Ref:89/2020

Date:18 September 2020

Time: 15:30 GMT

On Thursday, 17 September 2020, gunmen opened fire at a vehicle travelling from Bethlehem to Salfit through Wadi al-Nar St., few meters away from the Container Israeli military checkpoint, east of Bethlehem. As a result, a young man, his wife, and his sister were killed, and his brother sustained critical wounds.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) expresses its deep concern over this incident and stresses the imperative to open a serious investigation into it, publish the results and take necessary legal action.

According to PCHR’s investigations, 5 gunmen, in a grey Subaru Impreza with an Israeli license plate, opened fire at a Hyundai Tucson SUV with a Palestinian license plate driven by civilian ‘A. Z. A. (25), from Biddya in Salfit, his wife N.KH.H. (20), from Bariyat al-Sawahrah  area, east of occupied East Jerusalem, his sister ‘A. (20), and his brother TH. (30). As a result, ‘A.Z.A, his wife, and his sister were killed, and his brother, TH, sustained 3 live bullet and was transferred to al-Makassed Hospital, in occupied East Jerusalem, his condition was deemed critical.

It should be noted that the 3 siblings were returning to Biddya in Salfit after leaving a Ministry of Social Development protection center in Bethlehem, where ‘A.Z.A was wed to N. KH. H. only a few hours before the incident, to complete the preparations for the wedding ceremony scheduled the following day in Salfit. It should be noted that (N. KH. H.)’s family refused her marriage to (‘A. Z. A), and had abused her phsycially and emotionally and threatened to kill her. As a result, N.KH.H resorted to Mehwar Centre – Safe Home in Bethlehem, for protection and to help convince her family to approve the marriage. The late N.KH.H at the Centre for a while until the Center reached an agreement with both families to allow the marriage. They were wed at the Centre a few hours before the shooting incident. As the newlyweds and the groom’s siblings were driving home, gunmen opened fire at his brother’s vehicle with M16s. The gunmen stepped out of their vehicle and fled to Bariyat al-Montar area where a vehicle was waiting for them 1 kilometer from al-Quds Landfill, according to eyewitnesses’ statements. The crime was committed by N.KHH’s family for her disobedience to their decision concerning the marriage.

Lieutenant Colonel Louay Zreiqat, Spokesperson of the Palestinian police, said that the police and public prosecution officers went to the scene and opened an investigation to identify the circumstances of the incident.

For its part,  the Ministry of Social Development issued a statement expressing its regret for the incident and the family protection case that the Ministry and its partners have been following since last April, especially that one of the victims was sheltering at one of the Ministry’s protection centers and was killed in cold blood after leaving the center with her husband and completing all necessary procedures for marriage as per applicable laws.

PCHR condemns in the strongest terms this crime and notes with concern the growing phenomenon of violence against women and girls in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt).

In light of the above, PCHR:

1. Calls for exerting more efforts by the Public Prosecution to prosecute the perpetrators of murder crimes, including crimes against women and girls, and stresses the importance of the Judiciary role in applying the law to this crime as a premeditated murder and not reward the criminals with light sentences as has been the norm in such cases;
2. Points out to the State of Palestine’s obligations under international conventions and treaties, including the International Convention against All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), to take necessary measures and deterrent legislations to provide protection for women and consider the murder of women as premeditated and willful regardless of the motives;
3. Calls upon the Council of Ministers to quickly and urgently adopt the Family Violence Protection Law, which is a deterrent to perpetrators of crimes against women, girls and children; and
4. Calls upon the Council of Ministers to take serious steps to end the security chaos and misuse of weapons and take immediate action to impose the rule of law in the West Bank, in order to ensure the security and protection of the citizens’ lives, especially in the light of the increasing of murders recently.