22 March 1996

Human Rights Update: 19-22 March

WEEK MARKED BY HOUSE DEMOLITIONS AND THREATS OF DEPORTATION

Land and Water Establishment

PO Box 20873

Jerusalem

Tel: (972) (2) 824559/812364

Fax: (972) (2) 811072

email: lawe@netvision.net.il

Today, 22 March, another home was demolished in Al Fawar refugee camp in the continuing assault by the Israeli army against the families of suicide bombers and their relatives. The family home of Majdi Abu Wardeh was bulldozed early this morning, leaving his mother, father and nine brothers and sisters homeless.

Also this morning, in another stunning violation of basic freedoms, a conference on Jerusalem organized by the Alternative Information Center, an Israeli-Palestinian NGO, was summarily prevented by Minister of Internal Security Moshe Shahal. Police closed all streets leading to the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem, where the conference should have taken place, and restricted access to the hotel. Shahal claimed that the conference was really organized by the Palestinian Authority, and that therefore this comprised reason enough to prevent the conference from taking place. This allegation is untrue, as the conference was organized solely by the AIC, and their lawyer has stated that they will sue the Ministry for the total costs of the conference. Later in the morning the Israeli police raided the hotel itself, and arrested 15 workers without permits.

Summary of House Demolitions:

After the Israeli High Court ruled on 19 March that the demolition of seven homes of suicide bombers or alleged organizers comprised an effective deterrent to suicide bombings (despite the fact that collective punishments do not deter attacks, exemplified by the fact that over 400 homes have been demolished since the Intifada began for "deterrent purposes" with no noticeable effect), six of seven targeted homes have been demolished.

On 20 March, the home of Ibrahim Sarahneh from Al Fawar refugee camp near Hebron was destroyed with explosives. That afternoon the home of Muhiye Deen el Sharif from Beit Hanina (a suburb of Jerusalem) was demolished by bulldozer. The home of Abdel Majeed Dudeen, from Dura village near Hebron, was also demolished.

Two more homes were demolished on 21 March. The Israeli army destroyed the family home of Labib Azam from Qariout village near Nablus by bulldozer, leaving the three families which lived there without a home. The village is still under curfew. The home of Sufian Jabarin, from el Dahariyeh near Hebron was also bulldozed by the Israeli army.

As stated above, on 22 March the home of the family of Majdi Abu Wardeh was demolished on 22 March in al Fawar refugee camp near Hebron.

The family home of Amjad Iman Sidr from Abu Dis, near Jerusalem, was sealed on 20 March, and is the last remaining house awaiting demolition for punitive reasons.

In addition, on 21 March a home was demolished in Ar Ram, a town between Jerusalem and Ramallah, for having no permit.

Deportation:

Plans to expel up to a dozen Palestinians from the West Bank are going forward. Yesterday 21 March, General Security Service chief Ami Ayalon prepared a list of possible deportees to present to Prime Minister Peres. He stated that three groups are being targeted: imprisoned Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists, members of Hamas' political branch (meaning organizational heads, spokespersons, and those involved in transferring money), and the immediate relatives of suicide bombers. Sources say that a list has already been given to the Justice Ministry, and has been approved. This marks the first attempt to expel residents of the occupied West Bank since the 415 Hamas activists were deported to Lebanon in December 1992. It must be remembered that under international law Israel has no legal basis for deportation; they are a temporary occupying power with no authority to expel members of the permanent population of the occupied territory. Expulsion represents the most cruel and shocking of Israeli occupation practices.

Health and Medicine:

The Israeli High Court, responding to a petition submitted by Mokassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, and Physicians for Human Rights, ruled that 250 medical personnel must be allowed back to work in the coming days, and that the State of Israel must prove why medical personnel are barred from entering Jerusalem during total closures. All four East Jerusalem hospital have been virtually shut down during this latest closure, and Mokassed alone has lost 65% of its staff of 680 workers.

Arrests and Closures:

On 20 March a curfew was imposed on Bani Hossan village near Nablus, to facilitate arrests by the Israeli army.

On 21 March, eight people from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad were arrested in raids near Nablus, Hebron, Jenin and Ramallah. Over 155 people have been arrested in the past week.

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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 and/or ask for further information.