Established in 1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists and Knesset members, B'Tselem endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about the human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public and help create a human rights culture in Israel.B'Tselem in Hebrew literally means "in the image of," and is also used as a synonym for human dignity. The word is taken from Genesis 1:27 "And God created humans in his image. In the image of God did He create him." It is in this spirit that the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states "All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights." |
