132 During 2010, charitable organizations continued to be subjected to various forms of violations which constituted an encroachment on the right to establish, join, and work for associations and civil society organizations. This contradicts international human rights conventions, the Palestinian Basic Law, and the Law on Charitable Associations and Community Based Organizations (No. 1) of the year 2000 and its implementation by law. II ‐ The Right to form Charitable Associations in the West Bank162 The right to formation of charitable societies has not fared any better than the public freedoms. This right had in 2010 been subjected to various forms of violations as a result of the political push‐pull resulting from the continued political division between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The most noted of these violations are discussed below. 1‐ Violations Related to the Registration of Associations According to Article (18) of implementing regulation No (9) of 2003 of the Charitable Associations Law, the founding members of an association or society should submit to the NGO Registration Department at the Ministry of the Interior a request for foundation and all annexes specified in Articles (12) and (13) of the regulations. The request should be processed within a period of two months, during which the decision on the registration should be issued or the request denied on grounds of not fulfilling the requirements for registration. Alternatively, the two‐month period could pass without furnishing the requesters with a reply on the acceptance or denial of a registration request. In such a case, and in accordance with Paragraph (3) of Article (4) of the Charitable Associations Law, the society in question is considered legally registered and therefore should be given the status of a legal entity and the rights associated with such a status163. Based on information obtained by ICHR, the number of associations registered in the West Bank is (2,319). During 2010, a total of (239) applications were submitted to the Non‐governmental Registration Department at the Interior 162 ICHR is satisfied with listing some examples of violations of the right to freedom of association. For more information, see the reports published on its website: www.ichr.ps 163 See Article (23) of the Regulations for the Implementation of the Charitable Associations Law No. (1) of 2003.