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
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
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)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
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
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
“At 1:00 PM today Anthony and Jocelyn Hurndall made their way to Yebna, Rafah where their son Tom was shot on Friday, April 12, by an Israeli sniper. The entourage of two range rovers and a UN vehicle arrived at the ISM apartment where a throng of reporters and photographers awaited their arrival.” This update from Tom Wallace, International Solidarity Movement media contact in Beit Sahour, chronicles a family’s search for justice. Read more about Parents of Tom Hurndall visit the site of his shooting
“Thomas Hurndall, a 21-year-old activist from London, UK […] was about to leave, when he noticed two small girls still in front of the roadblock and in the line of fire. He was moving to help them when an Israeli soldier in the tower, about 300 meters in front of him, shot a high calibre sniper bullet directly into his head. He was wearing an orange fluorescent jacket with reflective stripes, and was in full body view of the tower.” Read more about ISM Rafah: Statement on the shooting of Thomas Hurndall
Between 4:30 and 5:00 PM today Israeli snipers shot another ISM activist in the head. Tom Hurndall from Manchester Britain is currently in critical condition in an Israeli hospital. He is 22 years old. According to Laura, the activists were being shot at while protecting some children from Israeli gunfire. Tom was in plain view of the sniper towers and was wearing a bright orange fluorescent jacket with reflective stripes. The nine ISM activists and many children were in the process of leaving the area. Sniper fire from the tower was hitting the wall close beside the children, who were afraid to move. Tom was attempting to bring them to safety when he was shot. There was no shooting or resistance coming from the Palestinian side at all. Read more about ISM: Israeli soldier shoots British ISM activist Tom Hurndall in Gaza
While fears that Israel might use the war in Iraq as a cover to forcefully relocate Palestinians in the “seam line” area of the northern West Bank have not been realized, the Israeli army is rehearsing for such a “transfer.” Furthermore, Israel is escalating efforts to rob Palestinians of their lands in the occupied territories. Tanya Reinhart reports in Yediot Aharonot.Read more about Sophisticated transfer
