The U.S. State Department on Monday released its annual human rights report, criticizing Israel for its treatment of Palestinians during the last several months of violence in the Middle East. The report singled out Israel more so than in recent years for its treatment of non-Jewish citizens. Since the violence began, Israeli security units often used excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators. Last May, the report noted, Israeli security forces killed six Palestinians and wounded up to 700 at demonstrations in which Palestinians were protesting the continued incarceration of Palestinians in Israeli jails. West Bank closures cited The report found that at the time of publication, Israeli forces had killed 307 Palestinians and four foreign nationals and injured at least 11,300 Palestinians, including the targeted killing of a number of Palestinians.
Prison conditions are poor.
Israeli security forces sometimes impeded the provision of medical assistance to sick and injured Palestinians. The report found that due to the ongoing unrest in the occupied territories, Israel imposed 88 days of tightened, comprehensive closure during the year, compared with 15 days in 1999. The crackdown on the press over the past year has grown increasingly worse, the report said. Beijing slammed for religious intolerance Once again, the United States took China to task for its all-around poor human rights record. The report singled out China's treatment of members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which it has labeled a cult.