· Six Palestinians, including three children, killed in
the northern Gaza Strip;
· The Israeli forces encroach into the villages of
Qabatya and ‘Anabta in the West Bank;
· Continued siege;
· Dozens of Palestinians arrested;
· Continued shelling of Palestinian residential areas
leaving dozens of civilians injured;
In 2001, Israeli occupation
forces escalated their aggression against Palestinian civilians and their
property in the OPT. Many Palestinians were killed in the policy of
assassination formally adopted by the Israeli government. The Israeli forces employed weapons such as
F-16 fighter jets and Apache combat helicopters to shell Palestinian civilian
and security facilities in the attempt to destroy the Palestinian infrastructure.
The Israeli forces also maintained a total siege on the OPT, restricting the
movement of Palestinians and causing further economic and social
deterioration.
Also in 2001, the Israeli
forces excessively used lethal force against Palestinian peaceful
demonstrations. The kind and number of
deaths and injuries registered among Palestinian civilians in clashes with the
Israeli forces indicate that the Israeli forces aimed to cause as many
casualties as possible. According to
PCHR’s documentation, in 2001, 487 Palestinians were killed by
Israeli occupation forces as a result of excessive use of force against
demonstrators, shelling of Palestinian residential areas, or willful killing,
or by Jewish settlers. The victims can
be classified as follows:
v 466 were killed by Israeli occupation forces.
v 2 were killed by Israeli undercover units.
v 2 were killed by the Israeli police.
v 16 were killed by Jewish settlers.
v 1 was killed by an Israeli bank guard.
In addition, 27 Palestinian
civilians died after Israeli occupation forces at military roadblocks
obstructed their evacuation to hospitals for emergency or regular medical
treatment.
Of the total number of
those killed in 2001, 33 were women, including 20 killed by Israeli occupation
forces and Jewish settlers, 11 who died at Israeli military roadblocks and two
who were killed in mysterious circumstances; 105 were Palestinian children
under the age of 18, including 93 killed by Israeli occupation forces and
Jewish settlers, 5 who died at Israeli military roadblocks and 7 who were
killed in mysterious circumstances; 3 were journalists; 108 were members of the
security services; 43 were Palestinian activists killed in political
assassinations and 17 were bystanders also killed in political assassination
attempts.
This week, in two separate incidents
of willful killing, the Israeli forces killed six Palestinians, including three
children, in the northern Gaza Strip.
Israeli occupation forces have
continued to shell and invade Palestinian residential areas. This week, Israeli occupation forces
intensively shelled Khan Yunis and encroached into the villages of Qabatya and
‘Anabta in the West Bank and Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
Despite no attacks by Palestinians
in the OPT this week, Israeli occupation forces raided Palestinian residential
areas and arrested dozens of Palestinians, particularly in ‘Azzoun village in
the West Bank.
Israeli occupation forces
tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian cities in the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip, further restricting movement of Palestinians.
1. Shooting at
Palestinian Civilians
In Ramallah at approximately 12:30,
Palestinian civilians organized a peaceful demonstration that moved to areas of
the city which had been invaded by Israeli occupation forces since 13
December. Soon, two Israeli armored
vehicles moved forward and Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition,
rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas at the demonstrators. Five demonstrators and a foreign journalist
were injured:
1) ‘Abdel-Jabbar Ahmed Abu
Sneineh, 22, from Ramallah, injured by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
right eye;
2) Hazem Jamil Abu ‘Eid,
from Biddu village near Ramallah, injured by a rubber-coated metal bullet in
the head;
3) Tamer Mahmoud Zuhair,
16, from Al-Am’ari refugee camp, injured by a tear gas canister in the right
hand;
4) Guevara Bassam Musleh,
18, injured by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the neck;
5) ‘Omar Nemer ‘Assaf,
51, injured by a tear gas canister in the right arm; and
6) Huyuku Uyshken, 36, a
Japanese corespondent of the Weekly Post, suffered from tear gas
inhalation.
2. Shelling of, and Incursions into Palestinian
Residential and Controlled Areas
Early in the morning, six
Israeli armored personnel carriers thrust approximately 200m into Al-Sha’er
neighborhood, adjacent to the Egyptian border south of Rafah. Residents of the area fled their homes,
fearing that the Israeli forces would demolish their houses. Dozens of Israeli soldiers entered six
Palestinian houses, owned by the El-Sha’er, Zannoun, El-Hams and El-Quttati
families, causing serious damage. They
also stole jewels owned by a woman whose house was raided. The incursion continued until 03:00.
At approximately 14:00,
Israeli occupation soldiers in an armored personnel carrier on Mount Al-Tour in
Nablus, fired heavy and medium caliber bullets at a number of Palestinian
civilians at the center of the city, approximately 1500m away, seemingly
without reason or provocation. Saleh
‘Abdel-Rahman Zaki El-Ashqar, 17, from ‘Askar refugee camp, was injured by a
medium caliber bullet in the right shoulder and shrapnel in the back.
At approximately 15:30,
Israeli occupation forces at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire
on Palestinian houses in Al-Brazil neighborhood. Raghda Khalil Mansour, 26, was injured by two
live bullets in the right leg and left thigh. She was hanging washing on a clothesline on the roof of her house when
she was injured.
At approximately 19:00,
Israeli occupation forces in a military location in Tal Zo’rob area in the
southwest of Rafah opened fire on Palestinian homes in Tal Al-Sultan
neighborhood. A number of houses were
damaged, but no casualties were reported.
At approximately 21:00,
Israeli occupation forces in the vicinity of “Gani Tal” settlement, northwest
of Khan Yunis, shelled Al-Satar Al-Gharbi area and Al-Amal neighborhood. A number of houses were severely damaged.
In the evening, in two
separate incidents in the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli occupation forces killed
six Palestinians, including three children. According to initial information, the victims were killed by artillery
shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets. Israeli occupation forces apparently did not resort to less lethal
means. In addition, conflicting
statements made by the Israeli occupation forces raise suspicions that the
deaths may have been willful killings.
According to initial
investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 17:40, an Israeli occupation
forces tank located in “Elli Sinai” settlement, southeast of Beit Lahia, fired
four artillery shells at Beit Lahia and the Bedouin Village in the northern
Gaza Strip. Israeli occupation soldiers
then opened fire from heavy and medium machine guns. Later, the Israeli forces thrust
approximately 1200m into rural areas in Beit Lahia. They took up position on a hill, on which a
site of the Palestinian National Security Forces had stood before it was
destroyed by the Israeli forces. Thirty
minutes later, the Israeli forces stated that they had killed three gunmen who
were attempting to enter “Elli Sinai” settlement and that they had recovered
the bodies. An Israeli radio station
reported that Israeli soldiers fired at the three Palestinians, who were all children,
and that knives were found near the bodies. The bodies of the three children were handed to Palestinian officials
late on Wednesday, 2 January 2002. They
were identified as:
1) Mohammed Ahmed Lubbad, 17;
2) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Rahman El-Madhoun, 15; and
3) Ahmed Mohammed Banat, 15.
The three were from Sheikh
Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City.
At approximately 22:00,
sounds of shooting and shelling were heard at the border between the Gaza Strip
and Israel, east of Beit Hanoun. Later,
the Israeli military spokesman stated that Israeli occupation forces killed
three Palestinians, claiming that they were attempting to sneak into
Israel. The Israeli forces kept the
bodies of the victims until 02:00 on the following day, when they handed them
to the Palestinian side. The victims
were:
1) Ismail Ahmed Abu El-Qumsan, 31, from Jabalya;
2) Mohammed Mahmoud Salah, 19, from Jabalya; and
3) ‘Ali As’ad Muhanna, 21, from Beit Lahia.
At approximately 21:30,
Israeli occupation forces in the vicinity of “Gani Tal” settlement, northwest
of Khan Yunis, shelled Palestinian houses in Al-Satar Al-Gharbi area. A number of houses were severely
damaged. No casualties were reported.
3. Arrests
This week, Israeli
occupation forces made many arrests. The
arrests took place in the following circumstances:
1. At international border crossings, under the control
of Israeli occupation forces.
2. At Israeli military roadblocks on main and branch
roads at the entrances to Palestinian cities and villages.
3. In Palestinian towns and villages, often during house
raids.
4. During incursions into Palestinian controlled areas.
The following are
significant arrests that took place this week:
At approximately 06:00,
Israeli occupation forces, positioned near the eastern entrance of Qalqilya,
arrested 30-year-old Nasrallah Mohammed El-Sha’er, from Qalqilya, while
attempting to travel from the city together with his wife and children towards
Ramallah, along a branch road. According
to eyewitnesses, he was severely beaten and taken to an unknown destination.
In the afternoon, Israeli
occupation forces at Rafah Border Crossing arrested Mohammed ‘Abed Yassin, 20,
from Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, as he was returning from Saudi Arabia.
At approximately 01:15,
Israeli occupation forces moved into Qeffin village, north of Tulkarm. They raided the house of Walid Mohammed
Sabbbah. They searched the house and
beat three of his sons.
At approximately 11:00,
Israeli occupation forces raided a Palestinian house in ‘Azzoun village in
Qalqilya. The soldiers damaged the house
whilst searching it. According to the
owner, ‘Essam Yousef Hawari, the soldiers were searching for his son Qutaiba,
23. When they left the house, the
Israeli forces told Hawari to make his son surrender or they would raid the
house again.
In the afternoon, Israeli
occupation forces at Rafah Border Crossing arrested ‘Ali Farraj Salem Abu
Juraida, 27, a physically handicapped man from Rafah, as he was returning from
Egypt.
At approximately 1:00,
Israeli occupation forces raided four Palestinian houses in Qalandya refugee
camp, north of Jerusalem. They arrested
four men:
1) Fadi Mahmoud El-Mallah, 24;
2) Farid Sami Emteir, 20;
3) Eyad Nemer Nabhan, 28; and
4) ‘Ali Mahmoud Emteir, 18.
At approximately 02:40,
around 100 Israeli occupation soldiers moved into Zkarna neighborhood in
Qabatya village near Jenin, under full control of the Palestinian National Authority. They raided three houses and took up
positions on the roofs of the buildings. Then, using loud speakers they called on ‘Ali Mohammed Zakarna to
surrender. When he did not, the Israeli
soldiers fired at his house. When he
opened the door, the Israeli soldiers arrested him together with his three
brothers, Nasser, 31; ‘Alla’, 20; and Bilal, 35. Bilal was later released. According to Bilal, the Israeli soldiers
confiscated 22000 NIS (approximately US$ 5000) and US$ 4000 from his brother
Nasser’s bag.
Later, ten tanks and four
military jeeps of Israeli occupation forces, supported by two helicopters,
thrust into the village to support the soldies already present.
At approximately 08:00 on
Tuesday, 1 January 2002, an undercover unit of Israeli occupation forces
kidnapped a Palestinian while on his way to his work, approximately 100m north
of “Netzarim” settlement, south of Gaza City. According to an eyewitness, as soon as Sa’di ‘Abdel-Hamid ‘Ayad, 37, from
Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza, arrived at work, a number of persons in
civilian uniform got out of a civilian car and forced him to get out of his
car. They took him to “Netzarim”
settlement. An hour before, two Israeli
tanks and the civilian car were positioned approximately 200m north of the
settlement. The civilian car traveled
towards Gaza, while the two tanks remained in the area until the operation was
carried out. An Israeli military
spokesman admitted to the kidnapping.
At approximately 14:00, an
Israeli military jeep intercepted a Palestinian car, in which Mahmoud Ibrahim
Abu ‘Arram, 25, and his brother Yousef, 22, from Kherbet Janba village in
Hebron, were traveling. The two brothers
were arrested and taken to an unknown destination.
In the morning, Israeli
occupation forces moved into Abu Dis town, east of Jerusalem. They imposed a curfew and searched the
town. They arrested six men:
1) Jamal Khaled Abu Hilal, 22;
2) Saher Ahmed Hamarsha, 21;
3) Nader Jaffal, 25;
4) Mohammed Fayez Salah, 20;
5) ‘Ali Fayez Salah, 21; and
6) Hani Mahmoud Halabia, 22.
At approximately 11:00,
Israeli occupation forces arrested Dr. Mustafa El-Barghouthi, member of the
political bureau of the Palestinian People Party and head of the Union of
Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, as soon as he exited the American Colony
Hotel in Jerusalem after a press conference held by the international “Popular
Campaign for the Protection of the Palestinian People”. The Israeli forces claimed that El-Barghouthi
was arrested for lacking necessary permission to be in Jerusalem. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli police
besieged the hotel and took him to a police station after they had beaten
him. At 15:30, a police car took
El-Barghouthi to Al-Ram roadblock. Soon,
journalists gathered around him while waiting for a taxi to travel to
Ramallah. The Israeli forces attempted
to arrest him again, but European solidarity delegates tried to protect
him. The Israeli forces started beating
members of the unarmed group, including the head of a French solidarity
delegation. Nasser Jamjoum, 38, working
at the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, was injured in the back
by a sound bomb fired by the Israeli forces. El-Barghouthi was taken by the Israeli forces to an Israeli police
station from where he was eventually released.
*****
PCHR calls upon:
1. governments that participated in the World Conference
Against Racism in Durban in South Africa to adopt crucial decisions condemning
practices by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which can only be
described as apartheid against the Palestinian people.
2. the international community to provide immediate and
independent international protection for the Palestinian people in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.
3. the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva
Convention of 1949 to reconvene in order to take effective measures to protect
Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in accordance
with their obligations under Article 1 to ensure the respect of the Convention.
4. the
international community to investigate and prosecute those believed to have
committed war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories before
international courts.
5. the ICRC to enhance its presence, expand its
activities, and intensify its field observations throughout the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.
6. the European Union to activate Article 2 of the
Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect
human rights.
7. the international community to provide humanitarian
and medical assistance for the Palestinian people, whose living conditions are
continuing to deteriorate as a result of the continued siege imposed by Israeli
occupation forces on the entire Occupied Palestinian Territories.
