The live film by the photographer of the French TV France 2, Talal Abu Rahma, which showed the shooting of the child Mohammed Jamal Al-Durreh, 12 years old from Al-Boreij, and his father by the Israeli Occupying Forces, which resulted in his death and injuring his father severely, is one of the most prominent evidences of the grave and blatant human rights violations of the Israeli Occupying Forces against Palestinian civilians. The child and his father sheltered behind a concrete block of about 70cm high set against a wall. Despite the fact that the child and his father were crying for help, the Israeli Occupying Forces continued to shoot at them and ultimately killed the child with no mercy.
This incident constitutes another crime added to the list of crimes and violations of international humanitarian law committed by the Israeli Occupying Forces. The dramatic scene was broadcast all around the world and certainly watched by millions of people. The Israeli government had therefore no choice but to investigate the incident. As expected, the outcome of the investigation recalls past investigations of crimes committed by the Israeli Occupying Forces; the victim bears responsibility even if it was indirect. The Israeli government does not establish that the Israeli Occupying Forces are responsible for the crime, and therefore did not undertake any legal action against the perpetrator (s) of the crime.
The following is a statement under oath by Mr. Talal Abu Rahma, a photographer of the French TV France 2, to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights on October 3, 2000, giving details of what he had seen:
"I, the undersigned, Talal Hassan Abu Rahma, resident of the Gaza Strip and who bears ID no. 959852849, give my statement under oath and after having been given legal warning and choice by Lawyer Raji Sourani, on the killing of Mohammed Jamal Al-Durreh and the injuring of his father Jamal Al-Durreh both shot at by the Israeli Occupying Forces.
"I work as a correspondent for the French TV France 2. On September 30, 2000, as part of my duties, I was at Netzarim area from 7:00a.m reporting on the clashes. At noon, when I was about to finish work and go back to the broadcasting studio, I heard intensive shooting from all directions. At that moment, I was at the northern part of the road leading to Al-Shohada' Junction (Netzarim Junction). I was in a position which enabled me to see and observe the Israeli military outpost at the northwest of the junction, and the two Palestinian apartment buildings located to the north of the junction. I could also see the outpost of the Palestinian National Security Forces, located south of the junction, and another Palestinian outpost 30m away, which was a temporary booth where members of Palestinian forces were resting.
"Suddenly, intensive shooting started across the road which is of 30m width. Shams Oudeh, Reuters photographer caught my attention, as he was sitting besides a man and a child (Jamal and his son Mohammed). They were all sheltering behind a concrete block. What the journalist was observing attracted my attention. I was trying to focus on the outpost of the Palestinian National Security Forces, from where shooting was directed, and at which the Israeli army was shooting, during the first minutes. Suddenly, I heard a cry of a child. Then, I focused my camera on the child Mohammed Jamal Al-Durreh who was shot in his right leg. His father tried to calm, protect and cover his son with his hands and body. Sometimes, the father Jamal was raising his hands asking for help. Other details of the incident are as they were apparently shown at the film. I spent approximately 27 minutes photographing the incident which took place for 45 minutes. After the father and the child were evacuated by an ambulance to the hospital, I stayed 30-40 minutes. I could not leave the area, because all of those who were in the area, including me, were being shot at and endangered.
"Shooting started first from different sources, Israeli and Palestinian. It lasted for not more than 5 minutes. Then, it was quite clear for me that shooting was towards the child Mohammed and his father from the opposite direction to them. Intensive and intermittent shooting was directed at the two and the two outposts of the Palestinian National Security Forces. The Palestinian outposts were not a source of shooting, as shooting from inside these outposts had stopped after the first five minutes, and the child and his father were not injured then. Injuring and killing took place during the following 45 minutes.
"I can assert that shooting at the child Mohammed and his father Jamal came from the above - mentioned Israeli military outpost, as it was the only place from which shooting at the child and his father was possible. So, by logic and nature, my long experience in covering hot incidents and violent clashes, and my ability to distinguish sounds of shooting, I can confirm that the child was intentionally and in cold blood shot dead and his father injured by the Israeli army.
"On the following day of the incident, I went to Shifa Hospital in Gaza, and interviewed the father of child Mohammed Al-Durreh. The interview was videotaped and broadcast. In the interview, I asked him about his reason and circumstances of being at the place of the incident. I was the first journalist to interview him on this subject. Mr. Jamal Al-Durreh said that he was going accompanied by his son Mohammed to the car market, which is about 2km away to the north of Al-Shohada' Junction, to buy a car. He told me that he failed to buy a car, so decided to go home. He and his son took a taxi. When they got close to the junction, they could not move forward because of the clashes and shooting there. So, they got out of the taxi and tried to walk towards Al-Bureij. As shooting intensified, they sheltered behind a concrete block. Then the incident occurred. Shooting lasted for 45 minutes.
"I am a professional and specialized journalist. I have worked in this field for many years. I am committed to the principles of journalistic work, and to convey reality indiscriminately, objectively and neutrally. This is why I am a distinguished journalist. I have my own press office, and I work as a correspondent for the French TV France 2. I work also for CNN through Al-Wataneya Press Office.
"I have hereby given my testimony under oath and after being legally warned and granted the choice. I swear that all the above * mentioned statement is right and consistent with reality and law."
Signature:
Talal Hassan Abu
Rahma Gaza, October 3, 2000
This statement was given before me and in my presence, after giving legal warning and choice, and under oath.
Lawyer Raji Sourani
Gaza, October 3, 2000
Australian Peace Committee (SA Branch
URGENT PETITION! WE DEMAND INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION FOR PALESTINIANS!
Israel's recent unleashing of military forces, including tanks and helicopter gunships, against unarmed or lightly armed Palestinian civilians has underscored the Palestinians' urgent need for international protection.
Evidence from various hospitals indicates that Israeli forces have been using lethal ammunition since the first day of the conflict, and are targeting civilians' heads and chests. Clearly, this implies that soldiers have been given "shoot to kill" orders, a contravention of the Fourth
Geneva Convention.
Unlike all other refugee groups in the world today, Palestinians--the world's largest and oldest refugee population--are not accorded legal protection under existing international conventions, nor by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Furthermore, Israel has consistently refused to recognize its obligations under the Geneva Conventions, particularly those clauses that protect civilians under military occupation.
To date (6 October) nearly 70 Palestinians have been killed, half of them children under the age of 15, while more than 1000 have been wounded, many suffering serious and incapacitating injuries, such as loss of eyes, limbs and grave damage to internal organs. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Barak threatens further violence if the Palestinian Authority does not resume the "peace process." If demonstrations continue, we must expect Palestinian casualties to continue on the same scale as the first week, or perhaps to increase.
Even if demonstrations subside, it is certain that intransigent Israeli policies will lead to more confrontation, and more slaughter, in the weeks and months to come.
This dangerous and violent situation continues because U.S. diplomatic, economic, and military backing allows Israel to behave like a "rogue state" without suffering the penalties other states so termed have been subjected to. Permitting Israel to continue to kill and maim civilians without being submitted to a UN commission of inquiry makes a mockery of international law and undermines UN resolutions.
We, the undersigned associations and individuals, submit this petition to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, requesting that he dispatch, without delay, UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson to Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank, and Arab communities in Israel to write a report on the recent events.
We call on the UN Human Rights Commission to extend the same levels and types of protection to Palestinians as is extended to other refugees.
Failing this, we call for the formation of a special subcommittee within the UN Commission for Economic and Social Rights to maintain a permanent monitoring function in relation to abuses of the inalienable rights of Palestinians. Palestinian refugees' rights must be considered no different than the rights and needs of any other refugee group under the terms of the 1951 Refugee Convention. Furthermore, the rights and needs of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, who remain stateless seven years after the inception of the Oslo Accords, must also receive special consideration.
Name Signature
Irene Gale AM,Secretary
Ron Gray, Treasurer
Australian Peace Committee (SA Branch) Inc. 11 South Tce, Adelaide SA 5000 Australia Ph: (+61-8) 82127138Fax: (+61-8) 83642291 (within Australia area code = 08) Web: www.peacecourier.com Email: r-grayle@msn.com.au
Case ISR 021000.2
Second Follow-up to Case ISR 021000
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Israel.
New Information
The International Secretariat of OMCT has received the following reports over the last few days from the Palestinian Society for the Protection for Human Rights and the Environment (LAW), a member of the OMCT network, detailing the deaths of and injuries caused to Palestinians, including children, by Israeli forces using live ammunition.
The International Secretariat of OMCT repeats its grave concern over these killings and injuries and call on the Israeli authorities to put an immediate end to this use of excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators.
On October 3 2000, in Gaza, Fahmi Abu Amune, 28, from Al-Nusairat Refugee Camp died from missile fire. Omar Abdlerahim Sulieman, 20, from Jabalyia Refugee Camp died from a gunshot to the head. A third unidentified civilian died after being shot in the face. Ismail Shehdeh Ismail died from a gunshot wound to the head and Sharif Abdullah Ashour was pronounced clinically dead.
According to the information, in Hebron, Muhammad Younis Mahmoud Ayaish Al- Zama'reh, 21 from Halhoul, died of injuries sustained on Friday. 60 people were injured. In Jenin, Khadra Ahmad Hussein Salameh, 57, from Jenin, died from complications of tear gas inhalation.
In Israel, Ramez Abbas Bushnaq from Kufur Manda were reported dead.
As a result of the shooting, 20 people were reported injured in Nablus.
LAW's field worker in Nablus has reported that the Israeli Forces raided a home near Josephs Tomb. 7 were injured as a result. In Tulkarem 17 were reported injured, including. Bader Yousef Deeb Ahmad, who was seriously injured in his hand and stomach.
Another three persons were identified the next day as having been killed: Mohannad Fares, 24, from Deir Al Ghusoun in the district of Toulkarem and a member of the Palestinian national forces, died from gunshot wounds in his liver, lungs and abdomen. Ayman Aloh, 20, from Hai Adurj, was shot in the chest and died instantly. Inside the green line, Mohammad Khamaiseh, from Kufur Kana, died from injuries sustained the previous day.
Another 15 people were reported injured in Ramallah and another 50 in Bethlehem.
Reports of October 4 2000 noted the deaths of four persons: Muhammed Fauzi Al Sarkhi, 22, from al Sawahre Jerusalem, Mamoud Ibrahim Emwasi, 23, from Betuina, Ramallah, both shot when Israeli Military Forces attacked them at dawn in Betunia, and Ala Hassan Jabber Al- Barghuthi, 24 from Abud, Ramallah, shot in the chest by soldiers in Beit El near the City Inn. In Gaza, 12-year-old Muhhamed Yousef Abu Asi from Beni Suhaila, was shot in the chest by a bullet fired at him at the Shuhada Triangle, near the Netzarim Settlement.
Israeli Helicopters continued firing at civilians with 500 mm machine guns and Israeli Occupation Forces bombed an iron factory with rockets fired from the air and land. In a disturbing development, settlers from the Netzarim settlement fired at civilians as well, with out the intervention of the Israeli Occupation Forces.
According to information collected by LAW¹s field researchers in Bethlehem, Nablus and Ramallah; Israeli snipers are using silencers when shooting at Palestinians. Direct hits are only noticed after ambulances arrive to collect the dead and injured. It was also reported that the Occupation Forces left the City Inn in Ramallah, only to situate themselves at Occupation Headquarters nearby. They are reported to have installed new fortified protective barriers from which they fire at Palestinian civilians.
The total injured on 4 October 200 was noted as 117 persons, making a grand total of 2657 persons.
October 5 2000: LAW reported the death of three more Palestinians making a total of 64 to this date: Mustafa Al Fararja, 22, from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, Mahmoud Istayeh, 26, from Gaza, and Arafat Al Atrash, 18, from the city of Hebron. Al Fararja, a member of the Palestinian National Forces, was shot in the chest by an Israeli sniper as he was standing in the vicinity of the Beit Jala Tunnel. His colleague, Akram Sha'fout, was also hit with a bullet in the chest in the same location.
A Palestinian who had sustained serious injuries died yesterday. Salameh Zeyadat, 20, from the Aqabet Jaber Refugee Camp in Jericho, was injured on 2 October 2000.
Actions requested
Please continue to write to the authorities in Israel urging them to:
Furthermore, please write to your respective governments calling on them to put pressure on the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to come to an agreement in order to put an end to this confrontation.
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. Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT) World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) Organizaci?n 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
DCI/PS views with grave concern the brutal slaying of 17 year old, Aseel Hassan 'Assalih, from the town of 'Arrabeh in the Upper Galilee. On 3 October 2000, Aseel died after having been severely beaten and shot in the neck by the Israeli military. 'Aseel is one of 18 Palestinian children killed and hundreds injured by Israeli military forces since the outbreak of confrontations on 28 September 2000.
According to a statement given to DCI/PS by his older sister, Nardine, 'Aseel was attending a demonstration in 'Arrabeh on 3 October with friends. His parents, who were viewing the demonstration from a nearby hill, attest that 'Aseel was neither throwing stones nor holding any signs during the protest, but, rather, he was chanting slogans with his friends. At some point, during the demonstration, Israeli soldiers advanced their position and Palestinian protestors dispersed in all directions. 'Aseel ran into a nearby olive grove for protection, but Israeli soldiers followed him, caught him and began to severely beat him. After subjecting him to two separate beatings, he was shot with one bullet, at close range, in the neck. The soldiers then left the area and alerted by-standers to his location.
When the group reached him, he was bleeding seriously. The group called an ambulance, however, given restrictions set by Israeli police and soldiers, the ambulance was unable to get through quickly, so 'Aseel was placed in a private car and transported to Al-Hayaat Medical Center in 'Arrabeh to receive emergency first aid. There, medical center staff gave 'Aseel CPR and stabilized him. He was then transported via ambulance to a nearby hospital, but, once again, Israeli military presence in the area made it impossible to transport him quickly. The ambulance was not allowed through quickly and was forced to stop at numerous checkpoints established along the way. Once at the hospital, he was immediately taken to surgery, but after approximately 10 minutes, the surgeon ended the procedure as there was no possibility of reviving the child. The hospital reports indicate that marks of serious beating were evident all over 'Aseel's body.
According to Nardine 'Assalih, 'Aseel was a bright, gregarious boy, and extremely active in the Seeds of Peace program, which attempts to bring Israeli and Arab youth together. 'Aseel had participated in the group for several years, traveling with them to both the United States and Switzerland. At the time of his brutal killing, 'Aseel was wearing a Seeds of Peace tee-shirt.
According to his sister, 'Aseel was a strong believer in non-violent struggle and the possibility of peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians, at the same time as allowing both peoples to express their own national identity. 'Aseel's violent death at the hands of Israeli soldiers and police has caused many members of the community to re-examine the ideals that 'Aseel held so high and to question what is the role of Palestinians living inside Israel? If the life of a Palestinian child and citizen of Israel can so easily be destroyed by Israeli forces, how ready and willing is Israeli society for peaceful co-existence?
DCI/PS condemns the brutal killing of 'Aseel 'Assalih and calls for the following: