Press Release

23 July 1998
Press Release Index
ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES ESTABLISH POLICE STATION IN OCCUPIED JERUSALEM
Israeli Occupation Forces have recently established a police station on Al Wad Street in the Old City of Jerusalem. The site of the new station is the former residence of a Palestinian family that was evicted from the building in 1968. The owners of the property brought an action against the Israeli authorities and, eventually, won the case in the Israeli Supreme Court. The Court ruled that the property should be returned to the owners. However, the Israeli Military Forces have never respected the Court's ruling. The latest event occurred last week when Israeli officials announced that a police station would be established on the site.
This most recent act occurred at a time when the status of Jerusalem has yet to be determined through the Final Status negotiations between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority. According to the Oslo Agreement, both parties to the agreement are to refrain from any measures that will alter the status quo of the city. The establishment of an Israeli police station in the Old City of Jerusalem is a clear violation of the agreement and is representative of the Israeli policy to assert its sovereignty over the Old City.
Al-Haq condemns this act as a violation of the international law and customs governing military occupation, specifically, the Hague Convention of 1907 which is related to the laws and customs of "war on land"; the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War; the United Nations' Charter; and UN Resolutions concerning the legal status of Jerusalem.
Therefore, al-Haq demands that Israel reverse its decision and refrain from creating facts on the ground in an attempt to pre-determine the final status of the city. In addition, Al-Haq calls on the international community and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their international responsibilities and commitments by intervening to stop the violations.

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