The shortage mostly affects those that attempt to give testimony in regards to abuses of the Israeli military.The lack of translators is preventing investigations by the military police in the Israeli army from receiving testimony of abuses from Palestinian about Israeli soldiers according to a report from the rights group Yesh Din.
The group documented how many Palestinians go out of their way to attend pre-scheduled meetings with police investigators only to have the meeting scrapped because of a lack of suitable interpreters.
Yesh Din emphasized that those wishing to give testimony set up a time to meet with the investigators, and then how they might take the day off work, endure all the checkpoints to get to the meeting only to be told that the meeting cannot continue due to lack of an adequate translator.
The occupying force is obligated to provide security for the residents of the West Bank but by lacking interpreters they violate that obligation. The army has said that it is only experiencing a temporary shortage of qualified persons.
