An
Israeli commission headed by Justice Theodor Or that investigated the October 2000 events in which 12
Palestinian citizens of
Israel (and one Palestinian from
Gaza Strip) were killed by Israeli forces during demonstrations in Palestinian villages and towns inside Israel at the start of the
Second Intifada. The commission found that Israeli police used excessive force (including snipers and live ammunition) in quelling the demonstrations and exhibited prejudice against the Palestinian minority. It reprimanded eight police officers (two of whom were released from their posts) and recommended an internal police investigation. The report also condemned two politicians who are Palestinian citizens of Israel, as well as the head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, for incitement. Additionally, the commission found the Israeli government acted with neglect and discrimination with regard to its treatment of Palestinian citizens. This was the first official Israeli acknowledgment of inequality between the Arab and Jewish sectors in Israel. See "
Adalah comments on the Or Commission of Inquiry Report," Adalah, The Electronic Intifada, September 2003; and "
October 2000: Law & Politics before the Or Commission of Inquiry," Marwan Dalal, Adalah, July 2003.