So many martyrs - so few virgins

Amnesty International released its’ annual report and slammed Israeli for human rights violations. I know, I know - surprise, surprise. Who knew - I ask? But what I find really intriguing is the suggestion that Israel has killed 650 Palestinians, a threefold increase over 2005. Here’s the opening blurb from the Ynet News account:

Increased violence between Israelis and Palestinians resulted in a threefold increase in killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces in 2006, according to Amnesty International’s annual human rights report. More than 650 Palestinians, including some 120 children, and 27 Israelis were killed last year, the report said.

I have been reading Israeli and Palestinian papers fairly regularly but somehow I missed these kinds of fatality figures. It started me wondering where does Amnesty International get their figures and how trustworthy or reliable are their sources? I decided to check out the report and see what I could find over lunch.

I was rather taken aback when I could not find any kind of footnotes or sources for the figures quoted. I had expected to find at least some kind of reference to original statistics used but I found absolutely no references. Then I decided if I did a little sourcing on my own and see what turned up.

Strangely enough I really couldn’t come up with any sources for fatality figures for Palestinians killed in the disputed territories for the complete calendar year of 2006. Not even from the Palestinian Authority which I thought a trifle odd - but since I don’t read Arabic it is quite possible that the figures are buried in the Arabic portions of the websites I visited.

What I did find was an Ynet News article on the B’Tselem annual report for 2006 dated December 28, 2006.

B'Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories – published a report Thursday according to which 405 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip alone since the capture of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, including 88 minors. Of these, the report said, 205 did not participate in the fighting when killed. According to B'Tselem's research, from January to December 27, 2006, Israeli security forces killed a total of 660 Palestinians in the West Bank and in Israel. Spokesperson Sarit Michaeli told Ynet that the organization investigates each Palestinian death by IDF fire.“

That sent me linking to the original B’Tselem press release:

B'Tselem publishes its 2006 annual statistics. This past year, we witnessed a deterioration in the human rights situation in the Occupied Territories , particularly in the increase in civilians killed and the destruction of houses and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, there was an improvement regarding violations of the right to life of Israeli civilians.

Casualties (figures in parenthesis indicate the total figure since the beginning of the intifada)

According to B'Tselem's research, from January to December 27, 2006, Israeli security forces killed 660 (4005) Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and in Israel . This includes 141 (811) minors. At least 322 (1920) of those killed did not take part in the hostilities at the time they were killed. Another 22 (210) were targets of assassinations. In the Gaza Strip alone, since the capture of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, Israeli forces killed 405 Palestinians, including 88 minors. Of these, 205 did not participate in the fighting when killed.

Palestinians killed 17 (701) Israeli civilians in 2006, both in the West Bank and inside Israel . This includes 1 (119) minor. In addition, Palestinians killed 6 (316) members of the Israeli security forces.

Now I am not suggesting Amnesty International based their entire report on the figures supplied by an extreme left-wing Israeli human rights organization (and some might even question exactly how Israeli is B’Tselem, when a substantial portion of their funding comes from foreign agencies/governments) but my cynical nature is aroused and demanding attention.

B’Tselem has been taken to task many times, for shall we say, questionable counting practices in statistical analysis. Here’s CAMERA’s report on B’Tselem’s 2006 Annual Report and dodgy counting practices. It almost makes me wish for the days of the Cold War when things were so much simpler.