Israel Attempts to Provoke Religious Discrimination Between Palestinian Christians and Muslims
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) views with serious alarm the recent Israeli attempts to provoke religious discrimination between Palestinian Christians and Muslims, through inaccurate and distorted media reports.
The Israeli Jerusalem Post newspaper published an article on Wednesday 25/10/2000 in which it states that "since the outbreak of violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, hundreds of Christian Arab families have left with the assistance of the [Israeli] Foreign Ministry and foreign embassies, such as those of England, Canada, and Cyprus." The article continues by falsely asserting that Palestinian Christian families felt threatened after a Muslim preacher in Gaza made hostile remarks against the Christian community there.
In accordance with the information provided to MIFTAH by primary sources from the embassies concerned, the report is inaccurate. All three embassies have stated that they are concerned solely with the fact that any person of their citizenship living in Israel or the Occupied Territories is their responsibility, whether Muslim, Jewish, or Christian. The embassies carried out their protocol procedure of publicly announcing to their citizens the arrangements for evacuation, should they wish to do so.
To that end, MIFTAH cautions against this shortsighted attempt to induce a false sense of discrimination within Palestinian society, and provoke religious tensions between the Palestinian Christians and Muslims.
Throughout their history, the Palestinian people have unquestionably demonstrated a strong sense of unity under one just cause, and therefore take pride in maintaining a secular society based on the principles of justice, freedom, and pluralism.
Official responses from the Palestinian Christian community emphasized that Christian Palestinians share an integral part of the Palestinian national struggle for independence and sovereignty.
BšTselem
BšTselem: Lift the Prolonged Curfew on Hebron and Hawara
For the past several weeks, the IDF has imposed a curfew on 44,000 Palestinians in Hebron and Hawara. As a result, thousands of families and their children are confined to their homes for days and weeks on end. The prolonged curfew harms all aspects of life for this large civilian population, and constitutes a collective punishment, forbidden under international law.
ˇ Hebron: In Area H2, which remains under Israeli security control, an uninterrupted curfew has been in force since the beginning of October for the 40,000 Palestinians living in the area. The curfew does not apply to the hundreds of Israeli settlers living in H2. As a result of the curfew, 34 schools are closed. Three of these schools have been taken over by the IDF and turned into military bases: the Mašaref school, Usama bin Munkez, and the Johar school.
ˇ Hawara: In this village of 4,000 near Nablus, curfew has been in effect intermittently since 6 October. The IDF took over two rooftops and established outposts on them: the homes of the family of Kheiri Salim Hamus and Ali Musa. The prolonged curfew at this time of year, prevents the residents from harvesting olives, which is a primary source of income.
Thousands of Palestinians, including children, suffer from the effects of the prolonged curfew: a shortage of food and other essential supplies, harm to health services and ambulances, loss of employment and sources of income, and lack of regular garbage collection.
BšTselem calls on the IDF to lift the curfew on Hebron and Hawara and enable the civilian population to return to normal life.
Nazareth
On Sunday evening, 22 October 2000, an emergency meeting of the Committee of Families of Martyrs, which represents all of the families of the 13 young men killed during the Aqsa Intifada in the Galilee and Triangle Development in Nazareth.
The meeting concluded with the following decisions:
1.The Committee rejects the investigative commission introduced and established by PM Ehud Barak and maintains its demand for a formal inquiry into each of the killings of the 13 Palestinians citizens of Israel.
2.The Committee assures that it possesses the needed resources and contacts to follow-up on each case locally and internationally.
3.The Committee invites the Arab public and its institutions to rally in support of the work of the Committee during these hard times and let your voices be heard in the quest for justice.
Next week Adalah the legal Center for Arabs minority Rights will represent the Families of the martyred people by submitting to the high court demanding to form an official committee for investigating the brutal and aggressive police actions against the Arab Palestinian in Israel
The Committee of Families of Martyrs
Contact:
Mr. Hassan Asleh, father of martyr Aseel Asleh, official Spokesperson
Dr. Mahmoud Yezbek, uncle of martyr Wissam Yezbek, Committee
Coordinator
Ilam center: 04\8515472 Mobile: 051-320619
BADIL Resource Center
Lobby for International Protection for the Palestinian PeopleBackground:
- Resolutions of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR)
- United States Voting Record in the UNCHR
The violent Israeli repression of the most recent Palestinian uprising ("Al-Alqsa Intifada") has resulted in a renewed Palestinian call for international protection of the Palestinian people, i. e. an effective intervention by the United Nations aimed at enforcing abidance with international humanitarian and human rights standards both in the historical conflict and in the future search for a solution. The Palestinian call for international protection reflects a growing concern and consensus about the fact that the failure of the seven-year-old Oslo "peace process" is a direct result of the deliberate sidelining of international rights standards and the United Nations.
Recently, the fifth Special Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the main human rights body in the United Nations, re- affirmed the validity of Palestinian-Arab concerns and claims; Resolution E/CN.4/S-5/L.2/Rev.1, adopted on 19 October 2000 (see reference below), established an international commission of inquiry into Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of human rights. This resolution was consequently welcomed and adopted by the Extraordinary Summit of Arab States held in Cairo on 21-22 October.
A sustained and concerted effort by experts, human rights activists, and lobbyists for Palestinian rights is required in order to re- establish the role of international law and United Nations mechanisms in the quest for just and durable solutions of the Israeli- Palestinian/Arab conflict. One of the first and most obvious obstacles to overcome is the deep and widespread public ignorance and misinformation about existing international standards applicable to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a situation which is a direct result of the marginalization of the United Nations system in all Israel- and United States-led "peace efforts" in the Middle East. Future public awareness raising for Palestinian rights and the need for international protection of the Palestinian people should be based on UN resolutions, especially resolutions of the UN Commission on Human Rights, and highlight the role of Israel's supporters - foremost the United States - in persistently voting against the application of international human rights standards to the Palestinian case.
1. UN Commission on Human Rights: RESOLUTIONS on ISRAELI OCCUPATION and RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE (Survey)
Israel's occupation has been determined as:
a) A Violation of the UN Charter, 4th Geneva Conventions, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The CHR Resolution of 19 October 2000 reaffirms that Israel's military occupation is a violation of the UN Charter, the Fourth Geneva Conventions (12 August 1949) and their 1977 Protocols, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This framework has been reaffirmed by the CHR since the early 1970s. (CHR Res. No. 3 XXVII, 22 March 1972, Res. No. 2 XXXII, 13 February 1976, a.o.)
b) War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity: The CHR Resolution of 19 October 2000 reaffirms that Israeli violations in the 1967 occupied territories are war crimes. The Commission first recognized Israel's systematic and grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Conventions as war crimes in 1972 (CHR Res. No. 3 (XXVIII), 22 March 1972, a.o.)
c) A threat to international peace and security (Chapter VII intervention): In 1976 the Commission reaffirmed that Israel's military occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, was a threat to international peace and security. In 1984, the Commission issued its first of several requests to the UN General Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council, to recommend to the UN Security Council the adoption against Israel of the measures referred to in Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, including sanctions and international armed intervention to end Israel's threat to peace and acts of aggression (CHR Res. No. 1984/1 A/B; 20 February 1984).
The Commission has, moreover, reaffirmed the LEGITIMACY of RESTISTANCE to ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people, along with the peoples of Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and of all peoples under colonial or alien domination or foreign occupation to self-determination, national independence, territorial integrity, national unity, and sovereignty without external interference. (CHR Res. No. 3 XXXIV, 14 February 1978). The Commission also reaffirmed the legitimacy of struggle against occupation by all available means, including armed struggle. (CHR Res. No. 3 XXXV, 21 February 1979). This included recognition of the intifada as a legitimate means of resistance. (CHR Res. No. 1989/19, 6 March 1989).
Finally, the Commission on Human Rights has declared that ALL PEACE AGREEMENTS that VIOLATE PALESTINIAN RIGHTS (including the right to return) are NULL AND VOID. In response to the first (1982) Camp David Agreement, the CHR issued the following resolution: "[The Commission on Human Rights] Reaffirms the inalienable right of the Palestinians to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced and uprooted, and calls for their return in the exercise of their right to self-determination; ...
Rejects those provisions of the [Camp David] accords which ignore, infringe upon, violate or deny the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of return, the right to self- determination and the right to national independence and sovereignty in Palestine, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, and which envisage and condone continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967; Strongly condemns all partial agreements and separate treaties which constitute a flagrant violation of the rights of the Palestinian people, the principles of the Charter and the resolutions adopted in the various international forums on the Palestinian issue; Declares that the Camp David accords and other agreements have no validity in so far as they purport to determine the future of the Palestinian people and of the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967;" (CHR Res. No. 2 XXXVI, 14 February 1980) Following the beginning of the Madrid/Oslo process the Commission once again reaffirmed the necessity that all agreements be consistent with relevant UN Resolutions and international law. (CHR Res. No. 1192/4, 14 February 1992).
2. The UNITED STATES VOTING RECORD in the Commission on Human Rights
United States claims to be an "honest broker" in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people are clearly refuted by its voting record in the CHR. In resolutions on the Middle East adopted by the Commission between 1968 and 1998, the US voted 79 times (7 votes only recorded by number in favor/against, though voting pattern indicates the vote against the particular resolution was cast by the US) against resolutions pertaining to the human rights of the Palestinian people. The US voted in favor of only 10 resolutions over the 30 year period, 6 of which were adopted without vote in the Commission, and 2 adopted unanimously. The two remaining votes in favor concerned resolutions expressing support for the Madrid/Oslo peace process. The US abstained from a total of 5 resolutions.
The United States voted against resolutions deploring the denial of the right of return, deportation, confiscation of Palestinian land, settlement construction, desecration of religious sites, torture, beating of pregnant women causing miscarriage, closing of kindergartens and schools, and the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the UN Charter, and international law. In particular, the US voted against Resolution No. 1983/3, 15 February 1983 condemning the massacre of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps and Resolution No. 1987/2 A/B, 20 February 1987 condemning Israel's "iron fist" policy to break the bones of children throwing stones during the first intifada.
In the Economic and Social Council, the UN body which may initiate studies and reports concerning international economic, social, cultural, educational, health and related matters and submit recommendations for promoting observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, the United States has voted against the majority of resolutions pertaining to the Palestinian people. This includes resolutions calling for the lifting of restrictions and provision of assistance to the Palestinian economy, freedom of movement for Palestinians, and calling upon Israel to comply with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international law.
For additional documents relevant for lobbying for international protection of the Palestinian people (Report of the UN Special Rapporteur and the complete text of UN resolutions; US voting record on UNCHR resolutions, a.o.) see BADIL's website: www.badil.org/Intifada2000/Intifada2000.html
UNRWA
Middle East tensions dominate discussion of work of UNRWA at UN
The past four weeks of tension and conflict in the Middle East dominated the opening in New York on Thursday of the annual debate in a key United Nations body on the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Mr. Peter Hansen, introducing his annual report to the General Assembly's Special Political and Decolonization Committee, highlighted the humanitarian role played by UNRWA, saying that the Agency's work had gone on, though with increased difficulty, during the recent turmoil. Virtually all of the 11 delegations that spoke on the opening day of the debate paid tribute to the dedication of UNRWA's staff and underlined the vital need for a continuation of the Agency's regular and emergency services for 3.7 million Palestine refugees.
Mr. Hansen said the recent crisis demonstrated anew "the depth of feelings aroused by the continuing absence of a solution to the Palestine question" and that at the heart of that issue were the people whom UNRWA had served for 50 years, the Palestine refugees. "UNRWA works among the refugees," Mr. Hansen said, noting that 99 per cent of the Agency's staff were Palestinians themselves. "In periods of strife we are therefore in the midst of it, trying as best we can to continue our humanitarian work." UNRWA clinics had been kept open around the clock, its ambulances and medical supplies had been made available to those affected, and newly converted mobile clinics had assisted with medical evacuations. "This has at times been a very dangerous task," Mr. Hansen said, as he paid tribute to the "selfless courage and dedication of UNRWA staff as they go about their humanitarian work".
Throughout its area of operations - in Jordan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip - UNRWA faced increasing demands for its services, Mr. Hansen said. The growth of the refugee population and the need to introduce new or expanded activities in its education, health, relief and social service programmes had placed growing pressure on UNRWA's staff and its network of facilities.
The major donors to the Agency's budget, and the countries hosting the refugees had recognized the vital need for UNRWA's services to continue at an adequate level, in the interests of the well-being of the refugees and of continuing stability in the region, Mr. Hansen said. But the financial stringency under which UNRWA was forced to operate - with a cash deficit of some $27 million in its budget expected by the end of this year - left little room even to meet the predictable growth in demand, not to mention unexpected needs, he said.
Several donors had pledged special contributions to see the Agency through the end of this year, Mr. Hansen told the Committee. However, years of underfunding of UNRWA's budget had led to the prospect of a steady decline in the quality of services UNRWA provided - "unfortunately at a time of great tension and anxiety in the refugee community," he said. While 19 out of 22 major donors had steadily increased their contributions in terms of their own currencies over the past five years, Mr. Hansen said, there was still a need for them to increase the rate of growth in their contributions in dollar terms to help UNRWA to bridge its budget gap. A good start, he said, would be for donors to return to the target of a 5 per cent annual increase in the level of contributions, which they had agreed to in 1995. At that rate, he said, resources could begin to keep pace with a growing population, inflation and rising needs.
UNRWA symbolized the obligation of the international community to ensure the well-being of the refugees, Mr. Hansen said. Shortfalls in the resources made available to the Agency were seen in a political light, as a sign of the weakening of that commitment. "Our task, therefore, has been not only to maintain and improve services to the refugees, but also to reassure them that we will not falter in our commitment," he said. Mr. Hansen outlined to the Committee some of the ways in which UNRWA hoped to expand schooling and upgrade training programmes for the refugees and to extend its successful and self-sustaining micro-finance and micro-enterprise programmes to all five fields of operation. He also recounted some of the difficulties confronting the Agency on the ground, including restrictions on the movement of its staff and goods in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Special Political and Decolonization Committee's debate on the work of UNRWA is scheduled to resume on Monday, 30 October, and to conclude on Thursday, 2 November.
For information only
Not an official document
UNRWA Liaison Office
UN New York
Tel: +1-212 963 2255
Fax: +1-212 935 7899
Fear for Safety
ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY/OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Civilians
As the crisis in Israel and the Occupied Territories deepens, Amnesty International renews its appeals to the Israeli authorities to end the use of excessive force by the Israeli security forces, which has resulted in unlawful killings of Palestinians. Both Israeli settlers and armed Palestinian groups have fired on civilian targets.
Since 29 September more than 130 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli security forces, nearly 40 of them children, during riots and demonstrations in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Among them were medical personnel carrying out their duties. More than 4,000 have been injured. The Israeli security forces have persistently used excessive force, including lethal force, in response to the riots. There have also been instances of medical personnel being impeded as they tried to provide assistance.
Amnesty International sent two delegations to the area. The first included a riot policing specialist, Dr Stephen Males. Most protests involved demonstrators throwing stones at Israeli security forces or guardhouses. In the Occupied Territories, including areas under the Palestinian Authority, demonstrators also used Molotov cocktails and firearms on several occasions. However, Amnesty International has concluded that the security forces' response - which included the widespread use of high-velocity rounds and rubber-coated metal bullets, which can be lethal - was not consistent with Israeli guidelines and international standards on the use of force. These allow law enforcement officers to use lethal force only as a last resort when life is in imminent danger. Demonstrators including young children have been killed when they posed no such threat.
Israeli Defence Force (IDF) spokespeople told Amnesty International delegates in Israel this week that although Israeli guidelines on the use of force have not changed, the situation had moved beyond law enforcement and close to armed conflict. As a consequence, the IDF, as a matter of policy, was no longer carrying out investigations into killings by the security forces. The Palestinian Authority also told delegates that they were not carrying out investigations into killings of Palestinians by the Israeli security services.
There have also been reports of apparent random firing at Palestinian villages from Israeli settlements and vice-versa.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/airmail letters:
To the Israeli Prime minister, Minister of Justice, Chief of General Staff and Minister of Public Security:
- expressing your fears for the safety of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians;
- reminding them that the security forces have a duty to protect and respect life, particularly the lives of children;
- urging the Israeli government to take immediate action to ensure that the Israeli security forces comply with international standards governing the use of force and firearms, which require that lethal force may only be used as a last resort and only if life is in imminent danger;
- reminding the Israeli government of their responsibility to investigate every killing, to bring to justice anyone suspected of unlawful killings, and to try them in accordance with international standards;
- urging them to prevent any attacks on civilians from Israeli settlements, to investigate any such attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice;
- asking the Israeli government to initiate a review of its guidelines on policing of riots and demonstrations without delay, to ensure that its security forces comply with international human rights standards.
To the Israeli Minister of Health:
- urging him to investigate immediately the incidents in which the security forces have opened fire on medical personnel, resulting in the killing of an ambulance driver in the Gaza strip, and to do everything in his power to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice;
- urging him to make sure that medical personnel are not delayed or hindered in carrying out their duties by the Israeli security forces or by any one else;
To the Palestinian Authority
- expressing your fears for the safety of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians;
- reminding the authorities that the security forces have a duty to protect and respect life, particularly the lives of children.
- urging them to prevent any attacks on civilians from the territories under their jurisdiction, to investigate any such attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.
APPEALS TO:
Israeli Authorities: Lieutenant-General Shaul Mufaz Chief of General Staff c/o Ministry of Defence 7 'A' Street Hakirya Tel Aviv ISRAEL Fax: 011 972 3 691 6940 Salutation: Dear Lieutenant-General
Major-General Yomtov Samia Israeli Defence Forces Gaza Strip Military Pot 01105 Erez check Point ISRAEL Fax: 011 972 76741650/79902655 Salutation: Dear Major-General
Major-General Etan Yitzhak Israeli Defence Forces West Bank Central area Command 64 Israeli Defence Forces Military Post 01149 ISRAEL Fax: 011 972 25305741 Salutation: Dear Major-General
Shlomo Benizri Minister of Health Ministry of Health 2 Ben Taibai Street PO Box 1176 Jerusalem 91010 ISRAEL Fax: 011 972 26796491 Salutation: Dear Minister
The Palestinian Authority: Yasser Arafat President, Minister of the Interior, Palestinian National Authority Office of the President The Beach Forum Gaza City Palestinian Authority VIA ISRAEL Fax: 011 972 7 282 2366 Salutation: Dear President
COPIES TO: Ambassador David Elekana Ivry Embassy of Israel 3514 International Dr. NW Washington DC 20008 Fax: 1 202 364 5610
COPIES OF APPEALS TO ISRAELI AUTHORITIES TO: Ehud Barak Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Office of the Prime Minister 3 Kaplan Street Hakirya, Jerusalem 91007l ISRAEL Telegrams: Prime Minister, Jerusalem Fax: 011 972 2 566 4838 Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
Israeli Occupation Authorities Splinter Gaza into Three Separate Cantons: Clashes and Sweeping of Land Continue
Israeli occupation forces have blocked Salah Al-Dein Street, the main road connecting the north and south of the Gaza Strip, since early in the morning of October 26. The blockade was carried out in two parts of the street (near Gush Qatif settlements and Kfar Darom settlement). As a result of this blockage, the Gaza Strip has been splintered into three separate cantons. Movement of people and vehicles has been denied. The occupied Palestinian territories also witnessed clashes between Palestinian civilians and occupying military forces. Another martyr was reported this morning from Hebron. Meanwhile, more land was swept by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. The amount of land leveled by Israel since the beginning of this month is now up to 837 dunams.
A strong explosion was heard this morning on the road leading from Gush Qatif settlement to Kissufim border crossing in the eastern part of Gaza. Israeli occupation forces claimed the explosion was a failed attempt to commit a suicide bombing by a Palestinian near a military post on the road. No Palestinian sources have confirmed this account. Soon after the explosion, Israeli reinforcements arrived to strengthen their presence on Salah Al-Dein Street. More tanks and military vehicles were brought to the junction. Israeli occupying forces put cement blocks on the road and shut off traffic in both directions. In the last few days, the minor roads in the area were also closed off through the placement of large cement blocks. The southern portion of the Gaza Strip (Khan Younis and Rafah districts) is now sealed.
During the day, Israeli occupation forces continued sweeping Palestinian land. Thirty dunams of Palestinian olive trees, palm trees, and vegetables were leveled and a one-story house was demolished. Water facilities suffered damage as well.
Cement blocks were also placed near the bridge that connects the western and eastern portions of Kfar Darom settlement. This bridge passes directly over Salah Al-Dein Street. The road is now blocked in both directions. Palestinians face a logistical nightmare in trying to travel from one part of Gaza to another.
Clashes erupted today in many parts of the Gaza Strip between Palestinian civilians and occupying Israeli forces. In Khan Younis 12 civilians were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets and five by live ammunition while many others suffered health difficulties from inhaling tear gas. Fifteen houses adjacent to the settlement of Neve Dekalim were damaged in Khan Younis refugee camp last night as a consequence of Israeli shooting.
In Rafah at Salah Al-Dein Gate six Palestinians were wounded by live ammunition this afternoon as a result of Israeli occupation forces firing at protesters. Among the wounded are three children under the age of 14. Two of them were shot in the abdomen and the third was shot in the thigh. Two Palestinians were also injured by rubber-coated metal bullets at Tal Sultan checkpoint between Rafah and Al-Mawasi (agricultural area under Israeli security jurisdiction) to the west of Rafah.
In the early evening two more Palestinians were injured by live ammunition near the Kfar Darom settlement.
This morning PCHR learned that the child Ala Mohammed Mahfouz, 14 years old from Hebron, died as a result of an injury to the head incurred from Israeli occupying forces on October 6, 2000. Mahfouz had gone to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment.
PCHR expresses its deep concern over the new escalation by Israeli occupation forces through additional restrictions on freedom of movement and the transformation of the Gaza Strip into three separate cantons. PCHR also condemns the ongoing sweeping of Palestinian land and the creation of new facts on the ground through the expansion of settlements, the widening of bypass roads for settlers to use, and the expansion of military posts. Finally, PCHR calls upon the international community to protest the excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians and to move forthwith to uphold the Fourth Geneva Convention.