When it seems that the situation in occupied Palestine is hopeless, that’s the time to click to www.btselem.org. Operated by the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories (B’Tselem), the Website is a testament to the fact that not all Israelis are programmed with Sharon’s goals and values.
Established in 1989, B’Tselem endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel.
At btselem.org, information is available in Arabic, English and Hebrew on human rights violations in the Occupied Territories including torture, killings, restriction on movement, administrative detention, and settler violence. The Statistics section is especially comprehensive.
The B’Tselem Daily Update carries reports often not seen elsewhere, such as:
April 16 “Today, at around noon, 12-year-old Qossay Abu Aisha, was playing in his yard in Askar neighborhood in Nablus. The yard is surrounded by a two-meter high tin fence. Soldiers who were passing by, opened fire into the yard. Abu Aisha was hit by two bullets that penetrated the tin fence. He died instantly. His father, Farh Abu Aisha called the Red Crescent for an ambulance. It arrived two hours later. The crew pronounced the child dead.”
According to the Web site, “B’Tselem does not distinguish between violations committed by Israel and those committed by the Palestinian Authority. The organization monitors the activities of the Palestinian Authority affecting human rights, and deals in its publications with severe violations by the Palestinian Authority.
However, as an Israeli organization, the majority of its efforts are directed at violations committed by our government on behalf of all of us.”