Day 17

DAY 17: Eyewitness Testimony in Palestine...Medical Staff Harassment Continues...Testimonies from Nablus & Jenin

10:00am: Testimonies from from Nablus and Jenin
by Andrew Gray • Sunday April 14, 2002 at 10:12 AM

News from an observer from Northumberland in the UK, currently in Nablus, documenting stories from local people and working with doctors and ambulance drivers.

"The hospitals are empty because doctors cannot get to the injured," says observer from North East England.
Ambulance drivers shot at, civilians dying of fractured bones.

A North Easterner reported today from Nablus, where he is staying with a
small international solidarity group. Adam Conway, from Morpeth in
Northumberland, aged 23 and a recent graduate from Cambridge University,
arrived in Nablus yesterday (Saturday), to join a small group of
international observers from Britain, America, Australia and Eire.

The team have been documenting what is happening in Nablus, the biggest
city on the West Bank, which was invaded by the Israeli Defence Force on
3rd April. They are taking photographs where possible and talking with
local people. "Everyone is very keen to have internationals here, they
are desperate to talk with us and let the outside world know what's
going on," said Adam.

The team only managed to get into Nablus yesterday by walking around,
there was no way through the heavily guarded checkpoints. "We had tried
to get into Jenin earlier on in the week, but they were arresting anyone
who got as far as the checkpoint, even journalists. The situation in
Nablus is terrible for the ordinary civilians, but it is much worse in
Jenin," said Adam. Stories from people whom Adam met in local villages,
which have been taking in refugees from Jenin, are below.

The international monitoring team in Nablus have worked mainly with
local doctors and ambulance drivers. All the drivers report that they
are frequently being stopped and held for hours by soldiers, both local
drivers and those with the Red Crescent. They continue to work despite
being shot at and undergoing regular strip searches.

"We visited a field hospital in the old city yesterday," said Adam
Conway. "What strikes you is that the hospitals are well stocked
with medical supplies but there are hardly any patients, because very
few people can get through to the hospitals and the ambulances are
being delayed for hours. There are many needless deaths in this war,
but very few injuries. One man died of a fractured femur, just
because doctors who were held up by soldiers could not get to him
with a supply of blood. Ordinary people here are just trying to
cope, but when even the ambulances are shot at, they have very few
chances and not much to hope for."

Jenin, 4/14/02 (credit: Palestine Chronicle)

Adam visited the villages of Tiabe and Romani on Wednesday, near Jenin.
These small villages have taken hundreds of refugees from Jenin, and
Adam spoke with some of them, and reported back:

"I met a man who said he had been in house with his parents and
children when the tanks entered the camp. ... [Soldiers] blindfolded
him, tied his hands behind his back and made him walk in front of the
tank as it entered the camp (he lives on the very edge of the camp).
They then told him to knock on the door of a house and go in ahead of
them. He refused as he knew there were children in the house and the
soldiers hit him again, with their hands, with their guns and with
their helmets. They then put him on the floor of a jeep, under the
bench in the jeep and sat on the bench and stamped on him. He was
then made to strip to his underwear in the street and taken just
outside the camp where he was beaten again and had a cigarette burn on
the back of his neck. At this point the helicopters started bombing
the camp, which the soldiers celebrated. ... While I only have his
word for the story I saw the bruises on his body, I saw the cigarette
burn on his neck and he obviously had cracked ribs as he couldn't
stand or sit by himself and had to sit bolt upright all the time.

"Another man I met said he had been hit on the back of the head with
an M16. The whole right side of his face was paralysed. He is in his
40s and has worked for the UN for nearly 20 years). I saw his UN ID
card. When they let him go, they said "send our wishes to Kofi Anan"."

9:00pm : Medical Staff harassed and humiliated

6:50pm: Situation in West Bank remains critical: Differs in name only

Noon: Despite court's decision, Israeli forces move bodies from Jenin
14 April 2002 - LAW

Statements from eyewitnesses, collected by LAW, confirm that despite Friday's Israeli High Court's interim order, Israeli forces have continued moving bodies outside Jenin refugee camp. Eywitness accounts confirm reports that an Israeli truck was seen with bodies inside plastic bags. The bodies were taken out of the truck and put in holes dug by bulldozers.

Later, eyewitnesses saw bulldozers coming back to the location, which is outside Jenin refugee camp, taking out an estimated thirty bodies from the holes and loading the bodies back on the truck. Reports indicate that the bodies were then taken in the direction of the 'Green Line', the demarcation line between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Individuals, including next-door neighbors, have seen bulldozers demolishing homes and shelters in which there were still people, including women and children. Various eyewitnesses have seen bodies, including bodies of women and children, in the rubble of demolished homes. Eyewitnesses have seen bulldozers driving back and forward over bodies in Jenin refugee camp.

Eyewitnesses told LAW they saw a family trying to flee from their home, that was about to be demolished by Israeli bulldozers. When the family, including a woman carrying her child, stepped outside their home in Jenin refugee camp, they were fired upon from an Apache helicopter with heavy machinegunfire. In this attack a 14-years old boy was killed.

There have been consistent testimonies from residents of Jenin refugee camp who have been used by Israeli forces as human shields. These are similar testimonies to reports we received from other Palestinian cities, towns and refugee camps, describing similar use of human shields by the Israeli occupation forces.

There are currently, some 747 Palestinian refugees from Jenin refugee camp in the village of Ramona. Around 500 of them are still missing relatives and family members. Most of them are men and small boys. The men and women have been separated. Most of the refugees have been detained for a number of days, or fled the Jenin refugee camp.
Those who have been detained have reported similar treatment while under detention, including prolonged periods of being held in painful positions, beatings and painful use of shackles. Detainees had to sit outside on the ground, with their heads between their legs, while being blindfolded and handcuffed. Most of the detainees were beaten with rifle butts and kicked with army boots. The detainees were prevented from access to food, water, and blankets. Some detainees, who asked for water, were given urine instead, or beaten.

Many detainees were stripped from their identity cards. Pictures have been taken from most detainees. Some of the detainees who had their identity cards confiscated, were given a copy of the photo.

LAW reaffirms that these military assaults targeting civilians throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including Jenin and Nablus amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. LAW condemns as well these ongoing attempts to prevent access for human rights monitors, journalists, and humanitarian agencies to these sites of mass killings to investigate and document evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

LAW urgently appeals again to the international community, in particular the foreign ministers of the European Union, who meet tomorrow, Monday April 15, in Luxembourg, to apply effective measures, including in the form of economic sanctions, to pressure Israel to accept an international protection presence, end its gross violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and genuinely commit to final peace negotiations.

LAW in particular appeals to the Netherlands, Britain and Germany not to block attempts from other member states of the European Union to apply effective measures, including suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and to impose an European-wide arms embargo.

LAW calls again on all High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to comply with their obligations under article 146 by searching for, investigating and bringing to trial perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity, under universal jurisdiction and through a War Crimes Tribunal and calls for an end to all acts by member states aiding and abetting the perpetration of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including by ending supply of all arms used to perpetrate such crimes. ____________________________

LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is affiliate to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Federation Internationale des Ligues de Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) and the World Organisation Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem, tel. +972-2-5833530, fax. +972-2- 5833317, email: law@lawsociety.org, web: http://www.lawsociety.org

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SUMMARIES

9:00pm : `Medical Staff harassed and humiliated`

6:50pm: Situation in West Bank remains critical: Differs in name only

SUMMARIES

9:00pm : Medical Staff harassed and humiliated

6:50pm: Situation in West Bank remains critical: Differs in name only

9:00pm : `Medical Staff harassed and humiliated`