Human Rights abuses are rampant in Israel. Until recently, torture was legal andthe security forces routinely tortured political detainees, most of whom werenever charged with any crimes. Methods include violent shaking of detainees,restraining in very painful conditions, sensory deprivation, sounding of loud musicfor prolonged periods and others. Several prisoners have died as a consequenceof torture. It's hoped that a recent Supreme Court decision outlawing thispractice, however, will finally put an end to this widely condemned practice.Israeli forces continue to arbitrarily detained hundreds of Palestinians on"security" grounds. Hundreds are put under administrative detention, withoutbeing charged or sentenced, in violation of internationally protected due processrights. Some are kept in prison for years without ever being charged. Hundredsmore are sent to prison for political reasons following trials that do not complywith international due process standards. Often the main evidence againstprisoners are confessions extracted through torture. Detainees are regularlydenied visits from their lawyers or family members.Dozens of Lebanese are also being held in administrative detention in Israeli-controlled Southern Lebanon. This includes men, women and children. Somehave been in prison for over ten years without charges. The Israeli SupremeCourthas foundit lawful to hold otherwise unlawfully-detained prisoners as"bargaining chips" for exchange for Israeli prisoners abroad.Israeli security forces have also engaged in extra-judicial executions of Palestinians. Those responsible are very rarely punished for their crimes.
Israel – Gaza ConflictDecember 2008 – January 2009
On December 27, 2008, Israel launched "Operation Cast Lead" - a 22-day militarycampaign with the stated aim of suppressing rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. HumanRights Watch documented serious violations of the laws of war by Israel, Hamas andother Palestinian armed groups, some of which amounted to war crimes. In Gaza, morethan 700 civilians died in the fighting; in Israel, 3 civilians lost their lives.Laws-of-war violations by Israeli forces includeddrone-launchedmissile attacks thatkilled 29 civilians, the killing of 11 civilians holdingwhite flags, and the use of white
phosphorusmunitions in densely populated areas. Hamas and other Palestinian armedgroups violated the laws of war by firing hundreds of rockets deliberately or
indiscriminately into civilian areas in Israel.To date, neither Israel nor Hamas has held the perpetrators of these violations to account,despite recommendations of theUN Fact-Finding Mission(the "Goldstone report"),supported by the UN's Human Rights Council and General Assembly, that Israel andHamas conduct credible, independent investigations.In Israel, only one soldier has been convicted for a wartime abuse: he got seven monthsin prison for the theft of a credit card. In Gaza, no one is known to have been punished
for firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel, or for the arbitrary detentions, torture andkillings by Hamas of other Palestinians.In addition, both sides continue to violate international humanitarian law. Palestinianarmed groups have slowed but not stopped their indiscriminate rocket fire into Israel.Israel is severely restricting the import into Gaza of essential goods and supplies neededfor reconstruction. One year after the fighting, Gazan civilians have been unable to repair their destroyed homes, schools and roads.Full coverage here >>
About us
The Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG) was founded in December 1996 in response to the deteriorating state of democracy and human rights under thenewly established Palestinian Authority. The group was founded by a diverse group of well-established Palestinians, including Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) members,newspaper editors, journalists, a union leader, veteran human rights activists and religiousleaders. The political composition of its founders is diverse - including members of manyPalestinian organizations and institutions - thereby ensuring the non-partisan character of the organization.The PHRMG documents human rights violations committed against Palestinians in theWest Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, regardless of who is responsible. In effect, thePHRMG has dedicated much of its work to the monitoring of human rights violationscommitted by the Palestinian Authority. The PHRMG has instituted a number of projectsto deal with the ongoing human rights violations. The projects include monitoring unit,freedom of expression and democracy center, settlers watch hotline and legal unit, etc…Our future projects in the coming two years include peace building development, peacebuilding and conflict resolution monitoring, reforms to the Palestinian judicial system,democracy center, public education and out reach unit, etc…The PHRMG believes that in spite of the ongoing Israeli occupation of the PalestinianTerritories and the need to denounce Israeli human rights abuses, such scrutiny isessential in the current process of state building, to ensure that the future Palestinian Statewill be a truly democratic one. In the long run, the protection of human rights can onlystrengthen the Palestinian Authority.Due to the absence and/or poor reliability of traditional democratic mechanisms, thePHRMG's
principle strategy
since its foundation has been to appeal to Palestinianpublic opinion and to international opinion in order to bring about positive change in thehuman rights situation. Violations of Palestinian human rights by both Palestinian andIsraeli authorities persist with little accountability and, for the foreseeable future, thePHRMG will maintain and improve upon its traditional human rights monitoring andoutreach activities.
PHRMG Relationship with the International, Local Community
The PHRMG maintains strong ties with international human rights groups, media anddonors. Their cooperation and partnership has proved vital to PHRMG’s outreach andsupport internationally, as well as to PHRMG’s ability to maintain its high degree of independence at home. As illustrations; Amnesty International, Human Rights Watchand Reporters without Borders regularly utilize PHRMG unpublished and publishedresearch for their reports. Since 1999, PHRMG director Bassem Eid gave 220 interviewsto international media.
About Monitoring Unit
Our monitoring unit provides the monitoring and research base for PHRMG human rightsoutreach and legal activities. Field researchers located throughout the West Bank and theGaza Strip divide their responsibilities into their geographic areas. Researcher responsibilities include keeping abreast of local developments, pursuing long-termmonitoring tasks, and responding to urgent human rights situations, in order to record theeyewitness testimonies of victims, witnesses and other actors.
See the monitor in the icon of the monitor page
About Outreach Unit
Our outreach unit works closely with the Monitoring Unit. One of the main activities of the PHRMG is the publication of a bi-monthly report; the Palestinian Human RightsMonitor. Each edition of this publication has a particular focus: from torture and unlawfuldetention to freedom of expression and the censorship of the Palestinian press, or theright to education of Palestinian children in East Jerusalem. The Monitor has now earneda reputation for the quality, accuracy and objectivity of its reports. 1'000 English copiesof the report are available for subscription in the form of a magazine, and 26'000 Arabiccopies are distributed freely throughout the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and EastJerusalem, in the hope to educate the Palestinian public and to strengthen democracy andthe role of civil society.Other Outreach activities include facilitating local and international media access tohuman rights issues in Palestine, initiating dialogue activities with institutions responsiblefor human rights violations, and implementing special projects. The PHRMG alsomaintains an extensive website - both in Arabic and in English - to grant wide access toall the publications of the Monitor, unpublished reports, and additional data and statisticscollected by the organization.
About Bassem Eid
The PHRMG derives great strength from the experience of its Executive Director,Bassem Eid. Mr. Eid worked as the senior fieldworker for the Israeli information center in the occupying territories, B'Tselem for seven years. During this time, Mr. Eid earnedinternational recognition for his documentation and publication of a wide range of humanrights issues.
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