Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal delivered the following remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations on Sept. 23, 2005.
“In a five-year period between 2000 and 2005, B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, reported that around 3,500 Palestinians and 800 Israelis were killed. In contrast, in 1999 there were only 17 casualties on both sides. That was the year when Palestinians and Israelis were still optimistic and had faith in negotiations and the prospect of peace. From then on, it was a pessimistic descent to the death of hope and purpose.”
B’Tselem was established in 1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists and Knesset members. It 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.
As an Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem acts primarily to change Israeli policy in the Occupied Territories and ensure that its government, which rules the Occupied Territories, protects the human rights of residents there and complies with its obligations under international law. B’Tselem is independent and is funded by contributions from foundations in Israel, Europe and North America that support human rights activities worldwide and by private individuals in Israel and abroad.
At its website, www.btselem.org/English, the organization has maps, publications, testimonials and extensive sections of statistics and photographs concerning violence and abuse in the Occupied Territories. Some of the categories covered include fatalities, detainees and prisoners, destruction of property and torture. These numbers and images allow individuals to form their own opinions on the true situation in Occupied Palestine.
