Wide Spread Arrest Campaign and House Raids Continue
Tuesday, 12 December 2000
A wide spread arrest campaign by the Israeli Occupation
Authorities, initiated from the beginning of the recent Intifada, has
escalated during the past weeks. While the arrest campaign was
originally focused on detaining Palestinians accused of
participating in recent events at Israeli checkpoints throughout the
West Bank and Gaza, it is now characterized by systematic raids
on houses of Palestinians residing in areas under full Israeli control
(Area C) and within Jerusalem.
House raids on Palestinian homes have been regularly conducted
by large groups of Israeli military forces and special masked
military units and are primarily taking place after midnight. In most
cases, trained police dogs are sent into the homes before the
military forces storm the house, as in the case in Beit Fourik near
Nablus and Al Mughayer near Ramallah.
Instances of arrest are not only taking place at checkpoints and
crossing in the West Bank and Gaza, but also within the
Palestinian villages, including Beit Fourik, Al Mughayer, Ras
Karkar, Beit Dajan, Salem, 'Arroub Refugee Camp, Senjil and
areas of occupied Jerusalem, in addition to other areas.
In one case in Beit Fourik, the Israeli military authorities forced
Palestinian citizen Sajed Mleitat to undress completely outside his
home, after which searchlights were directed towards him, before
he was arrested and subsequently transferred to administrative
detention and then moved to interrogation three days later.
A great number of Palestinians have been arrested during these
raids and arrest campaigns, including the following:
1. Nael Al Haj Mohammad from Beit Fourik;
2. Hassaan Ishtaieh, 32 years old from Salem;
3. Mohammad Al Bes, 18 years old from Aroub Refugee Camp;
4. Hamed Khader Abu I'layah, 21 years old from Al Mughayer
5. As'ad Jaber Abu I'layah, 18 years old from Al Mughayer;
6. Sulaiman Al Fuqaha, 30 years old from Senjil;
7. Khaled Masaalmah, 35 years old from Senjil;
8. Mohammad Kayed, 46 years from Senjil.
Many of the detainees are being severely beaten and kicked during their arrest by Israeli military forces, as in the case of Mohammad Ali Ibrahim Al Bes from 'Arroub Refugee Camp. Al Bes was severely beaten with the back of a gun, continuously kicked, soaked with extremely cold water and dragged along the ground by Israeli soldiers during his arrest in the early morning hours of Tuesday, 12 December 2000.
Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association has been monitoring the recent house raids and arrest campaigns and has documented these most common phenomena that accompany them:
* Raids on Palestinian homes usually occur after midnight and end before daylight, conducted by a large number of military forces and special units.
* All targeted neighborhoods and homes are surrounded at exactly the same time throughout the entire village.
* Trained police dogs are used in searching homes before the Israeli military forces enter the house, as was the case in both Beit Fourik and Al Mughayer.
* Israeli military forces intentionally cause damage to houses and property, such as turning over and destroying furniture, breaking glass and kitchen items, as was the case in raids on Ras Karkar, Senjil, Salem, Beit Fourik and Al Mughayer.
* Directing bright searchlights at detainees and forcing them to undress for body searches from a distance, as in the case of Sajed Abdel Latif Mleitat from Beit Fourik.
* Forcing residents to evacuate their houses (families of those being arrested) and families of their relatives and neighbors who happen to reside in neighboring houses, forcing them to stand in the cold and sometimes in the rain for several hours while homes are being raided and searched. In a number of cases, the families of those being detained have been locked in one of the rooms of the house while soldiers search the rest of the house and beat the detainee, as in the case of Mohammd Al Bes.
Arrest campaigns target Palestinians of all ages, including children, youth and the elderly, as in the case of 70 year old Khalil Isa Ismail As'ad from Bethlehem, who was arrested at the crossing point with Jordan while on his way to visit his sons and relatives. Khalil As'ad has been detained at the Muscobiyeh Interrogation Center (Russian Compound) since 26 November 2000 and has been denied family visits since the time of his arrest. Addameer's lawyer Adv. Sahar Fransis has been repeatedly denied visits to Khalil since his arrest, with a prevention order prohibiting both family visits and legal counsel.
Addameer has taken on more than 45 cases of Palestinian detainees under interrogation. During the follow up of these cases, meetings with several detainees and visits by Addameer's lawyer to interrogation centers, it was discovered that despite the Israeli High Court's ruling of September 1999 banning the use of torture during interrogation, Palestinian detainees are still being subjected to torture during interrogation. Nu'man Hamoudeh who is being detained at the 'Asqalaan interrogation center, was subjected to more than one session of interrogation a day and is being put in Shabeh (position abuse) position on a very low chair while his hands are cuffed to the seat of the chair for extended periods of time.
The majority of Palestinian detainees have been denied legal counsel, many for over fifteen consecutive days, and isolated from other detainees in their cells, as in the case of Khalil As'ad. In addition, detainees are being placed in collaborator cells, where they are forced to admit to charges against them through the use of severe beatings, death threats and other forms of pressure.
Health Conditions
Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association is
gravely concerned about the continuous and intentional neglect of
detainees health conditions and the lack of adequate provision of
health care by the prison administration and prison hospitals.
Many detainees are in need of immediate medical treatment and regular health care, such as in the case of Palestinian detainees Khaled Masalmeh, who suffers from blood pressure problems, and Mohammad Kayed, who suffers from severe breathing difficulties.
While some detainees are suffering from the lack of immediate medical treatment, others are in need of surgery, such as Amin Mohammad Ghazi Al Aghbar, who is detained in Al Ramleh Prison hospital. Al Aghbar is currently suffering serious heart problems and has required surgery for the last two years, but has been continuously denied it.
Palestinian detainees have requested that specialized physicians (Eyes, Nose, Ears and Oral, Skin, Teeth, Bones, etc.) visit detainees as many are suffering from specific diseases. However, these requests have been denied and all detainees are brought before a general physician, regardless of the type of illness.
Denial of Family Visits
The Israeli authorities have continued to prevent family visits to
Palestinian detainees since the beginning of clashes on 29
September 2000. The negative psychological effects on both
detainees and their families, in particular during this difficult
period
and in light of the escalation of violence in the occupied territories,
is increasingly evident as detainees are subsequently isolated from
their families. Basic necessities usually provided by family
members are also being prevented from entering prisons.
Palestinian detainees have rejected suggestions by the Israeli
military and prisons' authorities to allow family visits limited to
only
parents, wives and children under ten and to limit visit permits to
one day only, in addition to preventing family members from
bringing basic necessities to detainees.
Lack of Food Stuff
Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons are suffering from a severe
decrease in food items allowed to prisoners since the beginning of
clashes on 29 September. The situation has reached a critical
point as the Israeli authorities have unilaterally prevented any
organizations, including the International Committee of the Red
Cross, from bringing in basic food items. At least 45% of
Palestinian detainees' food intake is reliant upon items brought in
by family members and other organizations and associations.
Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association considers that the ongoing arrest campaign and raids on Palestinian homes, accompanied by severe damage to property and severe beating of detainees, represents an unacceptable violation added to all other violations being practiced against the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation forces. In the light of this,
Addameer demands:
1. An immediate halt to torture being practiced during the arrest and interrogation of Palestinians;
2. An immediate halt to the prevention of family visits to detainees and the lifting of bans against legal counsel.
3. The intervention of the international community to demand that Israel immediately ceases all violations and collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.
4. Israel abide with all international agreements and laws, particularly those related to international human rights protection.