11) Collaborators: the File of Disgrace

 Israel has pushed itself into the Palestinian Territories by force, and it did not hesitate to use all forms of aggression against the Palestinian population. One of the tools that Israel used was to trap some members of the Palestinian society who had weak personalities into collaboration, and make them agents for the occupation. Those people, whose presence in the Palestinian society considerably served the purposes of the occupation, prolonged the life of the occupation from one side, and weakened the resistance of the occupation from another side.

In the second year of the Uprising, the issue of collaborators appeared on the scene once more, especially as this file is closely connected with the file of assassinations of leaders of the Resistance.

Instances of killing persons suspected of collaboration with Israel continued to appear in the second year of the Uprising. Although the Palestinian Security Services arrested dozens of suspected collaborators in the second year of the Uprising, especially in the first six months.

From a human rights perspective, suspected collaborators must receive a guaranteed fair trial. (See the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners adopted by the First UN Congress in July 31, 1957)

 At present, due to the destruction of Palestinian security institutions by the Israeli Army, it is hard for the Palestinian Authority to arrest suspected collaborators, and hold trials for them.

After the assassination of Fateh armed men ‘Atef Ebayat, Jamal Obeidallah and Issa Ebayat on 18/10/2001 in Bethlehem by a car bomb by the Israeli security intelligence, the Palestinian Security Services arrested Mahmoud Nimer Sabateen (27) from the village of Housan, south of Bethlehem, on suspicion that he collaborated with Israel and provided information that led to the killing of the Fateh activists. Five months after his arrest, without presenting him to any judge or court, Sabateen was dragged from his prison by armed Fateh men and killed in the streets of Bethlehem.

On 24/8/2002, a Palestinian woman called Ikhlas Yassin from Tulkarem, 35 years old and mother of three children, was killed by al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Fateh organization, after she was pulled out of her house.

Fear, suspicion and ambiguity cover such instances of killing suspected collaborators.  A total of 48 Palestinians suspected of collaboration with Israel have been killed in the second year of the Uprising.

Following is a comparison between Palestinians suspected of collaboration with Israel who have been killed in the first year and second year of the Uprising. (Figures correct until 22/9/2002, for full lists please go to our website: www.phrmg.org)

    Collaborators in the Uprising

	First Year 29.09.2000 - 28.09.2001	Second Year 29.09.2001 – 28.09.2002
Death in Custody	3	3
Executed	2	0
Killed in the Street	23	45
Total	28	48