With the present report, the PHRMG has attempted to give a documented overview of the human rights implications of 12 months of al-Aqsa Intifada in the occupied Palestinian territories. It is quite telling to realize that in a single year, the Palestinian death toll of this intifada is already more than half the death toll registered by the first intifada in six years 1. Violence has become the norm, reflected at every level of society: in children's games, marital relations, driving habits, resolution of domestic and private disputes or methods adopted by law enforcement agencies. But if the violence of the al-Aqsa Intifada has no precedent, its consequences reach even further. The daily life of Palestinians has been completely disrupted by the siege: students and teachers are unable to reach schools and academic institutions, houses are bulldozed, agricultural land is destroyed, and thousands of people have to rely on humanitarian aid for their subsistence. Economically, the Palestinian areas have suffered a crushing blow, income has dramatically shrunk or disappeared and the poverty rate has increased correspondingly.

As far as the "peace process" is concerned, the level of trust between Israelis and Palestinians, never very high, has now plunged to a new low. Like perfect mirrors, each side blames the other for the violence. Israelis say that Palestinians are fundamentally violent, cannot be trusted - look how they violated the Oslo agreements! - and have chosen the path of war by rejecting the generous offers of PM Ehud Barak at Camp David, in July 2000, instead launching a new intifada. Palestinians say that Israelis are fundamentally violent, cannot be trusted - look how they failed to implement the Oslo agreements! - and have chosen the path of war by constantly strangling the Palestinian territories and now electing a government headed by war criminal Ariel Sharon. Israelis are stiffened in their resolve by the worldwide condemnation of their fierce measures to quell the intifada, and by attacks inside Israel that have united the Israelis like rarely before. But at each new blow, Palestinians are pushed further into despair and, having nothing to lose, are ready to sacrifice their lives for their freedom and their dignity.

So what is the solution? As a human rights organization, the PHRMG is painfully aware how much the issues that lie at the core of the al-Aqsa Intifada are linked to human rights. Israel's complete disregard of human rights standards and humanitarian law since the beginning of the al-Aqsa Intifada has only fueled Palestinian bitterness and despair. Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians have also increased Israel's unwillingness to acknowledge Palestinian demands. Even the issues that triggered the eruption of this new intifada, namely the disregard for signed agreements, the denial of Palestinian right to self determination, the arbitrary and political detentions, the denial of work and building permits, of equal access to water, of freedom of movement, of freedom from fear, all these issues are linked to human rights. Only respect for human rights has the power to instill all people with the sense of justice necessary for true peace.

The PHRMG calls on the Israeli government and people to acknowledge that 34 years of occupation form the root cause of the intifada. The PHRMG calls on the Israeli government to pull out its army to the recognized Israeli borders of June 1967, to dismantle Israeli settlements in the occupied territories or accept their submission to Palestinian jurisdiction, and to accept the establishment of an independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. Only such a courageous move can put an end to the spiral of violence and restore peace and security in the region.

• 1 According to B'Tselem, 1'100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers between 1987 and 1993. See www.btselem.org