Heavy Israeli attacks against Gaza
Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip last night (20/11/2000) have been described as ".the worst since the June 1967 War." Israeli helicopters and military boats off the coast of Gaza launched a three-hour bombardment against military and civilian Palestinian targets, mostly in the heart of Gaza city. One Palestinian was killed in the attack, and scores of Palestinian civilians have been badly wounded, including children.
Israeli officials claim that the bombardment comes in response to Monday's attack by a Palestinian against Israelis from Kfar Darom, an illegal Jewish settlement built on occupied Palestinian territory in the Gaza Strip.
During the past two months, Israeli forces have launched several helicopter and tank attacks against heavily populated Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank, most notably in Beit Jala, Al-Khalil (Hebron), Ramallah and Tulkarem.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has urged the international community to provide international protection to the Palestinian people, and to take a stance against Israel's aggression.
In a recent development, Egypt has recalled its ambassador in Tel Aviv as a response to Israel's aggressive attacks against Gaza last night.
Daily report on settler violence against Palestinians
21/11/2000
-In Hares, near the settlement of Ariel, settlers guarded by the police uprooted 40 trees in the land of Saliman Mahmoud Shimlawi.
-Reports from eyewitnesses state that Israeli settlers attacked an ambulance carrying two injured Palestinians from Khan Younis to Al Shifa Hospital.
-In the Hebron area Israeli settlers, under the protection of the Israeli military, bulldozed agricultural lands in Beit Ummar and Halhoul. In Beit Ummar, settlers bulldozed and destroyed a large vineyard, uprooting hundreds of grape vines.
-Israeli settlers attacked residential areas of Huwarra (in the Nablus area) with automatic gun-fire, shooting at homes and causing damage to property. The main road into the village was completely sealed off.
-Israeli settlers, under the protection of the Israeli military, bulldozed tens of dunums of agriculutural land in the Salfit area, uprooting approximately 150 olive trees.
-Settlers attacked residents of Kufr Deek (in the Salfit area), shooting at homes and residents in the area.
ONGOING CLASHES
This morning, Israeli security forces stationed at Al Jalami outpost on the Jenin-Nazareth road opened fire on two Palestinians during clashes on the outskirts of the West Bank town of Jenin after a protest involving thousands of Palestinian demonstrators.
According to an eyewitness statement given to LAW, at about 11:30 am, Ala Abu Al Haija (18) from Al Yamoon, and Mahmoud Masad (25) from Burqeen, were shot while attempting to block the road. Israeli soldiers positioned 100 meters away first fired tear gas but then opened fire with live ammunition. Abu Al Haija was hit in the left leg and when Masad tried to rescue him, the soldiers fired again, hitting both men in the neck. Both men lay bleeding on the ground until they were evacuated by a passing taxi and taken to Jenin Governmental Hospital. Mahmoud Masad was pronounced dead on arrival and Ala Abu Al Haija remains in critical condition.
This afternoon, Yasser Talib Nabtiti (16) was shot dead by the Israeli security forces. Nabtiti was shot outside Tulkarem while participating in demonstrations against the occupation. Today, LAW also learnt of the death of Hosam Mohammed Baradiya who was shot on 15 November by an Israeli undercover unit.
According to information available to LAW, today, 25 people were injured in the West Bank, with 4 sustaining injuries as result of live fire. In the Gaza Strip, 27 people were injured with 23 of those injuries reportedly the result of live fire. It was also reported that one of the 23 is a 15 year old child who is said to be in critical condition.
LAW urges the international community to authorize the dispatch of an international observer mission.
LAW urges the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to abide by the article 1 obligation in the Convention and ensure Israel¹s compliance with all the relevant provisions of the laws of belligerent occupation.
LAW urges the Israeli government to implement United Nations resolutions 242, 338 and 194.
Urgent Appeal to the International Community as Settler Rampages Intensify
Al-Haq again is appealing to the international community with a sense of urgency regarding the fate of the Palestinian people under Israeli Military Occupation. The safety and security of Palestinians continues to be threatened by the Israeli Occupying Forces and their unwillingness to stop and/or prevent acts of Israeli settler violence against Palestinian civilians.
Israeli settlers, whose presence is a violation of international law, have been acting in the Occupied Territories individually and jointly without the insignia of combatants or a command structure. Their actions include, blocking roads near villages and shooting live ammunition at Palestinians driving on by-pass roads. It appears that the Israeli military has made no real attempt to stop settler violence. To the contrary the Israeli army provides settlers with weapons, protection, and utterly fails in protecting Palestinian civilians from their illegal acts in accordance with its legal commitments under international law. Israeli settlers often take the initiative in attacking Palestinian civilians, destroying their property, and restricting their movement by blockading roads. In many cases the Israeli army is aware of such actions and even provides protection to settlers during their commission of such illegal actions. Al-Haq has extensive documentation of such violations and of the Israeli Army’s complicity in permitting them.
During the past weeks such incidents have increased, particularly in areas around Nablus and Hebron. Al- Haq views such incidents with grave concern particularly since ideologically motivated settlers have, in the past, committed serious crimes and do not operate within a responsible command structure. Settlers seem to rely both on the protection of the Israeli army and the tolerance of the Israeli judiciary, if they are tried at all. The army often fails to restrain or arrest them, leaving that task to the Israeli police who are rarely present in the Occupied Territories.
The Israeli army’s failure to provide the necessary protection for Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories is a flagrant violation of its obligation under international humanitarian law to safeguard the welfare of the occupied population. With the likelihood of ongoing Israeli settler violence, and the continuing failure or unwillingness of the Israeli army to ensure the safety and security of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, al-Haq calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to provide and/or guarantee immediate protection for Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation.
The Israeli military must take full responsibility for the deterioration of the respect for human rights in the Occupied Territories.
Israeli Missile Attack on Gaza One Man Clinically Dead, 125 Injured
Last night Israeli helicopter gunships fired 50 missiles at multiple targets in Gaza. Twelve buildings were hit, including the television broadcasting station, communications center, electricity building and a house in the Jabalia refugee camp. Other civilian buildings close to the targets were also damaged in the attack.
Approximately 125 people were injured, including 60 children. One man was declared clinically dead after being wounded in the bombardment. The psychological effects of the attack were also serious, as many women and children were admitted to hospitals suffering from nervous breakdowns.
The Israeli forces have strictly closed all entry and exit points to the Gaza Strip. They have further separated Gaza by cordoning off the northern and southern parts, prohibiting travel between the two sections even for medical personnel and vehicles carrying basic supplies. Supplies are already running low and severe shortages are imminent. Gas shortages in particular will have severe detrimental effects on hospitals¹ ability to function.
The West Bank closure has been further tightened today and Palestinian villages remain isolated from the cities. Some villages are completely cut off and have run out of basic supplies such as flour. The Israeli army has bulldozed some roads to villages in an attempt to enforce the complete closure. Again the Israeli forces are preventing ambulances from reaching sick and injured Palestinians.
The UPMRC is appalled at the Israeli army¹s fierce bombardment of Gaza and by its harmful closure of Palestinian areas. We urgently appeal to the international community to insist that Palestinians receive international protection from Israeli attacks on unarmed civilians.
Shelling the Gaza Strip from the air and the sea, the belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces launch a real war against the Palestinian civilians.
In the most dangerous deterioration of the situation in the Occupied Territories since 29/9/2000, the belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces have attacked the Gaza Strip from the sea and the air. Yesterday, 20/11/2000 between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., Israeli assault helicopters and war ships shelled the cities and Refugee camps in the Gaza Strip. They attacked both civilian and military premises including the following:
1. The Presidential Security Forces Center located in al-Twam near Jabalya, was shelled with 18 missiles, fired by Israeli assault helicopters leading to severe damage of its buildings. A few missiles, which did not explode also constitute a real threat to the lives of Palestinians.
2. The Fatah Movement Center, the highest organizational body of the Fatah movement, located in Gaza, was shelled with 6 missiles fired by Israeli assault helicopters leading to complete destruction of the building and damage of its contents including computers, photocopying machines, televisions, and office desks. The electricity and telecommunication (telephone) networks were also damaged.
3. The Police station in Rafah was shelled with 3 missiles fired by Israeli assault helicopters leading to the destruction of the 4-story building and damage of its contents including computers, photocopying machines, televisions, and office desks. The 3rd and 4th stories were completely destroyed.
4. The Presidential Security Forces Center located in Ma’n village near Khan Younis, was shelled with 14 missiles fired by Israeli assault helicopters leading to the cracking of the building, destruction of the Operations Room, and damaging its contents including computers and a photocopying machine. The electricity and telecommunication (telephone) networks were also damaged.
5. The Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation Center (The broadcasting tower) in Almuntar, Gaza, was shelled by 5 missiles fired by Israeli assault helicopters leading to damaging the Studio, Palestine (FM) radio, and the broadcasting tower. The Palestinian T.V. Operation Room, located in Adhahir tower in Gaza, that contains microwave apparatuses was also shelled and damaged with a missile fired by an Israeli warship.
6. The Presidential Security Forces Center located in Deir el-Balah was shelled with missiles, fired by Israeli assault helicopters leading to heavy damages to the building.
7. The Marine Force Leadership Center located in Deir el-Balah was shelled and damaged with missiles fired by Israeli assault helicopters.
8. One missile fired by Israeli warships exploded near a house owned by Sad Mohammad sad Addeen located in Asurafa neighbourhood, by the American school, in Beit Lahia leading to damaging of the eastern side walls of the house’s first floor and shattering of the windows.
9. A house owned by Mohammad Hasan Rif’at Annajar in Khan Younis was shelled with one missile fired by an Israeli assault helicopter. As a result the house was heavily damaged and 4 people injured, the wife, Iman Annajar and her children, Ahmad (14 years old), Jumanah (13 years old), and Nour Alhuda. Another missile was fired near the injured people while an ambulance was trying to transfer them to hospital.
10. A house owned by Suheil Fahmy al-Hasany in Ashaty’ Refugee camp, Gaza, was shelled with one missile fired by an Israeli assault helicopters leading to its complete destruction and injuring 4 members of the family, Zikraiat (14 years old), Rana (11 years old), Reema (3 years old).
11. The Preventive Security Center located in Allababedy street, Gaza, was shelled with 22 missiles fired by Israeli helicopters leading to the complete destruction of the 3-story building and its contents.
During these attacks, electricity was completely cut off. Abdallah al-Farra, a 35-year old National Security Forces soldier from Khan Younis, was killed and 58 other Palestinians injured as a result of the Israeli attacks. 5 of the injured are in a serious conditions.
Yesterday, 20/11/2000 in the morning, the Israeli Occupation Forces opened random fire at Palestinian civilians. As a result, Ibraheem Ahmad Othman, (16 years old) from Tal-Assultan/ Rafah was killed after being shot in the heart.
Today, 21/11/2000 in the morning, the Israeli Occupation Forces opened fire on Palestinian civilians. As a result, Hammad Husein Asmairy (27 years old) and Mohammad Suleiman Abu Obeid (30 years old) have been killed after being injured in different parts of their bodies. Both of them were residents of Deir al-Balah. 5 other Palestinian civilians have been injured in a similar incident in Khan Younis. Among the injured was the 14 year-old child, Yousof Ahmad Almqatran, who has been seriously injured in the abdomen.
Yesterday, the Israeli forces closed all the roads connecting the southern half of the Gaza Strip with its northern half. As a result, hundreds of Palestinian university students, who reside in the southern areas of the Gaza Strip and study at universities in Gaza, could not go back to their homes. They had to spend the night in the universities (al-Azhar university, the Islamic university, and the Pedagogical university), which are located near the Fatah Center and the Operation Room of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation targeted by the Israeli shelling. This situation created a state of panic among the students and their families.
The use of assault helicopters and gun ships in shelling the Palestinian civilians is a highly dangerous use of force. It reflects an Israeli determination to continue committing war crimes against the Palestinian civilians.
The international community is requested, more than any time, to fulfill its legal and moral commitments by providing the needed protection for the Palestinian civilians, arresting the Israeli war criminals, and imposing sanctions on Israel due to its grave breaches of the international law.
Israel imposes war over Intifada
Combat helicopters and gunboats of the Israeli occupation forces shell
Gaza: Two Palestinian civilians killed and dozens more wounded
Yesterday, at approximately 18:00 local time, combat helicopters and gunboats of the Israeli occupation forces began a violent shelling of cities and villages in the Gaza Strip. The bombardment lasted for more than three hours during which electricity was cut to several neighborhoods of Gaza City. More than 1.2 million people of the Gaza Strip endured a terrifying night that was even worse than the one experienced October 12, 2000, when the Israeli occupation forces first shelled the Gaza Strip from the air and the sea. Hundreds of thousands of people left their houses fearing they might be injured by shells that were seen in the sky, targeting both civilian and security buildings and facilities. Sounds of explosions were heard throughout the Gaza Strip. PCHR considers the latest escalation by the Israeli occupation forces, which included the shelling of cities and continued shooting at Palestinian civilians, to be a grave implementation of aggressive military operations against the Palestinian people.
Yesterday, the Israeli occupation forces escalated their military actions against Palestinian civilians. Consequently, a Palestinian young man from Rafah was shot dead and dozens more were wounded in areas of clashes. In addition, a 69-year-old Palestinian civilian from Rafah died from inhaling tear gas about a week ago. Field information indicates that the Israeli occupation forces targeted the upper part of the body when shooting at Palestinian civilians and that these forces did not use less lethal means to deal with demonstrators. In the past 24 hours, the Israeli occupation forces shelled residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities and swept more areas of agricultural land.
Note: This daily press release was supposed to be issued yesterday evening as usual, but it was delayed because of the shelling of the Gaza Strip and the cutting of electricity. At the time of this press release, it was not possible to wholly cover the damages resulted from yesterday’s shelling. This damage will be detailed in this evening’s press release.
1. Shooting at Palestinian Civilians in the Areas of Clashes
In Rafah, the Israeli occupation forces shot dead Ibrahim Ahmed Hssan Othman, 17 years old, with a live bullet in the heart. This incident took place at about 16:30, when a number of Palestinian boys gathered 100 meters away from a settlement line that links Jewish settlements in Rafah and those in Khan Yunis. An eyewitness stated that the Israeli occupation forces shot rubber-coated metal bullets when there were no clashes. Then, Palestinian boys started to throw stones at these forces. Soon, a sniper of these forces shot two live bullets at Palestinian boys, killing Othman, and wounding the child Nemer Zuhair El-Basiouni, 15 years old, with a live bullet in the arm.
Yesterday, at about 10:30, a bulldozer of Rafah Municipality was passing through Khaled Ben El-Walid street, about 70 meters away from Salah El-Din Gate on the Palestinian-Egyptian border. The Israeli occupation forces willfully shot at the bulldozer when the area was not witnessing any clashes, according to the driver of the bulldozer, Fathi Hamdan El-Shae’r, who also asserted that the shooting was from a gun provided with a silencer. The shooting resulted in the wounding of Rafat Abu Lebdeh, 30 years old, a worker of Rafah Municipality, with a live bullet in the shoulder; and the child Mohammed Zourob, 14 years old, who was passing by the area, with a live bullet in the thigh.
In Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, yesterday morning, Hamed Jaber Mohammed Al-Qotatti, 69 years old, from Rafah was pronounced dead from inhaling tear gas used by the Israeli occupation forces on November 16, 2000. PCHR learned that Al-Qotatti was in his daughter’s house near Salah El-Din Gate in Rafah, when he inhaled tear gas. He was evacuated to Nasser hospital with difficulties in breathing. He was put in the intensive care unit until he died yesterday.
In Khan Yunis, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians, wounding seven with live ammunition. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that yesterday afternoon, Akram Ahmed, 28 years old, a schoolteacher, was wounded with a live bullet in the testicle that also hit the thigh, when he was leaving Al-Shafe’iy mosque, about 150 meters away from a military post of the Israeli occupation forces adjacent to Neve Dekalim settlement. PCHR’s field officer added that Ahmed was shot by a gun provided with a silencer. Another six Palestinian civilians were wounded with live ammunition shot by the Israeli occupation forces. Four of the wounded received bullets in the upper part of the body; they are:
1) Ibrahim Hassan El-Moqannan, 15 years old, critically wounded with a live bullet in the head that penetrated his eye. He was evacuated to Nasser hospital;
2) Rae’d Bashir Al-Najjar, 22 years old, critically wounded with a live bullet in the chest; and
3) Wae’l Joma’a Barhoum, seriously wounded in the pelvis.
In the area near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, to the east of Gaza City, the Israeli occupation forces fired live bullets and shells at a number of Palestinian civilians, wounding 18. Among the wounded was press photographer Marwan Fares El-Ghoul, 38 years old, from Al-Shati refugee camp, who was 30 meters away from a tank of the Israeli occupation forces, covering clashes between these forces and Palestinian civilians. It was clear to these forces that El-Ghoul was a journalist, as he was wearing a special uniform and carrying his camera on his shoulder; however, they willfully shot at him, wounding him with a bullet in the foot. This sort of attack against journalist has become commonplace in the past few weeks. Others among the wounded were:
1) Sami Jamal El-Sowayer, 20 years old, from Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded with a shell that cut his right foot and hit him in with splinters in the chest;
2) Zuhair Mustafa El-Lahham, 17 years old, from Al-Shojae’ya neighborhood in Gaza City, seriously wounded with splinters of a shell in the head;
3) Asa’d Khalil El-Sheghniwi, 22 years old, from Al-Sabra neighborhood in Gaza, seriously wounded with a live bullet in the head;
4) Hussein Baker El-Ne’izi, 17 years old, from Al-Shojae’ya neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded with a live bullet in the neck that caused complete paralysis;
5) Qassem El-Baraqoni, 16 years old, from Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen; and
6) Rae’d Ziad Sbeita, 14 years old, from Al-Shojae’ya neighborhood in Gaza City, seriously wounded with a live bullet in the chest.
2. Shelling and Shooting at Houses
Yesterday, at about 18:00 local time, combat helicopters and gunboats of the Israeli occupation forces started a violent shelling of cities and neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip. Such shelling lasted for more than three hours and targeted both civilian and security facilities and buildings. PCHR’s field workers are currently gathering information about the damage and losses caused by this escalation by the Israeli occupation forces. This violence directed at Palestinian civilians has become a part of the daily life of Palestinian civilians. As was mentioned above, our daily report of this evening will detail the shelling of the Gaza Strip. The following part of the report will detail shelling and shooting by the Israeli occupation forces 24 hours before yesterday’s shelling.
At Sunday midnight, the Israeli occupation forces shelled a number of residential neighborhoods in Khan Yunis. This shelling with heavy weapons lasted from 12:30 local time until Monday morning, and was from Neve Dekalim settlement, in the west of Khan Yunis, and Gani Tal, in the northwest of Khan Yunis. A number of Palestinian houses were hit with heavy and medium bullets, causing severe damage to walls and windows. Bullets also hit internal parts of these houses. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that some of the targeted houses are 300 meters away from Gani Tal settlement, and others are in the center of Khan Yunis, 2-3 kilometers from the mentioned settlement. PCHR’s field officer added that no injuries were reported. The buildings that got the most severe damage were:
1) The house of Mahmoud Abdel-A’zziz Kellab: water reservoirs on the roof were hit and windows were destroyed.
2) The house of Mahmoud Ahmed El-Dawahidi: water reservoirs on the roof were hit with bullets and windows were destroyed.
3) A medium caliber bullet hit the headquarters of the ICRC in Khan Yunis; specifically, the room of the representative of ICRC, Amal Al-E’deini.
4) A two-story building in the center of Khan Yunis, owned by the Al-Agha family, was hit and pockmarked with holes in external walls.
5) A bullet penetrated the roof of a watch maintenance shop, about three kilometers to the south of Gani Tal settlement, owned by Nabil El-Halabi.
6) Houses owned by the families of El-Aqqad, El-Astal, Wafi, El-Majayda and El-Khatib were severely damaged.
3. Sweeping of Agricultural Land and Settlement Expansion
Yesterday morning, the Israeli occupation forces started to sweep large areas of agricultural land on the western side of Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), 200 meters to the south of Kfar Darom settlement. They swept 50 donums of agricultural land planted with palms, owned by Ne’mat Al-Agha. The sweeping also included a 12-square-meter room used as a place for meetings, owned by Ahmed Abdel-Majid Abu Meghasib.
From Sunday, at about 22:00 local time, until Monday morning, the Israeli occupation forces swept areas of agricultural land, 300 meters to the south of Kfar Darom settlement. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that the sweeping included: 1) A 30-donum area of agricultural land planted with oranges, owned by Abdel-Qader Abdel-Rahman Abu Bashir; and 2) A seven-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Yousef Abu Bashir.
The sweeping also included areas of agricultural land 500 meters to the north of the junction leading to Kissufim Crossing on the Green Line. This sweeping included: 1) A three-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by Hammad Abu Haddaf; and 2) A four-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by Sae’id Abed Rabbo Abu Haddaf.
4. Continued Reinforcements and Blocking of Roads
No changes have taken place concerning the reinforcement by the Israeli occupation forces of their presence throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. In the Gaza Strip, tanks and armored vehicles of the Israeli occupation forces are still stationed on Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), near the roads leading to Gush Qatif settlement block and the settlements of Kfar Darom and Morag, and on the road leading to Kissufim Crossing in the east. Yesterday morning, the Israeli occupation forces closed Salah El-Din Street near Kfar Darom settlement, less than 24 hours after it was reopened. Palestinian civilians have been facing difficulties in moving between the north and south of the Gaza Strip. PCHR’s field officers reported that they have been resorting to a branch road of Salah El-Din Street, to the east of Kfar Darom settlement. Yesterday afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces allowed the passing of Palestinian civilians, but on foot. These civilians were forced to walk a distance of more than 1 kilometer before resuming their travel from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip and vice versa.
As a result of closing Salah El-Din Street and the alternative branch road, this morning, the Israeli occupation forces obstructed the passing of an ambulance in which a 4-year-old child, injured in a car accident, was being evacuated to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City. The ambulance was blocked at a roadblock of the Israeli occupation forces, in the area of Kfar Darom settlement, for six hours. Later, they allowed its passing through Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area.
Also yesterday afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces completely closed Al-Tuffah roadblock between Khan Yunis City and Al-Mawasi area with cement blocks. Palestinian civilians on their way from Khan Yunis City to their houses in Al-Mawasi area have been checked and humiliated by the Israeli occupation forces at the mentioned roadblock. Cars also have been prevented from passing, so Palestinian civilians, including the elderly, have been forced to walk a distance of more than three kilometers from the roadblock to their houses.
In Rafah, all branch roads leading to Rafah Border Crossing have been closed since November 16, 2000. This increases the suffering of residents of Rafah and obstructs the access of farmers to their agricultural land near the Border Crossing on the Palestinian-Egyptian border.
The Israeli occupation forces have continued to isolate Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area in the west of Rafah and Khan Yunis, causing a deterioration in the living conditions of residents.
The Israeli occupation forces have continued to impose a sea siege on the southern area of the Gaza Strip since November 10, 2000, preventing Palestinian fishermen from going out to sea. A number of fishermen stated that they have not been able to remove their nets from the sea since November 9, 2000. They believe that these nets will be damaged by the extended delay.
The Israeli occupation forces have kept up their actions of collective punishment by continuing to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories and by closing Gaza International Airport and Rafah Border Crossing.
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.
Discrimination Diary - 21th November 2000 Response to the Intifada inside:Arrests, detentions and human rights violations in the Arab community
On Saturday 11th October, several Arab communities throughout the country commemorated the death of 13 demonstrators in clashes between police and local residents. A relatively low turnout was noticed at these events. Many believe that the brutality and racial discrimination, demonstrated so clearly in the recent clashes and the campaign of arrests that followed, have frightened people into keeping a low profile. As a matter of fact, the treatment of Arab suspects in recent weeks has confirmed that Arab citizens cannot be certain that Israeli authorities will respect or protect their basic human rights. This realization has not only pushed the Arab population further away from their Jewish neighbours, but led the community to fear for their security. Since 28th September, over 600 Arabs have been arrested, more than 400 of these being remanded in custody. Incidents of police brutality in the manner of arrests and detention are being reported across the Arab sector. On October 21st, Amnesty International sent a delegation to the region, the main task of which was to gather and document information regarding the arrests and detentions that had taken place in Israel and East Jerusalem. Their report adds an international NGO’s support to Arab calls for an independent investigation into the alleged violation of the human rights of Palestinians inside as well as outside the Green Line.
If the aim of such police tactics is to create a climate of fear amongst the Palestinian community here in Israel, to a certain extent they have succeeded. The fear is not limited to those who were involved in the clashes, but to their families, friends and those who were witnesses to events. No one is quite sure when a phone call might come or whether they might wake up to a knock at the door. Terror induced by the campaign of arrests is effective as a mechanism of control and restraint amongst the Arab population.
“When will they come for me?”
Ali Zbidat’s wife answered the phone to another caller who ignored her request to identify himself. Ali has been kept under house arrest since the Land Day demonstrations in March at the military camp being built on confiscated land on the edge of Sakhnin. He must remain within the boundaries of his home until his trial for ‘incitement to violence’ of the youth of Sakhnin. In the days leading up to the Ali’s next court appearance the family received several calls inviting Ali to go to the police station to help with investigations. Ali did not go, knowing that other residents of Sakhnin had not returned for several days following such invitations.
On October 9th at Acre district court, the police prosecutor succeeded in getting a ten day adjournment on Ali’s trial. Two men in plainclothes sat in the back row watching proceedings. As the judge walked out, they stood up and walked up to the defendant. One grabbed and twisted Ali’s arm behind his back, and suddenly they were joined by several others. Ali did not physically resist arrest but he was handcuffed and pushed to a car waiting outside. By the time his wife reached the police station his legs were also chained together.
Whilst waiting outside the interrogation room, Ali’s wife was invited by uniformed police to step into a side room. When she inquired if she were being arrested she was told that they merely wanted an informal chat. She refused. The following day the police justified Ali’s arrest by saying that his wife’s refusal to bring him to the phone proved that he had broken bail.
The judge did not allow this as a reason to prolong detention, but Ali still spent over 48 hours in custody and his wife was subject to psychological intimidation by the police. Both believe that this case is just another example of the way in which the Israeli police are attempting to spread fear within the community. "My husband has been arrested before but they have never tried to involve me in such a way. This reveals a new level of intimidation, I don’t know what I can say without it being twisted, and reported to be used against my husband. I’m afraid of what they will do next".
It is well known within the Arab community that the police try to use medical records in order to identify those who participated in demonstrations. Many of the wounded in the recent clashes refused to seek medical help urgently needed, through fear of names being reported to the police. Such fears were well founded. The Israeli police demanded that three private hospitals in Nazareth provided a detailed list of those injured in the clashes.
"It is one of the basic rights of patients not to have the cause of their hospitalization disclosed" announced the spokesman of Holy Trinity hospital (1). The fact that in the main the hospitals did not disclose the names and details of patients was not enough to reassure many of those Arabs injured. Fear of medical records being used as evidence of participation has led to contingency plans being made for any future such events. One Arab NGO reported that it was preparing itself to operate an anonymous medical service should occasion demand.
Psychological and physical pressure
Several Arab detainees have reported being denied access to legal services. The Israeli Criminal Procedure Law of 1996, section 35, permits the police to prevent detainees from speaking with a lawyer for up to 21 days after arrest, a violation of internationally declared standards of human rights.
Amnesty researchers learnt of the cases of five Palestinians from Kafr Kanna who had been prohibited from seeing lawyers before interrogation by the General Security Service (GSS). "Isolation of detainees from the outside world appears to be a tactic used by the Israeli authorities…to place psychological pressure on detainees in order to secure a confession or useful information." (2)
Despite the fact that the use of torture was outlawed last year by the Israeli High Court of Justice, certain forms of physical punishment persist. Muhammad Kana’na was arrested following his alleged participation in the March Land Day protests. Following the demonstration he was severely beaten by plainclothes police and threatened with a gun at pointblank to the head whilst handcuffed. Kana’na’s legs were broken during his arrest and he was denied medical treatment. He reports that despite his acute discomfort and physical incapacity police demanded that he walked to a car taking him to the courtroom (3).
15-year-old Mahmoud has had a serious kidney complaint from birth. His father reported to HRA his concern that the authorities are not giving his son access to all four doses of his medication (4). Mahmoud is physically very weak and if this situation continues his condition is potentially life threatening. He was arrested after being identified by an armed Jewish citizen, brought to his home by the police. Six weeks after his arrest, Mahmoud remains in detention. He is sometimes given his prescribed medication but never to the full dose. Mahmoud depends on the daily whim of the authorities that detain him.
Mahmoud’s father’s testimony is not an isolated tale. The basic human rights of Palestinians have frequently been violated at all stages of the process of arrest and detention. A pattern of nighttime arrests has emerged indicating a specific policy of doing so. Police have been reported to be wearing balaclavas and brandishing loaded guns as they enter Arab homes. Children have not been shielded from the brutality of arrests. Many have woken to find police breaking into their bedrooms as they sleep (5).
At least 30 minors have, like Mahmoud, been detained following the clashes, the majority of whom have been Palestinian. Israel is party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 37[b] of which states that "Arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child should only be used as a measure of last resort, must be in conformity with the law and for the shortest appropriate time" (6) In detaining children and the manner in which they have done so, the Israeli police have violated their own codes regarding the special treatment of juvenile offenders (under 18). Police Standing Order 14.01.05 states for example that children should generally be questioned by a specially trained officer in the day and in the presence of a parent. Children should only be handcuffed in exceptional circumstances. Yet in recent weeks children have been arrested during the night and reportedly beaten by police officers. In many cases, moreover, there was no specially trained youth investigator present in interrogation.
Remanded in custody: Double standards
A very high proportion of Arabs have been refused bail and remanded in custody until trial, particularly when it is seen in comparison with the number of Jews detained for similar offences. Amnesty reports that about 66% of those arrested were Arabs, but this figure increases to 89% when looking at the proportion of Arabs among those detained. Article 9[3] of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) emphasizes that people awaiting trial should not normally be held in police custody. Palestinian citizens of Israel arrested and accused of participation in the recent clashes have routinely been detained. This shows the adoption of a harsher strategy by the authorities, as previous Israeli policy for offences such as stone throwing and illegal gathering was to release the suspects on bail and place them under house arrest (as in the case of Ali Zbidat following the Land Day clashes). “There is a clear policy of the prosecutor and the police to deny the release of the suspects until a bill of indictment is set against them and they are subsequently convicted” said lawyer Muannis Khoury (7)
This strategy was openly confirmed by Israeli Attorney General Elyakim Rubenstein, as reported by the Israeli Jerusalem Post on 31st October. “We will study the situation on the ground in the near future and on a routine basis. The data we have so far does not indicate that the time is right to change our policy” (8). Rubenstein stresses the policy of detention is applied equally to Arabs and Jews detained for participation in the clashes, despite the fact that our statistics show otherwise.
Last week the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz (9) published a substantial report comparing the case of three Arab and three Jewish teenagers. Both Arabs and Jews were arrested for similar offences connected with the clashes in Nazareth and Afula. Over a month later, the three Arabs remain in custody whilst the Jewish youngsters were granted bail. All six youths are represented by the same lawyer, Attorney Ahmed Masalha, who has brought to media attention the severe imbalance in punishment meted out by the justice system, despite the startling similarities in the cases. In the case of the Jews, it was decided that the situation in the region had calmed down and that it was appropriate to release the three from detention. On the other hand, when the Arabs were brought to court, after the Jewish boys, the prosecution presented a police document claiming that the situation was highly volatile. The fact that the Arabs remain in detention is symptomatic of the double standards applied by the Israeli justice system.
Notes:
(1) Al-Sinnara, Nazareth, Friday 27th October
(2) Amnesty International, "Israel and the Occupied Territories: Mass Arrests and Police Brutality", November 2000, p. 4
(3) Kull Al-Arab, Nazareth, and Al-Ittihad, Haifa, Friday 8th September
(4) Telephone interview, 13 November 2000 (5) Al-Sinnara, Nazareth, Tuesday 23rd October
(6) Amnesty Report, p. 6
(7) Kull al-Arab, Nazareth, Friday 20th October
(8) Quoted in Amnesty Report
(9) "Two Laws for Two People", Ha’aretz, Tel Aviv, Tuesday 7th November 2000
Schooling in Gaza after Israeli Bombarding
Dear Colleagues,
The situation in Gaza today is difficult in the aftermath of the Israeli bombarding, by air and from the sea, yesterday evening(20th November). The severe bombarding started about 6 p.m. and lasted for more than three hours.
The Israeli bombarding hit several buildings for Fatah organization and for the Palestinian National Authority, including a Palestinian Television relay station. It also knocked out the electricity in much of Gaza, until 2 a.m. this morning.
The Israeli army blocked the main road connecting the northern and southern parts of Gaza. Today, movement of pupils, teachers and education administrators between the two parts was prevented.
Movement was further restricted due to the fact that Israel has prevented supplies of fuel from entering the Gaza Strip for the past week. Petrol stations are running out of supplies. Cooking gas is difficult to find.
School attendance by pupils today is less than 50%, due to the above and because of the concern of parents about their children's safety. Half of the teachers were not able to report to their schools. More than 20 government schools could not operate at all.
One of the teachers, Ms. Samira Awad, in one of the only two model KGs operated by the Ministry of Education (Rawdat Al Salam - The Peace KG, in English) was hit by a rocket shrapnel in her chest while at home during the bombarding. She was hospitalized. Her condition is stable. This KG was established by UNESCO with assistance from Daimler-Benz in Germany.
The Ministry of Education issued a statement this morning. Following is a translation:
"Despite the severe attacks on our people and our pupils in all parts of the country perpetrated at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces, the Ministry of Education is intent to continue with the process of education. This will counteract the attempts to besiege our people who are steadfast politically, economically, educationally and psychologically.
The Ministry calls on all employees to report to duty, strictly observe working hours and perform their work well during this period. The Ministry considers this matter a national duty, under the present circumstances.
The Ministry calls on all teachers and administrators to focus on the safety of pupils and on the educational process in each school. The Ministry calls, furthermore, on all institutions and ministries to direct their employees in areas under Israeli siege, and who cannot reach their normal places of work, to the nearest school in their area of residence in order to teach in place of teachers who are not able to report to work.
The Ministry stresses on full attendance in schools starting on the
morning of Wednesday 22 November 2000 in all administrative districts,
especially in the districts of the Gaza Strip".