Israel's withdrawal from most major Palestinian population areas in the West Bank improved the human rights situation there in 1996, according to the U.S. State Department. In its annual report on human rights conditions around the world, the State Department said the Israeli government generally respects human rights but added that authorities sometimes mistreat Palestinian security detainees. Most of the abuses by Israeli and Palestinian authorities stemmed from the pursuit of terrorists, said the report, which was released late last week.
Prison conditions are poor.
Last year's report, which covered 1995, cited six such deaths. Five such deaths were reported in the previous year. The report also took issue with measures the Palestinian Authority took to suppress free speech. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.