Ref: 114/2021

Date: 01 September 2021

Time: 12:40 GMT

Yesterday afternoon, 31 August 2021, IOF killed a Palestinian at the western entrance to Beit Ur al-Tahta village in western Ramallah. IOF shot the victim from a short distance as he was on his way back home in the abovementioned village from his work in Israel.

Although there was no official statement from IOF, the Israeli media claimed that he was targeted after he set a fire in the area; however, PCHR’s investigations refute these claims and ascertain that there was no justification for targeting the victim as there was no threat whatsoever to the lives of the soldiers.  

According to PCHR investigations, at approximately 22:30 on Tuesday, 31 August 2021, IOF stationed at the western entrance to Beit Ur al-Tahta village, west of Ramallah, opened fire at Ra’ed Yousif Rashed Jadallah (39), who held a Jerusalemite ID but lived in Beit Ur al-Tahta, without any justification when he was on his way back home from his work in Israel.  As a result, he was wounded and fell to the ground.

According to the investigations, Jadallah went to his work in Israel every morning in a car near the village’s western entrance, which is closed with sand berms.  Afterwards, he walked to the area near Settlement Route 443 known as “al-Latrun-Jerusalem” until he reached the parking spot where he leaves his own car, which he drives to his work in Israel. Jadallah had to park his car far away because he could not drive it into the village as IOF closed its entrance to traffic.  Every night when he returned from work, he’d park his car and call his son to meet him at the western side to drive him home.

Yousif (13), Jadallah’s son, said to PCHR’s fieldworker that his father called him at 21:30 to prepare himself and go to the village entrance as usual; however, as of 22:00, he called his father many times but he did not answer, so he called one of his father’s friends.  Both of them headed to the area searching for him, but they were shocked to find his body lying dead after he sustained an injury due to IOF shooting.

Ibrahim Zaki, the victim’s friend, told our fieldworker:

“When Yousif and I arrived at around 23:00 at the entrance to search for his father, the area was crowded with Israeli soldiers.  I noticed my friend’s body on the ground and it seemed he was dead while a military SUV stood 20 meters away.  I asked the soldier why he was killed, one of them told me in Hebrew that he set a fire, but there was no trace of a fire in the area, refuting that narrative.  Around 45 minutes later, we took him in an ambulance from nearby Beit Liqya village to Palestine Complex in Ramallah.  The medical sources there clarified that he was shot with a bullet that entered and exited his abdomen, killing him.”

So far, there has not been any official statement from IOF on the incident while the military Radio- according to Makan TV- stated that a Palestinian was killed after he started a fire on Route 443 between Modi’in and Jerusalem; this claim was refuted by the eyewitness’s testimony and PCHR’s investigations.

PCHR notes with concern that IOF murder crimes against Palestinian civilians have been on the rise and are carried out without justification in violation of shooting standards, as there was no threat whatsoever to the lives of the soldiers.

PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to move urgently to end the Israeli occupation’s crimes, and renews its call upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfil their obligations as per Common Article 1 of the Convention, stipulating that they “undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances.” PCHR also calls upon the High Contracting Parties to uphold their commitment to Article 146 of the same Convention, i.e. to hold accountable persons accused of committing grave breaches of the Convention, and to ensure protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied territory.