International Law and Human Rights

In its treatment of Palestinian civilians and handling of the occupied territories, Israel has repeatedly violated international law, including United Nations Security Council resolutions, the Geneva Conventions on war crimes, and human rights instruments.

• John Quigley, "The Role of Law in a Palestinian-Israeli Accommodation," Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, Vol. 31, No. 2-3, Spring/Summer 1999
  "The PLO's position on all outstanding negotiations issues is consistent with international legal norms, whereas Israel's is not. The international community agrees with the PLO position. Any Israel-PLO agreement that fails to vindicate the legally protected interests of Palestinians will cause difficulties for decades to come."
• Richard Falk, "International Law and the Al-Aqsa Intifada," Middle East Report, No. 217 (Winter 2000), pp. 16-18
  "Throughout the occupation and very visibly during the two uprisings, Israel has reacted to Palestinian resistance with the excessive use of lethal force, including the targeting of civilians and children. Israel's refusal to abide by its international legal obligations has been pronounced, blatant and undisguised."
• Amnesty International, "Broken Lives: A Year of Intifada," November 2001
  "All Palestinians in the occupied territories have been collectively punished. Almost every Palestinian town and village has been cut off by the Israeli army. Curfews on Palestinian areas have trapped residents in their homes for days, weeks or even months. Hundreds of Palestinian homes have been demolished."
• Oxfam, "Forgotten Villages: Struggling to Survive Under Closure in the West Bank," Oxfam Briefing Paper No. 28, September 2002
  "Closure is a policy restricting the movement of Palestinian people, vehicles and goods in the occupied territories. Since Israel first implemented closure in 1991, both the geographic scope of closure and the level of enforcement have increased steadily and systematically, restricting Palestinians to smaller and more limited areas."
• Human Rights Watch, "Jenin: IDF Military Operations," May 2002
  "During their incursion into Jenin refugee camp in April 2002, Israeli forces committed serious violations of international humanitarian law, some amounting prima facie to war crimes. Israeli forces committed unlawful or willful killings, used Palestinian civilians as 'human shields,' and employed indiscriminate and excessive force."