Ref: 13/2022
Date: 14 February 2022
Time: 08:30 GMT
Yesterday evening, a Palestinian child was killed and 6 Palestinians were injured, including a child, after being shot by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) during their incursion into Silat al-Harithiya village, west of Jenin were they set to demolish a house belonging to a Palestinian prisoner in the Israeli jails. This demolition is part of the IOF’s collective punishment policy against the Palestinian families of those accused of carrying out attacks against the IOF and/or settlers.
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately 21:30 on Sunday, 13th of February 2022, IOF accompanied with a bulldozer, members of Israeli special forces and explosive engineering experts moved into Silat al-Harithiya village, west of Jenin, north of the West Bank. They surrounded a house belonging to prisoner Mahmoud Ghaleb Jaradat (38) at the village’s eastern entrance and forced its residents to leave. The IOF also ordered more than 10 other families living in nearby houses to evacuate amidst firing teargas canisters and sound bombs to terrorize and prevent them from approaching the area. A number of young men gathered around houses where the IOF were deployed around, started throwing stones at them. As a result, violent clashes broke out in the village, during which, IOF fired live and rubber bullets, sound bombs and teargas canisters to disperse the protestors. This resulted in the injury of 7 protesters, including 2 children; one of the children targeted was shot with a live bullet in his head and was taken to Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin due to his critical health condition. At approximately 00:30 after midnight, the child was pronounced dead. The child was identified later as Mohammed Akram ‘Ali Taher Abu Salah (17), from Al-Yamun, a nearby village.
During their incursion into the village, IOF placed explosive devices on the 2nd floor of Jaradat’s 2-storey house and blew it up at approximately 05:30 on Monday, 14th of February 2022. As a result, the 2nd floor (170 sqms) that had housed Jaradat’s wife and his 3 children was completely destroyed, while the 1st floor which has housed Jaradat’s mother, his brother Mahdi and his wife and their 3 children has become uninhabitable.
This comes after a decision made on Thursday, 06th of February 2022 by the IOF, who had approved the demolition of the house of Mahmoud Jaradat, who had been arrested on 19th of December 2021 after being accused of carrying out an attack and murdering an Israeli settler near the “Homesh” settlement on 16th of December 2021.
Furthermore, this is the second house demolition in this year as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy. The first was carried out on 01st of February 2022, when IOF closed Fadi Abu Shekhaidem’s residential apartment in Shu’fat Camp in occupied East Jerusalem, after destroying its walls and damaging its contents. Fadi was killed after carrying out a shooting attack on 21st of November 2021 in occupied East Jerusalem. As a result, Fadi’s family of 5, including 4 children, has now become homeless.
PCHR condemns IOF’s excessive use of force that resulted in the murder of Abu Salah and injury of others. PCHR also denounces the demolition that falls under IOF’s collective punishment policy and the Israeli Judiciary’s cover. PCHR reiterates that this policy is internationally prohibited according to Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.” Therefore, PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to take immediate action to put an end to the Israeli crimes. PCHR also reiterates its call upon the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations 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 regarding the guarantee of Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in the Occupied Palestinian Territiories.
