In the first detailed analysis of human rights under Palestinian self-rule, an American-based human rights group has issued a report alleging broad abuses committed by the Palestinian Authority.
“The worrisome state of human rights in the areas under Palestinian self-rule – where both the Palestinian Authority and Israel are responsible – is a grave danger for the chances of peace and stability in the region,” according to Human Rights Watch.
The group documented cases of torture, censorship of the media and mass political arrests of supporters of Palestinian rejectionist groups.
The report charged that the Palestinian Authority, which controls the self-rule areas of the Gaza Strip and West Bank Jericho enclave, did not base its activities on any legal system.
The report characterized some of the self-rule government’s practices as “oppressive”, and cited a lack of any effort to monitor human rights violations.
Human Rights Watch said the lack of a legal structure was most evident in the treatment of Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. The report said many suspected collaborators were imprisoned for months at a time, without any indication of why they were detained.
Included in the report was testimony from family members and attorneys who said suspected collaborators were subject to torture during interrogation. In two instances, the report charged, suspected collaborators died from torture while undergoing interrogation.
Khaled al-Kidra, the Palestinian Authority’s attorney general, rejected the allegations contained in the report.
“The Palestinian Authority does not arrest people because of their political beliefs”, he said. “I believe that one of the top priorities of the Palestinian Authority is law and order”.
The human rights groups also denounced terror attacks launched against Israelis, saying it “condemns violence by militant groups against members of any nationality, and calls on all governing bodies, including the Palestinian Authority, to prevent such attacks and punish those who carry them out”.
The report also criticized the limitations on the Palestinian Authority, noting that it still lacks basic sovereign powers.
Israel still has significant influence over daily life in the two self-rule areas, controlling freedom of movement, economic life and access to economic resources, the report said.
The group described as unfair the closures imposed by Israel on Gaza and the West Bank, a move that prevents tens of thousands of Palestinians from working in Israel.
Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental institution established in 1978 to monitor human rights throughout the world, based its report on three visits to Gaza and Jericho.
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