27 feb 2016
Hebron: Masalmah Family in Front of their House Demolished by Israeli Forces in Tarousa Village
In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 18- 24 February 2016, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that Israeli forces continued systematic crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed in the West Bank. One of them was killed in occupied Jerusalem. 21 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and a photojournalist, were wounded in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
Israeli forces conducted 75 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank this week.
Israeli forces have continued to commit crimes, inflicting civilian casualties. They have also continued to use excessive force against Palestinian civilians participating in peaceful protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the majority of whom were youngsters. During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, in the West Bank; one of whom was killed in occupied Jerusalem. Moreover, they wounded 21 civilians, including a child and a photojournalist.
Eighteen of them, including 5 children, were wounded in the West Bank, while 3 others, including a child, were wounded in the Gaza Strip. Concerning the nature of injuries, 18 civilians were hit with live bullets, 2 others were hit with rubber-coated metal bullets and a photojournalist was hit with a sound bomb.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and wounded 18 others, including 5 children and a photojournalist. Sixteen of them were hit with live bullets, one was hit with a rubber-coated metal bullet and the photojournalist was hit with a sound bomb.
On 19 February 2016, in employment of lethal force, Israeli forces killed Mohammed Abu Khalaf (20), from Kufor Aqeb village, north of occupied Jerusalem. The aforementioned person was killed at al-Amoud Gate, the northern entrance to the Old City, when Israeli Border Guard officers fired over 50 bullets at him. Even according to the Israeli story, Israeli forces could have used less force and abducted him. The Israeli police stated that a Palestinian young man hurried towards a police officer and stabbed him in the head, but to the wound was minor. While the young man was fighting with another police officer, Israeli soldiers shot him dead.
On the same day, Israeli forces killed Khaled Taqatqah (21) while participating in a protest in solidarity with journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq, who is on a hunger strike. The protest was organized at the western entrance to Beit Fajjar village, south of Bethlehem. Taqatqah was hit with 2 live bullets to the chest, after which Israeli forces beat him up, dragged and handcuffed him. In addition, they prevented the Palestinian medical crews from offering him first aid. The aforementioned person was left like that for half an hour until a Magen David Adom’s (MDA) ambulance arrived and took him to Hadassa-Ein Karem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 17:30.
Also on the same day, Israeli forces killed Abed Hamed (19), from Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah. They opened fire at him after he ran over a number of Israeli soldiers, who were opening fire at Palestinian protestors at the western entrance to the village. An eyewitness said to PCHR’s fieldworker that Israeli MDA crew arrived at the scene and offered medical assistance to the soldiers, but left the Palestinian wounded person bleeding for about an hour, after which he passed away.
On 21 February 2016, in employment of lethal force, Israeli forces stationed in their military site at the intersection of Beita village, south of Nablus, killed Qusai Abu al-Rub (16), from Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They claimed that he was holding a knife and heading towards Israeli soldiers that shot him dead even before he approached them. PCHR’s investigations highlights that Israeli forces could have used less force and abducted him, especially as the military site is fortified with cement cubes.
86 Palestinian civilians, including 19 children, were abducted. 19 of them, including 12 children, were abducted in occupied Jerusalem; while 13 others, including a child, were abducted during their participation in peaceful protests.
House demolitions continued on grounds of collective punishment. 2 houses in Tarousa and Deir Samet villages in Hebron were demolished.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces wounded 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, during their participation in protests organized adjacent to the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, northwest of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip.
In the context of targeting border areas along the Gaza Strip, on 20 February 2016, Israeli forces stationed at the said fence, east of al-Maghazi refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian farmers on their lands. Similar attack recurred on 23 February 2016, but no casualties were reported among farmers.
Israeli forces continued to target the border areas along the Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.
Israeli Settlement activities:
Settlement activities continued in the West Bank. Israeli forces issued more house demolition notices in the southern West Bank.
In the context of house demolitions on grounds of collective punishment, on 23 February 2016, Israeli forces demolished a house belonging to prisoner Ra’ed Mahmoud Khalil (36), in Tarousa village, west of Doura, southwest of Hebron. It should be noted that Khalil is accused of carrying out a stabbing in Tel Aviv in Israel on 19 November 2015, which resulted in the killing of 2 Israelis.
Around the same time, Israeli forces demolished an apartment belonging to the family of prisoner Mohammed al-Hroub (21), from Deir Samet village, southwest of Doura. It should be mentioned that Israeli forces accused the aforementioned person of opened fire at “Gosh Etzion” settlement’ intersection on 19 November 2015, which resulted in the killing of 2 Israelis.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
Following the Friday prayer, on 19 February 2016, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered at the western entrance to Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, to organize a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with Mohammed al-Qeeq. The protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktail at the soldiers, who fired live bullets, tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets at the protesters and chased them into the village. The clashes between the protesters and Israeli forces continued until the afternoon, during which, Israeli soldiers set an ambush for many protesters and fired live bullets at them. As a result, Khalid Tareq Yousef Taqatqah (21) was beaten up and hit with 2 live bullets to the chest. Israeli forces handcuffed him and prevented medical crews from offering first aid to him. Khalid was left bleeding for half an hour without help until the arrival of an MDA ambulance, which took him to Hadassah Hospital. At approximately 17:30, he was pronounced dead.
Moreover, an 18-year-old male was hit with a live bullet to the leg and was then taken by an MDA ambulance to the Arab Society for Rehabilitation Hospital (ASR) in Beit Jala to receive medical treatment. It should be mentioned that Taqatqah is a former prisoner who served around 36 months in the Israeli jails. Furthermore, Israeli forces severely beat Ali Abdullah Ali Taqatqah (17) and abducted him.
Following the Friday prayer, Israeli forces that established a fortified military watchtower at the western entrance of Selwad village, northeast of Ramallah, killed a Palestinian civilian from the same village. Israeli forces claimed that the abovementioned civilian carried out a run-over attack on a number of soldiers, who were opening fire at the protesters. According to PCHR’s investigations, following the Friday prayer, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered at the western entrance of Selwad village, to organize a demonstration in protest at the Israeli policies. The protesters set fire to rubber tires and threw stones and Molotov cocktail at the soldiers, who fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them in response. At approximately 15:50, Israeli forces opened fire at a private car claiming that a driver ran-over a number of soldiers stationed at the village entrance.
As a result, the driver ‘Abed Raed Abdullah Hamed (19), was immediately killed. Israeli forces closed the area and prevented a Palestinian ambulance from approaching the wounded, in addition, Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters towards the ambulance.
As a result, the ambulance medical crew suffered tear gas inhalation. An eyewitness said to a PCHR fieldworker that MDA medical crews offered medical treatment to the soldiers, while they left the Palestinian wounded bleeding on the ground for around an hour without offering medical treatment.
As a result, the Palestinian wounded was pronounced dead and was then taken by an Israeli ambulance to an unknown destination. At approximately 18:00, the Israeli Intelligence service in “Beit Eil” settlement, north of Ramallah, delivered the corpse to the Palestinian Liaison Office.
In the afternoon, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered at the southern entrance to al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah, near an UNRWA school for boys, 300 meters away from the fence of “Beit Eil” settlement, to organize a peaceful demonstration in protest against the Israeli attacks in the oPt. The demonstrators threw stones at the settlement fence, due to which, Israeli forces stationed in the area fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters and then chased them into the camp.
As a result, a 32-year-old male was hit with a live bullet to the left leg and was then taken to Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to receive medical treatment.
On Friday afternoon, dozens of Palestinian civilians gathered in the vicinity of Ofer prison, west of Ramallah, to organize a demonstration against the Israeli policies. After that, the protesters made their way to the prison gate, so the Israeli forces closed the gate and deployed in the area. The protesters set fire to rubber tires and threw stones and empty bottles at the Israeli soldiers, who immediately fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters.
As a result, 3 civilians, including a child, were wounded with live bullets to the lower limbs. All of the wounded persons were then taken to Palestine Medical Complex to receive medical treatment.
At approximately 11:00 on Saturday, 20 February 2016, a defense committee in Hebron, organized a peaceful demonstration to call for opening the closed al-Shuhada Street, in central Hebron. The protesters raised Palestinian flags and held posters on which “Dismantle the Ghetto” was written, commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the massacre perpetrated by Baruch Goldstein in 1994 against Muslim worshippers in the Ibrahimi Mosque. The protesters gathered in front of Ali al-Bakaa’ Mosque, in the center of the Old City, before they headed through al-Shalalda and al-Zahida streets to the iron gate, which closed the road leading to Osama Bin Munqith School. Israeli forces turned the abovementioned school into a settlement outpost known as “Beit Romano”.
When the protesters approached, dozens of Israeli infantry units deployed in the area and heavily fired sound bombs at the protesters. Moreover, 12 protesters were abducted and then taken to a police station near “ Kiryat Arba” settlement, while 4 other protesters, including professor Ghadi al-Ghazi, are still under the Israeli custody claiming that they attacked the Israeli soldiers. Moreover, photojournalist Ma’moun Wazouz, who works at the Chinese Agency, was hit with a sound bomb, so he sustained minor wounds to the left knee.
At approximately 14:30 on Friday, 19 February 2016, Israeli forces stationed at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, northwest of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip, fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at dozens of young men, who were on the road between the Palestinian and Israeli sides of the crossing. The protesters threw stones at the soldiers in protest at the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian civilians in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
As a result of the clashes which lasted until 17:00, 3 civilians, including a child, were wounded. Two of them were hit with live bullets, while the third was hit with a rubber-coated metal bullet to the head. The wounded persons were then taken by a PRCS ambulance to the Indonesian Hospital and their injuries ranged between minor and moderate.
Following the Friday prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organized a protest in Nil’in village, west of Ramallah and Kufor Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqiliya. Israeli forces used force to disperse the protesters by firing live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them.
As a result, many civilians suffered teas gas inhalation and others sustained bruises as Israeli soldiers beat them up.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this wek, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the international community and the United Nations use all available means to allow the Palestinian people to enjoy their right to self-determination, through the establishment of the Palestinian State, which was recognized by the UN General Assembly with a vast majority, using all international legal mechanisms, including sanctions to end the occupation of the State of Palestine;
PCHR calls upon the United Nations to provide international protection to Palestinians in the oPt, and to ensure the non-recurrence of aggression against the oPt, especially the Gaza Strip.
For the full text of the report, click on the link
In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 18- 24 February 2016, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that Israeli forces continued systematic crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed in the West Bank. One of them was killed in occupied Jerusalem. 21 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and a photojournalist, were wounded in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
Israeli forces conducted 75 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank this week.
Israeli forces have continued to commit crimes, inflicting civilian casualties. They have also continued to use excessive force against Palestinian civilians participating in peaceful protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the majority of whom were youngsters. During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, in the West Bank; one of whom was killed in occupied Jerusalem. Moreover, they wounded 21 civilians, including a child and a photojournalist.
Eighteen of them, including 5 children, were wounded in the West Bank, while 3 others, including a child, were wounded in the Gaza Strip. Concerning the nature of injuries, 18 civilians were hit with live bullets, 2 others were hit with rubber-coated metal bullets and a photojournalist was hit with a sound bomb.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and wounded 18 others, including 5 children and a photojournalist. Sixteen of them were hit with live bullets, one was hit with a rubber-coated metal bullet and the photojournalist was hit with a sound bomb.
On 19 February 2016, in employment of lethal force, Israeli forces killed Mohammed Abu Khalaf (20), from Kufor Aqeb village, north of occupied Jerusalem. The aforementioned person was killed at al-Amoud Gate, the northern entrance to the Old City, when Israeli Border Guard officers fired over 50 bullets at him. Even according to the Israeli story, Israeli forces could have used less force and abducted him. The Israeli police stated that a Palestinian young man hurried towards a police officer and stabbed him in the head, but to the wound was minor. While the young man was fighting with another police officer, Israeli soldiers shot him dead.
On the same day, Israeli forces killed Khaled Taqatqah (21) while participating in a protest in solidarity with journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq, who is on a hunger strike. The protest was organized at the western entrance to Beit Fajjar village, south of Bethlehem. Taqatqah was hit with 2 live bullets to the chest, after which Israeli forces beat him up, dragged and handcuffed him. In addition, they prevented the Palestinian medical crews from offering him first aid. The aforementioned person was left like that for half an hour until a Magen David Adom’s (MDA) ambulance arrived and took him to Hadassa-Ein Karem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 17:30.
Also on the same day, Israeli forces killed Abed Hamed (19), from Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah. They opened fire at him after he ran over a number of Israeli soldiers, who were opening fire at Palestinian protestors at the western entrance to the village. An eyewitness said to PCHR’s fieldworker that Israeli MDA crew arrived at the scene and offered medical assistance to the soldiers, but left the Palestinian wounded person bleeding for about an hour, after which he passed away.
On 21 February 2016, in employment of lethal force, Israeli forces stationed in their military site at the intersection of Beita village, south of Nablus, killed Qusai Abu al-Rub (16), from Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They claimed that he was holding a knife and heading towards Israeli soldiers that shot him dead even before he approached them. PCHR’s investigations highlights that Israeli forces could have used less force and abducted him, especially as the military site is fortified with cement cubes.
86 Palestinian civilians, including 19 children, were abducted. 19 of them, including 12 children, were abducted in occupied Jerusalem; while 13 others, including a child, were abducted during their participation in peaceful protests.
House demolitions continued on grounds of collective punishment. 2 houses in Tarousa and Deir Samet villages in Hebron were demolished.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces wounded 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, during their participation in protests organized adjacent to the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, northwest of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip.
In the context of targeting border areas along the Gaza Strip, on 20 February 2016, Israeli forces stationed at the said fence, east of al-Maghazi refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian farmers on their lands. Similar attack recurred on 23 February 2016, but no casualties were reported among farmers.
Israeli forces continued to target the border areas along the Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.
Israeli Settlement activities:
Settlement activities continued in the West Bank. Israeli forces issued more house demolition notices in the southern West Bank.
In the context of house demolitions on grounds of collective punishment, on 23 February 2016, Israeli forces demolished a house belonging to prisoner Ra’ed Mahmoud Khalil (36), in Tarousa village, west of Doura, southwest of Hebron. It should be noted that Khalil is accused of carrying out a stabbing in Tel Aviv in Israel on 19 November 2015, which resulted in the killing of 2 Israelis.
Around the same time, Israeli forces demolished an apartment belonging to the family of prisoner Mohammed al-Hroub (21), from Deir Samet village, southwest of Doura. It should be mentioned that Israeli forces accused the aforementioned person of opened fire at “Gosh Etzion” settlement’ intersection on 19 November 2015, which resulted in the killing of 2 Israelis.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
Following the Friday prayer, on 19 February 2016, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered at the western entrance to Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, to organize a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with Mohammed al-Qeeq. The protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktail at the soldiers, who fired live bullets, tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets at the protesters and chased them into the village. The clashes between the protesters and Israeli forces continued until the afternoon, during which, Israeli soldiers set an ambush for many protesters and fired live bullets at them. As a result, Khalid Tareq Yousef Taqatqah (21) was beaten up and hit with 2 live bullets to the chest. Israeli forces handcuffed him and prevented medical crews from offering first aid to him. Khalid was left bleeding for half an hour without help until the arrival of an MDA ambulance, which took him to Hadassah Hospital. At approximately 17:30, he was pronounced dead.
Moreover, an 18-year-old male was hit with a live bullet to the leg and was then taken by an MDA ambulance to the Arab Society for Rehabilitation Hospital (ASR) in Beit Jala to receive medical treatment. It should be mentioned that Taqatqah is a former prisoner who served around 36 months in the Israeli jails. Furthermore, Israeli forces severely beat Ali Abdullah Ali Taqatqah (17) and abducted him.
Following the Friday prayer, Israeli forces that established a fortified military watchtower at the western entrance of Selwad village, northeast of Ramallah, killed a Palestinian civilian from the same village. Israeli forces claimed that the abovementioned civilian carried out a run-over attack on a number of soldiers, who were opening fire at the protesters. According to PCHR’s investigations, following the Friday prayer, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered at the western entrance of Selwad village, to organize a demonstration in protest at the Israeli policies. The protesters set fire to rubber tires and threw stones and Molotov cocktail at the soldiers, who fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them in response. At approximately 15:50, Israeli forces opened fire at a private car claiming that a driver ran-over a number of soldiers stationed at the village entrance.
As a result, the driver ‘Abed Raed Abdullah Hamed (19), was immediately killed. Israeli forces closed the area and prevented a Palestinian ambulance from approaching the wounded, in addition, Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters towards the ambulance.
As a result, the ambulance medical crew suffered tear gas inhalation. An eyewitness said to a PCHR fieldworker that MDA medical crews offered medical treatment to the soldiers, while they left the Palestinian wounded bleeding on the ground for around an hour without offering medical treatment.
As a result, the Palestinian wounded was pronounced dead and was then taken by an Israeli ambulance to an unknown destination. At approximately 18:00, the Israeli Intelligence service in “Beit Eil” settlement, north of Ramallah, delivered the corpse to the Palestinian Liaison Office.
In the afternoon, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered at the southern entrance to al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah, near an UNRWA school for boys, 300 meters away from the fence of “Beit Eil” settlement, to organize a peaceful demonstration in protest against the Israeli attacks in the oPt. The demonstrators threw stones at the settlement fence, due to which, Israeli forces stationed in the area fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters and then chased them into the camp.
As a result, a 32-year-old male was hit with a live bullet to the left leg and was then taken to Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to receive medical treatment.
On Friday afternoon, dozens of Palestinian civilians gathered in the vicinity of Ofer prison, west of Ramallah, to organize a demonstration against the Israeli policies. After that, the protesters made their way to the prison gate, so the Israeli forces closed the gate and deployed in the area. The protesters set fire to rubber tires and threw stones and empty bottles at the Israeli soldiers, who immediately fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters.
As a result, 3 civilians, including a child, were wounded with live bullets to the lower limbs. All of the wounded persons were then taken to Palestine Medical Complex to receive medical treatment.
At approximately 11:00 on Saturday, 20 February 2016, a defense committee in Hebron, organized a peaceful demonstration to call for opening the closed al-Shuhada Street, in central Hebron. The protesters raised Palestinian flags and held posters on which “Dismantle the Ghetto” was written, commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the massacre perpetrated by Baruch Goldstein in 1994 against Muslim worshippers in the Ibrahimi Mosque. The protesters gathered in front of Ali al-Bakaa’ Mosque, in the center of the Old City, before they headed through al-Shalalda and al-Zahida streets to the iron gate, which closed the road leading to Osama Bin Munqith School. Israeli forces turned the abovementioned school into a settlement outpost known as “Beit Romano”.
When the protesters approached, dozens of Israeli infantry units deployed in the area and heavily fired sound bombs at the protesters. Moreover, 12 protesters were abducted and then taken to a police station near “ Kiryat Arba” settlement, while 4 other protesters, including professor Ghadi al-Ghazi, are still under the Israeli custody claiming that they attacked the Israeli soldiers. Moreover, photojournalist Ma’moun Wazouz, who works at the Chinese Agency, was hit with a sound bomb, so he sustained minor wounds to the left knee.
At approximately 14:30 on Friday, 19 February 2016, Israeli forces stationed at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, northwest of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip, fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at dozens of young men, who were on the road between the Palestinian and Israeli sides of the crossing. The protesters threw stones at the soldiers in protest at the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian civilians in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
As a result of the clashes which lasted until 17:00, 3 civilians, including a child, were wounded. Two of them were hit with live bullets, while the third was hit with a rubber-coated metal bullet to the head. The wounded persons were then taken by a PRCS ambulance to the Indonesian Hospital and their injuries ranged between minor and moderate.
Following the Friday prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organized a protest in Nil’in village, west of Ramallah and Kufor Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqiliya. Israeli forces used force to disperse the protesters by firing live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them.
As a result, many civilians suffered teas gas inhalation and others sustained bruises as Israeli soldiers beat them up.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this wek, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the international community and the United Nations use all available means to allow the Palestinian people to enjoy their right to self-determination, through the establishment of the Palestinian State, which was recognized by the UN General Assembly with a vast majority, using all international legal mechanisms, including sanctions to end the occupation of the State of Palestine;
PCHR calls upon the United Nations to provide international protection to Palestinians in the oPt, and to ensure the non-recurrence of aggression against the oPt, especially the Gaza Strip.
For the full text of the report, click on the link
24 feb 2016
Sleep deprivation, sometimes for days at a time; being bound hand and foot to a chair, with movement restricted for hours on end; being subjected to shouting, swearing, threats, spitting, and indignities; exposure to extreme cold and heat; little and substandard food; being denied the possibility to shower or change clothes for days and even weeks; incarceration in a small, foul-smelling cell, usually in solitary confinement, for many days.
I spent 20 days in total solitary confinement. Psychologically, being alone is like living in a toilet. If something happens to you, no one will notice. You could die and be discovered days later. You could die in a toilet and no one would notice. You’re dumped in a corner and forgotten, you can bang on the door for all the good it’ll do you – you won’t get any help. No one talks to you and no one sees you except when you’re brought food. And even then, they don’t talk. They put the food down and leave. Sometimes, a brawny guard shows up and bangs hard with a club, maybe to check if you’re still alive, without saying anything. […] You lose the will to even stand up. I’m used to moving around at work, I find it hard not to move. In there, you have no room to move and no desire to do a thing.
Excerpt from the testimony of Mazen Abu ‘Arish, a 22-year-old surveyor from Beit Ula.
The above are some of the standard features of interrogation at the interrogation facility run by the Israel Agency (ISA) at Shikma Prison in Ashkelon, southern Israel.
This report details Security the conditions in which inmates are held and interrogated, based on affidavits and witness accounts provided by 116 Palestinians held for security reasons and interrogated at the Shikma facility from August 2013 to March 2014. Nearly every single detainee was exposed to some or all of these measures; about one-third had been beaten or abused by soldiers or police officers in the course of being arrested; at least 14 were interrogated under torture by the Palestinian Authority shortly before being arrested by Israeli security forces.
Conditions at the Shikma facility are an inherent part of interrogations there: they serve to weaken both mind and body, complementing the actual interrogation of detainees in the interrogation room. The combination of conditions both in and outside the interrogation room constitutes abuse and inhuman, degrading treatment, at times even amounting to torture. It has been used systematically against Palestinians interrogated at Shikma, a practice that violates international law, Israel High Court of Justice (HCJ) rulings, and basic moral standards.
The chair is small and low, with a low backrest. Three of the legs are the same length and the fourth is shorter. It’s tough, because if you nod off or grow tired and fall over to the short side, the handcuffs tying you to the chair behind your back pull at you and it hurts your bound arms and hands terribly. There was another chair, the same size and height but with two shorter back legs instead. When you sit on it, it makes you lean back but the interrogator yells at you to stay straight. To do that, you have to lean forward. It hurts your hands and back. The pain in my arms and hands, and especially in my left arm, became unbearable.
Excerpt from the testimony of L.H., a 20-year-old florist from Hebron, was interrogated most of the day and night for 22 days running.In 1999 Israel’s HCJ prohibited the use of torture, abuse, or degradation by the ISA. In the sixteen years since that ruling, thousands of Palestinians have been interrogated, many by those very methods prohibited. This report reviews the situation in one particular interrogation facility during a delimited time period. It shows that the ISA’s system of violent interrogation persists – backed by state authorities ranging from the HCJ to the State Attorney’s Office, the military, and the Israeli Prison Service (IPS). The contents of one affidavit after another, of testimony after testimony, paint an extremely grim picture of what happens en route to and at the interrogation wing in the Shikma facility..
I felt completely and utterly humiliated. They shouted that I was a donkey, a beast. They said: “You’re trash, a cheap person, you have no value.” They used swear words about my little sister, who has cerebral palsy, and hurt her dignity. They knew my sister is paralyzed. They swore about her. They said she was crap. That lasted for the whole nine days of interrogation.
Excerpt from the testimony of ‘Imad Abu Khalaf, 21, a bakery employee from Hebron.Time and again, the detainees interviewed described unlawful conduct by the authorities. The descriptions bear a striking resemblance to accounts previously provided by detainees held at other interrogation facilities. Taken together, it would seem that this conduct constitutes official interrogation policy. Systematically implemented, the policy includes violence and degradation during arrest and interrogation; inhuman detention conditions that force detainees to endure crowding and filth; isolation of detainees, subjecting them to extreme sensory, motor, and social deprivation; provision of scant and substandard food; exposure to extremes of heat and cold; prolonged binding to a chair during interrogation, sometimes in exceedingly painful positions; extensive sleep deprivation; threats, swearing, shouting and mocking – and in some cases even direct violence by interrogators.
I was interrogated nonstop for three or four days with no break and without even being put into a cell. My hands were tied behind me the whole time, except for when I ate or went to the bathroom. The hard part was that I couldn’t sleep. Whenever I nodded off, the interrogator shouted loudly in my ear and woke me. The interrogators did shifts. It went on and on. After four days, they let me rest for two hours a day and interrogated me the rest of the time. That went on for ten days. I remember being almost unconscious during the long interrogations. It was terrible. I was practically out cold from lack of sleep and they kept interrogating me.
Excerpt from the testimony of Husni Najar, a 24-year-old from HebronEach and every one of these measures is cruel, inhuman and degrading, an effect that is compounded when used in combination or for lengthy stretches at a time. In some cases, the use of these measures amounts to torture – in contravention of international law and in violation of HCJ rulings and Israeli law.
In addition to directly employing cruel, inhuman and degrading means, Israeli interrogation authorities indirectly participate in torture by knowingly using information obtained through use of torture – usually severe – by Palestinian Authority interrogators against the self-same detainees.
The interrogation system that relies on these methods, both in overt interrogation and in the conditions in which detainees are held, was shaped by the state and is not the result of the initiative of any particular interrogator or prison guard. These actions are not carried out by so-called “rotten apples”, nor are they exceptions who must be brought to justice. Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees is inherent to the ISA’s interrogation policy, which is dictated from above, not set by interrogators in the field.
While the system is run by the ISA, a broad network of partners collaborates to facilitate it.
The IPS creates prison conditions to match the interrogation plan designed to break a detainee’s spirit; IPS medical and mental health professionals greenlight the interrogation of Palestinians who arrive at the facility – including in cases of poor health – and even hand detainees back to the interrogators after caring for physical and mental injuries they sustained in interrogation; soldiers and police officers abuse detainees while transporting them to the ISA, with their commanders turning a blind eye and the MAG Corps and State Attorney’s Office not bringing them to justice or holding them fully accountable; military judges almost automatically sign off on motions for remand in custody and effectively sanction the continued abuse and inhuman conditions; the State Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General have thus far provided ISA interrogators with full immunity; and HCJ judges systematically reject petitions seeking to overturn the denial of detainee’s rights to meet with legal counsel.
They are all party, in one form or another, to various aspects of the cruel, inhuman, degrading and abusive treatment to which Palestinian detainees are subjected at the Shikma facility and elsewhere. The senior Israeli officials who enable the existence of this abusive interrogation regime bear responsibility for the severe violations of interrogatees’ human rights and for inflicting mental and physical harm on these individuals.
We must once more reiterate the demand for what ought to be a given: Israel must immediately cease the use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as well as the abuse and torture of detainees, both in overt interrogation and through the conditions in which they are held. Moreover, Israel must abide by the prohibition on torture and abuse also in its cooperation on security matters with the Palestinian Authority.
I spent 20 days in total solitary confinement. Psychologically, being alone is like living in a toilet. If something happens to you, no one will notice. You could die and be discovered days later. You could die in a toilet and no one would notice. You’re dumped in a corner and forgotten, you can bang on the door for all the good it’ll do you – you won’t get any help. No one talks to you and no one sees you except when you’re brought food. And even then, they don’t talk. They put the food down and leave. Sometimes, a brawny guard shows up and bangs hard with a club, maybe to check if you’re still alive, without saying anything. […] You lose the will to even stand up. I’m used to moving around at work, I find it hard not to move. In there, you have no room to move and no desire to do a thing.
Excerpt from the testimony of Mazen Abu ‘Arish, a 22-year-old surveyor from Beit Ula.
The above are some of the standard features of interrogation at the interrogation facility run by the Israel Agency (ISA) at Shikma Prison in Ashkelon, southern Israel.
This report details Security the conditions in which inmates are held and interrogated, based on affidavits and witness accounts provided by 116 Palestinians held for security reasons and interrogated at the Shikma facility from August 2013 to March 2014. Nearly every single detainee was exposed to some or all of these measures; about one-third had been beaten or abused by soldiers or police officers in the course of being arrested; at least 14 were interrogated under torture by the Palestinian Authority shortly before being arrested by Israeli security forces.
Conditions at the Shikma facility are an inherent part of interrogations there: they serve to weaken both mind and body, complementing the actual interrogation of detainees in the interrogation room. The combination of conditions both in and outside the interrogation room constitutes abuse and inhuman, degrading treatment, at times even amounting to torture. It has been used systematically against Palestinians interrogated at Shikma, a practice that violates international law, Israel High Court of Justice (HCJ) rulings, and basic moral standards.
The chair is small and low, with a low backrest. Three of the legs are the same length and the fourth is shorter. It’s tough, because if you nod off or grow tired and fall over to the short side, the handcuffs tying you to the chair behind your back pull at you and it hurts your bound arms and hands terribly. There was another chair, the same size and height but with two shorter back legs instead. When you sit on it, it makes you lean back but the interrogator yells at you to stay straight. To do that, you have to lean forward. It hurts your hands and back. The pain in my arms and hands, and especially in my left arm, became unbearable.
Excerpt from the testimony of L.H., a 20-year-old florist from Hebron, was interrogated most of the day and night for 22 days running.In 1999 Israel’s HCJ prohibited the use of torture, abuse, or degradation by the ISA. In the sixteen years since that ruling, thousands of Palestinians have been interrogated, many by those very methods prohibited. This report reviews the situation in one particular interrogation facility during a delimited time period. It shows that the ISA’s system of violent interrogation persists – backed by state authorities ranging from the HCJ to the State Attorney’s Office, the military, and the Israeli Prison Service (IPS). The contents of one affidavit after another, of testimony after testimony, paint an extremely grim picture of what happens en route to and at the interrogation wing in the Shikma facility..
I felt completely and utterly humiliated. They shouted that I was a donkey, a beast. They said: “You’re trash, a cheap person, you have no value.” They used swear words about my little sister, who has cerebral palsy, and hurt her dignity. They knew my sister is paralyzed. They swore about her. They said she was crap. That lasted for the whole nine days of interrogation.
Excerpt from the testimony of ‘Imad Abu Khalaf, 21, a bakery employee from Hebron.Time and again, the detainees interviewed described unlawful conduct by the authorities. The descriptions bear a striking resemblance to accounts previously provided by detainees held at other interrogation facilities. Taken together, it would seem that this conduct constitutes official interrogation policy. Systematically implemented, the policy includes violence and degradation during arrest and interrogation; inhuman detention conditions that force detainees to endure crowding and filth; isolation of detainees, subjecting them to extreme sensory, motor, and social deprivation; provision of scant and substandard food; exposure to extremes of heat and cold; prolonged binding to a chair during interrogation, sometimes in exceedingly painful positions; extensive sleep deprivation; threats, swearing, shouting and mocking – and in some cases even direct violence by interrogators.
I was interrogated nonstop for three or four days with no break and without even being put into a cell. My hands were tied behind me the whole time, except for when I ate or went to the bathroom. The hard part was that I couldn’t sleep. Whenever I nodded off, the interrogator shouted loudly in my ear and woke me. The interrogators did shifts. It went on and on. After four days, they let me rest for two hours a day and interrogated me the rest of the time. That went on for ten days. I remember being almost unconscious during the long interrogations. It was terrible. I was practically out cold from lack of sleep and they kept interrogating me.
Excerpt from the testimony of Husni Najar, a 24-year-old from HebronEach and every one of these measures is cruel, inhuman and degrading, an effect that is compounded when used in combination or for lengthy stretches at a time. In some cases, the use of these measures amounts to torture – in contravention of international law and in violation of HCJ rulings and Israeli law.
In addition to directly employing cruel, inhuman and degrading means, Israeli interrogation authorities indirectly participate in torture by knowingly using information obtained through use of torture – usually severe – by Palestinian Authority interrogators against the self-same detainees.
The interrogation system that relies on these methods, both in overt interrogation and in the conditions in which detainees are held, was shaped by the state and is not the result of the initiative of any particular interrogator or prison guard. These actions are not carried out by so-called “rotten apples”, nor are they exceptions who must be brought to justice. Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees is inherent to the ISA’s interrogation policy, which is dictated from above, not set by interrogators in the field.
While the system is run by the ISA, a broad network of partners collaborates to facilitate it.
The IPS creates prison conditions to match the interrogation plan designed to break a detainee’s spirit; IPS medical and mental health professionals greenlight the interrogation of Palestinians who arrive at the facility – including in cases of poor health – and even hand detainees back to the interrogators after caring for physical and mental injuries they sustained in interrogation; soldiers and police officers abuse detainees while transporting them to the ISA, with their commanders turning a blind eye and the MAG Corps and State Attorney’s Office not bringing them to justice or holding them fully accountable; military judges almost automatically sign off on motions for remand in custody and effectively sanction the continued abuse and inhuman conditions; the State Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General have thus far provided ISA interrogators with full immunity; and HCJ judges systematically reject petitions seeking to overturn the denial of detainee’s rights to meet with legal counsel.
They are all party, in one form or another, to various aspects of the cruel, inhuman, degrading and abusive treatment to which Palestinian detainees are subjected at the Shikma facility and elsewhere. The senior Israeli officials who enable the existence of this abusive interrogation regime bear responsibility for the severe violations of interrogatees’ human rights and for inflicting mental and physical harm on these individuals.
We must once more reiterate the demand for what ought to be a given: Israel must immediately cease the use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as well as the abuse and torture of detainees, both in overt interrogation and through the conditions in which they are held. Moreover, Israel must abide by the prohibition on torture and abuse also in its cooperation on security matters with the Palestinian Authority.
23 feb 2016
A Palestinian report revealed that Israeli violations against the educational process had notably increased in 2015.
The report, issued by Quds Press, revealed that 53.998 Palestinian students and 3,840 teachers were subjected to Israeli attacks including detention, assaults, house arrest, restriction of movement at checkpoints, and denial of safe access to schools.
According to the report, nearly 255 Palestinian schools were subjected last year to different attacks at the hands of Israeli forces and settlers including violent raids and teargas bomb attacks.
Over the past year, Israeli forces killed 22 students and teachers and arrested 265 others.
The report pointed out that 75 students and 30 teachers were stopped and investigated last year at military checkpoints. 1,019 Palestinian students and teachers were injured by either live or rubber bullets, according to the report. During 2015, Israeli forces imposed house arrest on 32 Palestinian students in occupied Jerusalem.
Education was partially suspended in 35 schools and 9,322 courses were canceled due to Israeli military restrictions and attacks, the report said.
The report, issued by Quds Press, revealed that 53.998 Palestinian students and 3,840 teachers were subjected to Israeli attacks including detention, assaults, house arrest, restriction of movement at checkpoints, and denial of safe access to schools.
According to the report, nearly 255 Palestinian schools were subjected last year to different attacks at the hands of Israeli forces and settlers including violent raids and teargas bomb attacks.
Over the past year, Israeli forces killed 22 students and teachers and arrested 265 others.
The report pointed out that 75 students and 30 teachers were stopped and investigated last year at military checkpoints. 1,019 Palestinian students and teachers were injured by either live or rubber bullets, according to the report. During 2015, Israeli forces imposed house arrest on 32 Palestinian students in occupied Jerusalem.
Education was partially suspended in 35 schools and 9,322 courses were canceled due to Israeli military restrictions and attacks, the report said.