Dear Editor:


As a group of internationals voluntarily engaged in monitoring Israeli army and police abuses at checkpoints between Ramallah and Jerusalem, Amos Harel's 23 July article "IDF concerned about soldiers' abuse of Palestinian civilians at roadblocks" was of particular interest.

International Checkpoint Watch (ICW) volunteers monitor checkpoints
precisely for the reasons mentioned in the article. Abuses, whether
psychological or physical, are observed daily despite army claims to the contrary - the "iceberg" Harel mentions is large indeed.

The army statement that the "instances described are not known to the
Israeli army as a phenomenon" is, at best, lacking. Since ICW's formation in June, volunteers have routinely witnessed and documented humiliations,abuses and physical attacks. In light of this, would Ha'aretz be willing to publish ICW reports detailing such activity?

As seen by the military's admission that "only in rare occasions are these cases (of abuse) exposed," neither the army nor civilian authorities engender a sense of accountability for human rights violations. The routine nature of these incidents constitutes more than a mere "phenomenon;" they represent a systematic, official policy of intimidation. As admitted by soldiers on duty, checkpoints have little impact on the security situation inside Israel. Instead, the policy is meant to institutionalize the suffering of Palestinian civilians in an attempt to break their wills and pressure the PNA into complying with Israeli government's demands.

This policy has and will continue to fail.


International Checkpoint Watch

Ramallah, Palestine

icwpalestine@maktoob.com