B'Tselem

Description

B’Tselem, also known as the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, is an Israeli human rights organization based in Jerusalem. It was founded in February 1989 by a group of Israeli lawyers, doctors and academics, with support from a group of Knesset members. It also maintains a presence in Washington, D.C., known as B’Tselem USA. Its work focuses on the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

The organization documents human rights violations committed by Israel in the Occupied Territories. It gathers statistics, testimonies, video footage, position papers and reports on issues such as settlements, home demolition, detention, restrictions on movement and the separation barrier. It says the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is ruled by a single regime that maintains control of Jews over Palestinians through law and state violence. It works to end this regime and to secure human rights, liberty and equality for all people living there.

B’Tselem describes itself as an independent, non-partisan organization. It is funded by grants from European and North American foundations that support human rights work worldwide, and by donations from private individuals in Israel and abroad. Its video project documents conditions in the Occupied Territories and has received international awards. Over more than 30 years, the organization has received several human rights awards, including the Carter-Menil Award and the Stockholm Human Rights Award.