Ref: 83/2014
Date: 14 July 2014
Time: 09:30 GMT

While they have continued their brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip for the 7thconsecutive day, Israeli forces continued to commit more crimes in the West Bank. In excessive use of force this morning, Israeli forces have killed a Palestinian civilian in al-Samou’ village, south of Hebron, and arrested 11 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and an academic in al-Najah National University in Nablus.These crimes are part of the collective punishment policy adopted by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in violation of the international humanitarian and human rights laws.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 05:45 on Monday, 14 July 2014, a number of Palestinian youngsters headed to the western entrance of al-Samou’ village, south of Hebron, to protest against the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. Once they reached a dirt road near the entrance of the village, Israeli soldiers, who set an ambush in the area, opened fire at the youngsters. As a result of fire, Monir Ahmed Hamdan al-Badareen (21) was wounded by 2 bullet that entered the buttocks and settled in the abdomen. Al-Badareen died few minutes later. PCHR believes that Israeli forces could have used less lethal force and arrest him.

Furthermore, in the early morning, Israeli forces arrested 11 PLC members from the Change and Reform bloc affiliated with Hamas:

1. Riyadh Mahmoud Sa’idRaddad (54), from Saida village northeast of Tulkarm;
2. Fat’hi Mohammed Ali Qar’awi (56), from Nour Shams refugee camp east of Tulkarm;
3. Khaled Abed Abdullah Yehya (Khaled Sa’eed) (55), from Jenin;
4. Ibrahim Mohammed Saleh Dahbour (46), from Arrabah village southwest of the city;
5. Dawood Kamal Dawood Abu Sair (59);
6. Riyadh Ali Mostafa ‘Amlah (53), from Qablan villagesouth of the city;
7. Al-Sheikh Nayef al-Rjoub (55), from Kreisah neighborhood in Doura, southwest of Hebron;
8. Mohammed Metleq Abu Juheishah (57), from Ethna village;
9. Mohammed Isma’il al-Tull (46), from al-Daheriya village near Hebron;
10. Omer Abdul RazzaqMatar (56), former Minister of Finance, from Salfit; and
11. Fadel Mohammed Saleh Hamdan (61), from Ramallah.

Israeli forces arrested also Dr. Abdul SattarQasemKhaliliyah (66), Professor of Political Science at al-Najah National University.

PCHR strongly condemns the killing of al-Badareen, which further proves the use of excessive force by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in disregard for the civilians’ lives. Moreover, PCHR condemns arresting PLC members, which is part of the collective punishment and retaliatory nesures against Palestinian civilians in violation of article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949. Therefore, PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions and reiterates its call for the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions.