Palestine: LAW Weekly Press Report

[JOHN M COX <coxj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: "Lawsociety" <law@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

LAW Weekly Press Report
Thursday, January 18, 2001

Introduction
The Israeli authorities have continued to pursue measures that are
violations of international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian
territories. In the past week, Israeli security forces have deployed
excessive lethal force against Palestinian civilians, attacked residential
areas, and continued the closure and encirclement of Palestinian towns and
villages which has caused enormous social and economic dislocation.

·       Violating the right to life

Mohammad Ghanim, 75, from Silet el Thahir/Jinin, died due to severe teargas
inhalation on January 1, 2001. According to information available to LAW,
Israeli soldiers and Israeli settlers from Hoamish opened fire at residents
of Silet el Thahir. As a result of a tear gas canister fired in the
direction of Ghanim, he was overcome by its fumes and later died. The cause
of death was confirmed by hospital reports.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers wounded Hilmi Salami, 12 and Husam el
Kazaz, 15 in a shootout in Khan Yunis.

In a separate incident on 12 January 2001, Israeli soldiers wounded 22
Palestinians in clashes at the northern entrance of el Bireh. In the Gaza
Strip, Israeli soldiers wounded the following five Palestinians:
1.      Khaleel Madi, 15, shot in the leg;
2.      Haitham Wadi, 11, shot in the head;
3.      Mohammad Za?rab, 8, shot in the leg;
4.      Natheir Sha?th, 65, shot in the buttocks;
5.      Zakariya el Jamal, 17, shot in the leg.

·       Attacks on civilian areas

The Israeli forces continued to shell residential areas. On January 11,
2001, Israeli forces stationed near the el Gharbi refugee camp opened fire
at the camp hitting Abdul Majeed Abu Ikir?s house and destroying the roof
and the furniture. Eighteen-year-old Mohammad el Ikir was wounded in the
attack.

On Friday, January 12, 2001, Israeli soldiers shelled the (Austrian) quarter
south of Khan Yunis destroying several buildings. On Sunday, January 14,
2001, Israeli forces shelled a Palestinian National Security Forces? outpost
in Deir el Balah wounding 42-year-old Faraj Abeed in the right foot, which
was later amputated.

On Wednesday, January 17, 2001, Israeli forces shelled the western part of
Tulkarem. The shelling went on for several hours and reportedly targeted
residential areas.

·       Uprooting trees

On January 12, 2001, Israeli forces uprooted 80 trees in Beit Umar/Hebron;
on January 16 and 17, 2001, 250 olive trees were uprooted in Hiwara/Nablus.

·       Closure

1.      January 11, 2001, the Israeli authority opened the roads between Gaza?s
northern and southern districts;
2.      Israel closed the same roads on January 14, 2001;
3.      On January 15, Israel closed Gaza International Airport;
4.      Rafah border crossing was also closed. (Israel took these arbitrary
measures 2-4 when a settler was abducted and later found dead in Gaza).
5.      Closure around Khan Yunis on January 15, 2001; Israeli forces placed
concrete blocks on roads leading to farms;
6.      On January 16, Israel placed a 700-meter-long barricade on the coastal
road leading to Deir el Balah;
7.      On January 17, Israel opened the road linking Rafah to Khan Yunis;
however, the road was opened for few hours and commuters had to leave their
names and ID card numbers with the Israeli soldiers stationed at the
checkpoint.
8.      The tight closure over Hebron intensified on January 17 when Israeli
forces placed additional concrete blocks and barricades on the roads.

·       Arrests

On January 14, 2001, Israeli forces broke into Mohammad and Ameer Jafar?s
home in el sawahri el Sharkiyi/Jerusalem. They arrested Abed Jafar and his
15-year-old daughter Shadya, Ameer and his 34-year-old son Mohammad. Shadya
is currently held in custody at the Russian Compound and Mohammad is
detained at Kfar Atsyun. Abdul Kader Jafar, 44, told LAW that his uncle
Ameer, who is a diabetic, was taken to Hadassa hospital on the night of his
arrest. Ameer supports a 17-member-family.

In a separate incident, Israel prohibited Tamer Idrees, 15, a resident of
the Old City of Jerusalem from entering the Old City for two weeks. Idrees
was arrested on January 2, while in the Jewish Quarter. He was released on
January 11, 2001. Sabri el Najar, 40, from Khan Yunis, was arrested and
taken to an unknown destination.

Eight hundred Palestinians have been arrested since the beginning of the
current Intifada; 520 are still detained.

 Settlers? assaults

In the aftermath of killing of an Israeli settler in Gaza, settlers from
Kfar Yam, Nitsar Hazani, and Neve Dakalim settlements assaulted Palestinians
and Palestinian properties in Khan Yunis. They destroyed greenhouses,
uprooted plants, attacked residences, and terrorized the population. Israeli
soldiers turned a blind eye to the settlers? rampage. The settlers also
destroyed the homes of Ibraheem el Laham and el Sayid el Najar.

On January 15, Israeli settlers opened fire at a Palestinian vehicle
wounding Mahmoud Sawan and Nasir Jaber from Kufur Lakif. Nasir Jaber told
LAW that a white GMC opened fire at the vehicle he was sitting in, wounding
him and Mahmoud Sawan.

The Israeli authorities allowed settlers to patrol in Israeli controlled
Hebron. Israel Radio stated that such patrols would be under Israeli police
supervision and include settlers who had completed their national service.

Despite repeated declarations from the United Nations and international
human rights organizations, Israel continues to use lethal force against
unarmed civilians. LAW has stressed repeatedly over the period of the
current Intifada that such acts constitute crimes of war. The intentional
killing of a resident of occupied territory in circumstance that are not
life threatening to the army of occupation is willful killing and thus
constitutes a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention (art. 146,147).
Moreover, article 32 of the convention stipulates:

?The High Contracting Parties specifically agree that each of them is
prohibited from taking any measure of such a character as to cause the
physical suffering or extermination of protected persons in their hands. The
prohibition applies not only to murder, torture?but also to any other
measures of brutality whether applied by civilian or military agents.?

In light of the enormous loss of life, with most of those killed being
unarmed Palestinian civilians, LAW calls on the High contracting parties to
the Fourth Geneva Convention to abide by their article 1 obligation and
ensure Israel?s adherence to the Convention?s provisions pertinent to
territories that are under belligerent occupation.

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