Ref: 60/2015
Date: 05 October 2015
Time: 12:00 GMT
Palestinian Civilian Killed in Tulkram and Nablus still Cordoned for the 5th Consecutive Day,
171 Civilians Wounded by Live Bullets and Shrapnel in Jerusalem
For the fifth consecutive day, Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians in protest at the escalation policy practiced by Israeli forces in the West Bank, especially in East Jerusalem. Since the killing of an Israeli settler and his wife, southeast of Nablus, on 01 October 2015, Nablus has been cordoned. Moreover, the settlers carried out a series of attacks on the Palestinian civilians and their cars on roads and in houses located in the outskirts of the villages adjacent to the settlements, under the protection of Israeli forces and by a direct support from them.
In another crime of excessive use of force, on Sunday afternoon, 04 October 2015, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded two others, when Israeli soldiers opened fire at dozens of Palestinian civilians who organized a protest in the vicinity of “Gishory” factories, west of Tulkram. According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center of Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately 17:00 on the above-mentioned day, dozens of Palestinian youngsters gathered on “Natanyia” street near “Gishory” factories, west of Tulkram, denouncing the settlers’ attacks against al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem. Once the demonstrators approached the vicinity of the factories, Israeli forces moved into the area and heavily fired tear gas canisters. The protestors threw stones and empty bottles at the Israeli soldiers in response. Israeli forces then fired live bullets at the protesters. As a result, 3 protesters were wounded and were taken to Dr. Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkram to receive medical treatment. At a late hour, medical sources in the hospital declared the death of one of the wounded persons during an operation. The victim was identified as Huthaifa Othman Rajeh Abu Suleiman (18), from Bal’a village east of Tulkram. He was hit by a bullet that entered the abdomen and exited the back and damaged one of the main blood vessels. Concerning the other wounded persons, a 20-year-old civilian sustained a bullet wound to the thigh and a 19-year-old civilian sustained a bullet wound above the thigh.
On Sunday afternoon, 04 October 2015, a number of neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem witnessed clashes between Israeli forces and hundreds of Palestinian civilians, who went on protests against the killing of Fadi Aloon and Mohanned al-Halabi. The villages and neighborhoods of Silwan, al-Eisawiya, al-Tour, al-Sowana, al-Jouz valley, Shu’fat, Beit Hanina, Abu Dees and al-Eizariya witnessed clashes, during which Israeli forces heavily used live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters. As a result, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in the city, 171 Palestinian civilians were wounded by live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets and bullet shrapnel. Dr. Ameen Abu Ghazala, Director of the Emergency Department at the PRCS Hospital said to a PCHR fieldworker that over 150 civilians sustained shrapnel wounds during clashes in Abu Dees and al-Eizariya villages, east of Jerusalem. He added that 5 civilians sustained live bullet wounds; 2 of whom are from al-Eisawiya village, northeast of Jerusalem, 2 others are from Shu’fat neighborhood, north of the city, and the fifth one is from Silwan village, south of the city. Dr. Abu Ghazala explained that 12 civilians from Shu’fat neighborhood, and 4 civilians from al-tour and al-Jouz Valley neighborhoods sustained live bullet wounds.
During the aforementioned days, Israeli forces deliberately targeted ambulances. The PRCS said that on 04 October 2015, Israeli soldiers fired metal bullets and tear gas canisters at a PRCS ambulance while carrying out its humanitarian duty in front of al-Quds Abu Dis University, east of Occupied Jerusalem, and attacked another one in al-‘Issawiyah village, northeast of the city, and arrested a wounded person in it. On 02 October 2015, Israeli soldiers beat an ambulance crew in al-Taweel Mountain area, east of al-Bireh and arrested a wounded child from the ambulance. According to the testimony of Ra’ed Fathi Hotari (34), who is the ambulance driver and officer, the Israeli soldiers directly attacked the ambulance after putting the wounded person in it, and one of the soldiers fired six bullets near the ambulance and another four bullets in front of it. When the driver reversed at gunpoint, the ambulance was prevented from leaving the scene and transferring the wounded person. They forced him to turn the ambulance off and confiscated its key. He added that around 20 soldiers surrounded the ambulance and opened the backdoor when the soldiers and his colleagues, Nemer Malisah (21) and Mohammed Faqih (33) skirmished. Nemer and Mohammed tried to prevent the Israeli soldiers from arresting the wounded child. An Israeli soldier then kicked Nemer on his right knee and violently dragged the child from his feet and threw him on the ground. They beat and kicked the child despite his injury and bleeding from his leg. When the ambulance driver stepped out of the ambulance and went to the back, one of the Israeli soldiers pushed him and screamed at him in Hebrew, and another one pointed the gun at him and pushed him once again into the ambulance. He then strongly kicked the driver’s door on the driver’s right foot causing him bruises in the foot. They then arrested the child and took him to “Basagot” settlement.
As part of the collective punishment policy practiced by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians, Nablus has witnessed since Thursday afternoon, 01 October 2015, a tightened cordon bringing to mind the cordon that was imposed on the city in the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada. PCHR fieldworkers said that Israeli forces completely closed “Yitsahar” Bypass Road, south of Nablus and Beit Foriq Checkpoint, east of the city before the Palestinian civilians’ movement while they redeployed at Howarah checkpoint at the southern entrance of the city leading to the center and south of the West Bank; Jeet checkpoint, southeast of the city leading to Qalqilya; the checkpoint of Nqourah village Intersection, northwest of the city; and Sahel Deir Sharaf checkpoint, west of the city leading to Tulkarm. Israeli soldiers stationed at those checkpoints humiliated the Palestinian civilians who are forced to use those checkpoints to go to their workplaces and for personal needs.
PCHR strongly condemns the willful killing of Abu Suleiman in Tulkarm, which further proves the use of excessive force by Israeli forces against the Palestinian civilians in disregard for the civilians’ lives. Moreover, PCHR condemns collective punishment measures taken by the Israeli forces in the oPt and the attacks launched by Israeli settlers before the eyes of Israeli forces. Therefore, PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes and reiterates its call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 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.
