The organization is staffed by volunteers, who focus on the way law is enforced vis-a-vis Israelis in the West Bank, describes the police handling of the complaints as negligent, careless, unprofessional and disrespectful.

During the first 11 months of 2005, a total of 299 police investigations into Palestinian complaints of Israeli violence against them were initiated, according to the Yesh Din report. Data for the total number for 2006 are not included in the report.

The report is based on a sample study of 92 cases, filed with police during both 2005 and 2006. A third of these complain of assault - battery, use of firearms and other weapons, stone throwing - however the report concludes that 80 percent of these cases were closed without any charges being filed against the suspects.

In response, the Judea and Samaria Police said that "the data was passed on to the responsible authorities."

On the basis of the sample study, it turns out that 90 percent of the cases were closed without charges being brought against anyone. In 83 percent of the cases, the reason was that the suspect could not be found or there was insufficient evidence.

In 7 percent of the cases, the cause was that the forms on which the complaints had been filed were lost - which meant that it was impossible to investigate the case.

A total of 96 percent of the cases, having to do with trespassing - including damage to olive groves - were closed without bringing charges against suspects. All cases in which involving property damage were closed without charges.

Yesh Din says that Palestinians are sometimes prevented from filing complaints against settlers who damaged their property by the unwillingness of police officers to take down their testimony or because they are asked to present documents that they do not have.

According to a closer study of a sample of 42 cases, the following problems emerged in the police treatment of the plaintiffs: Their testimonies were not taken in Arabic; in few instances did the investigators agree to visit the site of the alleged crime; evidence from the crime scene was collected unprofessionally; testimonies of key witnesses were not taken; in almost all cases, no line-ups of Israeli suspects were held; in all 42 cases the police failed to check the suspects' alibis.

The report points to fundamental problems in the way the Judea and Samaria Police is structured. While it is responsible for the largest police district in the country, it only has 6 percent of the police force at its disposal and receives a mere 2.5 percent of the overall police budget.

In addition, the number of patrol cars available is very limited, and the policemen can only leave their stations to collect evidence if they are accompanied by an IDF patrol.

The report also points to failings in the way the IDF has handled Palestinian complaints. Contrary to the police, the IDF is neither limited in manpower nor budgets.

However, the soldiers have not received any instructions on their role in protecting Palestinian civilians from Israeli attackers, even though the IDF claims the contrary. In practice, a great deal of confusion exists.

"The issue (of the missiles) was discussed at Sunday's cabinet meeting," said a spokesman for the Public Security ministry, declining to provide information on their exact type.

The Israeli military has been pressing an offensive in the territory since the abduction of a soldier, Gilad Shalit, on June 25 by a group of militants, including members of the governing Islamic faction Hamas.

More than 200 Palestinians, about half of them civilians, have been killed in the Israeli operations.

Yuval Diskin, head of Israel's Shin Bet security service, told parliament last month large quantities of anti-tank rockets and anti-aircraft missiles were being smuggled into Gaza from Egypt in a bid by local militants to emulate Hizbollah fighters in Lebanon.

Hizbollah surprised Israel with its stockpile of advanced rockets during a 34-day war that ended in a ceasefire on Aug. 14.

An Israeli army spokesman declined to comment on Dichter's remarks.

Israel pulled its troops out of Gaza a year ago after 38 years of occupation.

Promising to raise the men's plight, Mr Blair said: "It's inhumane to keep people kidnapped and not even tell families they're alive."

After hearing Mr Abbas agree to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "without pre-conditions" Mr Blair vowed to use his, last months in office to pursue Mid East peace.

He said: "This issue is as important as any other in the time that remains for me."

He also offered to deal with Palestine's Hamas party if talks to form a government of unity with the more moderate Fatah party proved successful.

A British woman known as Kirsty protested at the conference by wearing a T-shirt, proclaiming "Tony Blair you make me ashamed to be British".

With Mr Haniyeh sitting beside him, Mr Abbas said on Palestinian TV: "We have finalised the elements of the political agenda of the national unity government ... Hopefully, in the coming few days we will begin forming the government of national unity."

Tzipi Livni, Israel's Foreign Minister, reacted to Mr Abbas's announcement by urging the international community not to waver in demanding acceptance of its three preconditions and added that the main question was whether "we are seeing a real change here". The US administration said that it needed further details of the deal.

The normally hardline spokesman for Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, reinforced widespread expectations that Hamas would not explicitly recognise Israel - at the very least ahead of any substantive peace process - by declaring that its position had not changed, and adding: "We will never recognise the legitimacy of the occupation." But an official travelling with Mr Blair, who returned home from Lebanon yesterday after urging a "re-energising" of the Middle East peace process, said: "Of course we have to see the details, but potentially this is a highly significant announcement."

While the prisoners' document - drawn up by a group of inmates in an Israeli jail led by the popular Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti - stops well short of meeting the demand for a renunciation of violence, it implies that armed attacks against Israel could be limited to those within the occupied West Bank.

Hamas officials indicated yesterday that Mr Haniyeh wanted to remain as Prime Minister in any new coalition, and it was not clear how many of the new ministers would be from Fatah. This is an issue likely to be discussed in negotiations in coming days.

Mr Olmert indicated for the first time during Mr Blair's trip that he would be prepared to meet Mr Abbas without setting the precondition of the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier seized by Hamas and other militants on 25 June. But he has so far been adamant that any further progress would depend on the preconditions imposed on Palestinians for implementation of the all-but-moribund "road map" - including the disarming of Hamas, elected to office in January this year.

* Up to 90 per cent of investigations into complaints of attacks on Palestinians and their property by Jewish West Bank settlers are closed by police without any charges being filed, an Israeli human rights group said yesterday.

The 148-page report from the two-year-old voluntary organisation Yesh Din said that "Israel was abusing its obligation to defend the Palestinian civilian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territories against the criminality of Israeli civilians". The report blames "serious faults" in the Israeli military and police.