216 They report of an 11% increase in complaints from 2009 to 2010, and it might at first glance sound like bad news. Although that could very well be the case, there is also the possibility that their work regarding human rights awareness is beginning to take hold, and perhaps it is not entirely an increase in abuses, but also an increase in people’s awareness that they have a RIGHT to make a complaint, which is one of the most important hallmarks of a democratic society. With human rights being one of the cornerstones of any democracy and particularly fledgling democracies, the Commission has made great gains in firmly embedding a human rights cornerstone into Palestine’s foundation. In spite of the violations they report and obstacles in their path, their work adds to and strengthens Palestine’s great democratic efforts, and in so doing, raises a glimmer of hope.