upon other human rights issues such as settlements, violence by security forces, settler violence, and house demolitions. The tours provided participants with a first-hand experience of the daily realities of the situation on the ground, and enabled them to speak out on these issues and share their insights with others.

B'Tselem continued its work on the Separation Barrier and its human rights implications. The organization produced a new map and updated statistics following the government's approval of the new route in February; conducted advocacy; and took journalists, policymakers and the public on tours along the Barrier route.

In February, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced the cessation of punitive house demolitions. This decision followed the publication of a B'Tselem report and major public advocacy campaign on this topic that we initiated in 2004. While the Defense Minister justified the decision based on considerations of effectiveness, it is clear that criticism from the human rights community served as the impetus for reconsideration of the policy. The cessation of punitive house demolitions is one of the most significant successes of the local human rights movement.

B'Tselem invested considerable resources to ensure that the disengagement plan was conducted in a manner that accorded with human rights. The organization's comprehensive report on freedom of movement for Gazans was accompanied by the production of a CD-Rom and a public event in Tel Aviv, where representatives of four Israeli organizations addressed the human rights of Palestinians as well as Israeli settlers during the disengagement. B'Tselem also worked together with other human rights organizations to prepare for the disengagement. Throughout the year, B'Tselem conducted advocacy on issues relating to settler violence, generating significant media attention to the issue of the protection of Palestinians and their property.