Machsom Watch - Women's Fund for Human Rights

GOALS
To protect the human rights of Palestinians in the Territories and work to end the Occupation.

BACKGROUND
There are more than 30 military checkpoints, plus numerous trenches, physical obstacles and temporary roadblocks placed by the army to control and restrict pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the Occupied Territories and between the Territories and Israel .

The young armed soldiers at the checkpoints have a great deal of power, and they can determine the fate of people needing to pass through for health reasons or personal purposes. The Palestinians wishing to get through the checkpoints are often subjected to unnecessary humiliations, arbitrary delays and uncompromising bureaucratic demands.

Machsom Watch was set up in early 2001 to monitor these checkpoints. All activity is conducted by women volunteers. Today there are more than 400 women activists from various parts of the country who visit the checkpoints regularly and issue reports about what is happening there.

STRATEGIES
Continuing presence at the checkpoints and documentation; mediating between Palestinians and the military and state authorities on all levels; raising public awareness of what happens at the checkpoints.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 70 teams regularly visit the checkpoints.
• 3000 reports were produced in 2005 alone. The reports are made public and sent to Knesset Members, High Court Judges, the State Comptroller and human rights organizations.
• Meetings with high-level military personnel and with Knesset committees.
• A book written by one of the activists, a documentary film and an exhibition of photos taken by activists triggered numerous media reports.