35 dispersed, and (5) peaceful assemblies were prevented, during which participants in (18) peaceful gatherings were detained, and participants in (17) peaceful gatherings were attacked. ICHR reaffirms its recommendations contained in the previous annual reports, in particular: • The need for legislative bodies to harmonize national legislation and executive regulations regulating the right to peaceful assembly with the international documents, as signed and acceded by the State of Palestine. This is particularly for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to amend or repeal everything that contradicts the right to peaceful assembly contained in The Penal Code applicable in the West Bank, and the Penal Code applicable in the Gaza Strip. • The necessity for the security services and the Ministry of Interior to abide by the provisions of Law No. (12) of 1998 regarding public meetings, which limits dealing with public meetings with the police. This is also to emphasize the prohibition of members of the security services in their civilian clothes from carrying out missions of operational nature in dispersing peaceful gatherings. • The necessity for the security services in the Gaza Strip to abide by the provisions of Law No. (12) of 1998 regarding public meetings, and to stop interfering in the organization of public meetings in closed places. • Immediate investigation, by the Public Prosecution, the judiciary and the legal competent authorities, into any incident that affects the right to peaceful assembly in the State of Palestine. To publish the results of the investigation publicly and holding those found guilty of assaulting participants in peaceful assemblies to account or using excessive force in violation of the law. 1.6 Developments in the right of association ICHR received (3) complaints related to the violation of the right to form associations. Two of these complaints related to the security safety condition, whether in completing the process of registering associations, or enabling them to open or activate bank accounts, and one complaint related to the closure of the association without taking into account the criteria established by the Associations Law Charitable and civil bodies, and its executive regulations. Remittances to non-profit companies, including NGOs working in the field of human rights in the Gaza Strip, also continued to be subject to the prior approval of the Council of Ministers. This constitutes a severe restriction of the right to form associations and unions, especially since the funding of associations as indicated Executive Summary 2020