Ref: 43/2011

In the evening of May 13, 2011, Milad Ayash, 17, was shot and
killed in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. The Palestinian Centre for
Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns this crime and calls upon the
international community to take immediate action in order to compel the
government of Israel to put an end to these acts and to bring those responsible
to justice.

PCHR conducted an investigation and took a statement from the
father of the deceased, Said Ali Issa Ayash, 57, who lives in Ras al-Amud where
he works as a translator and an editor. According to the statement, at
approximately 15:00 on Friday, 13 May 2011, Milad was walking on a dirt road in
the center of Silwan, which is located just south of the Old City in Jerusalem.
When he was approximately 10 to 15 meters away from two houses occupied by
Israeli settlers he was shot. The shot came from the direction of the houses
occupied by the Israeli settlers. The bullet entered Milad’s abdomen and exited
from his back. Mr. Ayash said that the area where Milad was walking was calm.
At the time of the shooting there were clashes between Palestinian boys and Israeli
forces in the Beer Ayoub area of the al-Bustan area in Silwan, which was approximately
1,500 meters from where Milad was walking.

A number of Palestinians immediately tried to go to his aid but
Israeli forces, providing protection to settlers occupying the two houses,
fired sound bombs at them. Approximately fifteen minutes later, an ambulance
reached Milad and transferred him to al-Maqased Islamic Charity Hospital. When
Milad arrived at the hospital medical staff informed Mr. Ayash that Milad’s
heart was not beating and his intestines and arteries were torn. Medical sources pronounced Milad dead in the early
morning of Saturday, 14 May 2011.

It should be noted that individuals from Israeli private security
companies and forces from the Israeli Border Guard are providing protection to
the Israeli settlers occupying the two mentioned houses.

PCHR renews its condemnation of, and points with grave concern, to
the reported crime and:

1. Asserts
that these crimes are part of a series of war crimes committed by IOF in the oPt,
which reflect a total disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians.

2. Calls
upon the international community to take immediate action in order to put an
end to such crimes. PCHR further renews
its demand for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to
fulfill their obligation under Article 1 which stipulates “the High
Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present
Convention in all circumstances,” as well as their obligations under
Article 146 which requires that the Contracting Parties 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 under Protocol I Additional to
Geneva Conventions.