JERUSALEM, February 16, 2011 (WAFA) - Most of the investigations into offenses committed by Israelis against Palestinians and their property are closed after investigators fail to find suspects and sufficient evidence to indict anyone, Wednesday said an Israeli human rights group.
A date sheet released by Yesh Din, which monitors police investigations of offenses against Palestinians and provides legal representation to complainants, showed that only 9% out of 642 investigations which Yesh Din was monitoring, have resulted in indictments filed against offenders.
The clear majority of investigations – more than 90% – are closed on grounds that suggest that the investigation has failed.
“The percentage of failed investigations is exceptionally high in the case of investigations into offenses of violence against Palestinians and damage to their property,” said Yesh Din.
It said that 78% of violence cases and 93% of cases of damage to property were closed on grounds that suggest that those investigations have failed.
“These findings indicate that the State of Israel is not fulfilling its obligation to maintain an effective law enforcement mechanism on Israeli citizens who commit offenses, among them grave offenses, against Palestinian citizens in the territories it occupies,” said the Israeli human rights organization.
“The findings suggest a chronic failure, especially in cases pertaining to violence and damage to property,' says Ziv Stahl of Yesh Din's research department.
'Only a fraction of these cases result in indictments, and most of them are closed. This means that there is a very slim chance that complaints filed by Palestinians for violence or property offenses carried out by Israelis will result in indictments.'
Attorney Michael Sfard, Yesh Din's legal counsel, adds that 'the law enforcement agencies' lack of ability to protect Palestinians in the West Bank is a mark of disgrace on the Israeli society. Yesh Din's findings indicate that we have forsaken human beings who are under our control – and this has grave moral and legal implications.'
Since 2005, Yesh Din has been maintaining a database of cases in which Israeli citizens were involved in acts of violence, theft or damage to property against unarmed Palestinian civilians.
“The monitoring is carried out in order to gauge whether the State of Israel – via the Israeli Judea and Samaria (West Bank) Police - is fulfilling its obligation to protect Palestinian citizens and their property,” said Yesh Din.
M.A.
