Israel / Occupied Territories / Palestinian Authority: Killing of
children under scrutiny at UN
More than 250 Palestinian and 72 Israeli children have been killed in Israel
and the Occupied Territories in the past 23 months. When the UN Committee
on the Rights of the Child meets to consider Israel's periodic report on
Wednesday October 2, Amnesty International calls for a new mindset among
Israelis and Palestinians to prevent the killing of more children.
Killing the Future: Children in the Line of Fire, a new report issued today
by Amnesty International details the way in which Palestinian and Israeli
children have been targeted in an unprecedented manner since the beginning
of the current intifada.
"Children are increasingly bearing the brunt of this conflict. Both the Israeli
Defence Force (IDF) and Palestinian armed groups show an utter disregard
for the lives of children and other civilians, Amnesty International said
today.
"Respect for human life must be restored. Only a new mindset among Israelis
and Palestinians can prevent the killing of more children."
The impunity enjoyed by members of the IDF and of Palestinian groups responsible
for killing children has no doubt helped create a situation where the right
to life of children and civilians on the other side has little or no value.
"Enough of unacceptable reasons and excuses. Both the Israeli government
and the Palestinian Authority must act swiftly and firmly to investigate
the killing of each and every child and ensure that all those responsible
for such crimes are brought to justice," the organization stated.
The international community should heed the call by Amnesty International
and scores of other NGOs for international monitors to be sent to the region.
The Israeli government should stop refusing the presence of international
monitors. Amnesty International believes that had observers been present
in the region since October 2000, their presence may have saved the lives
of Israeli and Palestinian children as well as other civilians.
Killings of Palestinian children
The majority of Palestinian children have been killed in the Occupied Territories
when members of the IDF responded to demonstrations and stone throwing incidents
with unlawful and excessive use of lethal force. Eighty Palestinian children
were killed by the IDF in the first three months of the intifada alone.
Sami Fathi Abu Jazzar died on the eve of his 12th birthday after being shot
in the head by a live bullet fired by Israeli soldiers into a crowd of mostly
primary school children. The shooting took place in the aftermath of a stone
throwing demonstration. Six other children were injured by live fire in the
same incident. Amnesty International delegates were present in the crowd
at the time and concluded that the lives of the soldiers were not in danger.
In the past year Palestinian children have been killed when the IDF randomly
opened fire, shelled or bombarded residential neighbourhoods at times when
there was no exchange of fire and in circumstances in which the lives of
the IDF soldiers were not at risk. Others were killed during Israeli state
assassinations, when the IDF destroyed Palestinian houses without warning,
and by flechette shells and booby traps used by the IDF in densely populated
areas.
The large numbers of children killed and injured and the circumstances in
which they were killed indicates that little or no care was taken by the
IDF to avoid causing harm to children.
Dina Matar, two-months-old and Ayman Matar, 18-months-old, were among nine
children killed on 22 July 2002 when the IDF dropped a one ton bomb from
an F-16 fighter jet on a densely populated area of Gaza city. The bomb killed
17 people. The aim of the attack was to assassinate a leading Hamas activist,
who was among those killed. The following day Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel
Sharon called the attack "one of the most successful operations".
A number of Palestinian children have also died after being held up at IDF
checkpoints, and delayed or even prevented from passing through to reach
hospital. At least three children have been killed by Israeli settlers. In
most cases the IDF does not intervene to protect Palestinians from Israeli
settlers, who literally get away with murder.
=========================================
(an extract from Amnesty International's report)
AI Index: MDE 15/147/2002
INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT,
1 EASTON STREET, LONDON WC1X 0DW, UNITED KINGDOM
http://www.amnesty.org
amnesty international – universal children's day
Israel and the Occupied Territories and
the Palestinian Authority
Killing the Future:
Children in the Line of Fire
(...........)
Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli soldiers using excessive
and disproportionate lethal force in response to protests, or as a result
of shelling and bombardments of residential areas. Others were killed during
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) assassinations of Palestinian activists, or
when their homes were demolished. Some died because they were denied access
to medical care by the IDF. At least three were killed by armed Israeli settlers.
Israeli children have been killed by Palestinian armed groups, many in suicide
bombings. Some have been shot dead by members of Palestinian armed groups
or by individual Palestinians inside Israel, and in settlements and on roads
in the Occupied Territories. No judicial investigation is known to have been
carried out into any of the killings of children by Israeli soldiers, even
in cases where Israeli government officials have stated publicly that
investigations would be carried out. The Palestinian Authority, for its part,
has failed to take the necessary measures to prevent attacks on Israeli civilians
by Palestinian armed groups and to bring to justice those responsible for
unlawful killings. All the parties involved in the conflict are disregarding
the right to life of the most vulnerable members of the Israeli and Palestinian
civilian population.
Riham al-Ward, a 10- year-old schoolgirl, was killed on 18 October 2001 when
her school, the al-Ibrahimiya school in Jenin (a city in the West Bank) was
shelled during an Israeli attack and incursion into the city. The tanks started
shelling just as children were arriving at the school; the director gathered
the children in the yard into a ground-floor classroom. One girl was hit
in the doorway of the room and Riham, who turned to help her, was hit in
the heart and died before reaching hospital. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)
were initially reported as claiming that there were armed Palestinians operating
from the area and were later reported as admitting that they had made a mistake
in shelling the school.
Khalil Ibrahim al-Mughrabi was playing soccer and flying kites with his friends
in a large open space near the border fence at Rafah, on 7 July 2001, when
he was killed by a high-velocity bullet in the head. He was just 11 years
old. His two friends, Ibrahim Kamel Abu Sussain, age 10, and 13-year-old
Suleiman Turki Abu Rijal, were also shot and both sustained serious injuries.The
shots came from an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) post about 800 metres away
and according to witnesses there were no disturbances or clashes in the area
at that time. The IDF claimed that there had been rioting and throwing of
fragmentation grenades in the area, but confidential IDF records showed that
this was untrue.
Muhammad Ibrahim Hajaj, Ahmed Suleiman Abu Tayah and Ibrahim Reziq Omar,
all 14 years of age, were shot dead and several other children were wounded
on 1 November 2000 by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip,
in a place which over the past two years has been a regular demonstration
site for children who gather to throw stones at IDF tanks and/or at the IDF
tower. Muhammad Ibrahim Hajaj was shot in the neck and Ahmed Suleiman Abu
Tayah and Ibrahim Reziq Omar were shot in the head and chest. All three died
immediately. Several other children were wounded, including two 10-year-olds
who were shot in the abdomen and in the right shoulder. According to eyewitnesses
and to medical records, the children were fired on with live ammunition from
a distance of about 150 metres.
Just before midnight on 22 July 2002, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) dropped
a one-ton bomb on a densely populated neighborhood of Gaza city. Nine children,
most of them under the age of 10, were amongst the 17 killed. Dina Matar
was just two months old and Ayman Matar 18 months. Muhammad Ra=ed Matar was
three, Diana Ra=ed Matar five, Subhi Mahmud al- Hweiti four, Muhammad Mahmud
al-Hweiti six, >Ala= Muhammad Matar 10, Iman Salah Shehada 15 years old.
Maryam Matar, 17 years old, was seriously injured in the attack and died
on 15 August. More than 70 other people were wounded. Leading Hamas activist
Salah Shehada, who was among those killed, was accused by the Israeli authorities
of organizing attacks against Israelis. Given the location of the target,
in a densely populated residential area, and the method of attack chosen,
the authorities must have known that civilians, including children, would
be killed. The following day Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, called
the attack "one of the most successful operations".
=============================
AI-index: MDE 15/143/2002
04/11/2002
Israel and the Occupied
Territories
Shielded from scrutiny:
IDF violations in Jenin and Nablus
(extracts)
In the four months between 27 February and the end of June 2002 – the period
of the two major IDF offensives and the reoccupation of the West Bank - the
IDF killed nearly 500 Palestinians. Although many Palestinians died during
armed confrontations many of these IDF killings appeared to be unlawful and
at least 16% of the victims, more than 70, were children. More than 8,000
Palestinians detained in mass round-ups over the same period were routinely
subjected to ill-treatment(2) and more than 3,000 Palestinian homes were
demolished.
The number of Israelis killed by Palestinian armed groups and individuals
also increased: the number doubled during the month of March during the first
Israeli incursions; in the four months up to the end of June 2002 more than
250 Israelis had been killed, including 164 civilians; 32 of those killed
were children.(3)"
Throughout the period 4-15 April, the IDF denied access to Jenin refugee
camp to all, including medical doctors and nurses, ambulances, humanitarian
relief services, human rights organizations, and journalists. (......)
By 12 April residents said that the continuous curfew had led to an acute
food and water shortage. In some cases children were drinking waste water
and became sick as a result. One resident from the edge of the camp said
that: "the camp smells of death due to the scattered bodies, some bodies
are buried under the rubble, others crushed by tanks, and the rest are left
lying in the streets."
In the refugee camp, the IDF moved from house to house, searching for weapons
or members of armed groups. The IDF told Amnesty International that soldiers
treated each of the 1,800 houses in the camp individually, warning people
to leave; if no one came out of a house IDF soldiers would use a loudspeaker
instructing those inside to leave.Numerous testimonies show that IDF units
frequently forced Palestinians to take part in operations by making a Palestinian
camp resident enter a house first and then search it; they also used Palestinians
as "human shields" to shelter behind. IDF patrols blew open the doors of
houses often without waiting to see whether those inside were going to open
them. Houses were destroyed, sometimes without ensuring that the residents
had left.
After the IDF closure and curfew were raised on 17 April 2002, they were
repeatedly reimposed. In June, Dr Kathleen Cavanaugh, an international law
expert and Amnesty International delegate, trying to carry out research in
the few hours when the curfew was lifted, moved from house to house taking
shelter and interviewing residents as she tried to investigate recent killings
of children in Jenin during the curfew. As she was interviewing eyewitnesses
the IDF killed another child breaking the curfew.
According to hospital lists reviewed by Amnesty International there were
54 Palestinian deaths between 3 and 17 April 2002 in both Jenin refugee camp
and Jenin city as a result of the incursion and subsequent fighting. This
figure includes seven women, four children and six men over the age of 55.
Six had been crushed by houses. The body of one person known to have died
by being crushed in his house has not been recovered.(5)
"My son Wadah has six children four boys and two girls. The oldest child
is
10 years old and the youngest is four months. It was 6 April at about 6.30pm.
The IDF had gone to the house of Yusuf 'Abd al-Karim Sa'adi. He lives not
far from my house, maybe 15 metres. Yusuf's son, 'Abd al-Karim was at my
house at the time. The IDF then moved from this house to my neighbour's
house. My son, Wadah, does not normally stay with us but because of the
situation, he had come to stay here with his family. Myself, my wife, my
son
and his family and my daughter and her family were all here with me. The
IDF ...
saw my children playing in my backyard and told them to go to the basement
of my house. We all went to the basement, there were 17 of us, and we were
there for about five minutes. We were then told to go next door but instead
of
letting us pass through the main entry, they made us walk along the street
and
then approach my neighbour's house through an alley. When we reached the
end of the alley, the soldiers separated the men from the women and children.
Both my son and 'Abd al-Karim were holding children. They handed the
children to the women and remained in the alley. The women and children
went to a back garden of 'Abd al-Karim's house, which was located through
a metal door off the alleyway. When the women and children were in the garden,
the soldier closed the door. Some of the soldiers went with the women and
three
stayed with us; they were only two metres away in the narrow alley. Two were
called Gabi and David. .... They told us to lift our shirts.
"We did not have anything in our hands. When they told us to raise our shirts,
we did. I heard Gaby say in Hebrew 'Kill them, kill them', then the other
soldier
took his gun and sprayed us with bullets. He shot from left to right, so
'Abd al-Karim
was hit first and then Wadah. I don't know how I wasn't shot except that
when I
heard the shots, I fell to the ground. My son's body was resting on mine.
I could
feel something wet underneath and I could see it was blood. I could see that
my
son was shot. I kept very quiet and pretended to be dead".
Amnesty International visited the site of the shooting. There was under two
metres distance between the position of the soldiers and that of the victims.
At the time the shootings would have occurred, it would have been early evening,
but would not yet have been dark. It has been suggested that 'Abd al-Karim
Sa'adi was wearing a back-brace and the soldiers might have mistaken it for
an explosive belt; however, the brother and father of 'Abd al-Karim Sa'adi
insisted that he did not wear a back-brace. Professor Derrick Pounder carried
out an autopsy on the body of Wadah Shalabi and concluded that he died from
a shot into the left back and out of the right front. Wadah Shalabi was also
shot in the foot.
'Ali Na'el Salim Muqasqas
Professor Derrick Pounder conducted an autopsy on the body of a 52-year-old
man, later identified as 'Ali Na'el Salim Muqasqas, in Jenin City Hospital
on 17 April 2002. The autopsy disclosed a single fatal gunshot wound to the
right chest and heart which would have caused rapid death.
Hassan, the son of 'Ali Muqasqas, said:
"It was Saturday 6 April. We were all in a bedroom. There were nine
persons
four children, one young woman and four men, including my father and myself.
There was shooting coming from the Israelis. I knew it was from the IDF,
as it
sounds different than from the resistance. On the first day of the invasion,
a
sniper had hit our water tank, so we stored some water under the stairs just
outside. At about 12.30pm on that day, my father went out to get some water
for the family. My father knew where he could walk, as we had seen the sniper
before and had been shot at before. We knew the sniper's range and so my
father knew to stay in certain areas or hurry through certain areas or he
would
be shot. On that day, my father ran through the first zone, the first area
of danger.
I then heard 2 shots. I heard my father's voice saying that he was injured.
I went
outside to try and reach my father but there was shooting towards me. I could
not reach him. I tried to speak with him, but he did not reply. The stairs
were
about 20 metres from the room we were staying in. I tried to call my neighbour
to see if he could get to my father by a different way, maybe to climb over
the
wall. My neighbour, Abu Khaled, told me that he could not go over the wall,
he
was too old. He then came and was pounding on the door. He was pounding so
hard, that I just ran to open the door. At that time there was a helicopter
flying
overhead and sniper fire. Shooting began and Abu Khaled was shot in the chest.
It wasn't a deep wound; it was as if the bullet had scratched him. I now
had two
problems.
"I brought my neighbour into the back room and we tried to give him first
aid.
After Abu Khaled was shot, I realised that the sniper was not in the usual
place.
I looked out of the back window from the room we were in and saw movement
in the house across the way. I knew then that the IDF were in that house,
as
most of our neighbours had left the area. I am the eldest son and it was
my
decision then and I decided to take my family out of the house, it was too
dangerous. At the time we left, we still had hope that my father was alive.
We
kept calling to him, 'Father, father,' but there was no reply. We broke a
window
in the backroom and climbed through. This led to an alleyway and to my uncle's
house, which is just close by. We stayed in this house until after the invasion.
From this window we would call out to our father. It was too dangerous to
go
back, but we would try to speak with him and to see if there was any sign
of life.
We were unable to reach him until the Red Cross and some doctors came and
retrieved his body on 15 April. He was dead."
The autopsy findings are consistent with the family's account of his killing.
Fares Hassan al-Sa'adi
On the evening of 21 June 2002, the IDF blew up an unoccupied house in the
old city area of Jenin. The explosion also demolished an adjacent house,
which contained eight family members, all of whom were trapped in the rubble.
Two were seriously injured and one 12-year-old child, Fares, died. According
to the family and neighbours no warning was given to the family before the
explosion, despite protests from a neighbour who had been used during this
military operation to check the adjacent house. Amnesty International interviewed
neighbours, as well as family members. Their accounts of the incident are
consistent. The IDF has claimed the targeted property was used to store munitions.
Regardless of whether this was the case, the responsibility remains for those
members of the IDF involved in the operations to secure the safety of the
civilian population in the immediate area.
A neighbour of the al-Sa'adi family described how an IDF unit compelled him
to check the rooms of an empty house for explosives:
"[...]The soldiers told me that they were going to demolish the house. I
saw the
bomb. I explained to the soldiers that there were actually two houses, not
just
this one, and that only a common wall separated them. I told them that if
they
exploded this house the other one would also fall. I said that there were
children
next door. I asked the soldiers to give me permission to knock on the door
and
warn them, but they said 'No'."
"All of a sudden, there was an explosion and the roof fell down. I was then
under the rubble. When I got out, I was calling to my children. I first heard
Mahmud (11), who was injured on his left ankle. I then heard my daughter
Asil (8),whose leg was broken and had a head injury. My wife had injuries
all over the left side of her body and she was cut and bleeding. Up until
now she cannot hear well in her left ear. I then found my daughter Hadil
who was unconscious. After that I found my niece Muna; she had a back
and leg injury. We then found Fares. At that moment, I didn't know if he
was alive or dead."
Fares al-Sa'adi died in the ambulance on the way to hospital.
International standards, including the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention
and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions require
prompt, thorough, and impartial inquiries into these killings. The primary
responsibility for these investigations lies with the State. Amnesty International
urges the government to initiate without further delay a thorough and transparent
investigation into the above cases and to make these findings public. The
international community has a responsibility to ensure that these investigations
take place and are carried out according to the UN Principles and that those
responsible for unlawful killings are brought to justice.
2. TORTURES AND ARBITRARY DETENTION
AI-index: MDE 15/143/2002 04/11/2002
Israel
and the Occupied Territories
Shielded from scrutiny: IDF violations in
Jenin and Nablus
Amnesty International's Conclusions
Torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in arbitrary detention
In the towns and refugee camps occupied by the Israeli army the IDF ill-treated
and
sometimes reportedly tortured Palestinians detained in mass roundups of males
aged
15-55. Amnesty International interviewed many Palestinians from Jenin who
had been
released from detention while they were still in Rumaneh, a village near
Jenin, prevented
from returning to their homes. Amnesty International delegates also interviewed
former
Palestinian detainees arrested during Operation Defensive Shield in Jenin
and Nablus,
who described the cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment to
which they
had routinely been subjected. Most were humiliated and many were insulted.
Many
described treatment amounting to torture, mostly in the form of random beatings
with
rifle butts.
Article 7 of the ICCPR prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or
punishment; this article is non-derogable. Israel has also ratified the Convention
against
Torture which states that "No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether
a state
of war or a threat of war, internal political in stability or any other public
emergency,
may be invoked as a justification of torture" (Article 2(b)) and requires
investigations
into every allegation of torture or ill-treatment (Article 12).
Under Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention "torture or inhuman treatment…
unlawful confinement of a protected person," and "wilfully depriving a protected
person of the rights of fair and regular trial prescribed in the present
Convention" are
all grave breaches of the Convention and therefore war crimes.
(Document "a")
Amnesty International On-line. http://www.amnesty.org
ai-index MDE 15/089/2002 23/05/2002
Israel/Occupied Territories: Amnesty International calls for a commission
of inquiry into mass arbitrary detention of Palestinians
"We were all handcuffed and we sat on a pebbly ground. We weren't given any
food, and when we asked for water they poured it over us. The handcuffs were
tight and when the blindfolds were taken off on our arrival I saw some people
with hands black and swollen."
Testimony of Majdi Shehadeh arrested on 8 March 2002.
"More than 8,500 Palestinians have been arrested between 27 February and
20 May, many of them arbitrarily detained. These arrests and detentions were
accompanied by a consistent pattern of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
and sometimes torture," Amnesty International said in a report released today.
The report "Mass detention in cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions" documents
how detainees were humiliated and detained for days without charge, access
to a court, their lawyer or families.
"We call on the Israeli authorities to set up a commission of inquiry and
to bring those responsible for ill-treatment of detainees to justice."
Most of the 2500 detainees arrested during February and March were released
within a week, whereas many of the more than 6000 detainees arrested during
Operation Defensive Shield after 29 March were held in prolonged incommunicado
detention. A new military order issued on 5 April 2002 (Military Order 1500)
allows an initial period of 18 days of detention without access to a lawyer,
a judge or relatives. After the initial period of incommunicado detention
the prohibition of access to the outside world can be extended further by
a military judge for up to 90 days.
"This Military Order violates international standards and must be immediately
repealed," the organization added.
Loudspeakers summoned males between 15 and 45 to report to the Israeli Defense
Forces (IDF). On arrest most detainees were blindfolded and handcuffed with
tight plastic handcuffs, often held squatting, sitting or kneeling, not allowed
to go to the toilet, and deprived of food or blankets during at least the
first 24 hours.
"The indiscriminate and arbitrary arrests caused anguish to families who
remained under curfew after their relatives were led off and had no means
of knowing whether they were alive or dead," Amnesty International emphasized.
Majdi Shehadeh was one of more than 600 Palestinians
arrested in Tulkarem refugee camp by the IDF in early March 2002. He was
arrested on 8 March, told to take off his clothes from the waist up, left
for an hour and then transferred to Israel, before being released the following
day without charge. Amnesty International interviewed him on 20 March. The
account he gave of his ill-treatment was similar to many others heard by
the organization.
Jamal Issa, who was arrested on 8 March and released
six days later without charge or even interrogation, described the first
24 hours of his detention: "We stayed the night at the District Coordination
Office, about 60 of us, handcuffed and blindfolded, treated as terrorists
and humiliated. We asked to go to the toilet and they refused it."
During "Operation Defensive Shield" in 29
March 2002 more than 6000 Palestinians were arrested. Scores of detainees
were reportedly stripped to their underclothes on arrest and forced to remain
in their underclothes for hours or even days. Released detainees from Jenin
interviewed by Amnesty International delegates in Rumaneh village gave a
consistent account of their treatment at the hands of IDF soldiers. They
reported having been ordered to strip to their underwear, their hands were
clasped behind their backs with plastic handcuffs, and they were blindfolded.
They were kept like this for up to ten hours.
The use of administrative detention has also greatly increased: In May 2002
the IDF and the State Attorney gave figures ranging from 450 to 990 people
in administrative detention compared with the November 2001 figure of 32.
Most of those detained since the beginning of April have received administrative
detention orders of up to six months. Administrative detention is a procedure
under which detainees can be held without charge or trial. The order of detention
can be renewed indefinitely.
'Abd al-Salam 'Adwan, 39, a nurse and father of
five children was arrested on 7 March 2002 at his workplace in Maqassed Hospital
in Jerusalem and eventually transferred to Shikma Prison in Ashkelon. His
lawyer was promised access to 'Abd al-Salam 'Adwan for the first time on
24 March. But when he reached the prison he was denied access to his client.
On 26 March the lawyer was told that there was an order prohibiting 'Abd
al-Salam 'Adwan from seeing his lawyer for ten days. After the order expired
another order was imposed prohibiting access to a lawyer for a further five
days. Only after intervention by Amnesty International and other human rights
organizations was he allowed to see his lawyer for the first time after 34
days of incommunicado detention. On 13 May he was served with a six months
administrative detention order.
Amnesty International calls on the Israeli Government to set up an independent
commission of inquiry under the Law on Commissions of Inquiry of 1968. The
commission should investigate the arbitrary arrests and the cruel, inhuman
or degrading treatment immediately after detention of Palestinians arrested
after 27 February 2002. Such a Commission of Inquiry should adhere to international
standards for thorough, effective and independent investigations.
Read the report:
Israel/Occupied Territories: Mass detention in cruel, inhuman and degrading
conditions
(Document "b")
Amnesty International On-line. http://www.amnesty.org
ai-index MDE 15/154/2002 04/11/2002
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
Israel/Occupied Territories: Israeli Defence Force war crimes must be investigated
{.........................}
The report, Israel and the Occupied Territories: Shielded from Scrutiny -
IDF violations in Jenin and Nablus, documents serious human rights violations
by Israeli forces -- unlawful killings; torture and ill-treatment of prisoners;
wanton destruction of hundreds of homes sometimes with the residents still
inside; the blocking of ambulances and denial of humanitarian assistance;
and the use of Palestinian civilians as "human shields". Following meetings
with the IDF in May to discuss IDF actions and strategies, Amnesty International
submitted most of the individual cases included in the report to the IDF
for comment but, despite promises to answer on the cases, no response has
yet been received.
[......] In Jenin and Nablus, the IDF blocked access for days to ambulances,
humanitarian aid and the outside world while the dead and wounded lay in
streets or houses. In Jenin a whole residential quarter of the refugee camp
was demolished leaving 4,000 people homeless.
[.........]
"There will be no peace or security in the region until human rights are
respected. All attempts to end human rights violations and install a system
of international protection in Israel and the Occupied Territories, in particular
by introducing monitors with a clear human rights mandate, have been undermined
by the refusal of the government of Israel. This refusal has been supported
by the USA."
"It is imperative that the international community stop being an ineffective
witness of the grave violations that take place in Israel and the Occupied
Territories. Meaningful, urgent and appropriate action is long overdue,"
Amnesty International concluded.
Israel and the Occupied Territories Shielded from Scrutiny : IDF violations
in Jenin and Nablus details the following violations:
Unlawful killings
"My family was at home on Friday 5 April. It was about 3 or 3.15 in the afternoon.
We heard the knocking and calling for us to open the door. My sister 'Afaf
said 'Just a moment'. She said this right away.... When she reached the door,
she had just put her hand out to touch the handle of the door and it exploded.
The door exploded in on her and the right side of her face was blown off....
I think she must have died instantly. We started shouting. The soldiers were
just outside that door. The IDF began to shoot at the walls as if to try
and scare us. We yelled at them to get an ambulance but they did not answer
us."
"I looked and saw one of the large bulldozers coming from the west side bulldozing
the al-Shu'bi family house and I saw the house tilt over. Without even thinking,
I yelled to the soldier in the bulldozer, 'Let the residents leave the house.'
At this point the soldier came out of the bulldozer, took his weapon and
started to fire in my direction." Ten members of the Shu'bi family were buried
under their house in Nablus for six days, only two survived.
These cases are just two of many documented by Amnesty International in Jenin
and Nablus where people were killed or injured in circumstances suggesting
that they were unlawfully killed. Palestinians not involved in fighting were
killed as a result of disproportionate use of force and the failure of the
IDF to take adequate measures to protect those not involved in the fighting.
In Jenin refugee camp and Jenin city, more than half of the 54 Palestinians
who died as a result of the incursion between 3 and 17 April, appear not
to have been involved in fighting. Among those killed were seven women, four
children and six men aged over 55. Six had been crushed in houses. In Nablus,
at least 80 Palestinians were killed by the IDF between 29 March and 22 April.
Among the victims were seven women and
nine children.
None of these killings has been impartially and thoroughly investigated,
even where there have been strong reasons to believe they were unlawful.
This failure on the part of the Israeli authorities has helped created a
climate where some members of the IDF, aware that no action will be taken
against them, continue to carry out unlawful killings.
The use of Palestinians for military operations or as "human shields"
"We entered my neighbour's house. The soldiers began to drill a hole in the
wall. I went with three soldiers and the dog through the wall. The soldier
kept the gun positioned at my head. This happened about six or seven times.
In each case, when we passed from
building to building the soldiers always kept me in front of them. At the
last place I pulled the door back and just as I was walking out I heard shooting.
The soldiers pulled me back from the alley and began to return fire. I was
one metre behind them".
In both Jenin and Nablus, the IDF systematically compelled Palestinians to
take part in military operations or to act as "human shields". Women as well
as men were used in this way. Typically, the IDF would hold a Palestinian
for several days and compel them to search property in the camp, thus putting
them at serious risk of injury.
Torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in arbitrary detention
" They started to beat us on the body and chest with rifle butts.....We were
all gathered there in our underwear. It was cold. When we
asked for blankets, we were beaten. We were not given any water."
In Jenin, men who had been rounded up and separated from women, children
and men aged over 55 were stripped to their underwear,
blindfolded and handcuffed. Many said they were beaten. One detainee died
as a result of beatings.
In Nablus a similar pattern of torture and ill-treatment of people detained
in mass round-ups was recorded. Immediately after arrest, detainees
were taken to Shomron temporary detention centre. Those interviewed said
that beatings took place during and after the arrests. The centre was
overcrowded and detainees were given insufficient water, little food and
were sometimes denied access to toilet facilities.
Document "c"
AI-index: MDE 15/143/2002 04/11/2002
Israel and the Occupied Territories
Shielded from scrutiny: IDF violations in Jenin and Nablus
Torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees
During their operations in Jenin refugee camp between March and June 2002,
the IDF ill-treated and sometimes tortured hundreds of detained men mostly
between the ages of 16 and 55.(7) The IDF announced that 685 Palestinians
had been arrested in Jenin by 11 April. It appears that the only requirement
for detention was gender, nationality, and age.(8) Men were separated from
women, children and men over 55. They were stripped to their underwear, blindfolded
and their hands were bound with plastic cuffs. Reports of ill-treatment were
frequent and some said they were beaten;
one detainee died as a result of these beatings.
Those detained were removed from the refugee camp and taken first to Bir
Sa'adeh where they were held for between two and five days. During this period
they were ill-treated: former detainees interviewed said they were forced
to squat, with their heads lowered, for protracted periods of time; their
hands were still bound behind their back with plastic cuffs and they were
blindfolded. For the first 24 hours no food was reportedly supplied and water
distribution was not systematic (some report receiving some water, others
none at all). Most said that no blankets were furnished despite the cool
temperatures at night and there was limited or no access (or access permitted
in difficult or degrading circumstances) to toilet facilities. From Bir Sa'adeh
detainees were transferred to Salem detention centre; most were released
after three to 11 days' detention.
At the end of their detention, detainees were interrogated for periods ranging
from 15 to 60 minutes. Some indicated being asked basic questions; others
indicated that they were asked questions about political or armed activity
in the refugee camp or their own political views. Some detainees were then
transferred to other detention centres, sometimes to secret detention centres;
some were later released, others issued with administrative detention orders
or held pending trial before a military court. Each detainee who was released
was photographed at the conclusion of the interview, usually twice. One photograph
was given to the detainee marked with his ID number and the authorities kept
the other photo. For some, the photograph now remains their only source of
identification.(9)
Detainees were released several kilometres from one of three villages around
Salem, usually Rumaneh village. They were made to walk to the town; they
were frequently still without clothing and most without shoes. They were
told to remain in the village. Amnesty International interviewed several
detainees upon their release. They were being housed in temporary accommodation
in public buildings (in Rumaneh village, a school was converted into a temporary
shelter); families took others in. As the blockade was still continuing most
had no idea of what had happened to their families, who had remained in the
camp, or their property. They returned to Jenin only after 17 April 2002,
following the temporary IDF withdrawal from the refugee camp.
'Amer Muhammad 'Abd al-Karim
'Amer 'Abd al-Karim, aged 24, was arrested in Jenin refugee camp on 9 April
2002. He told Amnesty International how all those sheltering in a house with
him came out when they saw that houses were being bulldozed around them:
"There were 60 people in the same building, there were three women,
a newborn baby, about seven children and five or so old men. ... the
shelling began again and the house next door was being bulldozed. The
people in the house decided to leave rather than face the bulldozer.
When they left, they gave the sign of surrender. The IDF told them to
sit on the ground and place their hands behind their back; their hands
were bound with plastic ties. Men were separated from women and
taken 10 by 10 and told to strip to their underwear. They were then
told to parade around in a circle. We were not blindfolded. We then
were marched for about 20 metres and then separated from one another.
When we were marching I saw an injured woman who had just one leg.
We asked the IDF to help her and get an ambulance. They refused and
said not to fear. At that time, I heard shooting coming from the left,
which lasted about 10 minutes. During this period, the Israeli soldiers
were using people as human shields. The soldiers would have us walk
in front of them, sometimes with them resting their rifles on our shoulders.
At times they were exchanging gunfire and shooting from people's
shoulders. After about 10 minutes, we were blindfolded and then taken
to a big area. I tried to take off my blindfold to see if friends were with
me. I asked about the injured woman and was told that they left the
woman there. We were then bound together in groups of five by the
hands. We then walked about 30 minutes... we were then made to sit
on the ground for about five minutes. I heard a soldier say to put 20 into
four columns. There was a tank in front and one behind, I heard it. It
was now late at night. We were gathered in one area and sat in a row.
I tried to get off my blindfold with my leg. I was worried I was going
to be run over by a tank. ... They started to beat us on the body and
chest with rifle butts ... after the beating we were seated with our head
on our knees with our arms behind our back. We all gathered in a large
area near Bir Sa'adeh, near Jenin outpost. We were all gathered there
in our underwear. It was cold. When we asked for blankets, we were
beaten. We were not given any water. We were there from about
midnight to about 10am.
"We were then taken to Salem by a bus or something like a truck
with chairs. We were taken off the bus one by one and asked for
ID and names. They started gathering information then – names
and personal details. One soldier asked who knew Hebrew. I put
my hand up. They took off the blindfold. I was given a gallon or
so of water that was hot and told to give to the thirsty. There were
about 31 or so men there. Because I knew Hebrew, I was asked
to tell the soldiers that some people were injured. The soldiers told
me that they would deal with it later. The water ran out before
everyone had a drink. One soldier told me to tell the others that
'You fighters don't deserve to live – you should die'. I told him,
'We came to you for surrender, we are ordinary people'. It was
quite hot and some of them tried to lie on the ground but the soldiers
told us to put our heads between our legs. There was a man about
68 years old who would not do it so the soldiers beat him with their
rifle butts and their boots. We stayed in this squatting position from
about 10am until night-time. We did not have a break. Only when I
was pouring water was I allowed to be in a different position. We
were at Salem from Tuesday night until Wednesday night. There
was one man with us who had diabetes but there was no medical
help provided during this time. I was released at a gas station. I
was still blindfolded but with my hands handcuffed in front. When
I left the bus I was told not to go back to Jenin or the camp."
Muhammad and Husni Ahmad 'Amer
On Sunday 7 April, two brothers, Muhammad and Husni Ahmad 'Amer, were taken
into custody by the IDF.Muhammad 'Amer described how Husni, who had been
compelled to participate in an IDF operation, was subjected to severe beatings,
and taken from Salem detention centre by ambulance later that day. At the
time Amnesty International interviewed him, he was searching for information
about his brother. Almost two months later, Muhammad 'Amer was informed that
his brother Husni had died.
Muhammad 'Amer told Amnesty International:
"I was at my mother's house in the Jurrat al-Dahab area of the camp on the
morning of 7
April. It was a Sunday and it was about 8am. I was with my son, another brother
and my
mother. I heard a knock on the door. We opened the door and found that it
was my
brother Husni, he was with the IDF. The IDF ordered us to leave the house
and about
20-25 soldiers entered the house. We were on the balcony. They were in the
house for
about 5 minutes. They arrested my son Amir and left my mother and my other
brother
Maher (who is disabled). They took myself and my brother Husni and led us
to Husni's
house, which is a very short distance away.
"When we reached Husni's house, we entered and went to the basement. When
we
reached the basement, the soldiers saw many pictures on the basement walls
and an
officer said to us, 'these are maps to show the fighters the roads'. We both
answered
and told them that these were just children's drawings. When my brother told
him that
these were the drawings of his children, his hands were handcuffed behind
his back
with plastic and they had him sit. They did not touch me. I was just standing
near my
brother at the time.
"They began to hit my brother on the shoulder and his bottom with a type
of baton.
The beating continued for about half an hour. The soldier kept saying to
him, 'You
must say these are maps of the militants'. For a while, my brother was screaming.
After a while, though, his face became almost white. He kept telling them
that these
were just his children's drawings. He told the soldiers, 'I can get my children
so that
they could tell you'.
"My brother then began to complain about a pain in his stomach and asked
the
soldiers for some water. They did not give him any water. They beat him about
four to five times and in between each beating, they would ask him about
the
drawings.
"When they finished beating my brother, they told me: 'Okay, now it is your
turn'. I told them in Hebrew that I am ill and that I have a problem with
my
heart. They left me for about five minutes and when they came back they said,
'Okay you can go to the other room'. It was just next to the one I was in
with
my brother. When I went to the other room, I was told to sit on the ground.
The
door was left opened. I could see my brother. I spent about half an hour
in this
room. After this, they took both my brother and me out of the house. My brother
was leaning on me. The IDF took us to the entrance of the camp. We walked
about 200-250 metres. Once inside the camp, they handcuffed us with plastic
ties
and blindfolded us. We were told to sit. We were kept there for about one
to two
hours, I am not sure.
"My brother kept complaining about his pain. At first they took us to Bir
Sa'adeh.
My brother was screaming now from the pain. He kept saying he was hurt. When
we arrived at Bir Sa'adeh, my brother and I were separated. At one stage,
I asked
to use the bathroom and a soldier took me. He let me take my blindfold off
then.
When I returned, I sat in a different place, under a tree. I was allowed
to keep my
blindfold off. I could hear my brother asking for water and complaining about
the
pain in his stomach. After a short time, the soldier told me to put my blindfold
back on. During the time I had the blindfold off, I could see my brother
at the
bottom of the hill. They didn't give him any water or any medical help. We
were
kept there for about 6 hours.
"We were then put in an armed personnel carrier (APC) and taken to Salem
detention centre. We realized we were in Salem when we heard the call for
prayer. When we arrived at Salem, we were ordered to sit on the gravel. When
I was there, I was taken for interrogation and asked a few questions. They
asked me if I would like to work with them and told me that if I agreed,
they
would get me permission to work inside Israel. I refused. They questioned
me
for about 10-15 minutes. They then photographed me and kept the photo. I
heard
them saying to each other in Hebrew 'You can release him'. They put the
handcuffs and blindfold back on me.
"After the interrogation, I returned to the gravel and I was placed near
my brother.
The soldier gave me his ID card. He was moaning very loudly at this point
and
seemed to have problems breathing. The other prisoners started to yell that
he was
dying. I heard the soldiers trying to give him some medical help, and then
I heard
one of them ask for an ambulance. I could still see a bit through the bottom
of the
blindfold and saw them taking my brother away. It was about 7.30pm. I remained
there for one night. The following morning, I was released. I have not seen
my
brother again."
The family, as well as local human rights organizations including HaMoked,
made repeated inquiries regarding Husni 'Amer. They were told by the IDF
that
there was no record either of his detention or of his hospitalization. On
1 June,
nearly two months after his detention, the District Coordination Office (DCO,
the centre for coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority)
informed
Husni 'Amer's family that his body was being held at the Abu Kabir Centre
for
Forensic Medicine. On 6 June, the Israeli High Court, acting on a petition
from the
family, prevented any further examinations on the body. On 13 June, Muhammad
'Amer was called to Abu Kabir to identify the body. The family has requested
independent forensic examination to determine the cause of death.
3. COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT
Amnesty International On-line. http://www.amnesty.org
ai-index MDE 15/100/2002 26/06/2002
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
AI Index: MDE 15/100/2002 (Public)
News Service No: 108
Embargo Date: 26 June 2002 10:00 GMT
Israel / Occupied Territories: Palestinians suffer renewed
collective punishment
As Israel reoccupies villages and towns in the West Bank the Palestinian
population suffers the effects of widespread security measures such as prolonged
curfews, house demolitions or administrative detention that amount to collective
punishment, said Amnesty International today.
"No abuses, however atrocious, by armed groups can justify Israel's indiscriminate
punishment," said Amnesty International. All major West Bank towns have by
now been reoccupied and are placed under curfew for up to 24 hours a day,
preventing a population of 500,000 from pursuing their daily life.
"The curfews are forcing Palestinians to spend long periods under virtual
house arrest," Amnesty International stated.
The right to freedom of movement is further curtailed by closures -- army
barriers blocking all movement between towns and villages -- and the introduction
of a new rule that requires every Palestinian travelling to another town
in the West Bank to obtain a permit from the Israeli Civil Administration.
"Economic, social and psychological consequences of closures are extreme.
Palestinians cannot go to work, products cannot be transported and agricultural
produce cannot be harvested and sold. Cultural and social life is severely
limited while children lose weeks of schooling," the organization said.
In response to a spate of suicide bomb attacks by Palestinian armed groups
killing dozens of Israeli civilians, Israeli authorities have begun to construct
a heavily protected security fence in the Occupied Territories. Some Palestinian
communities have been placed on the Israeli side of the barrier, virtually
cutting them off from the rest of the West Bank.
By demolishing houses of families of suicide bombers or wanted Palestinians
the Israeli authorities punish the families collectively. The demolition
of houses is prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention except for cases
of absolute military necessity.
In addition to violating the Fourth Geneva Convention the security measures
taken by Israel also violate its obligations under international human rights
standards. The reoccupation has been accompanied by the rounding up and arbitrary
detention of hundreds of Palestinians, who are held often in degrading conditions
without charge or trial.
Curfews and house demolitions have also led to violations of the right to
life. On 21 June a Palestinian man aged 60 and two children, aged 11 and
six, were killed in Jenin by a tank round. They came out to shop when the
curfew was reportedly lifted. The Israeli Defense Forces have admitted that
the shelling of the market place was a mistake. But it is not clear whether
anyone will be held accountable for the killing. On the same day a 12-year-old
child was crushed to death during an Israeli army demolition of a house in
Jenin.
Israel appears to have resumed its policy of "targeted killings" of suspected
members of Palestinian armed groups. On 24 June the car of an alleged Hamas
activist in Rafah was attacked by a missile killing six people, including
the driver of a passing car and the Hamas activist.
"Unlawful killings of Palestinians continue as a result of the virtually
complete impunity offered to Israeli soldiers who kill Palestinians," said
Amnesty International.
"Durable security cannot be addressed by more repression and more walls and
barriers," commented Amnesty International. "It can only be achieved if the
human rights of all are guaranteed."