· Four
Palestinians killed in assassination in Nablus;
· Large-scale
incursions into West Bank cities: 4 Palestinians killed and dozens wounded and
massive destruction of public and private property;
· The building
of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation in Ramallah destroyed;
· Two
Palestinian civilians die in willful killings;
· Air raids on
Tulkarm: a Palestinian killed, a governmental compound destroyed and dozens of
houses damaged;
· Continued
shelling of Palestinian residential areas, injuring dozens of civilians; and
· An
unprecedented, strict siege remains in place on the OPT.
Israeli assaults take place under a
silence from the international community that encourages the Sharon government
and Israeli occupation forces to perpetrate more violations, including war
crimes, against the Palestinian people. The latest assault consisted of two large-scale incursions into cities
of the West Bank, resulting in the assassination of four Palestinians in Nablus
and willful killing of two Palestinian civilians. Israeli violations take place under political
cover provided by the US. US Secretary
of State Colin Powell went as far as to suggest to reporters that the Israeli
policies against the Palestinian people were an act of self-defense. Portraying Israeli occupying forces as the
victim and the Palestinian civilians as the victimisers is a distortion of the
situation from the standpoint of international law and humanitarian law. The US government demonstrated this attitude
by vetoing a draft resolution at the UN Security Council that would have
provided protection for Palestinian civilians in accordance with the Fourth Geneva
Convention.
On Friday, 18 January, Israeli forces
destroyed the building of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation in
Ramallah.
In a continuation of Israel’s assassination policy,
on Tuesday, 22 January, Israeli forces killed 4 Hamas activists in Nablus.
This week, two Palestinian civilians died in willful
killing by Israeli forces in Nablus and the northern Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces continued to shell
Palestinian residential areas and civilian facilities, causing severe damage to
private and public properties and injuring dozens of Palestinian
civilians. At the time of this writing,
Riadh Nasri ‘Ali Hattab, 23, a member of the Palestinian General Intelligence
from Ramallah, was pronounced dead from an injury by a live bullet in the right
side he received early in the morning when Palestinian security forces
confronted Israeli forces, which shelled and moved into Al-Tira area in the
west of Ramallah. In addition, another
security man, Mustafa Rebhi Mustafa, 29, a member of the General Intelligence
Service from Beit Lid village in Tulkarm, was seriously injured by a live
bullet in the abdomen.
1. Shelling of, and Incursions into Palestinian
Residential and PNA-Controlled Areas
At approximately 18:30,
Israeli forces at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Jabalya, fired
three artillery shells at three Palestinian boys, who were apparently trying to
enter Israel in search of work. One of
them was killed and the other two were injured. According to PCHR’s investigations, the Israeli forces fired at the boys
as soon as they got closer to the border fence, without resorting to less
lethal means, as the boys were unarmed. An artillery shell hit Mohammed ‘Ali Sa’id Houdeh, 17, from Rafah
directly, killing him. The other two
boys, Ramzi ‘Ali Shaqfa, 17, and Sa’id Ahmed Joudeh, 18, both from Rafah, were
injured by shrapnel. Later, Israeli
forces thrust approximately 600m into the adjacent Palestinian areas searching
for the two boys who were able to escape. The Israeli forces also kept Joudeh’s body until the following day. According to medical sources at Shifa’ Hospital
in Gaza, where Joudeh was transferred to, his head was distorted and he
received several live bullets throughout the body.
At approximately 05:00,
Israeli forces encroached into Ramallah from three directions. They moved into Al-Ersal Street and three
tanks and a number of military jeeps took position only 50m away from the
office of the Palestinian President. Other tanks and military jeeps moved into Al-Tira area and took
positions near the building of Ramallah First Group. They seized a Palestinian house, owned by
‘Atteya Abu Sneineh, and mounted its roof. At approximately 10:00, an Israeli military unit raided houses of Marwan
Barghouthi, Secretary of Fatah Movement in the West Bank and PLC member, and
Tawfiq Tirawi, Head of the Palestinian General Intelligence in the West
Bank. They searched the two houses and
then withdrew. The Israeli forces also
seized the third floor of a building owned by Badi’ Mata. Thirty Israeli soldiers remained in the
building while four tanks took position in its garden. Ten Israeli tanks also moved into the south
of Bitounia. They seized the house of
the Deputy Mayor Ghaleb Mustafa Rashid and converted it into a military
outpost.
At approximately 05:00,
Israeli F-16 fighter jets fired seven rockets at offices of the Tulkarm
Governorate. Jawad Hassan Yousef El-Aswad,
25, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, from Kufor Al-Lubbad
village, was killed and 70 people were injured. The building, comprised of the headquarters of the National Security
Forces, Preventive Security, General Intelligence, Special Security, Force 17
and police, was destroyed. The nearby offices of the Ministry of Interior were
destroyed. In addition, Tulkarm Prison,
45 houses and 30 shops were severely damaged.
At approximately 21:00,
Israeli forces on Al-Tour Mount, south of Nablus, shelled Palestinian houses in
‘Amman Street, Ras Al-‘Ein and the Northern Mountain neighborhoods, and Balata
refugee camp. A number of houses and
shops were damaged, but no casualties were reported.
In the morning, Israeli
forces encroached into Um Al-Sharayet neighborhood in the south of
Ramallah. They destroyed the five-story
building of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC). According to investigations carried out by
LAW (the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the
Environment), at approximately 01:50, 30 Israeli tanks and a number of military
jeeps moved into Um Al-Sharayet neighborhood. Ten tanks, two armored personnel carriers and some jeeps moved towards
the building of the PBC. They surrounded
the building and six tanks and two armored personnel carriers moved into its
yard. An Israeli officer called on the
Palestinian personnel in the building through loudspeakers to leave the
building. As soon as they left the building,
around 20 Israeli soldiers moved into the building and planted bombs on the
third and fifth floors. Then, they left
the building and detonated the explosives by remote control, destroying the
insides of the building. Seven houses, a
five-story building and kindergarten were damaged.
At approximately 18:30,
Israeli forces in Sanour military location, south of Jenin, fired heavy and
light caliber bullets at Palestinian houses in Sanour village, approximately
400m away. Mahmoud Ma’rouf ‘Eissa, 17,
was injured by a live bullet in the left hand. A site of the Palestinian Presidential Guard (Force 17) and two houses
were also damaged.
At approximately 20:00,
Israeli forces in Al-Tira area in the west of Ramallah shelled the vicinity of
the building of Ramallah First Group and Ram Al-Tehta area. Two Palestinians were injured:
1) Ghassan ‘Ali Abu Salim, 21, a member of the
Palestinian National Security Forces from Jabalya, seriously injured by a live
bullet in the chest; and
2) ‘Udai Sami El-Khaled, 43, from Ramallah, injured by a
live bullet in the left thigh.
Five houses were also
damaged.
At approximately 21:00,
Israeli forces on Al-Tour Mount, south of Nablus, fired heavy caliber bullets
at Palestinian houses in ‘Amman Street. Two Palestinian civilians were injured:
1) Mahmoud Munther Hibeya, 23, injured by shrapnel in
the left foot; and
2) Ahmed Jaber Abu Hamda, 25, injured by shrapnel in the
right hand.
At approximately 22:00,
shelling of the same area recurred and three Palestinian civilians were
injured:
1) Majdi Marwan El-Ashqar, 20, injured by a live bullet
in the left side;
2) ‘Anbdel-Ra’ouf Mahmoud Hamdan, 22, injured by
shrapnel in the face; and
3) Hilal Ibrahim El-Nouri, 53, injured by shrapnel in
the face.
Late at night, Israeli
forces in “Al-Nouria” location, west of Khan Yunis, shelled Palestinian houses
in Khan Yunis refugee camp. An artillery
shell fell near a house owned by Zaki Hussein Abu Rezeq. The house was damaged, but no casualties were
reported.
Less than 72 hours after
the air raids on Tulkarm, Israeli forces, reinforced with tanks and armored
personnel carriers and supported by helicopters, seized the city in the early
morning.
According to investigations
carried out by LAW, at approximately 03:15, Israeli forces moved into Tulkarm
from three directions, the north, the south and the west. They completely seized the city and imposed a
curfew. Then they searched many
Palestinian houses.
The Israeli forces seized
the house of Tulkarm Mayor Mahmoud Jallad and detained him in one room and his
family in other room. Israeli soldiers mounted the roof of the house and
established a military observation point, while two tanks took position in
front of the house. The Israeli forces
also seized a number of Palestinian houses and official buildings.
At approximately 08:00, the
Israeli forces imposed a siege on Tulkarm refugee camp and opened fire on
houses while encroaching into the camp. Khaldoun Ghazi Ma’arek, 18, was killed by a live bullet in the
chest. Additionally, ten Palestinians,
including nine civilians, were injured:
1) Jamal Hassouna, 35, seriously injured by a live
bullet in the head;
2) ‘Omar Kamel Abu Ne’ma, 18, injured by two live
bullets in the abdomen and the left leg;
3) Mohammed Fadhel Mohammed Ghanem, 25, injured by
shrapnel throughout the body;
4) Sami Mohammed ‘Amarneh, 18, injured by shrapnel in
the left thigh;
5) Faisal Majazi, 22, injured by shrapnel in the head;
6) Khader Fayez Abu Tamam, 23, injured by a shrapnel
throughout the body;
7) Tariq Mohammed Fares, 18, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body;
8) ‘Alla’ Ghaleb El-Tuhal, 18, injured by two
rubber-coated metal bullets in the head;
9) Khaled Mohammed Zayet, 18, injured by shrapnel in the
head; and
10) Jihad Yousef
Baker, 47, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, injured by
shrapnel throughout the body.
Israeli forces also
arrested and interrogated approximately 25 civilians in Tulkarm, including
Mahmoud Subeh whose son ‘Omar was assassinated by Israeli forces on 6 September
2001, and Wa’el Hattab. They threatened
to kill the sons of the two if they did not surrender. Before they withdrew, the Israeli forces
released some detainees, but kept nine in detention:
1) Eihab ‘Abdel-Elah El-Zaqla, 22;
2) ‘Alla’ Ahmed Shahin, 22;
3) Ahmed Samir El-Sarghali, 21;
4) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Fattah Tafesh, 31;
5) Nihad Ahmed Jallad, 22;
6) Nader Ahmed Jallad, 28;
7) Murad Kamel Jallad, 22;
8) Thabet Mahmoud Salah El-Din, 21; and
9) Muhannad Mahmoud Salah El-Din, 25.
At approximately 14:00,
Israeli forces in Al-Tira area in the west of Ramallah fired heavy, medium and
light caliber bullets at Palestinian civilians. Then, they attempted to move towards the city center. Palestinian National Security Forces
confronted the invading forces. A
Palestinian security man, Hussein ‘Atta Zubeidi, 35, from Al-Lubban village,
was killed by a heavy caliber bullet.
According to LAW’s
investigations, two Palestinian civilians were pinned down by Israeli
forces. A Palestinian security man,
‘Omar Mohammed Wahdan, 19, from Qalandya refugee camp, tried to offer them
help, but an Israeli sniper fired at him. He was seriously injured by a live bullet in the chest and was
pronounced dead in the evening. Additionally,
five Palestinian civilians were injured:
1) Khalil Ahmed Jabaria, 19, injured by a live bullet in
the left hand;
2) Ibrahim Mohammed Abu Gharbia, 22, injured by a live
bullet in the abdomen;
3) ‘Arafat Mohammed Jaradat, 21, injured by two live
bullets in the legs;
4) Mohammed Ahmed Hammouda, 23, injured by a live bullet
in the right thigh; and
5) Firas Ayoub Samara, 23, a paramedic of the Palestine
Red Crescent Society, injured by a live bullet in the right leg while on
duty.
In the evening, Israeli
forces on Al-Tour Mount opened fire on Nablus Central Prison. A policeman, Ra’ed Ibrahim Khali, 24, from
Balata refugee camp, was injured by a live bullet in the left hand, and
12-year-old Fathia Fayez El-Haddad, was injured by shrapnel from live bullets.
At approximately 16:00,
Israeli forces in the vicinity of “Gani Tal” settlement, northwest of Khan
Yunis, opened fire on Palestinian houses in Al-Amal neighborhood. Some houses were damaged, but no casualties
were reported.
At approximately 22:00,
Israeli forces in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan
Yunis, shelled Khan Yunis refugee camp. Some houses were damaged, but no casualties were reported.
At approximately 22:30,
Israeli forces on Al-Tour Maount opened fire on Balata refugee camp. Riadh ‘Abdullah El-Bishawi, 33, was injured
by two heavy caliber bullets in the right thigh and the left foot.
2. A New Assassination
In a continuation of Israel’s
assassination policy, on Tuesday, 22 January 2002, Israeli occupation forces
killed four Hamas activists in Nablus, all of whom were wanted by the Israeli
forces.
According to investigations
carried out by LAW, at approximately 04:00, seven Israeli armored personnel
carriers and ten military jeeps moved into Nablus from the north and the
northwest. On their way, they destroyed
a roadblock of the Palestinian Presidential Guard (Force 17) on Nablus-‘Assira
road. Soon, they moved towards a
seven-story building and surrounded it. They destroyed its elevator and fired sound bombs and live bullets at
one of its flats, located on the first floor. Then, they entered the flat through its windows. An ambulance of the Palestine Red Crescent
Society moved towards the area, but Israeli forces denied its entry into the
area. They also prevented residents of
the building from leaving. At
approximately 08:30, the Israeli forces withdrew from the area after they had
arrested nine residents of the building. After the Israeli forces withdrew, Palestinian security personnel and
security men entered the flat that was targeted by Israeli forces, where they
found bodies of four Palestinians who were identified as:
1) Yousef Khaled El-Sarkaji, 41, from ‘Ein Beit Al-Maa’
refugee camp in Nablus;
2) Nassim Shafiq Abu El-Rous, 27, from Nablus;
3) Jasser As’ad Samaru, 27, from Nablus; and
4) Karim Munir Mafarja, 25, from Ramallah.
The Palestinians arrested
by Israeli forces during the incursion into Nablus are:
1) Saher Ref’at Suleiman, 35;
2) Mu’taz Burhan El-Shahrouri, 34;
3) Hamadi Hatem El-Ratrout, 32;
4) Fathi Hussein Shalhoub, 48;
5) Qassem Kalbouna, 38;
6) Samir ‘Abdullah Rabai’a, 45;
7) ‘Essam Khalil El-Attira, 50;
8) Bilal Dhiab El-‘Anbousi, 40; and
9) Nader ‘Omar El-‘Arandi, 42.
In the morning, Israeli
radio in Arabic quoted the Israeli military spokesman as saying that “Israeli
forces carried out a special operation in Nablus and killed four wanted
Palestinians.” He claimed that the four
victims fired at the Israeli forces, but residents of the building that was
attacked asserted that they did not hear sounds of shooting, rather they heard
only sounds of explosions. In photos of
the four victims shown on Arab and international television channels, their
bodies appeared distorted and burnt, with blood covering the surface of the
bathtub.
3. Shooting at Palestinian Civilians
Early in the morning,
Israeli occupation forces shot dead 42-year-old Khamis Ahmed ‘Ali ‘Abdullah,
father of five children, from ‘Askar refugee camp, east of Nablus. According to investigations carried out by
LAW, at approximately 02:00, while ‘Abdullah, wanted by Israeli occupation
forces for being a member of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, was on a space of land
north of the refugee camp, an Israeli patrol fired at him. He was killed by a medium caliber bullet in
the chest.
At approximately 13:00, Palestinian civilians organized
a demonstration near the office of the Palestinian President in Ramallah. Israeli forces positioned in the area fired
live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas
canisters at the demonstrators, wounding 12:
1) Thuraya Amin ‘Oleyan, 46, a field worker of LAW, wounded by
a rubber-coated metal bullet in the lower jaw;
2) Lu’ai Jamal Shalash, 18, from Shaqba village, seriously
wounded by a live bullet in the back;
3) Gloris Markubi, a Spanish journalist, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the left leg;
4) Samer Sa’id El-Shalabi, 31, from Ramallah, a cameraman of
the Canadian Press Agency, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right
shoulder;
5) Ashraf Ahmed ‘Eissa Dar Nakhla, 24, from Jalazoun refugee
camp, slightly wounded by a live bullet in the head;
6) Tariq Muaffaq Abu Shaqra, 17, from Qaddoura refugee camp,
wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left leg;
7) Majd Anwar Manasra, 17, from Hebron, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the head;
8) Hussein Ahmed Abu Shousha, 19, from Al-Am’ari refugee camp,
wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right leg;
9) Hamza Sa’id Khaled, 16, from Mazare’ Al-Noubani village,
wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left side;
10) Nader Yousef El-Mansi, 19, from Ramallah, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the left thigh;
11) Walid Salem, 34, from Jaba’ village, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the abdomen; and
12) Maher Mohammed ‘Oudeh, 17, from Qarawat Bani Zeid, wounded
by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right leg.
At approximately 16:00, a
number of Palestinian civilians demonstrated near Israeli forces, who had taken
up position on Al-Ersal Street the previous day. The demonstrators threw stones towards the
Israeli forces, who fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound
bombs and tear gas canisters. Eight
demonstrators were wounded:
1) Samer Sami Kusba, 17, from Qalandya refugee camp,
seriously wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head (his brother Eyad
was shot dead by Israeli forces with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head
on 16 December 2001);
2) Rami ‘Ali Abu Hulwa, 15, from Qaddoura refugee camp,
wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the back;
3) Hussam Mustafa ‘Alqam, 19, from Ramallah, wounded by
two rubber-coated metal bullets in the forehead and the left leg;
4) ‘Azziz Sa’id Abu Qubeita, 10, from Al-Bireh, wounded
by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left thigh;
5) Muhannad Sabri ‘Eissa, 14, from Ramallah, wounded by
a rubber-coated metal bullet in the back;
6) Lu’ai ‘Alam Jabarin, 16, from Ramallah, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the left hand;
7) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Karim ‘Abdel-‘Azziz, 16, from
Al-Bireh, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right thigh; and
8) ‘Abdel-Karim Hamed Mousa, 24, from Bitounia, wounded
by a tear gas canister that caused burns in the right shoulder and hand and the
face.
At the same time, a number
of Palestinian civilians demonstrated in Al-Tira area in the west of Ramallah,
where Israeli forces were positioned. The
Israeli forces fired at the demonstrators, wounding three:
1) Mohammed Jassem Khalaf, 21, wounded by shrapnel in
the right hand;
2) Firas ‘Abdel-Majid, 10, wounded by shrapnel in the
right thigh; and
3) Bassel Ahmed El-Atrash, 23, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the right side.
At approximately 13:00, a
number of Palestinian civilians demonstrated in Al-Tira area in the west of
Ramallah, where Israeli forces were positioned. The Israeli forces fired at the demonstrators, wounding eight:
1) Hassan Faleh El-Khudeir, 21, wounded by shrapnel in
the forearm;
2) Wissam ‘Oudeh, 20, wounded by a rubber-coated metal
bullet in the chest;
3) Haitham Ibrahim El-‘Omari, a journalist, wounded by
shrapnel in the neck while covering the clashes;
4) ‘Alla’ Mohammed Mustafa, 18, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the forehead;
5) Metri Khader Khader, 22, wounded by a live bullet in
the pelvis;
6) Mahdi Mohammed Mousa, 10, wounded by a live bullet in
the left forearm while at home;
7) Hussein Ibrahim Hawamra, 22, wounded by shrapnel in
the legs; and
8) Shadi ‘Essam Hawarin, 17, wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the mouth.
At approximately 14:00,
three Israeli military jeeps moved into Beit Leqia village, southwest of
Ramallah. A number of Palestinian boys
threw stones towards the jeeps. Israeli
soldiers fired at the boys, wounding 17-yea-old Saleh Ahmed El-‘Aassi, with a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the nose.
At approximately 08:00,
Israeli forces at Deir Ebzi’ roadblock, southwest of Ramallah, closed off the
roadblock and denied movement of Palestinians. At 10:00, Israeli forces fired at Palestinian civilian who gathered near
the roadblock. ‘Abdullah Daoud ‘Oudeh,
30, from Deir ‘Ammar village, was wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in
the head.
4. Arrests
This week, Israeli
occupation forces arrested many Palestinians. 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:
In the afternoon, Israeli
forces arrested Sa’id Mohammed Baraka, 33, from Bani Suhaila village, east of
Khan Yunis, at Rafah Border Crossing, while on his way back to the Gaza Strip.
At approximately 02:00,
Israeli forces moved into Nahalin village, southwest of Bethlehem, and arrested
‘Eissa Jamal ‘Oleyan, 16.
At approximately 17:10,
Israeli forces moved into Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah. They raided a youth facility and detained all
those who were in. Upon their
withdrawal, Israeli forces arrested Ahmed Sami Ibrahim, 22.
*****
PCHR calls:
1. Upon
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. Upon the international community to provide immediate
and independent international protection for the Palestinian people in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories.
3. Upon 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. Upon the international community to investigate and
prosecute those believed to have committed war crimes in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories before international courts.
5. Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence, expand its
activities, and intensify its field observations throughout the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.
6. Upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the
Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect
human rights.
7. Upon 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.
