The Arab Cause Solidarity Committee (Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe) called for a demonstration today in front of the Israeli Embassy in Madrid in order to protest for the brutal repression of the Israeli Army against the Palestinian People, in support for the Palestinian national rights and demanding the immediate stop of the occupation of the Palestinian Territories as well as the evacuation of the Israeli forces of the Palestinian Autonomous Areas.
1.- For the second time in two weeks, the Spanish Governmental authorities had denied the permit for the concentration —that was requested by CSCA through the administrative urgent proceeding— invoking that the current circumstances "does not justify the urgency for such concentration". CSCA has lodge an appeal against such decision in front of the High Court of Justice in Madrid, appeal that has been also rejected by this judiciary body. In doing so, the Governmental Delegate in Madrid and the High Court of Justice do not only contravene the criteria of the Spanish Government and the European Union, that have declared that the critical situation in Middle East is of extreme danger, but also are showing with their decisions a clear political backwards to the right in the public freedoms of this country, forbidden the right of meeting and demonstration that the Spanish Constitution guarantees for all citizens. Besides this, the Government authorities are showing a lack of sensibility to the dramatic facts that are happening in Palestine since the last two weeks.
2.- Early in the morning the Israeli Embassy called to the media, TV’s, radio stations and news papers saying that the concentration announced for today Saturday, 14th by some media, was not for today but for tomorrow, Sunday, 15th. Fortunately, the most important media, surprised by the fact that the Israeli Embassy was itself calling for the demonstration of Sunday, disregarding the Israelis, went to the concentration and covered it.
3.- In fact, tomorrow, Sunday, 15th there will be another concentration in front of the Israeli Embassy that CSCA will not support since it is organized by some individuals that not represent neither the Arab and/or Muslim community in Madrid not any organization but their hidden interest. The fact that this groups have been using other calls and demonstrations for launching certain Islamic slogans that have nothing to do with the Palestinian claims neither with the solidarity of the Spanish social organizations with Palestinian people, nor with the ideology of the majority of the Arab community in Madrid, has created tension and even clashes between demonstrators in previous demonstrations. This groups are using an image of Islam stereotyped and ridiculous that spoil the legitimate and historic claims of the Palestinian people: their right to an independent, sovereign, democratic and no-confessional Palestinian State. Curiously, this demonstration previewed for Sunday, 15th , has been allowed by the Governmental Delegate in Madrid.
CSCA wants to call the attention to this three linked facts —denied permit of the Madrid Government Delegate, the attitude of the Israeli Embassy calling off the demonstration organized by CSCA and announcing that of the Islamists for tomorrow, as well as the own demonstration of such provocative groups— . Three of them have the same clear aim: demobilize the social organizations in Madrid that want to express —according with the above mentioned Palestinian historical claims and rights— their solidarity with the Palestinian people in this days, their condemnation of the brutal Israeli Army aggression against the Palestinians and their demands for an immediate stop of the Israeli military occupation.
The concentration organized by CSCA finally took place —all the demonstrators, Spanish and Arab citizens, surrounded by a big contingent of police— disregarding the decision of the Government Delegate and the answer of the High Court of Justice in Madrid, and despite the attempts of the Israeli Emabssy in Madrid to cancel the cover up of the demonstration by the media.
Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe
csca@nodo50.org
Madrid, October, 14th, 2000
Mr. Ehud Barak
Prime Minister and Minister of Defense ISRAEL
Fax.: 00972 2 5664838 11 October 2000
Dear Sir, It is with grave concern that we have taken notice of reports of violations of medical neutrality related to the recent violent clashes in your country, and notably in the Gaza and West-Bank area. The reported blocking of the Augusta Victoria and the Makassid Hopsitals in Jerusalem, the shooting at ambulances at Al-shuhuda's crossroad by the Nitsarim settlement nuear Gaza City and the reported shooting at medical personnel which resulted in killing 3 and wounding several others, are examples of violations of the Geneva Conventions to which Israel is a party. In particular, Article 9 (Protection of medical and religious personnel) of Part III of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and Relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II), states that "Medical and religious personnel shall be respected and protected and shall be granted all available help for the performance of their duties`.." and Art. 11 (Protection of medical units and transports) states that "Medical units and transports shall be respected and protected at all times and shall not be the object of attack". The International Federation of Health and Human Rights Organisations (IFHHRO) is deeply concerned with these developments and trusts that you will commission a proper independent investigation into the reported incidents. The IFHHRO also urgently requests you to agree to and cooperate with an international investigation into the reported incidents, as suggested by major human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Furthermore, IFHHRO urges that all Israeli security forces respect the rights of civilians to unimpeded access to medical services and to the protection of medical neutrality at all times and in all places.
Yours Sincerely,
Adriaan van Es, MD, secretary
cc. Mr. Ronny Miloh, Minister of Health, Israel
Israeli Medical Association
World Medical Association
In Al-Fawar refuge camp at 11:00 pm last night, 13 October 2000, Shadi Al-Wawi, 21, was shot by an Israeli sniper while he was on the roof of his home. No clashes were occurring at the time. He died from two live bullets, one to his head and one to his chest, apparently fired from a distance of up to 250 meters. Noting the circumstances surrounding this attack, it was clearly an unprovoked, shoot-to-kill act of aggression by Israel against a Palestinian civilian. His death increases the Palestinian death toll since 28 September 2000 to 91.
LAW deplores this attack and calls upon the Israeli government to cease its attacks against Palestinians civilians.
Correction: In our press release of 13 October, 19.20, we stated that Israel bombed Jenin. Actually, Israel bombed Jericho, and no bombs fell in Jenin. Please accept our apology.
LAW
PO Box 20873
Jerusalem
Tel: 00 972 2 583 3428/3298/3537/3530/3430
Fax: 00 972 2 583 3317
Email: law@lawsociety.org
Website: http://www.lawsociety.org
The worker Abdullah Ramadan Abdullah Fayad, 22 years old and the worker Mohammed Fatehi Hamdan Al-Najar, 21 years old are from Beni Shailah village, Gaza Strip. Both of them are working in Tel-Aviv and living with three other workers from the West Bank in a house rented by their employer. Our fieldworker took their complaint as follows:
On Monday October 9th, 2000 around 2:00 P.M., while we were staying over-night inside a house in Shkhonat Tekva area, we were attacked tens of settlers, wearing civilian clothes with hand guns (pistols), and others with knives and axes. Some of the attackers intruded the house and the others stood next to them. Incidentally, I saw one of them wearing civilian clothes, carrying a pistol and hand cuffs. The attackers broke in the house, and started beating and stabbing us, shouting " We want no Arabs here". We were five workers. I was attacked and tried to defend my self as much as I could, using a table which protected me partially, nevertheless, I was stabbed in the right, left hand finger, right hand, face, and feet, the wounds total 50 stiches. The attack lasted 15 minutes continuously.
No one came to help us, so we crawled for about 30 minutes until we reached the street whereby afew residents, one of them is Jewish and we convinced him to call the police, few minutes later the Ambulance arrived, and we were transferred to Tel Hashmir Hospital, and my collegue was transferred to Ukhlef Hospital.
The police took our statement, and we do not know what happened since then.
Stated by The injured / Mohammed Al-Najjar
Received by Nidal Ghaban
Thursday 2:10 P.M.
The Democracy and Workers' Rights Center holds the Israeli government and the Histadrut responsible for the lives of the Palestinian workers who could not till this moment return back to their houses due to the strict Military closure imposed on the Palestinian occupied cities, villages and refugee camps. DWRC call upon all human rights supporters and International trade unions movements to stop these practices which is done by Israelis against Palestinian workers.
DCI/PS views with grave concern the recent Israeli attack against Palestinian civilians throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories and inside Israel proper. Of particular concern to the organization is the existence of munitions remnants, which have been found in areas where confrontations are taking place between Palestinian protestors and the Israeli military.
Since the clashes began over two weeks ago, numerous Palestinian civilians have found munitions remnants, including grenades, sound bombs, missiles, and bullets. According to eyewitness testimony, at least one Palestinian was injured after touching artillery fired by the Israeli army at the Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip. In a separate incident, Palestinian children from Silwad village, near Ramallah, found a grenade that had been partially deployed and was subject to explosion upon touch.
DCI/PS research on the magnitude and effects of the problem of landmines and UXO in the West Bank revealed that tens of Palestinians fall victim to landmines and UXO each year, with an estimated 2,500 injured or killed since 1967. Moreover, the research indicated that the majority of these victims are children. Since 1997, DCI/PS has documented 37 Palestinians injured or killed by landmines or UXO. Of those, 30 were children, with 7 killed and 23 injured. In the past four months, 4 Palestinians have been killed, including 3 children, and one injured as a result of UXO explosions.
DCI/PS reiterates its call for international intervention in the deteriorating situation. In particular, DCI/PS calls on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and States Parties to the 1997 Ottawa Treaty to utilize whatever means available to intervene on behalf of Palestinian civilians and to exert pressure on Israel to end its violent attack on Palestinian civilians.
Moreover, DCI/PS strongly urges all Palestinians residing in affected areas to make their children aware of the danger and to avoid touching or picking up suspicious objects.
For more information regarding the problem of landmines and unexploded ordnance in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, please contact Ayed Abueqtaish, Coordinator, DCI/PS Mine Action Project, at 240-7530.
Israeli occupation forces continue their use of excessive force against Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories, in which 90 people have been killed and 2300 injured. Local, Arab and international reactions have condemned this use of excessive force, including the use on Thursday of combat helicopters to shell several areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The occupied Palestinian territories remain under military siege and comprehensive closure resulting in social and economic suffering by Palestinian civilians.
In this context, PCHR is shocked by and deeply concerned about attacks carried out yesterday afternoon by some people in Gaza City against private properties. These properties were burned, apparently, because it was believed that alcohol was sold on the premises.
PCHR condemns these actions, which undermine the rule of law and place both civilians and their properties in danger.
Yesterday afternoon Palestinian people and national and Islamic forces demonstrated peacefully to express their anger at the Israeli occupation forces’ actions and crimes against Palestinian civilians. Some participants in one of these marches in Gaza City attacked Al-Tahoona Hotel and Restaurant (‘Windmill Hotel’) and burnt it. They also attacked two houses and one store and burnt them, with disregard for the safety of any civilians present. According to information gathered by PCHR’s field officers, these buildings were targeted because it was believed that alcohol had been sold on the premises.
PCHR strongly condemns such attacks against citizens’ properties, which could threaten the lives of people on the premises. Such actions cannot be justified for any reason. PCHR calls on the Palestinian National Authority to take the necessary legal steps to protect citizens’ lives and properties.
PCHR calls also on all national and Islamic forces and NGO’s to denounce such actions, particularly at this critical time, when efforts must be concentrated on facing continued aggression by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people.
The UN Special Rapporteur to the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories Mr. Georgio Giacomelli, accompanied by Dr. Amin Mekki, representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Josef Shechla and Darka Topali visited PCHR as part of his mission to the occupied Palestinian territories to evaluate the current situation and report to the UN Commission for Human Rights, which will convene a special session in October 17-19, 2000 in Geneva to solely discuss the conditions of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, and PCHR’s staff met with Mr. Giacomelli and briefed him on the Israeli blatant violations of human rights, specially in the current crisis, providing him with legal documents and reports on the Israeli occupation forces’ crimes against Palestinian civilians, in which 91 people have been killed and more than 2300 injured.
Sourani emphasized the following legal demands to Mr. Giacomelli:
1. A clear and crucial international condemnation of bloody, savage actions by the Israeli occupation forces and settlers against Palestinian civilians, and calling on Israel to immediately halt such actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem.
2. Providing international protection for the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories through international forces and the de jure implementation of international law.
3. The de jure implementation of Geneva Fourth Convention to protect Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories, and urging the High Contracting to reconvene the adjourned conference to pressure Israel through practical and diplomatic steps to implement de jure the Convention in the occupied Palestinian territories.
4. Establishing an independent international commission of inquiry to investigate the Israeli occupation forces’ crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
5. Sending the UN special rapporteurs to the occupied Palestinian territories, specially the UN Special Rapporteur for the rights of the Child, the UN Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial Killing and the UN Special Rapporteur for Judiciary,
6. the UN Special Rapporteur for Non-Discrimination, and other relevant UN special rapporteurs.
7. Calling on the member European states to activate Article 2 of EU-Israel Association Agreement, which calls on Israel to respect human rights, and to adopt actions against Israel.
8. Increasing the presence of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) to protect civilians.
Sourani called also on UNRWA to increase its services to assist the Palestinian people in the current situation. He strongly criticized UNRWA for reducing its services and staff in the Gaza Strip in the past few years, and transferring its administration to Amman. Sourani condemned Kofi Anan’s recent selective statements on the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
PCHR called on Mr. Giacomelli to consider the meeting as a testimony by PCHR before the UN Commission for Human Rights, as PCHR cannot be present to deliver its testimony directly before the Commission, because of the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip.
Sourani thanked Mr. Giacomelli for his insistence to visit the occupied Palestinian territories despite the pressure to cancel such visit.