13 March 1996

UPDATE ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN THE WEST BANK

Land and Water Establishment

PO Box 20873

Jerusalem, via Israel

Tel: (972) (2) 824559/824559

Fax: (972) (2) 811072

email: lawe@netvision.net.il

Human rights abuses continue to escalate as a result of the collective punishment measures currently imposed by the Israeli government on the West Bank and Gaza. Medical care particularly has been hard hit by these measures, causing needless and tragic loss of life. Humiliating treatment and property destruction continue to mark Israeli army conduct in the West Bank. LAWE continues to condemn these measures, and calls for an end to this collective punishment.

LAWE has documented the following human rights abuses in the West Bank from 11 to 13 March.

Health and Medicine:

Restrictions to medical care have caused fatal results. On 11 march, a woman pregnant with twins was refused entry to Bethlehem at the Hossan village checkpoint. The woman, in serious condition, hemorrhaged and gave birth to one of the twins, which died while the soldiers detained them. Two hours later the soldiers finally allowed the woman to go to the ambulance that was waiting for her just over the checkpoint, where she gave birth to her second child. The second child died before reaching the hospital. Her doctor stated that the cause of death was uncontrolled hemorrhaging.

In addition, the doctor said that only half of the hospital's patients receiving neo- and post- natal care have been able to receive medical care, and at least two needed surgeries have had to be canceled at this hospital alone.

In Qabatiya village, a father was denied permission to bring his son to the hospital in Jenin.

Medical supplies are in short supply all over the West Bank, and some clinics have been forced to close due to lack of medical supplies and staff. On 12 March Israeli authorities did not allow an oxygen supplier in Jenin to distribute the badly needed supply to West Bank hospitals.

Education:

About 71,000 students have been affected by the closures, and primary and secondary schools in some areas of the West Bank have been forced to close. On 12 March, the OC General Commander Ilan Biran ordered all students from Gaza to leave the West Bank and stated that if caught, they would be considered illegal and arrested.

Arrests and Closures:

In a sweep of the West Bank, on 11 March the Israeli army arrested over 200 people in the Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarem, Nablus and Ramallah areas.

Some villages in the West Bank have faced more severe measures against them, including cut electricity and telephone services. Tarkumia village near Hebron has been under total curfew since 12 March, and all men aged 16-45 were ordered to leave their homes and report to the playground of the village school. Hossan village was placed under total curfew on 10 March, which remains in force. Total curfew means that residents are restricted to their homes. 465 villages remain under "regular" curfew, in which residents cannot leave the village limits.

On 12 March, a 68 year old man from a village near Tulkarim was found by the Israeli army outside his restricted area. He was forced to remove his clothes by the Israeli soldiers and to walk back to his home.

The Ministry of Information was raided by Israeli army in Hebron on 12 March, and the office was ransacked. The office for the Defense of Children International, which provides medical and counseling services to children, was also subject to a pre-dawn raid by the Israeli army, and the office severely damaged.

Shortages:

Food shipments from Yatta village were denied access to al-Fawwar refugee camp, which is facing the most severe food shortage in the West Bank. This refugee camp has been under total curfew for nine days, and has not received food or medical supplies since then.

Ramin village, near Tulkarim, has been under total curfew for nine days, and is facing severe food shortages as well.

Travel:

Palestinian movement is still totally restricted in the West Bank, except for two 12-hour liftings of the internal closure so that residents could buy food. The border with Jordan remains closed to Palestinians, as are all other international borders.

Land and Water Establishment is a non-governmental organization based in Jerusalem, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. Your comments on the above are welcome. Please do not hesitate to contact us.