Amnesty international supports sending monitors to Palestine

Amnesty International coordinator, in charge of the Palestinian-Israeli human rights file, pressed Monday for a more effective intervention by the world community in the Palestinian Israeli conflict. Interviewed by Radio France International, the AI coordinator reaffirmed support for sending international monitors to the Mideast region.

She stressed that the number of Palestinian martyrs and human rights violations have been on the rise since the breakout of A1 Aqsa Intifada in September 2000. The presence of international monitors will help find a way out of the current logjam, she said.

They will be eyewitnesses on the development of events on the ground, she added. A peace deal could not be reached in light of the continued violation of human rights, she said.

She asked the European Union to pressure Israel via the planned association agreement which includes articles stipulating respect of human rights.

Commenting on the annual AI report on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, the international official said the report highlighted the illegitimate physical liquidation of defenseless Palestinians at the hands of Israeli soldiers.

The AI had recently accused Israel of mounting brutality and torture against Palestinians.

During a hearing of the anti-torture committee of the United Nations, AI representatives said there were clear signs of the use of torture during questioning of inmates in Israeli jails, even though the Israeli supreme court had prohibited this in 1999.