8:00pm: Human Rights Violations Compiled by Israeli Humanitarian Groups

April 11, 2002, B'Tselem, ACRI, HaMoked and PHR-Israel

Following, is a report of some of the human rights violations carried out today
in the Occupied Territories. The events included in this report are only those
about which human rights organizations have been able to obtain information. The
incidents listed represent only a minute portion of the human rights violations
being committed throughout the West Bank. This report paints only a partial
picture and does not necessarily reflect the worst of the human rights
violations being perpetrated. Most of the information below was received by
telephone, since fieldworkers are unable to reach the victims and eyewitnesses
in order to collect testimonies in person. The information has been verified to
the greatest extent possible given the current circumstances.

1.  60-year-old �Ali Faraj, resident of Bethlehem, left his house yesterday at
around 3:00 PM to buy food in Beit Jala. In his house, where nine people live,
food has run out. Even though the curfew in Bethlehem had not been lifted, Faraj
took advantage of the fact that the curfew in Beit Jala was lifted for a few
hours. After he had bought some food supplies, he returned to Bethlehem. On the
way back, soldiers stationed near Bab a-Zaqaq junction in the city noticed him.
They shot him dead. A Red Crescent crew which was passing by was stopped by
the
soldiers who told them to go to Faraj's body and fetch his identification card.
After having done so, the crew took the body to the morgue. (Source: B'Tselem)

2.  Yesterday morning, a tank shelled a house located across the street from the
house of A.A, resident of Hebron District, in his early 40�s. After the
shelling, soldiers entered A.A.�s house, took position on the roof and fired at
the house across the street using their personal weapons. As a result of the
intensive shooting, a fire broke out in the house. The soldiers asked a
Palestinian man to enter the house, put the fire out and remove a scorched body
that was inside it. The soldiers who were on A.A.�s roof ordered A.A. and his
32-year-old cousin I.A to carry the body for a distance of about 100 meters.
After interrogating the two men as to the identity of the deceased and the
residents of the house where he was found, the soldiers let them go.
  In the afternoon, the soldiers returned to A.A.�s home, searched it, and
  locked the family members in one of the rooms. After the search was
  conducted, the soldiers ordered A.A. to go out into the street with them. One
  of the soldiers pointed his gun at A.A�s back. He was forced to walk in front
  of them and serve as a �human shield�. A.A. was ordered to knock on doors and
  order the residents to get out. At the end of the �patrol� he was allowed to
  return to his home. (Source: B'Tselem)

3.  At present, 3,353 Palestinians who have been detained since the beginning of
operation �Defensive Wall� are held in various holding facilities throughout the
Occupied Territories and Israel. 281 of these men are held in administrative
detention at Ofer military camp. Before operation �Defensive Wall� began, 60
Palestinians were held in administrative detention. Information received since
yesterday about Ofer camp reveals difficult holding conditions and severe
violations of detainees� dignity. During the first three days, detainees did not
receive any food at all and only small quantities of drinking water. Access to
bathrooms depended on the mood of the soldiers. The detainees are held in open
sheds in groups of about 150 detainees per shed. They sleep on the ground in
crowded conditions. During their entire detention, detainees� hands are cuffed
behind their backs. (Source: HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the Individual)

4.  On April 3, 2002, over the course of the second day of the IDF�s incursion
into Bethlehem, an 80-year-old resident of the city, Yussef Hizboun, had a
stroke. As a result of the curfew and intensive gunfire, medical crews could not
reach the house to evacuate him. On April 9, Hizboun died. Only last night, did
his family manage to get his body to the hospital in Beit Jala. (Source:
B'Tselem)

5.  12 kidney patients, who reside in the city of Jenin, have been unable to
reach hospital for dialysis treatment. Most of them have gone without treatment
for about a week. Prevention of this vital treatment poses a severe danger to
their lives. (Source: Physicians for Human Rights Israel)

6.  68-year-old Fahima Najajra, from Bethlehem is a cancer patient who is
receiving chemotherapy. Her medication ran out on April 8, 2002. Her family has
been unable to get her more medication due to the curfew. Two days ago, on April
9, 2002, she felt severe pain. Her family contacted the Red Crescent in the
afternoon and asked that she be taken to hospital. At 4:00 PM, the Red Crescent
informed the family that they had managed to coordinate her evacuation to
hospital with the military and that an ambulance was on its way. 15 minutes
later, the Red Crescent informed them that the soldiers were not letting the
ambulance through. At around 10:00 PM, Najajra passed away. Her body was taken
to hospital only today at noon. (Source: B'Tselem)

7.  Between April 3 and 6, 2002, some 130 released detainees were transported by
bus from Ofer camp to Qalandiya checkpoint on the outskirts of Ramallah. The
detainees who live in the vicinity of the checkpoint made it home on foot. The
others, who live further away, cannot return home because of the curfews imposed
in many parts of the Occupied Territories. They are currently housed at the
community center in Qalandiya. Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq has
been trying to arrange private buses to take them home, so far without success.
(Source: HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the Individual)

8.  22-year-old Shinhaz Shatara lives at �Askar refugee camp in Nablus District.
Over the last few days soldiers have taken position on the roofs of two houses
near hers. Yesterday evening, her three-year-old son �Alaa, left the house to
play on the street. Shatara ran after him quickly, but the soldiers shot both of
them before she could reach him. Shatara and her son were injured. For three
hours, relatives pleaded with the soldiers to be allowed take the two to
hospital, but the soldiers refused. Farouq Shatara, a relative, whose roof was
overtaken by the soldiers, went up asked the soldiers again to evacuate the
injured. A short while after that, the IDF evacuated Shatara and her son.
Relatives have not been told where the two were taken. At the time of writing,
over 24 hours after their evacuation, relatives do not know their whereabouts.
B'Tselem and HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the Individual are trying to
locate them. (Source: B'Tselem)

 

Ramallah, 4/11/02 (credit: Huwaida Arraf)

9.  M.H., from Ramallah, was detained on March 30, 2002 and taken to Ofer
military camp. On April 6, 2002, he was released, but the soldiers did not
return his identification card, which had been taken upon detention. Yesterday,
M.H. was again detained by soldiers because he did not have his identification
card. Other detainees have told HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the
Individual that after their release personal possessions such as identification
cards, cell phones and money were not returned to them. (Source: HaMoked -
Center for the Defence of the Individual)

10. Last night, at around 11:00 PM, B'Tselem received a call from a
representative of the last group of armed Palestinians remaining in Jenin
refugee camp. According to the caller, the group wished to surrender, but in
light of rumors of the IDF shooting Palestinians who have surrendered, they
requested to have a representative of B'Tselem present when they turn themselves
in. The group included three wounded Palestinians, of whom one was a 13-year-old
boy. After lengthy overnight negotiations between the armed Palestinian and the
IDF, brokered by B'Tselem, the 29 Palestinians left the house where they had
been holed up. The soldiers arrested them. (Source: B'Tselem)

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B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories is the leading Israeli organization monitoring, documenting and advocating to improve human rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  Founded in 1989, B'Tselem publishes reports, engages in advocacy and serves as a resource center.

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The woman from Jenin refugee camp said, "we couldn't see what was happening
so we looked through the window, we were terrified in case they shot at us."

Another Palestinian witness said he saw 15 or so Palestinian women and
children, including an old woman in a wheelchair, moving down the main
street of Jenin refugee camp. An Israeli tank was behind them with the
barrel focused on them, the soldiers were yelling at them in Arabic " Yalla,
yalla, imshi! (quickly, quickly, walk!) and cursed them. I think they were
taking them to the muqataa (Governorate headquarters). Then the soldiers
reversed the tank, shouted at me and told me to get away from the window or
they would shoot".

The curfew imposed on the West Bank not only means the Israeli soldiers have
complete control of the streets, it also effectively means that there are
no witnesses to what is occurring. The complete prevention of movement of
ambulances and medical teams not only unnecessarily endangers the lives of
the Palestinian sick and wounded,  it also leaves the Israeli soldiers
operating with impunity.

The Israeli military has also declared these invaded areas "closed military
zones" meaning that they are not open to journalists or foreigners. A
Reporters Without Borders fact-finding missing to the area last summer noted
"more than 30 journalists had been wounded by gunfire, mostly by the Israeli
army, over the previous 10 months."

Today the situation is infinitely worse with one Italian journalist recently
shot dead in Ramallah by Israeli soldiers, on the 9th of April Gilles
Jaques, a French TV2 reporter, was shot in the chest while reporting from
Nablus; other journalists report soldiers opening fire on them at
checkpoints and many journalists were shot at while in a hotel in Ramallah.
This is a violent attempt by the Israeli army and government to aggressively
censor foreign journalists.

In another attempt to remove witnesses during this most recent assault on
Palestinians, is the restriction of foreigners coming in to Israel, and
their arrest and deportation from Palestinian areas. Since the April 3
approximately 152 foreigners have been refused permission to Israel,
including a Greek team of doctors, Italian members of Parliament, and
British, Belgium and French peace campaigners. Furthermore, Israeli soldiers
opened fire on foreign nationals involved in a peaceful demonstration in
Bethlehem � seven of them needed hospital treatment. Additionally a number
of individuals were arrested in their hotels in Ramallah or Jerusalem and
deported.

The GIPP calls for international observers to be immediately deployed to
Palestine to protect the civilians � to protect Palestinians, to witness the
continuing Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people and to help the
implementation of humanitarian assistance. For more information please see
�GIPP� on http://www.pngo.net.

For more information contact The Palestine Monitor
+972 (0)2 5834021 or +972 (0)2 5833510
www.palestinemonitor.org