Publications

The report reveals for the first time official data on treatment of Palestinian minors in Israeli military court system in the West Bank: 93% of all minors convicted of stone throwing were given jail sentences. The report shows how that the rights of these minors are violated severely throughout the criminal justice process.

The report shows that, over the past year, at least 81 Palestinian minors from Silwan, East Jerusalem, have been arrested or detained for questioning on suspicion of stone throwing. Many were arrested at night, some were questioned without a parent present, and many said the arrest was violent. These methods breach Israel's Youth Law and other laws it applies to East Jerusalem.

According to the report the Israeli army's policy not to investigate the killing of Palestinian civilians exempts soldiers from accountability, even when criminal offenses are suspected. Even in the few cases in which investigations are opened, routine procrastination by the Judge Advocate Generals' Office leads to closing of the files.

A report analyzing the mechanisms Israel uses to gain control of West Bank land for building settlements. The report, which is based on official state information, shows that one-fifth of the settlements' built-up area is private Palestinian land and that the settlements control 42 percent of West Bank land.

The report reveals that as far back as the 1970s, Israel planned to annex Ma’ale Adummim. To do this, it expropriated over the years tens of thousands of dunams of Palestinian land and expelled hundreds of Beduin who were living there. Implementation of plans to expand the settlement will destroy north-south territorial contiguity in the West Bank and impede realization of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

The report warns about the danger inherent in neglecting wastewater treatment in the West Bank. The report criticizes both Israel and the Palestinian Authority for their failures, which have harmed the health and future water supply of all residents of Israel and the West Bank.

B'Tselem's annual report surveys a wide range of Israeli human rights violations in the OPT in 2008, until Operation Cast Lead. As house demolition and lack of law enforcement on violent settlers continued, Israel largely refrained from holding members of the security forces accountable for their actions.