16 April 2003
Reporters Without Borders protested today at the detention of a team of journalists from the French TV station Canal + as they arrived in Israel yesterday to make a programme about international civilian and pacifist missions in the country. Read more about French TV journalists refused entry into country
19 April 2003
The father of Tom Hurndall, a British peace activist in Palestine critically wounded in the head by an Israeli sniper in Gaza last week, is demanding that the British and Israeli governments to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation to establish how his son was shot. Read more about Brain-dead peace activist's father demands probe
19 April 2003
Reporters Without Borders called for an immediate investigation into the killing by the Israeli army in Nablus today of Palestinian cameraman Nazeh Darwazi, who was working for the APTN (Associated Press Television Network) news agency and the Palestinian state television. Read more about Israeli forces kill Palestinian cameraman in Nablus
17 April 2003
This week Israeli occupying forces killed ten Palestinians, mostly civilians, including four in three extra-judicial executions. Israeli forces demolished six Palestinian homes in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas. Israeli forces continued to use Palestinian civilians as human shields in military operations. This week PCHR witnessed continued Israeli shelling of Palestinian residential areas. Israeli forces raided houses and arrested more Palestinians. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
17 April 2003
“The Achille Lauro is back in the news. Most of us know that a Palestinian, Mohammed Abu Abbas, is believed to have planned the 7 October 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship. His group, the Palestinian Liberation Front, demanded that Israel free 50 Palestinian prisoners. An American Jewish passenger in a wheelchair, Leon Klinghoffer, was shot and thrown into the sea. While Abbas was not on board the ship, the hijacking, taking of hostages, and killing of Mr. Klinghoffer were heinous crimes for which he should be brought to justice.” Daniel Jacob Quinn writes about another, forgotten event that happened one week prior to the hijacking. Read more about The Achille Lauro hijacking: Selective memory does none of us justice
17 April 2003
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH and OMCT joint venture) is very concerned with the imprisonment and trial before military courts of Israeli conscientious objectors. Read more about Cases of imprisoned conscientious objectors before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
17 April 2003
Today, 17 April 2003, is Palestinian Prisoners’ Day. The number of Palestinian detainees increases as Israeli occupying forces continue to wage campaigns of arbitrary arrests and detentions against thousands of Palestinian civilians. Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails continue to be subject to wide-ranging violations of their rights and dignity. PCHR reiterates its call for Israel’s systematic violations of the rights of Palestinian prisoners to be stopped, and demands that Israel respect international human rights and humanitarian law on the rights of prisoners. Read more about Palestinian prisoners' day
15 April 2003
The Commission on Human Rights adopted resolutions this morning calling for Israel to cease repressive measures in the occupied Syrian Golan; end human rights abuses and withdraw from Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; and halt the construction of settlements in the occupied Arab territories. The three measures, adopted by roll-call votes, were tabled under the Commission’s agenda item on the “question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine”. Read more about US lone vote against human rights resolution on the occupied Arab territories
15 April 2003
Today B’Tselem is publishing an updated position paper on the separation barrier being erected between the Green Line and the West Bank. The paper focuses on the planned route of the barrier and violations of human rights of the many Palestinians who live near the Green Line (Israel’s 1967 border) that will result from building the barrier within the West Bank. Read more about Behind the barrier: human rights violations resulting from Israel's construction of the wall
15 April 2003
The Israeli High Court held a session on Sunday, 13 April 2003, to consider the case of the use of flechette anti-personnel shells by the Israeli army. PCHR and Physicians for Human Rights appealed to the court to issue a decision to absolutely prohibit the use of flechette shells by the Israeli army in its military operations. Read more about Israeli High Court considers use of flechette shells