International human rights monitors needed to protect lives in Israel and the Occupied Territories
Since late September, renewed violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories, including areas under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, has led to widespread human rights violations.
* More than 280 people have been killed, many of whom were children.
* The majority of the deaths have been Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces. Amnesty International has expressed concern that many of these deaths have occurred because security forces have resorted to lethal force in circumstances in which lives were not in imminent danger.
* Amnesty has also spoken out and condemned the killings of a number of Jews in bombing attacks on civilian targets, such as a school bus and a market in Jerusalem.
* There are numerous reports of beatings and ill-treatment by Israeli police.
* Amnesty has called for investigations into all allegations of human rights abuse and has highlighted the importance of ensuring that those responsible be brought to justice.
Increasingly Amnesty International is convinced that there is an important international role to be played in protecting human rights in the area. We have strongly endorsed the recommendation made by Mary Robinson, the United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights, for international human rights monitors in the region.
In an open letter to the UN Security Council on November 24, Amnesty International urged the creation of "an international human rights monitoring presence to provide accurate, unbiased reporting by impartial witnesses on the observance of human rights and humanitarian law by all sides."
An effective and independent international human rights presence in Israel and the Occupied Territories, including areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority will help to bring the violence committed by both sides to the current conflict to an end, avoid new provocative actions and promote the prospects for peace.
Canada is coming to the end of a two year term as member of the Security Council. Until December 31, 2000 Canada can play an important role in encouraging the Security Council to establish an international human rights monitoring presence.
TAKE ACTION
Send a message to the Prime Minister of Canada. Tell him that as he begins his third term of government you want Canada to take a strong stand for human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories, including the areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Urge him to take advantage of Canada's final month on the Security Council. Tell him that you want Canada to support the creation of an international human rights monitoring presence in the region.
Write to:
The Right Honourable Jean Chretien
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
FAX: (613) 941-6900
Email: pm@pm.gc.ca
Please note that faxes and letters sent by express mail may have a greater impact than emails alone. If you send an email message, please try to send a copy of your message by fax or express mail as well. And in your email message, please be sure to fill out the subject line with a concise statement such as "I support international monitors in Israel and the Occupied Territories."
If you have any questions concerning this action, please contact:
Keith Rimstad
Amnesty International Canada
613.744.7667
krimstad@amnesty.ca
Marilyn McKim and Patricia Diaz
Urgent Action Coordinators
Amnesty International
56 Temperance Street, 8th floor
Toronto ON M5H 3V5
Phone: (416) 363-9933 ext 25
Fax: (416) 363-3103
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First Friday of Ramadan
Today, the first Friday of Ramadan, Israeli officials allowed all Palestinian East Jerusalemites and those with Israeli citizenship access to the Haram Al-Sharif compound for noon prayers. However, West Bank and Gaza Palestinians were still denied access to Jerusalem. Hundreds of Palestinians also prayed outside Damascus and Lion’s gates. The noon prayers passed without major incident.
At 2:30 this afternoon, Israeli forces stationed at Tel Za’arab on the Palestinian-Egyptian border killed 12-year-old Muhammed Saleh Muhammed Arjan from Rafah. According to sources in Gaza, Israeli forces shot Arjan as he was playing along the border near the outpost. He was hit in the neck and taken to the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis where he was pronounced dead.
Israeli forces killed a second Palestinian, Hamzeh Nadi Hassis, 27, from Al Sammu’a during clashes that took place this afternoon at the southern entrance to the village of Sammu’a near Hebron. Hassis was shot with live ammunition in the chest. He died instantly. Due to road closures imposed by the Israeli forces the ambulance arrive 90 minutes later. Usually, the trip from the city of Hebron to the village takes 15 minutes.
Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians demonstrators broke out between the H1 and H2 areas of Hebron. Two people were injured. Yacoub Abd Al Aziz Dandis, 32, was shot in the shoulder while shopping.
As the Al Aqsa Intifada enters its third month, over 250 Palestinians have been killed and more than 9,000 injured. return to top
Raw Deal
A "trapped" Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, seems more desperate than any other time in his leadership to strike a deal with the Palestinians, albeit a raw deal; a shortsighted deal that fails to even consider the imperatives of peace. The fact is that Barak needs some kind of peace deal to survive internal political upheaval, and lead his Labour party to victory in the upcoming Israeli elections.
Yet, by proposing to recognise a Palestinian state and withdraw from another 10% of the West Bank (leaving only 50% of all territories occupied in June 1967 under full or partial Palestinian control), Barak is, in reality, offering nothing. By proposing a new interim agreement that postpones negotiations on the issues of Jerusalem and the Refugees for another two years, Barak is wilfully failing to address the real causes of conflict, and in tern, driving the region into yet another dangerous abyss.
Such misperception of reality, and delusional interpretation of the current crisis in the peace process, cannot be accommodated by the Palestinians. With a deeply dichotomised Knesset and a weaker Barak, the peace process finds itself trapped in a gloomy phase of uncertainty and dismay.
There is an urgent need for Israel to finally address the real issues and put an end to the conflict by unconditionally implementing UN Resolutions 242, 338, and 194. This is the best deal; this is the only deal. return to top
Tanks shell Khan Yunis: Israeli occupation forces kill a child from Rafah and a man from Al-Boreij; More sweeping of agricultural land and demolition of houses
Despite clashes between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Palestinian territories significantly decreasing, the Israeli occupation forces have continued to perpetrate serious abuses against Palestinian civilians, including shooting at civilians and shelling residential neighborhoods. This afternoon, at about 14:30 local time, the Israeli occupation forces continued their widespread human rights abuses when they killed a 12-year-old Palestinian child with a live bullet in the neck. Yesterday evening, a young man from Al-Boreij was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces with a live bullet in the head. The Khan Yunis refugee camp was shelled from military posts and by tanks of the Israeli occupation forces in the vicinity of Al-Tuffah roadblock and Neve Dekalim settlement. In the past 24 hours, the Israeli occupation forces have continued to sweep agricultural land and to demolish civilian facilities in Al-Qarara, in the middle of the Gaza Strip.
1. Shooting at Palestinian Civilians
This afternoon, 12-year-old child Mohammed Sleh Mohammed El-A’rja, from Rafah, was shot dead with a live bullet in the neck by the Israeli occupation forces. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that the child was playing near his house adjacent to the Palestinian-Egyptian border in Rafah, when a soldier of the Israeli occupation forces shot him dead from a great distance at about 14:30 local time. The child was evacuated to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, where was pronounced dead. This grave human rights violation is another to be added to the record of willful killings committed by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians, including children.
Near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, to the east of Gaza City, the Israeli occupation forces shot at a number of Palestinian young men, who gathered about 150 meters away from these forces, which were reinforced with tanks on the main road between the area and Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction on Salah El-Din Street. As a result, a young man was wounded with a live bullet in the foot. He was evacuated to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
In Khan Yunis, this morning, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians, wounding one, despite there being no clashes at the time. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that this morning, at 9:30 local time, Israeli occupation troops positioned in the vicinity of Gadid settlement, in the southwest of Khan Yunis, shot at two Palestinian young men who were more than 150 meters away from the military post. As a result, Karam Mustafa Jadallah, 17 years old, was wounded with a live bullet in the foot. He was evacuated to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis city. PCHR’s field officer added that shooting by the Israeli occupation forces at Palestinian civilians, even when there are no clashes, is a daily occurrence. These forces are a source of permanent threat to the safety and security of Palestinian civilians.
Also in Khan Yunis, yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces fired live bullets and artillery shells at the refugee camp of Khan Yunis, wounding a Palestinian civilian and damaging a number of houses. Palestinian civilians were terrified and fled their houses. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that yesterday evening, at about 22:00 local time, Israeli occupation troops, positioned at Al-Tuffah Roadblock and Neve Dekalim settlement, shot heavy and medium bullets at Palestinian houses in the west of the refugee camp of Khan Yunis. Tanks of these forces also fired four shells at the area. As a result, Mouaffaq Mohammed Yousef El-Khatib, 37 years old, was wounded with shrapnel in the chest and the hands. He was evacuated to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis. The shells hit the following: 1) The house of Mustafa Mohammed El-Doush, an asbestos-roofed, one-story house in which 11 people live. The roof, walls and furniture were partially destroyed. 2) The house of Khalil Hassan Farahat, an asbestos-roofed, one-story house in which eight people live. The roof and water reservoirs were partially destroyed. 3) The three-story house lived in by Fayez Oudeh Abu Akker. A shell penetrated a wall of the second floor, hitting the children’s room and destroying windows and furniture.
Yesterday afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians, who demonstrated more than 150 meters away from a military post of these forces, to the east of Al-Boreij refugee camp. These forces shot at Palestinian civilians, killing Ismail Abdel-Salam Abu El-Rous, 20 years old, with a live bullet in the head. PCHR’s field officer reported that the shooting took place when Palestinian young men did not pose any threat to these forces. He added that a sniper of the Israeli occupation forces shot with the aim to kill. No other injuries were reported.
2. Continued Sweeping of Agricultural Land
Yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces continued their sweeping and demolition in the area of Al-Qarara, which they started on Wednesday, November 29, 2000. The sweeping and demolition included areas of agricultural land and houses, to the southeast of Kfar Darom settlement, near the road branch of Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), leading to Kissufim Crossing. This particular action included: 1) A one-donum area of agricultural land on which a greenhouse planted with vegetables was established, owned by Joma’a Mosallam El-Semeiri. 2) A four-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Abdullah Abu Meghasib. In addition a well, a water reservoir and a store of agricultural equipment were destroyed. 3) A five-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Suleiman Abu A’mra. 4) A four-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Mohammed El-A’ttar. 5) An eight-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Ahmed Hussein El-Semeiri. 6) An eight-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Ali Salameh El-Semeiri. 7) A nine-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Hussein Suleiman El-Semeiri. 8) A six-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by Yousef Suleiman El-Semeiri. In addition, a water pump and an irrigation network were destroyed. 9) A four-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Suleiman Hussein El-Semeiri. 10) A 20-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Abed Ahmed El-Farra. 11) A two-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Abdel-Qader Abu Meghasib. 12) A four-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Abed Joma’a El-Semeiri. 13) A 20-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and almonds, owned by Abed Rabbo Ahmed El-Semeiri. 14) A two-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Abdel-Rahim El-Semeiri. 15) A six-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by Zayed El-Semeiri. 16) A two-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Mazen El-Semeiri. 17) A two-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Suleiman Ahmed El-Semeiri. 18) A 12-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and vegetables, owned by Shukri Abu A’mra. 19) A bird farm established on a 100-square-meter area of land, owned by Medhat Khattab. 20) A 150-square-meter, one-story house owned by Rae’s Suleiman El-Semeiri. 21) A 120-square-meter, one story house owned by Ibrahim Suleiman El-Semeiri. In addition, a water pump, a pool and a room of agricultural equipment were destroyed.
PCHR reiterates its call for the international community to immediately intervene to stop the killings and criminal acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians. PCHR calls in particular for:
1. Establishing without delay an independent commission of inquiry, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1322 (2000), to carry out a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the abuses and killings perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians. 2. Convening a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the Convention. 3. Immediately providing international protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories in the face of the killings and criminal acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces and groups of Jewish settlers who move under the protection of these forces. 4. Use by the EU of effective political and economic measures with reference to Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association Agreement, which calls for the respect of human rights. 5. Providing humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian people whose living conditions are increasingly deteriorating because of the continued total siege imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the entire occupied Palestinian territories. 6. Use by the international community and relevant bodies, including ICRC, of necessary measures to ensure the access of medical supplies and equipment and other humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians. The Israeli occupation forces have continued to deny entry of this material through Rafah Border Crossing (into the Gaza Strip). return to top
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Israel.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, (LAW), a member of the OMCT network, of allegations of torture in Israeli prisons.
According to the information received, Israeli occupation soldiers and police are alleged to have been involved in torturing Rami Iz'oul, 18, from the village of Housan near Bethlehem, at the Kfar Atsyon interrogation centre. They are also believed to have tortured Arwad Thamanji, 20, from Jenin.
During a prison visit by LAW's lawyer Labib Habib, Iz'oul told him that Israeli soldiers had captured him in his family's house on 30 October 2000 and beat him severely. He was later transferred to Kfar Atsyon, where he was also beaten and had freezing water poured over his head during an interrogation. Iz'oul also stated that he was taken to Hadassa hospital for medical treatment. He stayed there one night before being taken back to be interrogated. He said that he was forced to sign a document of confession under threat.
Thannji, who was arrested on May 19 2000, stated that he was severely beaten by Israeli soldiers and pulled along the ground until he lost consciousness. He was later transferred to Al Afoula hospital and then to Megiddo prison, where he is today. He complained of severe beating, assault and threats on several occasions, adding that he has not been receiving appropriate medical treatment and that the doctor refused to treat his wounds. The lawyer also met with detainees Ra'ouf Abu Gheih from Ezariyyeh and Jaser Sawafta from Toubas, who are being held for entering Israel without a permit.
The International Secretariat is gravely concerned that in spite of the State's claims, and the fact that torture was officially made illegal on 6 September 1999, it is clear that torture is still used by Israel against innocent people to extract general information or to force the signing of false confessions prepared by the security services in advance. Furthermore, LAW notes that throughout Israel's occupation these confessions have been used to convict Palestinians to lengthy prison terms, as the Israel military courts tend to accept these confessions as valid, even in the absence of other evidence.
Actions requested
Please continue to write to the authorities in Israel urging them to:
i. Guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the aforementioned persons and all prisoners and order their immediate release in the absence of valid charges;
ii. Order an immediate investigation into the alleged arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and torture, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
iii.guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
Ehud Barak, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Office of the Prime Minister, 3 Kaplan Street Hakirya, Jerusalem 91007, Israel, Faxes: +972 2 566 4838 and +972 3 691 7915
Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, 29 Salah al-Din Street, Jerusalem 91029, State of Israel. Fax : + 972 2 6285 438
Minister of Defense, Ministry of Defense, 7 "A" Street, Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel. Fax: +972 3 697 62 18.
Minister of Police, Ministry of Police, PO Box 18182, 3 Sheikh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala, Jerusalem 91181, State of Israel. Fax : + 972 2 5826 769.
The Embassy of Israel in your respective countries.
Geneva, 1st December 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT) World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT) 8 rue du Vieux-Billard Case postale 21 CH-1211 Geneve 8 Suisse/Switzerland Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39 Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29 E-mail : omct@omct.org http://www.omct.org