"Israel" harms Palestinian workers, says B’Tselem report

Source: Palsolidarity, 6-3-2007
by Ali Waked, March 6th
Human rights organization presents comprehensive report on how "Israel" harms Palestinians' economy, livelihood. Gives testimonies of abuse at checkpoints, claims complaints are ignored prefers to ignore the abuse and humiliation Palestinian workers undergo in their encounters with "Israeli" security forces on a daily basis, stated a B'Tselem report released Tuesday.
The report, titled: "Beyond Legal Boundaries," composed by the "Israeli" Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories claimed that "Israel" harms the dignities, bodies, and property of illegal workers.
Offering detailed testimonies of Palestinians who claim to have been mistreated by soldiers and police officers, the report stated that only about 1.5 percent of the complaints filed led to the soldiers being tried in criminal court.
According to B'Tselem, each year "Israel" places a closure on the Palestinian territories for long periods of times, preventing workers to enter its territory, and in 2005, entrance was denied for a total of 132 days of the year.
In 2000, 150,000 Palestinians were issued permits to work in "Israel"; however, the report presented data showing that there has been a continuous drop in this number, to about half in 2006.
It was also stated that only a few hundred workers from the Gaza Strip were allowed entrance to "Israel".
On the economic aspect, B'Tselem reported that "Israel" was deliberately implementing an under-development policy in the territories in the years preceding the Oslo agreement, causing the Palestinian market to become dependant on "Israel".
Furthermore, "Israel" has been preventing investments in the Palestinian market, said the report.
The scope of conditions and agonies a Palestinian must go through in order to file an application for a permit was also presented in the report: "The applicant must be married and in his 30s or older, must be a father, and the "Israeli" employer must also file an application to the "Israeli" Army authorities in order for the application to be considered."
"As a result of severe economic distress, the lack of economic development, the closure policies and permits granted from a tightly closed hand, unemployment in the Territories has risen from 10 percent before the Intifada to about 25 percent today. In certain age groups, for example 20-24, the number reaches 39 percent," said the report.
In the 2006 summary, B'Tselem expects unemployment in the Palestinian Authority to reach over 40 percent, accompanied by a 67 percent poverty level.
"In such a situation the dependence of Palestinians on sources of income in `Israel` will only grow. `Israel` is greatly responsible for the Palestinian poverty and economic distress."
‘Let Hamas find you a job'
Another subject widely covered in the report is the abuse of Palestinians by soldiers. According to the report, "The `Israeli` authorities contribute to the ongoing acts of abuse of Palestinians by not treating them suitably."
The report said that 64.5 percent of the complaints filed by Palestinians were not even investigated.
Thirty-one percent of the complaints were investigated and closed for various reasons and a mere 3 percent of the soldiers or officers complained against by Palestinians stood disciplinary trial.
According to the report, there has been a general disregard to the execution of verdicts against abusive soldiers and officers, and many crimes go unpunished.
The report presented the testimonies of dozens on Palestinian victims of different types of abuse, including being delayed at checkpoints for many hours and incidents of difficult violence on the part of "Israeli" soldiers and police officers.
"The officers mock us, beat us, do what they please with us," said Abdullah Jafer, a resident of Bethlehem in his testimony.
Samer Auni of Hebron (al-Khalil) told the story of two officers who arrested him: "One of them held me while the other one started to scratch me in the face and neck. One of them took my ID, burned it and said that I voted for Hamas. I told him: ‘I didn't vote for Hamas,' and then he asked: ‘So why did Hamas win? Go let Hamas find you a job.'"
B'Tselem's report also gave testimonies of Palestinians who were forced to collaborate with the defense (War) establishment in exchange for work permits.
"Illegal forceful means are utilized in order to obtain information and recruit collaborators," claimed the report.
The report stated that since "Israel" is in control of the West Bank, it is responsible for the welfare of the residents, and for encouraging the creation of workplaces in the West Bank.
However, as long as Palestinians are dependant on "Israel" for their livelihood, and the West Bank holds no alternative sources of income, "Israel" should ease the closure policy and allow many more Palestinians to enter its territory, following suitable security checks.
Response: "Israeli" Army must defend "Israelis"
The "Israeli" Army spokesman responded to B'Tselem's report claiming, "The terror organizations' wish to infiltrate `Israel`s` home front and harm its settlers constitutes a constant, ongoing risk to the State's settlers. The `Israeli` Army is obligated to do all it can to defend the residents of the State of `Israel`."
"In the past five years thousands of (so-called) `terror` acts were committed against `Israel`, during which over one thousand `Israeli` settlers were killed and thousands of others were injured. In any situation where there is a threat of terrorist infiltration into the countries boundaries, the defense (War) forces act according to the conditions in the field, when conditions allow, they thwart the incident, be it an attack or an infiltration attempt, by arresting the suspect, without opening fire."
Regarding B'Tselem's claims that Palestinian complaints go untreated, the "Israeli" Army spokesman said, "Complaints of the harm of Palestinians and the behavior of soldiers are looked into and examined seriously. In compliance with the Military Prosecutor's office's policies on complaints of violence, abuse, looting or any other offences regarding wrong and premeditated conduct of soldiers, the Criminal Investigation Division is given an order to open investigation. The `Israeli` Army further reported that a special effort was being made to execute the verdicts of anyone who committed offences harming illegal residents and when enough evidence is collected, serious indictments are filed."