B'Tselem's 2006 activities: Summary and highlights

The political and security climate of 2006 dictated greater challenges for human rights organizations in Israel and the Occupied Territories , and especially in regard to the Gaza Strip. Elections in the Palestinian Authority, hailed initially for their democratic nature and then denounced both in Israel and internationally for having given Hamas a majority, brought in their wake increased violence in the form of intensified military operations and firing into Gaza, as well as an increase in the number of Qassam rockets fired from Gaza into the southern part of Israel. Donor funds withheld from the PA by the international community along with Israel 's refusal to transfer tax revenues owed to the PA created an economic crisis that exacerbated the already severe level of poverty among Palestinians. The past year has also been marked by even greater constraints on movement within the West Bank, and high civilian fatality rates, particularly in Gaza .

Despite government efforts to deny responsibility, Israel continues to control the airspace and territorial waters of the Gaza Strip, movement between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the population registry, family unification, and the crossing of goods to and from Gaza . In addition to Israel 's policy of targeted killing of Palestinian militants that has resulted in the killing of many civilian bystanders as well, Israel initiated wide-scale military operations in Gaza following the abduction of Cpl. Gilad Shalit on 26 June 2006, including bombing of civilian infrastructure and incursions into densely-populated areas. Israel has contributed to the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza through the destruction of essential civilian infrastructure, the closure of crossings, and withholding of PA tax monies, all of which has devastated the health care and education systems and left 80% of Gazans living below the poverty line, 40% without work and 75% dependent on food aid.

In addition to the crisis in Gaza , the hostilities with Lebanon on Israel 's northern border had a ripple effect in the form of a simultaneous increase in beatings and abuse of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories by Israel 's soldiers and police. Israel also tightened restraints on movement in the West Bank, cementing the de facto division of the West Bank into five separate areas with travel between these areas difficult to impossible. The strangulation of movement meant even greater friction between security forces and the civilian population. The Separation Barrier and its implications also continued to occupy court dockets and government discussions. Construction continues, with close to 60% of the Barrier completed, as does the work of Palestinians and human rights organizations to advocate for changes in the route.

Despite the challenges presented by the political and security climate, B'Tselem still managed to provoke public attention and debate. Highlights of B'Tselem's major program accomplishments during the past year include:

• B'Tselem conducted a major public campaign to coincide with the December 2005 release of the report Under the Guise of Security : Routing the Separation Barrier to Enable the Expansion of Israeli Settlements in the West Bank .
• B'Tselem published a brochure on Jerusalem entitled A Wall in Jerusalem: Obstacles to Human Rights in the Holy City as part of a campaign that included tours and briefings.
• B'Tselem launched an initiative to focus public attention on Israel 's responsibilities in Gaza , particularly regarding Israel 's bombing of Gaza 's electrical plant. B'Tselem's report, Act of Vengeance , was reinforced by 3 short films, Internet banners and advertising in the print media. Issues addressed included the high rate of civilian deaths from IDF fire and the severity of the humanitarian crisis.
• B'Tselem brought to the attention of the local and international media Israel 's de facto annexation of the Jordan Valley , the eastern strip of the West Bank .
• B'Tselem generated widespread media attention, both domestic and local, to the substantial increase in cases in which Israeli soldiers and Border Police in the West Bank beat, abuse, and humiliate Palestinians , particularly evident following the outbreak of the war in Lebanon .
• B'Tselem focused official and public attention on the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians affected by the freeze on family unification that prevents Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza from living together with their spouses who are foreign residents, in the report Perpetual Limbo .
• The B'Tselem film, Prisoners' Children , and accompanying report, Barred from Contact , published this period illustrates the many obstacles and difficulties Palestinians from the Occupied Territories face in trying to visit their relatives held in Israeli prison facilities.
• B'Tselem fieldworkers gathered over 600 testimonies during 2006.
• B'Tselem has received very positive responses to its trilingual website launched last year, which now receives close to 3,000 visitors every day.
• B'Tselem has expanded its use of visual images as a tool to promote human rights, amassing over 550 hours since the beginning of 2006 and over 71,000 people have viewed B'Tselem videos on our website in the first half of 2006, 68% of whom are from within Israel. Another 30,000 individuals have viewed B'Tselem's videos on addition Internet sites that include Walla, Tapuz, YouTube, Google , and Yahoo .
• B'Tselem provided 110 study tours for groups and individuals, as well as over 100 briefings and presentations.