Machsom Watch

Logo of Machsom Watch

Machsom Watch, or Checkpoint Watch, is a group of Israeli women who monitor and document the conduct of soldiers and policemen at checkpoints in the West Bank.[1] Its members also observe and document the procedures in military courts, and aid Palestinians crossing through IDF checkpoints. The self described "politically pluralistic" human rights organization is composed entirely of Israeli women, who tend to have a "liberal or leftist background".[2] The word machsom is Hebrew for "checkpoint", referring to Israeli Defense Forces checkpoints which control movement between different parts of the West Bank and between the West Bank and Israel.

According to its website, the group's aims are to monitor the behavior of soldiers and police at checkpoints; ensure that the human and civil rights of Palestinians attempting to enter Israel are protected; and record and report the results of their observations to the widest possible audience, from decision-makers to the general public.[1] Some members also see their role as protesting against the existence of the checkpoints.[3][4]

Machsom Watch has been accused of disrupting the work at the checkpoints and entering restricted areas without permission.[5]

In response to the group's contentions regarding the checkpoints, the IDF has implemented training procedures intended to ensure respectful behavior by soldiers.[6]

On 2 November 2017, two members were robbed and nearly killed in a Palestinian village by a mob of Arabs pelting their vehicle with cinder blocks and stones before they were rescued by the IDF.[7]

  1. ^ a b Machsom Watch website
  2. ^ Grandmothers on Guard Mother Jones, November/December 2004
  3. ^ 'Watch' Archived 2006-04-21 at the Wayback Machine (in Hebrew), accessed 11 March 2006.
  4. ^ 'Many Mothers' by Sima Kadmon, Yedioth Ahronoth, 21 November 2003, accessed 11 March 2006.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference bamahane was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Haughey, Naula. Irish Times, 12 June 2005. 'Israeli checkpoint monitors decry their army's abuse of Palestinians' - Reproduction Archived 2005-12-26 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 11 March 2006.
  7. ^ "Two Machsom Watch Women Who Strayed into Arab Village Robbed, Stoned". 3 November 2017.