Temporary International Presence in Hebron

TIPH is a civilian observer mission stationed in the West Bank city of Hebron. It is an organization that was called for by the Israeli government and the Palestinian authority in 1997 to support them in their efforts to improve the situation in Hebron.Observer interviewing a citizen in Hebron.TIPH monitors the situation in Hebron and records breaches of international humanitarian law, the agreements on Hebron between Israel and the Palestinian authority and human rights, in accordance with internationally recognized standards.The reports are not public. They are legally assessed and presented with questions for clarification to the Israeli Defence Forces and to the Palestinian Police Forces. TIPH follows up violations in order to receive a satisfactory answer.TIPH communicates its findings not only to the Israeli and Palestinian authorities but also to the six member states of TIPH (Norway, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Denmark and Sweden), which then can use diplomatic channels to widen the dialog concerning the situation in Hebron.Every six months the Israeli government and the Palestinian authority decide if they want to renew the mandate of TIPH and - accordingly - sign an extension of the agreement.The two parties agreed that TIPH should be the neutral witness on the ground who monitors and reports on the situation. TIPH personnel has no military or police functions and does not intervene in disputes, incidents or activities conducted by the Israeli or Palestinian side. However, TIPH works actively to remind the parties of their obligations under the agreements and works towards problem solving through dialog with the parties.TIPH is financed by its member countries.