Mandate
The TIPH mandate is the result of negotiations conducted by the Palestine
Liberation Organization and the State
of Israel between 1995 and 1997. It is TIPH's
purpose to create a feeling of security among
the Palestinian population of Hebron and contribute in restoring normal life. TIPH
pursues this goal by maintaining a constant
presence in the streets of Hebron, and by monitoring
and reporting developments.
The tasks of TIPH personnel as outlined in
article 5 in the Agreement on TIPH, are as
follows:
-
to provide by their presence a feeling
of security to the Palestinians of Hebron;
-
to help promote stability and an appropriate
environment conductive to the enhancement
of the well-being of the Palestinians of
Hebron and their economic development;
-
to observe the enhancement of peace and
prosperity among Palestinians;
-
to assist in the promotion and execution
of projects initiated by the donor countries;
-
to encourage economic development and
growth in Hebron;
-
to provide reports as set out in paragraph
7 [of the Agreement on TIPH]; and
-
to co-ordinate its activities with the
Israeli and Palestinian authorities in accordance
with paragraph 7 [of the Agreement on TIPH].
TIPH’s Area of Responsibility
is the city of Hebron as delineated in map
no. 9 of the 1995
Interim Agreement on the West
Bank and the Gaza
Strip. TIPH makes no distinction between
the H1 and H2 areas.
TIPH personnel do not interfere in disputes
or incidents, but only report what happens
as clearly as possible. The TIPH personnel
have no military or police functions. TIPH
observers do not, either, conduct investigation,
but may collect additional information to
get a full picture of incidents. This includes
TIPH observers being able to seek information
from sources not present at the incident.
TIPH's
Reporting Activity
TIPH produces several kinds of reports, some
for internal use, some which are submitted to
committees where the Palestinians, the Israelis
and TIPH are represented. Other reports, among
them a weekly summary of TIPH's reporting activities
in its Area of Responsibility, are submitted
to the governments of the participating countries.
However, none of these reports are made public,
nor does TIPH comment publicly on specific incidents
mentioned in the reports.
As outlined in Article B
in the Memorandum of Understanding, the TIPH
observers elaborate incident reports based
on internationally recognized human rights
standards and pursuant to Article 7 in the
Agreement on TIPH. These incident reports
are at times supplemented with photographs
or videotape.
The District Co-Ordination Office
Selected cases on which
TIPH observers wrote reports are discussed
- and sometimes solved - bilaterally through
the District Co-ordination Office (DCO) of
Hebron. This structure is where the Palestinian
Police Forces (PPF) and the Israeli Defense
Forces (IDF) co-ordinate their daily security
co-operation. It is situated at Jabal Manuh/Har
Manoah, on the southern outskirts of the city.
TIPH maintains daily contact with the DCO
through its liaison officers. This allows
TIPH to quickly solve a number of problems
and complaints, thus contributing in promoting
a feeling of security and a sense of normal
life for the Palestinians in Hebron.
The Joint Hebron Committe
More serious
incidents are discussed trilaterally at the
Joint Hebron Committee (JHC). JHC meetings are
attended by the Israeli Military Commander and
the Palestinian Police Commander of the Hebron
District, the Palestinian and Israeli heads
of the Hebron District Civil Liaison Office.
As for the TIPH delegation at the JHC, it is
normally composed of the Head of Mission, the
Deputy Head of Mission, the Heads of Operations
and Staff Divisions, Liaison Officers and a
Legal Advisor.
The committee
deals with reports from TIPH covering issues
related to TIPH’s mandate, which have not
been settled or given an appropriate answer
by the DCO, as well as topics brought up by
the PPF and the IDF. Reports on events challenging
the normalisation of life, or on incidents
clearly indicating violations of the Hebron
Protocol relating to the fulfillment of the
TIPH Mandate are forwarded to the JHC. Moreover,
repeated incidents indicating a trend are
examined and discussed at the JHC.
According
to the Agreement on TIPH, the JHC meets on
a weekly basis, or on the request of any of
its members. In practice, the JHC has bi-weekly
meetings. The meetings are chaired by TIPH's
Head of Mission.
The Monitoring and Steering Committee
A Periodic Report
is also delivered by TIPH. It is based on the
developments observed by TIPH during a three-month
period. This report is addressed to the Monitoring
and Steering Committee (MSC), and sent to the
six participating countries. The members of
the MSC study the general evolution of the situation
in Hebron, relying on the Periodic Report delivered
by TIPH. On this occasion, they discuss policy
matters related to TIPH's mandate.
The MSC convenes
a delegation headed by TIPH's Head of Mission
and high officials of the two sides. At MSC
meetings, Palestinian Authorities are generally
represented by Dr. Sa'eb Erekat, Minister
of Local Authorities, and by representatives
of the PPF and Hebron Municipality. The Israeli
delegation usually consists of Mr. Eytan Bentsur,
Director General of the Israeli Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, and representatives of the
Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministries.
Security
TIPH takes internal
safety measures to protect its personnel in
their functions and off duty. However, though
there is an opening for TIPH member to carry
pistols for self-protection in the Agreement
(Article 8), the partnership countries have
agreed that no TIPH member will carry arms of
any sort.
Sources: Temporary
International Presence in Hebron |