In 2003, B'Tselem released six new publications addressing the following topics: the Separation Barrier under construction by Israel, the Road Map, delays and abuse of medical personnel, and status reports on the Al-Mawasi area in Gaza, area H2 in Hebron, and the village of Nu'man in East Jerusalem. These publications were produced in both Hebrew and English and distributed to over 8,000 individuals and organizations including government and military officials, academics, diplomats, NGO's, journalists, and interested individuals.
B'Tselem continued to serve as the primary information source for human rights in the Occupied Territories. B'Tselem regularly updated local policymakers and the diplomatic community on human rights developments in the Occupied Territories, and gave presentations to visiting foreign policymakers and delegations from around the world. The organization was particularly active in providing information on the Separation Barrier, and provided updated maps, statistics, and analysis on a regular basis to Members of Knesset, the diplomatic community in Israel, visiting foreign policymakers, the press, NGOs, and in public fora. In October, B'Tselem traveled to Washington and briefed policymakers, think-tanks, NGOs, and the press on the Barrier.
B'Tselem's trilingual website and email newspaper continued to provide easily accessible information and updates. The website now receives more than 1,500 visitors per day, and the monthly email newspaper has over 6,000 subscribers. B'Tselem worked extensively with the media; issuing press releases, accompanying journalists into the field, and giving interviews. These efforts have resulted in hundreds of appearances in the local and foreign press particularly regarding the Separation Barrier, checkpoints, and violence by members of the security forces.
B'Tselem launched a unique project to deploy Israelis to IDF checkpoints to document, intervene, and prevent human rights violations. The acquisition of an armored vehicle and regular tours by the monitoring team also enabled the gathering of still and video footage for public relations materials, facilitated access of staff and Board members to the field and contact with fieldworkers, and raised awareness of B'Tselem among Palestinians and Israeli security forces. Journalists, policymakers, and leading public figures also joined the checkpoint monitoring team to see the Barrier and the checkpoints and meet with Palestinians affected by them. These tours frequently generated additional media attention.
Towards the end of the year, B'Tselem launched a major campaign against Israel's siege policy to raise awareness among the Israeli public and policymakers about the devastating effects of the checkpoints and roadblocks inside the West Bank. The campaign included paid advertisements, distribution of a newspaper insert to 550,000 households, extensive work with the local press, and an expanded website. B'Tselem also invited Members of Knesset, academics, and former security officials, to tour the checkpoints with us to form a firsthand impression. The campaign generated widespread media attention and resulted in several positive initiatives by policymakers.
Throughout the year, B'Tselem continued its outreach efforts among the Diaspora Jewish community. B'Tselem produced a brochure in English particularly focused at a Jewish audience, which was distributed to participants at a number of conferences held in Jerusalem, and sent to over 2,000 rabbis and Jewish organizations. In addition, together with Rabbis for Human Rights, B'Tselem hosted study tours for rabbinical students in Israel for the year, and Jewish communal leaders in Israel for conferences.
In 2003, B'Tselem documented several severe cases of abuse and violence by security forces and sent dozens of cases to military and police investigation units. There were several successes, both drawing public attention to this issue and in ensuring accountability.
Most notably, B'Tselem's advocacy resulted in the indictment of four Border Police officers for the death of a Palestinian youth, Imran Abu Hamdia. This case attracted a great deal of attention by the press and policymakers.