B'TSELEM

B'Tselem: translation

(The Israeli Information Center For Human Rights in the Occupied Territories)

   Israeli group established in 1989 specifically to "document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about [Israeli] human rights violations in the Occupied Territories" and to "help create a human rights culture in Israel." The word B'Tselem in Hebrew literally means "in the image of," as in "And God created humans in his image. In the image of God did He create him" (Genesis 1:27). While highly regarded internationally, B'Tselem has been criticized for employing excessive and inflammatory rhetoric in its depiction of Israeli actions, exaggerating Palestinian casualty rates, relying on anecdotal evidence, and automatically rejecting Israeli evidence as "tainted," and giving lip-service to legitimate Israeli security concerns while ignoring Palestinian terrorist provocations.

   See also Arab-Israeli Conflict.