Children of Another World
"They were shooting from helicopters, tanks, soldiers, everywhere, and we were so afraid," explains Najib, a Palestinian boy from the town of Beit Jala, in a simplistic and confused manner. Marwa, an 11-year old girl, also from Beit Jala, paints a picture of Al-Aqsa Mosque and a church, between them a crying boy, lifting the Palestinian flag.
These images have come to haunt the children of Palestine, the children of another world. A world in which the purity and sanctity of childhood is replaced with fear, frustration, and uncertainty.
As the daily Israeli strikes continue to grow fiercer against Palestinian towns and villages, there is an alarming indication of a traumatized generation. Palestinian children are being faced with the daily horrors of Israeli gunshots, tank shells, helicopter missiles, and most frequently, the ongoing images of killings and funerals, whether on television or in real life.
Of the 270 Palestinians killed over the past two months, almost 90 are children below the age of 18. Of all those injured, 40% are also children, some with critical injuries and disabilities. What impact would that have on Marwa's innocent little world?
Even indirectly, the lives of most Palestinian children have been severely affected by Israel's ongoing siege of Palestinian towns and villages. Many Palestinian schools have been shut down due to the closures, and some even evacuated and turned into Israeli army posts.
Palestinian children constantly see their elders humiliated, injured, and, in many cases, killed by Israeli soldiers; they feel unprotected and vulnerable, they feel insecure.
There is an urgent need to bring all this to an "end."
"Stop killing Palestinian children" (physically and emotionally) is not merely a slogan; it is a desperate call for Israel to respect the universality of children's rights, and the fragility of childhood. return to top
TWO KILLED IN WEST BANK CLASHES
According to information garnered by LAW, Abdel Khader Omar Jib Abu Khattan (22) from Dheishe refuggee camp, was killed this afternoon during clashes in the vicinity of El khader village in the West Bank. According to un-confirmed reports, Khattan was shot by Israeli soldiers using live ammunition.
Ramzi Adil Betnha (15)was also killed today in clashes near the City Inn Hotel on the outskirts of Ramallah. Betnha was fatally wounded by a rubber coated metal bullet.
The current situation demands a particularly strong response from the international community. Despite strong international critism in a number of international arenas, including the United Nations Security Council, Israel continues to use excessive lethal force in situations that do not pose an imminent danger to soldiers. Many of those killed have been minors. The conduct of the Israeli Military forces has been outside all the relevant legal frameworks, from international humanitarian law to international guidelines on the use of force for law enforcement officials.
LAW calls on the High Contracting parties to the fourth Geneva Convention to act on the convention's article 1 obligation and ensure Israel's compliance to all relevant provisions.
LAW further calls for the prosecution of those who have committed grave breaches of the Convention. In the case of the current intifada, wilful killing. return to top
ISRAEL SHELLS PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMPS in Bethlehem
INCREASING VIOLENCE BY ISRAELI SETTLERS
For the last two nights (December 3 and 4), the Palestinian town of Beit Jala and the adjacent refugee camps of 'Aida and Beit Jibrin ('Azza) have been targets of massive Israeli shooting and shelling from Israeli army positions located on the opposite hill just below Gilo settlement and next to the entrance of 'Aida refugee camp (Bilal Bin Rabbah Mosque) on the main Bethlehem-Hebron road, as well as from Israeli gunship helicopters.
In the night of December 3, the Israeli attack started at approximately 8:00 p.m. and lasted for more than six hours. The densely populated refugee camps were shelled with heavy ammunition and bombs. Two LAU missiles shot from an Israeli gunship helicopter at around 1:00 a.m. hit the home of Yahya, Omar, and Jamal Da'ajneh in 'Aida camp destroying three floors and their car. Damages were caused to dozens of family homes in the two camps and to the only community center in Beit Jibrin camp. The home of Aiman al-'Azza caught fire and was completely destroyed. Six persons were injured by shrapnel, many elderly and children suffered from shock and anxiety attacks. The night-time raid was preceded by an attack of Israeli settlers, supported by the military, on the Palestinian village of Hussan, located south-west of Bethlehem. Some 30 Palestinians villagers were injured in this attack, seven of them seriously. According to Israeli press reports, Israeli settlers also decided to patrol the main Jerusalem-Hebron highway (Road No. 60), thus posing an additional threat to the safety of Palestinian travelers.
Gilo settlement was established in the 1970s on lands confiscated from the Palestinian town of Beit Jala following the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967. Today, the settlement houses almost 30,000 Jewish immigrants, many of them originating from the former Soviet Union. Residents of Beit Jibrin camp (1,500) and 'Aida camp (3,500) are Palestinian refugees evicted by Israeli forces in 1948 from their original villages (al-Malha, al-Walaje, Beit Jibrin, a.o.) located in the former districts of Jerusalem and Hebron. Implementation of their right of return, restitution and compensation according to UN Resolution 194 is one of the major issues yet to be resolved in a future comprehensive solution of the historical Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the meantime, and in response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the 1967 occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Municipality of Bethlehem has announced the cancellation of this year's Christmas celebrations. Since 29 September, some 280 Palestinians have been killed and some 10,000 injured; the Palestinian economy, especially tourism, has collapsed as a result of Israel's repressive military and economic policies. Palestinian hopes that, this time, the international community would intervene effectively and enforce UN resolutions and international law in the region, are fading rapidly. According to Israeli press reports today, the Israeli government will reject cooperation with the US-led Commission of Investigation, approved by the 17 October Sharem Al- Sheikh Emergency Summit and headed by former US Senator George Mitchell, if the Commission's mandate "is based on UN resolutions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." (Voice of Israel Radio, 5 December 2000).
For additional information and photographs of the recent damages in 'Aida and Beit Jibrin ('Azza) refugee camps, see our website: www.badil.org/Intifada2000/Intifada2000.html return to top
Expresses Concern About Accounts of Gross Violations of Palestinians' Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Expresses Concern About Accounts of Gross Violations of Palestinians' Economic, Social and Cultural RightsThe Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this afternoon agreed on the contents of a letter to be sent to the Government of Israel requesting it to submit its second periodic report to the Committee as well as additional information concerning the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Committee noted that Israel's second periodic report, including issues referred to and information requested by the Committee in its concluding observations on Israel's initial report which was considered in December 1998, should be ready for submission no later than March 31 2001.
In light of all the circumstances, including the Committee's concluding observations and the current crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, the Committee decided to consider the situation in the occupied territories in its next session with a view to assisting the State party in conforming to its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Committee decided to discuss the situation at a meeting on 4 May 2001 in the afternoon.
The Committee reminded Israel that its previous concluding observations and recommendations had requested the submission of additional information in time for the Committee's present session. It acknowledged receipt of a note verbal from Israel dating 3 November regarding this issue. Further, the Committee wished to emphasize that some of the additional information, especially the material concerning the occupied territories, was requested "in order to complete the State party's initial report and thereby ensure full compliance with its reporting obligations".
The Committee said that in light of the current crisis in Israel and the occupied territories, it was particularly unfortunate that Israel had not provided the additional information by the time requested. In that regard, the Committee noted the report of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson on her recent visit to the Middle East from 8 to 16 November 2000. The Committee said it was deeply concerned by accounts that Israel's recent actions in the occupied territories had resulted in the widespread and gross violations of Palestinians' economic Social and cultural rights.
Among the reports that were of grave concern to the Committee, the following were highlighted: the Israeli military and security forces both inside Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories had prevented medical aid and personnel from reaching injured Palestinians and had attacked clearly marked medical vehicles and personnel in violation of international humanitarian law; wide spread restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on the movement of persons and goods, including medicines, food and essential fuel; children travelling to and from school had come under Israeli fire and many schools in the occupied Palestinian territories had been forced to close; the Israeli Defence Force had destroyed many acres of Palestinian agricultural land in the occupied Palestinian territories; unemployment in the territories had tripled during the crisis, causing severe economic hardship, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in the population; and the incidence of house demolition and land confiscation in the occupied Palestinian territories had increased, including the destruction of civilian homes through the use of heavy weapons.
The Committee urged Israel to comply fully with its obligations under the Covenant. Also this afternoon, the Committee discussed the time interval at which States parties should submit their periodic reports. Committee members also discussed how to improve their working methods concerning the submission of country reports. Normally, a State party should provide a periodic report at five-year intervals following its ratification of the Covenant. The Committee discussed the possibility of asking for periodic reports at shorter intervals. The States parties whose reports were mentioned as examples were overdue by more than five years.
When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Friday, 1 December, it will finalize its three-week session after having a discussion on remaining issues.