11 What is really giving us a glimmer of hope is that our political establishment is becoming aware of the dangers awaiting us and is, in consequence, doing everything it possibly can to avert reaching the point of no return. Accordingly, the Palestinian Cabinet has, more than one and a half years ago, made the decision to oblige all parties concerned to respect all decisions and rulings that are passed by Palestinian courts at all levels. While we in the ICHR have welcomed such a decision and have congratulated the Cabinet on taking such an important step, we have nevertheless come across many cases where there were violations and lack of commitment to decisions made by the courts. At a later stage orders and instructions were sent to all security chiefs to closely monitor any case of torture and to ensure the non‐existence of any form of torture in the future. Despite that, various forms of torture and inhuman or degrading treatments continued to exist. In order to end such an inhumane practice, a declaration prohibiting all forms of torture or degrading treatments should be made by the President of the PNA, and in accordance with the definitions in the Convention Against Torture. Additionally, those who physically engage in torturing people or who give the orders to torture or even try to hide acts of torture should be prosecuted. The ICHR has repeatedly asked the President and the Prime Minister to make such declaration. It is at present still requesting and will continue to request the PNA to do so until a declaration to this effect is made. Another achievement regarding the implementation of human rights in Palestine was made, when the security apparatuses took the decision on January 15, 2011 to refrain from bringing civilians to military courts and from engaging in arbitrary arrests. However, we in the ICHR and in the human rights community in general are still waiting for a declaration to be made by the President of the PNA that will further consolidate such a decision and will thus ensure an irreversible spiritual as well as textual commitment on the part of the security apparatuses to abide by the contents of the decision. However the more important step which we are still awaiting is a decision that will stop all forms of arbitrary arrests. A relatively more important development took place, however, when the Prime Minister recently promised to put an end to what came to be known as the “security clearance”. We in the ICHR as well as all those citizens who were arbitrarily removed from their positions as public servants and those who were denied the right to be employed in public service on the basis of equal opportunities to all and without any discrimination, all hope that the system of “security clearance” will be abolished very soon, and the sooner the better...! The compass therefore exists, but it only lacks the political will. Historical experiences of nations confirm that there is no value in constitutions and laws if there is no political will to implement them and protect them! Accordingly, I truthfully believe that the political establishment needs to take further serious steps to ensure respect for the system of