Human Rights

Roadmap fails rights test

Human Rights Watch 9 May 2003

The “roadmap” for ending Israeli-Palestinian violence will fail unless it includes basic human rights safeguards, Human Rights Watch warned today, on the eve of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s visit to Israel and the Occupied Territories. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 7 May 2003

This week, Israeli forces killed 19 Palestinians, including 5 children. Most of them, including three brothers and a toddler, were killed during the Israeli raid on the Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza. One of the victims was run down by Israeli forces in Tulkarm. In Rafah, Israeli forces shot and killed a British journalist. Israeli forces conducted raids on Palestinian areas, accompanied by indiscriminate shelling, and demolished 18 homes in Rafah. In Khan Younis large areas of Palestinian agricultural land were razed. This week, more Palestinians were arbitrarily detained and Israeli forces continue to use Palestinian civilians as human shields. Israel continued its tight siege on Palestinian communities. 

Committee members express cautious optimism over recently released 'road map' for Israeli-Palestinian peace

United Nations General Assembly 6 May 2003

Echoing the views expressed by several members of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People this morning, the Permanent Observer for Palestine expressed cautious optimism over the recently released “road map” to Israeli-Palestinian peace. 

The Evil Wall

Uri Avnery 6 May 2003



“For a fraction of a second, I was panic-stricken. The terrible monster coming towards me was not more than five meters away and continued to move as if I weren’t there. The giant bulldozer pushed a great heap of dirt and boulders before it. The driver, two meters above me, seemed a part of the machine. It was clear that nothing would stop him. I jumped aside at the last moment. Some weeks ago, in a similar situation, the American peace activist Rachel Corrie expected the driver to stop. He did not, and she was crushed to death.” Israeli activist Uri Avnery reports on the progress of Israel’s apartheid wall. 

Israel: incommunicado detention and ill-treatment of Palestinian student

World Organisation Against Torture and Public Committee Against Torture in Israel 2 May 2003

Iman Shukri Abdl Rahman Jamjum, a student from Hebron, was held in isolation for twenty-two days, without access to legal counsel. Mr. Jamjum was arrested on April 4th, 2003, and has reportedly been held in the GSS Interrogation Unit at the Shikma Detention Center in Ashkelon. 

Excerpts of Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas Speech Before Palestinian Legislative Council

PLO Negotiations Affairs Department 29 April 2003

On 29 April 2003, the new Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) gave an inaugral speech to the Palestinian Legislative Council. Following are excerpts and a link to his full speech. The excerpts are a fair representation of the speech in its entirety. The main difference between the texts is the removal of extensive salutations. 

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