Ref: 96/2013
Date: 23 September 2013
Time: 11:30 GMT
Following the killing of an Israeli soldiers on Sunday evening, 22 September 2013, near the southern checkpoint on al-Shuhada’ street in the southern area of the Old Town in Hebron, Israeli forces carried out a series of collective punishment measures against Palestinian civilians in the city.
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and statements of eyewitnesses, on Sunday evening, following the killing of an Israeli soldiers in Qatyoun area near the southern checkpoint on al-Shuhada’ street in the southern area of the Old Town in Hebron, Israeli forces deployed between houses in the centre of the Old Town and declared the area a closed military zone. They raided many houses in different neighborhoods, including Abu Snaina, Jabal Jawhar, Qatyoun, Jaber neighbourhood, Tal’at Abu Hadeed, al-Karantina, the vicinity of the Ibrahimi mosque and the vicinity of Tareq Ben Ziad School. Israeli forces also searched the houses, and damaged their contents. They kept their occupants in a room and took others to the vicinity of the above-mentioned school. In the meantime, Israeli forces stationed atop of a number of houses and turned them into military sites. Moreover, they informed occupants of those houses of the decision to seize the houses for military reasons. Israeli forces closed all entrances leading to Hebron and erected checkpoints. They also completely closed the entrance of al-Harayeq road linking Hebron with its southern villages.
Ali Abu Snaina said to a PCHR fieldworker:
“At approximately 18:30 on Sunday, 22 September 2013, Israeli forces were firing sound bombs and tear gas canisters at a number of boys, who threw stones at them in Qatyoun neighborhood that is about 70 meters away from my house. Following the news of killing an Israeli soldier, Israeli forces moved into the area and closed it completely. At approximately 01:00, over 13 soldiers raided my house and kept me and my 11-member family in a room. They searched the house brutally, broke the windows and damaged the couches. An hour later, they left the house. I looked out of the house and saw large numbers of soldiers raiding neighboring houses, arresting civilians and taking them towards Tareq Ben Ziad School.”
The wife of Abdul Latif al-Karaki said to the PCHR fieldworker:
“At approximately 22:00 on Sunday, 22 September 2013, a number of Israeli soldiers raided our house that is located in Tal’at Abu Hadeed area in the centre of the Old Town. They kept my husband Abdul Latif al-Karaki (48), who is sick, and my sons outdoors. In the meantime, I heard my daughter-in-law Reem (19) screaming inside the house. I hurried up and found her lying on the ground. She told me that an Israeli soldier hit her in the belly although she is pregnant. In the meanwhile, my sons and Israeli soldiers, who went out of the house, clashed and my daughter-in-law was taken by an ambulance of the Palestine Red Crescent Society to Hebron Hospital. While going back home, a number of Israeli soldiers had stationed atop of a number of houses belonging to the families of Abu Hadeed and al-Fakhouri. Moreover, Israeli forces were arresting young men.”
In the same context, Israeli forces raided a house belonging to Ra’ed Abu Rumaila (45), a volunteer in B’Tselem, in the southern area of the Ibrahimi mosque. They arrested his 2 sons: Tareq (12) and Mo’tasem (9) claiming that the boys were wanted.
Abu Rumaila stated to PCHR’s fieldworker:
“I work as a volunteer in B’Tselem. I was filming in the area near Qatyoun neighborhood, where clashes erupted between Palestinian boys and Israeli soldiers. During these clashes, an Israeli soldier pushed me away from the place, as an Israeli soldier had fell onto the ground and I learnt later that he was killed. I then moved to Hebron Hospital, because I was hit by a stone in the right hand. In the evening, an Israeli police officer called me and informed me it was necessary to refer to ‘Ja’bara’ police station to hand my camera that I used in filming.” I refused to go there alone because of the security situation in the area, during which, my father called and told me that Israeli forces had arrested my 2 sons: Tareq (12) and Mo’tasem (9). In addition, they informed my family that they arrested my 2 sons to force me to surrender to them. I contacted lawyers and B’Tselem, and in the morning I went with Manal al-Ja’bari, a researcher in B’Tselem, to the police station. I submitted a copy of the tape and I was released few hours later.”
PCHR condemns the Israeli practices against Palestinian civilians in Hebron and stresses that such practices constitute collective punishment measures that are prohibited under article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949. Moreover, PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations according to article 1 of the convention, which provides that the High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances, and obligations stipulated in article 146 of the convention relevant to prosecuting persons alleged to have committed grave breaches taking in consideration such breaches are considered war crimes under article 147 of the convention and Additional Protocol I.
