On Friday morning, December 3, Israeli soldiers killed Mahmud Abd a-Rahman Hamdan Kmel (A-Dab’i), in the village of Raba, southeast of Jenin. The IDF spokesperson issued a statement saying that Kmel was killed by soldiers as he was fled from a house in which he had hidden. Yet, B’Tselem’s investigation at the site of the incident raises grave suspicion that IDF soldiers executed Kmel as he was lying injured on the ground and after his weapon had already been taken away from him. B’Tselem’s investigation also indicates that soldiers threatened two Palestinians at gunpoint and forced them to carry the wounded man and search his body, in blatant contradiction of a High Court injunction. Read more about Serious suspicion that Israeli forces executed unarmed and Injured Palestinian
The circumstances surrounding the killing of Iman al-Hams are grave. However, the large number of Palestinian civilians killed indicate that her death is not unusual. What is unusual about this case, however, is the fact that the IDF initiated a Military Police investigation that led to an indictment. There is no such accountability for the vast majority of Palestinian civilian deaths. The combination of rules of engagement that encourage a trigger-happy attitude among soldiers together with the climate of impunity results in a clear and very troubling message about the value the IDF places on Palestinian life. Read more about Israeli rights group: "Trigger-happy attitude among Israeli soldiers"
Today B’Tselem publishes a comprehensive report on Israel’s extensive use of punitive demolitions: the demolition of homes of the relatives of Palestinians suspected of involvement in attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. B’Tselem’s research indicates that since the beginning of the al-Aqsa intifada, the IDF has demolished 628 housing units, which were home to 3,983 persons. These homes were demolished because of the acts of 333 Palestinians. Read more about Israeli rights group slams demolition of Palestinian homes
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Prisoner Association, Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA), Adalah, B'Tselem, Mossawa Center, HaMoked and Public Committee Against Torture in Israel27 August 2004
Nine human rights organizations placed an advertisement in the Israeli daily newspaper Ha’aretz, stating that the rights of thousands of incarcerated Palestinians are being violated and that the Israel Prison Service must respect the basic and universal principals of prisoners’ human rights. Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent diginity of the human person.The groups include ACRI, The Prisoner Association, The Arab Association for Human Rights, Adalah, B’Tselem, Mossawa, Ha’moked, and the Public Committee Against Torture. Read more about Human Rights groups: "Prisoner Rights are Human Rights"
In its new report, The Forbidden Roads: The Discriminatory West Bank Road Regime, B’Tselem finds that Israel restricts Palestinian travel on forty-one roads and sections of roads throughout the West Bank, totaling more than 700 kilometers of roadway. The Forbidden Roads Regime operates under the premise that every Palestinian is a security risk. The Roads Regime violates the rights to freedom of movement and to equality of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank. By unlawfully discriminating against Palestinians based on their national origin, the Forbidden Roads Regime is reminiscent of the apartheid system that existed in South Africa. Read more about The Forbidden Road Regime in the West Bank - An Apartheid Practice
Since October 2003, Israel has implemented a new permit system in the enclaves it created between the separation barrier and the Green Line. As a result, Palestinians without a permit are denied the right to work their lands to the west of the barrier. A new report published by B’Tselem reveals that only Palestinians require permits. According to Civil Administration directives, Jews can freely enter the Seam Area, even if they are not residents of Israel. Palestinians wanting to obtain a permit face a bureaucratic nightmare. Read more about B'Tselem: "Permit System to Cross Separation Barrier is Racist"
Early yesterday morning, IDF snipers took up positions on the roofs of houses adjacent to the home of the Hasuna family in the Tel a-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah. Around 9:30 AM, an IDF bulldozer began demolishing the family’s house without warning. Khaider Hasuna told B’Tselem: “They started demolishing the room that we were sitting in. My wife and I were screaming and our children were terrified. We took the children and went out to the yard. I saw a tank about twenty meters east of my house. The tank began to open fire rapidly toward the house.” Read more about Today's Events in Rafah
IDF forces launched an incursion into the Rafah Refugee Camp early this morning. Israeli officials describe the incursion as the largest military operation since Operation Defensive Shield in the Spring of 2002. Throughout the day B’Tselem has received reports of severe harm to the civilian population, including deaths, injury to medical teams, obstruction of medical care, house demolitions, and damage to infrastructure including roads, water and electricity. Read more about Today's Events in Rafah
This morning’s ruling of Israel’s High Court of Justice allows the IDF to continue its mass house demolitions in Rafah, and gives the IDF full discretion as to when to allow a court hearing prior to demolition. In issuing this ruling, the Court has shirked its obligation to balance security considerations with the rights of Palestinian civilians who are not involved in the hostilities. When addressing events in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Court consistently disregards its obligations regarding human rights and international law, and uncritically adopts the position of the security establishment. B’Tselem responds to the High Court decision. Read more about The Rule of Law Ends at the Border
In its new report, B’Tselem describes the isolation of Sheikh Sa’ad from Jerusalem and the West Bank, and the consequences for the residents if the Separation Barrier is built according to current plans. The planned route of the Separation Barrier in the area will block the only road leading to the village with an eight-meter-high wall. The building of the wall will force the residents to choose between living as prisoners in their village or leaving their homes. Read more about Over 25 percent of Sheikh Sa'ad residents forced to leave their homes
