"Israeli" troops face more scrutiny for abuse of Palestinians - rights group

Source: AFP, 12-05-2008
'JERUSALEM' (AL-QUDS): The number of probes of 'Israeli' soldiers suspected of committing offenses against Palestinian civilians more than doubled last year compared to 2006, an 'Israeli' human rights group said on Sunday. Last year 351 inquiries were opened against 'Israeli' soldiers suspected of offending Palestinian civilians and their property in the Occupied Territories.
That figure compared with 152 probes in 2006, said a report by the Yesh Din rights group, based on figures from the criminal investigation division of 'Israel's' military police.
The offenses include abuse, looting, illegal shooting and killing innocent people.
The Tel Aviv-based rights group said while the number of inquiries increased in 2007 so did the failure rate.
In 45 percent of cases the investigators could not identify the specific unit and soldiers suspected of the offense. In 2006, the failure rate of investigations was about 22 percent.
Since the launch of the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in September 2000 up to April this year, there have been more than 1,000 cases of suspected criminal offenses by 'Israeli' soldiers.
Only 140 investigations resulted in indictments.
In 110 cases soldiers were found guilty of an offense, while in 20 cases the soldiers were acquitted or the prosecution withdrew the charges.
The remaining 10 cases have not yet been concluded.
Yesh Din says the aim of its project was "to increase the transparency of law enforcement procedures." It was also "to make the information available in order to allow the public to assess - for the first time - whether and to what extent the ... ['Israeli' military] is fulfilling its duty to protect the civilian population that is not involved in the fighting," the report said.
Since the 1967 war, 'Israeli' military has occupied the West Bank and up until September 2005 the Gaza Strip.