This week, Israeli forces killed 6 Palestinian civilians, including a child. One of the victims was killed in another extra-judicial execution in the West Bank. Israeli forces invaded various areas in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israeli forces razed more Palestinian agricultural land. Israel continued its construction of a wall in the occupied Palestinian territories, confiscating land, destroying livelihoods. Israeli forces demolished two homes. Israel continued indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian residential areas, in which a Palestinian civilian was killed. Israel continues to impose a total siege on Palestinian towns. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
On the eve of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) opening hearing on the construction of the wall by Israel, Amnesty International calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately dismantle the sections already built inside the West Bank and halt the construction of the fence/wall and related infrastructure inside the Occupied Territories. Israel objects to the ICJ hearing the case. “The construction by Israel of the fence/wall inside the Occupied Territories violates international law and is contributing to grave human rights violations. Therefore, it is appropriate that a court of law examines this matter,” said Amnesty International. Read more about Amnesty: "The wall violates international law"
International Committee of the Red Cross17 February 2004
The International Committee of the Red Cross is increasingly concerned about the humanitarian impact of the wall on many Palestinians living in occupied territory. The measures taken by the Israeli authorities linked to the construction of the Barrier in occupied territory go far beyond what is permissible for an occupying power under international humanitarian law. The ICRC therefore calls upon Israel not to plan, construct or maintain this Barrier within occupied territory. Read more about Barrier causes serious humanitarian and legal problems
Today, a Palestinian worker died from suffocation while attempting to pass through routes at Erez crossing designed for the passage of Palestinian workers on their way to their workplaces in Israel. The worker died as a result of suffocation from over-crowdedness resulting from crushing together thousands of workers attempting to enter Israel at the crossing. A number of workers carried him towards the Israeli side of the crossing, however attempts to save his life failed. Two weeks ago, 25 Palestinians were injured at Erez crossing when Israeli soldiers opened fire on workers. Read more about Palestinian Worker Suffocates at Erez Crossing
The Intifada and Israel’s reaction to it have had a great impact on the situation of Palestinians citizens in Israel, as the world witnessed during the suppression of demonstrations in Israel in October 2000, leaving 13 people dead; the Israeli public discourse on “transfer”; the “demographic threat” and the public perception of Palestinians inside Israel as being a “fifth column”. Equality under the law and freedom from discrimination are basic human rights. Read more about The Status of Palestinian Citizens in Israel
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel published its annual report The State of Human Rights in Israel. ACRI witnessed an increase in the scope and severity of human rights violations and an unprecedented rise in injury to innocent Palestinian and Israeli civilians. More than 700 Palestinians and over 200 Israelis have lost their lives, and many more have been injured. Most of the abuses occur not as a result of operational necessity but from vindictiveness on the part of soldiers. Read more about 2003: The State of Human Rights in Israel
This week, Israeli forces killed 28 Palestinians, including two children. Three of the victims were killed in two extra-judicial executions. Fifteen of the victims were killed during an Israeli assault on Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City and Rafah refugee camp. In Rafah, Israeli forces demolished 24 homes and three schools. Dozens of donums of agricultural land was razed and numerous homes were raided. Israel continues to use Palestinian civilians as human shields and the construction of Israel’s Separation Wall continued. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
Today, the EU presented its position regarding the hearing at the ICJ. In Strasbourg, Irish Foreign Minister Dick Roche, on behalf of the Council of Ministers, said that Israel must stop building this barrier and he deplored the “regrettably uncompromising” attitude of the Israeli government. The EU’s abstention during the vote at the UN General Assembly did not bring into question the fact that the EU was opposed to the wall, which is a violation of international law. The EU, however, doubted whether bringing the case before the ICJ would be useful. Read more about EU: "Israel must stop building barrier"
This morning, Israeli occupying forces killed 12 Palestinians in al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza city and one Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces in the Rafah refugee camp. Three of the victims killed in al-Shojaeya died when Israeli occupying forces destroyed a house over them. In addition, at least 50 Palestinians, including 23 children, were injured in the two incidents. Medical sources at hospitals in the Gaza Strip described the condition of 20 of those injured as moderate to serious. This took place as Israeli forces moved into Gaza city and Rafah refugee camp. Read more about Israeli forces kill 13 Palestinians in Gaza and Rafah
The United States submitted a written statement to the International Court expressing its continuing view that the referral is inappropriate and may impede efforts to achieve progress towards a negotiated settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. The statement emphasized the Quartet-led roadmap as the agreed upon method for moving forward and it urged the Court to give due regard to the principle that its advisory opinion jurisdiction is not intended as a means of circumventing the right of states to determine whether to submit their disputes to judicial settlement. Read more about US rejects ICJ jurisdiction on separation barrier
