While providing emergency medical care and evacuating a victim of clashes in Khan Younis today, PRCS medics J. Attaya and J. Saleem were hit and injured when their ambulance came under fire from Israeli soldiers. Attaya was hit by a bullet that entered the back side of his upper body and exited through his chest missing his heart. Saleem was hit in the face by bullet fragments. Attaya pressed one hand against the wound and continued to drive, while Saleem tended to both the victim and Attaya who continued to drive in the direction of the nearest hospital. He managed to arrive safely at the emergency room of Naser Public Hospital. They are all reported in stable condition. A third PRCS medic, K Fayed, was also hit by rocket fragments at the scene. Later in the day, a fourth medic, A. Shaath, was hit by bullet fragments.
To-date, 73 paramedics have been injured, one killed, and 52 ambulances damaged by Israeli gunners. PRCS headquarters and central ambulance dispatch in Ramallah were fired at and hit by Israeli gunners from settlement of Psagot on Dec 31, 2000 and Feb 8, 2001. The heavy and explosive cannon fire on Feb 8 caused a fire in the top floor of the building.
PRCS continues to re-iterate its revulsion at this continuing practice by the Israeli soldiers of firing at PRCS paramedics and ambulances. We ask Red Cross/Red Crescent societies, the movement, the ICRC, and the International Community to send observes and protest these actions in the strongest of terms.
We repeat our pledge to provide emergency medical services to all in need, both Israeli and Palestinian.
PRCS President Younis Al-Khatib
For further information contact Mohamed Ayyad at 02-240-6515 or 050-689-348
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WASHINGTON, DC “I think that any talk about moving the US
Embassy
to Jerusalem will be another destructive, unilateral, prejudicial, and
illegal matter,” Dr. Hanan Ashrawi told the attendees at today’s
briefing which was sponsored by the American Committee on
Jerusalem
(ACJ) and the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP).
Dr. Hanan Mikhail-Ashrawi, Member of the Palestinian Legislative
Council, Jerusalem, and Secretary General of MIFTAH, The Palestinian
Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy,
described how the new Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon brings an
“ideological approach to Jerusalem.” The first thing Sharon did after
being elected was to go to Jerusalem and promise, “Jerusalem would be
the undivided eternal capital of Israel under Israeli sovereignty.”
Ashrawi reminded the audience that, “East Jerusalem remains a
Palestinian city under occupation. Religious affiliation to any place
has never been and never will be an excuse for forced sovereignty.”
She continued, “Certainly Jerusalem remains at the core of the
conflict and therefore at the core of the solution. We have made a
proposal. We said we are willing to accept Jerusalem as an open city,
East and West, and this is what we mean by sharing even though we
still own around 70% of West Jerusalem.” Ashrawi emphasized, “As
Palestinians, we still are willing to share the whole city of
Jerusalem, East and West, by having East Jerusalem, Palestinian, and
West Jerusalem, Israeli, and then it will become two capitals for two
states. The Palestinians can guarantee and will guarantee an open city
with full access to all holy sites, to all religions. But we can never
accept any claim by one religion as a basis for the illegal exercise
of sovereignty, annexation and acquisition of land.”
Ashrawi expressed gratitude that “the new U.S. administration is no
longer talking about a peace process. We are very glad that now we’re
talking about peacemaking, negotiations and substance rather than
about a process for its own sake which has become a very punitive
process for the Palestinians.” She continued, “We are quite willing
to engage with the new administration on the basis of this more
responsible, substantive, regional approach, on looking at the
requirements for peace, on expanding the participation of peacemaking
in the region to include the European Union, the United Nations, and
the major Arab countries like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.”
Ashrawi concluded, “There is still a will but there is tremendous
pain. The situation is extremely volatile. The new factor introduced
now also threatens the region. There is an element of political
irresponsibility introduced by Sharon that might lead the whole region
to the brink of war if not actual war. This is something that we must
guard against.” She continued, “I think the time for reassessment, for
courageous decisions and for a new and qualitatively different phase
is needed. We need to make sure that Sharon with whatever government
he puts together must not do an irreparable damage to the whole
region.”
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In the Gaza Strip this morning, Israeli forces reportedly
assassinated
50 year-old Mas'oud Ayyad, a Force 17 Presidential Guard.
Elsewhere in
the Gaza Strip, at Netsarim Junction, Israeli soldiers opened fire at
a group of unarmed demonstrators, killing 14 year-old Bilal Tawfiq
Ramadan with a live bullet to the heart at approximately 11am.
LAW received information stating that at 9.45am, Massoud was
driving a
white Hyundai car within Area A, on Saladin Street between Gaza
and
Khan Younis. An Israeli helicopter gunship hovering overhead fired
three LAU missiles at his car, killing him instantly. Six Palestinian
passers-by were wounded in the attack. Salem Al Batsh (45)
received
shrapnel injuries in the back, Sameer Shaheen (42) in the right thigh,
Ahmad Tulan (15) in several parts of his body and Suhaila Al Hasanyi
(50) in the limbs. Mohammad Al Batsh (23) and Gandhi Al Batran (32)
are suffering severe stress disorder.
According to the medical report from Gaza's Al Shifa hospital, Ayyad
suffered shrapnel injuries in the head and his face was burnt. His
right fingers came off in the blast, many bones in his body were
broken, and his internal organs were severely damaged.
LAW has also been informed that Ayyad's son Nasser, a Force 17
lieutenant, was arrested in an ambush by Israeli forces on 29 January
2001 near Netsarim junction. His whereabouts are still unknown.
LAW Society has so far documented nine cases of extra-judicial
execution since the outbreak of the current crisis in September 2000.
Israel's assassination policy, not to mention its continuous use of
lethal force agauinst unarmed demonstrators, constitute willful
killing. This is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which
stipulates in Article 32:
"The High Contracting Parties specifically agree that each of them is
prohibited from taking any measure of such a character as to cause the
physical suffering or extermination of protected persons in their
hands. This prohibition applies not only to murder, torture, corporal
punishment, mutilation and medical or scientific experiments not
necessitated by the medical treatment of a protected person but also
to any other measures of brutality whether applied by civilian or by
military agents."
Moreover, it gravely breaches Article 75 of Protocol Additional to the
Fourth Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 (Protocol 1) especially
Paragraph 2, which states,
"The following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in
any place whatsoever, whether committed by civilian or by military
agents: a. Violence to the life, health, or physical or mental
well-being of persons, in particular: Murder; Torture of all kinds,
whether physical or mental; Corporal punishment; and Mutilation"
and Paragraph 3 of Article 85 of the same Protocol, which stipulates
"In addition to the grave breaches defined in Article 11, the
following acts shall be regarded as grave breaches of this Protocol,
when committed willfully, in violation of the relevant provisions of
this Protocol, and causing death or serious injury to body or health:
a. Making the civilian population or individual civilians the object
of attack."
LAW Society demands the following:
1. The Israeli government to immediately stop its crimes and
collective punishment against Palestinians.
2. An international investigation committee to be set up, working
according to UN Resolution 1322.
3. The Security Council to set up an international tribunal and bring
the Israeli war criminals to justice, such as the case with the war
criminals of ex-Yugoslavia.
4. Placing Palestinians under international protection.
5. The international community to endeavour to put an end to these
crimes and the Israeli occupation.
American Committee on Jerusalem
Ashrawi: Jerusalem Remains at the Core of the Conflict and the
Solution
LAW
Another extra-judicial execution, 14 year-old boy also killed