20 dec 2019 page 1
Summary
This week, PCHR documented 149 violations of the international human rights law and international humanitarian law (IHL) by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and settlers in the occupied Palestinian territory.
As part of the Israeli violations of the right to life and bodily integrity:
In terms of excessive use of force, IOF wounded 9 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, on the 84th Friday of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege protest (GMR) in eastern Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, 4 civilians were injured, including a paramedic and a child. IOF arrested the child, claiming that he attempted to throw a Molotov Cocktails in Bethlehem.
Under IOF incursions and house raids, 99 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, were reported. Those incursions included raids of civilian houses and shootings, enticing fear among civilians, arresting and/or injuring many others. During this week’s incursions, 77 Palestinians were arrested, including 22 children and 5 women.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF carried out 2 limited incursions in northern Gaza Strip and eastern Khan Younis. A Palestinian civilian was arrested by IOF while travelling via Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.
Moreover, 6 shootings were reported by IOF at agricultural lands in the northern and eastern of the Gaza Strip; while 3 others were reported by the Israeli gunboats against the Palestinian fishing boats sailing off Gaza Shore.
Under the settlement expansion activities in the West Bank, PCHR documented 6 IOF violations that included demolishing 3 residential houses in occupied East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, 25 stalls in Jenin, 2 buses’ structures in Hebron, and a car showroom as well as 2 car washes in occupied East Jerusalem.
PCHR also documented 3 settler-attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property, including attacking busses in Bethlehem; damaging road construction machines in Northern Jordan Valleys, and shootings in eastern Qalqiliyah, which caused material damage to a house and fear among its residents, but no injuries among them were reported.
In terms of the Israeli closure policy, the Gaza Strip still suffers the worst closure in the History of the Israeli occupation of the oPt as it has entered the 14th consecutive year, without any improvement to the movement of persons and goods, humanitarian conditions and bearing catastrophic consequences on all aspects of life.
Furthermore, IOF uses Erez Crossing that is designated for movement of individuals as an ambush to arrest Palestinians who obtain permits to exit via Israel. During the reporting period, IOF arrested a Palestinian civilian, from Gaza City, while travelling to Turkey via Erez Crossing.
Meanwhile, the West Bank is divided into separate cantons with key roads blocked by the Israeli occupation since the Second Intifada and with temporary and permanent checkpoints, where civilian movement is restricted and they are subject to arrest as 5 Palestinians were arrested this week only.
Violation of the right to life and to bodily integrityExcessive Use of Force against Protests in the Gaza Strip
On the 84th Friday, 13 December 2019, weekly protests were launched in the Rafah, al-Buraij refugee camp in addition to Gaza City and were cancelled in Khan Younis and northern Gaza Strip, on the anniversary of the founding of Hamas Movement. This Friday’s protest titled: “Palestine Unites us and Jerusalem is our Capital”, resulted in the injury of 9 civilians, including 4 children.
Details at PCHR official.
Shooting and other violations of the right to life and bodily integrity
Abdul Halim Ja’afrah, Head of Emergency & Ambulance Services at Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), said to PCHR’s fieldworker that he received an information about a civilian shot and injured by IOF in al-Anfaq area. An ambulance headed to the area, but IOF banned it from reaching the wounded civilian, who was identified as Hamzah Khalid ‘Ayad al-Haremi (16).
Avichay Adraee, the spokesperson of the Israeli forces, claimed that IOF spotted a person throwing a Molotov Cocktail at Israeli vehicles near Beit Jala village. He added that IOF opened fire at him, wounding him. They then chased and arrested him, without revealing the nature of his injury.
According to local sources, PCHR’s fieldworker stated that IOF took the wounded child to “Ofer” military prison established on lands, west of Ramallah.
After that, al-Haremi underwent a surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Israel. An extension hearing will be held for the arrested child next Thursday in the Israeli Military Court.
Demolition and Confiscation of Civilian Property for Settlement Expansion Activities
Israeli Settler Violence
Fully detailed document available at the official website of the Palestinian Centre for Human rights (PCHR).
This week, PCHR documented 149 violations of the international human rights law and international humanitarian law (IHL) by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and settlers in the occupied Palestinian territory.
As part of the Israeli violations of the right to life and bodily integrity:
In terms of excessive use of force, IOF wounded 9 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, on the 84th Friday of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege protest (GMR) in eastern Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, 4 civilians were injured, including a paramedic and a child. IOF arrested the child, claiming that he attempted to throw a Molotov Cocktails in Bethlehem.
Under IOF incursions and house raids, 99 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, were reported. Those incursions included raids of civilian houses and shootings, enticing fear among civilians, arresting and/or injuring many others. During this week’s incursions, 77 Palestinians were arrested, including 22 children and 5 women.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF carried out 2 limited incursions in northern Gaza Strip and eastern Khan Younis. A Palestinian civilian was arrested by IOF while travelling via Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.
Moreover, 6 shootings were reported by IOF at agricultural lands in the northern and eastern of the Gaza Strip; while 3 others were reported by the Israeli gunboats against the Palestinian fishing boats sailing off Gaza Shore.
Under the settlement expansion activities in the West Bank, PCHR documented 6 IOF violations that included demolishing 3 residential houses in occupied East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, 25 stalls in Jenin, 2 buses’ structures in Hebron, and a car showroom as well as 2 car washes in occupied East Jerusalem.
PCHR also documented 3 settler-attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property, including attacking busses in Bethlehem; damaging road construction machines in Northern Jordan Valleys, and shootings in eastern Qalqiliyah, which caused material damage to a house and fear among its residents, but no injuries among them were reported.
In terms of the Israeli closure policy, the Gaza Strip still suffers the worst closure in the History of the Israeli occupation of the oPt as it has entered the 14th consecutive year, without any improvement to the movement of persons and goods, humanitarian conditions and bearing catastrophic consequences on all aspects of life.
Furthermore, IOF uses Erez Crossing that is designated for movement of individuals as an ambush to arrest Palestinians who obtain permits to exit via Israel. During the reporting period, IOF arrested a Palestinian civilian, from Gaza City, while travelling to Turkey via Erez Crossing.
Meanwhile, the West Bank is divided into separate cantons with key roads blocked by the Israeli occupation since the Second Intifada and with temporary and permanent checkpoints, where civilian movement is restricted and they are subject to arrest as 5 Palestinians were arrested this week only.
Violation of the right to life and to bodily integrityExcessive Use of Force against Protests in the Gaza Strip
On the 84th Friday, 13 December 2019, weekly protests were launched in the Rafah, al-Buraij refugee camp in addition to Gaza City and were cancelled in Khan Younis and northern Gaza Strip, on the anniversary of the founding of Hamas Movement. This Friday’s protest titled: “Palestine Unites us and Jerusalem is our Capital”, resulted in the injury of 9 civilians, including 4 children.
Details at PCHR official.
Shooting and other violations of the right to life and bodily integrity
- At approximately 13:40 on Thursday, 12 December 2019, moved into Ramallah and stationed in ‘Ein Mesbah neighborhood in the center of the city. Dozens of Palestinian young men gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at Israeli soldiers, who responded with live and rubber bullets and tear gas canisters. As a result, volunteer paramedic, Majd Omer (25), was shot with a rubber bullet in the foot. He was transferred to Palestine Medical Complex for treatment and his injury was classified as moderate. Meanwhile, an Israeli force raided and searched the house of Shatha Majed Hasan (20), a student at Birzeit University, and arrested her.
- At approximately 22:00 on Friday, 13 December 2019, IOF moved into al-Janiyah village, northwest of Ramallah. A number of young men gathered and threw stones at Israeli forces, who responded with live bullets and tear gas canisters. A live bullet hit the window of Mohammed Ahmed Nassar’s house and settled in the walls; no casualties were reported.
- At approximately 08:00 on Saturday, 14 December 2019, IOF signed to guard the annexation wall gate, adjacent to Nazlet ‘Essa village, north of Tulkarm, opened fire at a group of civilians present at the area. As a result, 2 civilians, from western al-Nazlah village, were wounded while attempting to enter the gate to work in Israel. The wounded civilians were identified as Ahmed Hasan Katanah (26), who was shot with a live bullet in the right leg; while Darrar Rasem Katanah (28) was shot with a live bullet in the left foot.
- At approximately 13:30 on the same Saturday, IOF stationed along the border fence, adjacent to the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at the agricultural lands in eastern Beit Hanoun. As a result, a tilling machine that was about 150 meters into the west of the border fence and dragged by a farmer was hit with 2 live bullets, causing its damage. The machine is owned by Mohammed Hasan Ahmed al-Za’anin (40). IOF also fired a number of sound bombs in the area, causing fear among farmers.
- At approximately 16:40 on the same Saturday, IOF stationed along the border fence, east of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip, opened fire and fired a number of tear gas canisters at the border As a result, farmers, whose lands are nearby the area, forced to leave it fearing for their lives; no casualties were reported.
- At approximately 09:00 on Sunday, 15 December 2019, IOF stationed along the border north of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at Beit Hanoun Municipality crews, who were adjacent to a land fill in the area. As a result, the municipality truck was hit with several live bullets; no casualties were reported.
- At approximately 16:30 on the same Sunday, Israeli gunboats stationed in west of Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, heavily opened fire and chased Palestinian fishing boats sailing within 3 nautical miles. As a result, the fishermen were forced to flee fearing for their lives; no casualties were reported.
- At approximately 21:30 on the same Sunday, Israeli soldiers stationed along the border fence, east of Kahn Younis in southern Gaza Strip, fired tear gas canisters adjacent to al-Najjar neighbourhood, east of Khuza’ah village; no casualties were reported.
- At approximately 08:15 on Tuesday, 17 December 2019, Israeli gunboats stationed in northwest of Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, heavily opened fire and chased Palestinian fishing boats sailing within3 nautical miles. As a result, fishermen were forced to flee fearing for their lives; no casualties were reported.
- At approximately 19:00 on the same Tuesday, IOF opened fire at a Palestinian civilian while being present on al-Anfaq Street, west of Beit Jala, west of Bethlehem. As a result, he was shot and injured in the thigh. He was arrested by IOF and taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Israel for treatment.
Abdul Halim Ja’afrah, Head of Emergency & Ambulance Services at Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), said to PCHR’s fieldworker that he received an information about a civilian shot and injured by IOF in al-Anfaq area. An ambulance headed to the area, but IOF banned it from reaching the wounded civilian, who was identified as Hamzah Khalid ‘Ayad al-Haremi (16).
Avichay Adraee, the spokesperson of the Israeli forces, claimed that IOF spotted a person throwing a Molotov Cocktail at Israeli vehicles near Beit Jala village. He added that IOF opened fire at him, wounding him. They then chased and arrested him, without revealing the nature of his injury.
According to local sources, PCHR’s fieldworker stated that IOF took the wounded child to “Ofer” military prison established on lands, west of Ramallah.
After that, al-Haremi underwent a surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Israel. An extension hearing will be held for the arrested child next Thursday in the Israeli Military Court.
- At approximately 02:30 on Friday, 18 December 2019, IOF moved into al-Dheisheh refugee camp, south of Bethlehem. A number of Palestinian young men gathered and threw stones at Israeli vehicles. IOF chased the young men between house and fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, a number of young men suffocated due to tear gas inhalation. Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers arrested Yusuf ‘Ezzat Abu Diaya (21) and Yusuf Mohammed Sadouq (22) after they raided and searched their houses.
- At approximately 18:00, Israeli gunboats stationed, west of Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, heavily opened fire and chased Palestinian fishing boats sailing within 3 nautical miles. They also fired flare bombs in the sky. As a result, the fishermen were forced to flee fearing for their lives; no casualties were reported.
- At approximately 11:00 on Wednesday, 11 December 2019, Israeli soldiers stationed along the border fence, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip, opened fire at agricultural lands in eastern Khuza’ah village, south of the Gaza Strip. As a result, farmers fled away fearing for their lives; no casualties were reported.
Demolition and Confiscation of Civilian Property for Settlement Expansion Activities
- On Saturday, 14 December 2019, Naser Za’atrah implemented the Israeli Municipality decision and self-demolished his tin-plate house willing of 25 square meters in al-Mokaber Mount area, south of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of non-licensing. Za’atrah said that the Israeli authorities ordered him several times to demolish his house and threatened him if he did not demolish it, he would pay the demolition costs. Za’atrah added that the construction of his house cost NIS 90.000 and the Israeli Municipality imposed a construction fine on him of NIS 115.000, noting that he is still paying it. Lately, the Israeli Municipality escalated its self-demolition policy in occupied East Jerusalem and forced over 50 civilians to self-demolish their houses.
- At approximately 08:00 on Monday, 16 December 2019, IOF backed by military construction vehicles moved into Hebron’s Dir Razzah area. They demolished two buses’ structures of Basel Rashid Suliman D’ais used as café and auto repair workshop. After that, IOF levelled and dug the plot of land to ban using it again, under the pretext of being in Area C. It should be noted that on 19 August 2019, IOF demolished D’ais’s barrack established on the mentioned plot of land.
- At approximately 13:00 on Monday, 16 December 2019, Israeli vehicles demolished Sameeh Ahmed Salah’s house in Kherbet ‘Alia, south of Bethlehem, under the pretext of non-licensing. Salah said that IOF accompanied with military construction vehicles raided his 120-sqaure-meter house, which sheltered 5 persons, and demolished it. Salah clarified that his plot of land is officially registered, but IOF prevented him from building on it, claiming that there was a military order banning any construction works in the area. He added that in 1996, IOF demolished his plot of land and agricultural rooms. In 2002, IOF demolished a house built there. Salah pointed out that he re-built the house for the 2nd time years ago, but IOF notified him that they would demolish it. After that, he requested help from St. Yves Society and headed to the Israeli Supreme Court that issued the demolition decision, but IOF did not recognize the court’s decision and demolished the house. It should be noted that IOF aims at evacuating Kherbet ‘Alia from all houses and seizing over 120 dunums in order to build a bypass road, which would be the northern entrance to “Afrat” settlement.
- At approximately 20:00, IOF accompanied with military construction vehicles moved into al-Jalma village, where they demolished at least 25 vegetable and fruit stalls roofed with sheds, under the pretext of being in Area C. These stalls were established near al-Jalma checkpoint due to the traffic jam at the checkpoint. PCHR keeps the names of stalls’ owners, who were deprived of the sole source of income.
- At approximately 08:00 on Tuesday, 17 December 2019, the Israeli Municipality bulldozers demolished Hatem Hussain Aby Riyalah’s under construction house in al-‘Issawiyia village, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of non-licensing. Raied Abu Riyalah, Member of al-‘Issawiyia Follow-up Committee, said that Israeli special forces accompanied with military vehicles moved into Abu Riyalah neighborhood, where they imposed a tight security cordon near Hatem Hussain Abu Riyalah house and demolished the second storey of his house for the 3rd Raied Abu Riyalah pointed out that Hatem attempted to license his house, but in vain. It should be noted that Hatem’s house was built on an area of 180 sqaure meters and comprised of 2 stories; the first was inhabited while the second was under-construction.
- Around the same day, IOF accompanied with military construction vehicles moved into Sho’fat village in occupied East Jerusalem and demolished a car showroom and 2 car washes of Meswada, Bader and Abu Isninah families. Wadi al-Helwa Information Center stated that Israeli bulldozers demolished ‘Azzam Meswada’s car showroom built of tin plates and damaged walls surrounding it. In addition, IOF demolished Bashar Bader’s car wash, comprising of 3 tin-plate rooms, and another car wash belonging to Kamal Abu Isninah. IOF confiscated a container from Kamal’s car wash.
Israeli Settler Violence
- At approximately 23:00 on Friday, 13 December 2019, Diyab Mash’alah, Head of al-Jab’a Village Council, said that, dozens of Israeli settlers, from “Beit Ayin” settlement, which is established on Palestinians’ lands, moved into al-Jamjoum area in western Bethlehem. They attacked and threw stones at Palestinian civilians’ vehicles. As a result, the windshield, rear window and lights of Akrama Hamdan’s vehicle were broken as well as many vehicles sustained damage. Mash’alah added that settlers continued to carry out ongoing attacks against Palestinians and their properties years ago, clarifying that these attacks have recently increased. Mash’alah said that settlers from time to time threw Molotov Cocktails at Palestinian vehicles, causing incidents and injuries among them, without taking any measures by IOF to end and stop these attacks.
- On Monday, 16 December 2019, settlers from the “Price Tag” group damaged road construction machines of Salah al-Zayed in northern Jordan Valley, east of Tubas, for the 2nd
- At approximately 20:00 on Monday, 16 December 2019, settlers opened fire at ‘Ali al-Sedaa’s house in the outskirts of Qalqiliyia’s Jeet village. As a result, the house sustained material damage and its residents were terrified, but no injuries among them were reported.
- On Tuesday, 17 December 2019, a group of Israeli settlers damaged road construction machines in northern Jordan Valley, north of the West Bank.
Fully detailed document available at the official website of the Palestinian Centre for Human rights (PCHR).
A United Nations human rights committee has called on Israel to “ensure equal treatment for all persons on the territories under its effective control and subject to its jurisdiction” – inside Israel, in the Occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, and in the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to a press release by the Haifa-based Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.
The UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which reviews states’ compliance with the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) – ratified by Israel in 1979 – issued its concluding observations of Israel on 12 December.
CERD is the first of the UN human rights treaty bodies to issue concluding observations that clearly apply to all territories under Israel’s jurisdiction and effective control as a single entity, said Adalah.
In the past the UN committees for human rights distinguished between Israeli policies that apply to the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT) from its policies inside Israel, which are based on two different legal systems.
CERD called on Israel to amend or revoke discriminatory legislation that does not comply with the principle of equality and discriminates against Palestinians living anywhere in the territories under its effective control and jurisdiction.
The laws highlighted by CERD included, amongst others, the Admission Committees Law, the Family Unification Ban Law, and the Breach of Loyalty Law aimed at revocation of residency of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
Adalah provided CERD, in its reports to the committee, with analysis of numerous discriminatory laws that apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians residents of the OPT.
CERD also urged Israel to “eradicate all forms of segregation between Jewish and non-Jewish communities and any such policies or practices which severely and disproportionately affect the Palestinian population in Israel proper and in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” in a clear indication of its comprehensive perspective of the Israel/OPT area.
“The change in perception reflected in CERD’s conclusions has historical dimensions, since for the first time Israel is defined by a UN expert committee as a regime that exercises apartheid practices against Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line,” said Adalah.
“The policy of separating Jews from Palestinians – not only as a result of the operation of separate legal systems in the OPT, but also by enshrining racial segregation as a constitutional value – is in total violation of the Rome Convention, which defines apartheid as a crime against humanity.
The Jewish people’s exclusive right to self-determination in all territories under Israeli control, as laid down the Jewish Nation-State Law, along with the definition of Jewish settlement activity as a national value, indicates an intention to perpetuate racial segregation from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. This could have far-reaching implications for defining the character of the Israeli regime by international legal bodies.”
Adalah’s key concerns, documented in its advocacy reports and during its presentations before CERD in Geneva during its review of Israel in early December, are included in all four of the issues that CERD identified as being of “particular importance”: the Jewish Nation-State Law; discriminatory laws; segregation between Jewish and non-Jewish communities; and racist hate speech and hate crimes.
CERD asked Israel to provide detailed information about concrete steps it is taking to implement these recommendations of particular importance.
CERD determined that Israel’s Jewish Nation-State Basic Law discriminates against non-Jewish people throughout Israel and the OPT and stands in violation of ICERD.
It called on Israel to review the law and bring it into line with ICERD, particularly with regard to its ing of the exercise of the right to self-determination exclusively to the Jewish people, its downgrading of the Arabic language in Israel, and the constitutional backing that the law gives to Jewish settlements in the OPT.
While Israel’s control over the entire territory of Israel/OPT is a longstanding reality, the Jewish Nation-State Basic Law has constitutionally enshrined that reality, said Adalah, welcoming this recommendation by CERD.
CERD closely echoed Adalah’s calls regarding hate speech and hate crimes by urging Israel to “step up its efforts to counter and stem the tide of racism and xenophobia in public discourse, in particular by strongly condemning all racist and xenophobic statements by public figures, political and religious leaders, as well as media personalities, and by implementing appropriate measures to combat the proliferation of acts and manifestations of racism that particularly target non-Jewish minorities.”
It also urged Israel to “ensure that public prosecutors and the judiciary as a whole prosecute racist hate speech and hate crimes by applying the same standards, irrespective of the alleged perpetrators’ ethnic or national origin.”
CERD called on Israel to provide information within one year on its forced displacement and eviction of Palestinian Bedouin citizens of Israel living in the Naqab (Negev), the demolition of their homes, and other violations of their land and property rights.
Adalah and the Negev Coexistence Forum raised the issue of Bedouin citizens in the Naqab region of southern Israel extensively in joint advocacy with CERD.
CERD has also called on Israel to provide – within a one-year time frame – information on Israeli national institutions with semi-governmental status such as the Jewish National Fund and the Jewish Agency. CERD called on Israel to bring them to into compliance with Israel’s obligations under international law.
The UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which reviews states’ compliance with the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) – ratified by Israel in 1979 – issued its concluding observations of Israel on 12 December.
CERD is the first of the UN human rights treaty bodies to issue concluding observations that clearly apply to all territories under Israel’s jurisdiction and effective control as a single entity, said Adalah.
In the past the UN committees for human rights distinguished between Israeli policies that apply to the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT) from its policies inside Israel, which are based on two different legal systems.
CERD called on Israel to amend or revoke discriminatory legislation that does not comply with the principle of equality and discriminates against Palestinians living anywhere in the territories under its effective control and jurisdiction.
The laws highlighted by CERD included, amongst others, the Admission Committees Law, the Family Unification Ban Law, and the Breach of Loyalty Law aimed at revocation of residency of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
Adalah provided CERD, in its reports to the committee, with analysis of numerous discriminatory laws that apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians residents of the OPT.
CERD also urged Israel to “eradicate all forms of segregation between Jewish and non-Jewish communities and any such policies or practices which severely and disproportionately affect the Palestinian population in Israel proper and in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” in a clear indication of its comprehensive perspective of the Israel/OPT area.
“The change in perception reflected in CERD’s conclusions has historical dimensions, since for the first time Israel is defined by a UN expert committee as a regime that exercises apartheid practices against Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line,” said Adalah.
“The policy of separating Jews from Palestinians – not only as a result of the operation of separate legal systems in the OPT, but also by enshrining racial segregation as a constitutional value – is in total violation of the Rome Convention, which defines apartheid as a crime against humanity.
The Jewish people’s exclusive right to self-determination in all territories under Israeli control, as laid down the Jewish Nation-State Law, along with the definition of Jewish settlement activity as a national value, indicates an intention to perpetuate racial segregation from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. This could have far-reaching implications for defining the character of the Israeli regime by international legal bodies.”
Adalah’s key concerns, documented in its advocacy reports and during its presentations before CERD in Geneva during its review of Israel in early December, are included in all four of the issues that CERD identified as being of “particular importance”: the Jewish Nation-State Law; discriminatory laws; segregation between Jewish and non-Jewish communities; and racist hate speech and hate crimes.
CERD asked Israel to provide detailed information about concrete steps it is taking to implement these recommendations of particular importance.
CERD determined that Israel’s Jewish Nation-State Basic Law discriminates against non-Jewish people throughout Israel and the OPT and stands in violation of ICERD.
It called on Israel to review the law and bring it into line with ICERD, particularly with regard to its ing of the exercise of the right to self-determination exclusively to the Jewish people, its downgrading of the Arabic language in Israel, and the constitutional backing that the law gives to Jewish settlements in the OPT.
While Israel’s control over the entire territory of Israel/OPT is a longstanding reality, the Jewish Nation-State Basic Law has constitutionally enshrined that reality, said Adalah, welcoming this recommendation by CERD.
CERD closely echoed Adalah’s calls regarding hate speech and hate crimes by urging Israel to “step up its efforts to counter and stem the tide of racism and xenophobia in public discourse, in particular by strongly condemning all racist and xenophobic statements by public figures, political and religious leaders, as well as media personalities, and by implementing appropriate measures to combat the proliferation of acts and manifestations of racism that particularly target non-Jewish minorities.”
It also urged Israel to “ensure that public prosecutors and the judiciary as a whole prosecute racist hate speech and hate crimes by applying the same standards, irrespective of the alleged perpetrators’ ethnic or national origin.”
CERD called on Israel to provide information within one year on its forced displacement and eviction of Palestinian Bedouin citizens of Israel living in the Naqab (Negev), the demolition of their homes, and other violations of their land and property rights.
Adalah and the Negev Coexistence Forum raised the issue of Bedouin citizens in the Naqab region of southern Israel extensively in joint advocacy with CERD.
CERD has also called on Israel to provide – within a one-year time frame – information on Israeli national institutions with semi-governmental status such as the Jewish National Fund and the Jewish Agency. CERD called on Israel to bring them to into compliance with Israel’s obligations under international law.
Human Rights Watch: Israel Using Draconian Military Orders to Repress PalestiniansHuman Rights Watch (HRW) has shed light on Israel’s decades-long violations of Palestinians’ fundamental rights through restrictive military orders, urging the occupying regime to grant the oppressed nation the same rights as Israeli settlers.
In a 92-page report published on Tuesday, the New York-based NGO said British Mandate-era regulations which still remain in force, in addition to military orders that Tel Aviv has issued since the 1967 occupation of the West Bank, allow the Israeli army to strip the Palestinian people of their basic civil rights.
The report, dubbed “Born Without Civil Rights: Israel’s Use of Draconian Military Orders to Repress Palestinians in the West Bank,” also criticized Israel for unjustifiably relying on those orders to jail Palestinians for anti-occupation speech, activism, or political affiliations, outlawing political and other non-governmental organizations and shutting down media outlets.
“Israel’s efforts to justify depriving Palestinians of basic civil rights protections for more than half a century, based on the exigencies of its forever military occupation just don’t fly anymore,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division at HRW.
“Given Israel’s long-term control over Palestinians, it should at minimum allow them to exercise the same rights it grants its own citizens, regardless of the political arrangement in place,” she added, according to Press TV/Al Ray.
According to the report, Israel’s sweeping military orders apply only to the 2.5 million Palestinian residents of the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem al-Quds, but not to the more than 400,000 Israeli settlers.
“Nothing can justify today’s reality where in some places people on one side of the street enjoy civil rights, while those on the other side do not,” Whitson noted.
The Israeli orders, the report said, allow imposing prison terms of up to 10 years on civilians convicted by military courts, for influencing public opinion in a way that could “harm public peace or public order.”
A 10-year sentence can also be imposed on Palestinians who participate in a gathering of more than 10 people without a military permit, on any issue “that could be construed as political,” or if they display “flags or political symbols” without army approval,” it added.
Meanwhile, the HRW estimated that between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2019, the Israeli army prosecuted 4,590 Palestinians for entering what it calls a “closed military zone,” 1,704 for “membership and activity in an unlawful association,” and 358 for “incitement.”
Israeli authorities further rely on military orders to ban 411 organizations, including all the major Palestinian political movements, and to detain people affiliated with them, it added.
“Suspending rights for a short period may temporarily disrupt public life, but long-term, indefinite suspension cripples a community’s social, political, and intellectual life,” the report said. “In cases of indefinite occupation, such as Israel’s, the rights granted to an occupied population should be at least equal to the rights afforded the occupier’s citizens.”
Whitson said the orders give the army “carte blanche to prosecute anyone who organizes politically, speaks out, or even reports the news in ways that displease the army.”
“Israeli military law, in place for 52 years, bars Palestinians in the West Bank from such basic freedoms as waving flags, peacefully protesting the occupation, joining all major political movements, and publishing political material,” she pointed out.
The report was based on 29 interviews, primarily with former detainees and lawyers, reviews of military court indictments, and examination of eight illustrative cases of activists, journalists, and other Palestinians detained under Israeli military orders over the past five years.
It was the first report issued by HRW since Israel expelled the organization’s regional director Omar Shakir, last month
Israel accused Shakir of supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for exerting financial pressure on the Tel Aviv regime, to end its rights abuses against Palestinians, an accusation the activist and HRW have both denied.
In a 92-page report published on Tuesday, the New York-based NGO said British Mandate-era regulations which still remain in force, in addition to military orders that Tel Aviv has issued since the 1967 occupation of the West Bank, allow the Israeli army to strip the Palestinian people of their basic civil rights.
The report, dubbed “Born Without Civil Rights: Israel’s Use of Draconian Military Orders to Repress Palestinians in the West Bank,” also criticized Israel for unjustifiably relying on those orders to jail Palestinians for anti-occupation speech, activism, or political affiliations, outlawing political and other non-governmental organizations and shutting down media outlets.
“Israel’s efforts to justify depriving Palestinians of basic civil rights protections for more than half a century, based on the exigencies of its forever military occupation just don’t fly anymore,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division at HRW.
“Given Israel’s long-term control over Palestinians, it should at minimum allow them to exercise the same rights it grants its own citizens, regardless of the political arrangement in place,” she added, according to Press TV/Al Ray.
According to the report, Israel’s sweeping military orders apply only to the 2.5 million Palestinian residents of the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem al-Quds, but not to the more than 400,000 Israeli settlers.
“Nothing can justify today’s reality where in some places people on one side of the street enjoy civil rights, while those on the other side do not,” Whitson noted.
The Israeli orders, the report said, allow imposing prison terms of up to 10 years on civilians convicted by military courts, for influencing public opinion in a way that could “harm public peace or public order.”
A 10-year sentence can also be imposed on Palestinians who participate in a gathering of more than 10 people without a military permit, on any issue “that could be construed as political,” or if they display “flags or political symbols” without army approval,” it added.
Meanwhile, the HRW estimated that between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2019, the Israeli army prosecuted 4,590 Palestinians for entering what it calls a “closed military zone,” 1,704 for “membership and activity in an unlawful association,” and 358 for “incitement.”
Israeli authorities further rely on military orders to ban 411 organizations, including all the major Palestinian political movements, and to detain people affiliated with them, it added.
“Suspending rights for a short period may temporarily disrupt public life, but long-term, indefinite suspension cripples a community’s social, political, and intellectual life,” the report said. “In cases of indefinite occupation, such as Israel’s, the rights granted to an occupied population should be at least equal to the rights afforded the occupier’s citizens.”
Whitson said the orders give the army “carte blanche to prosecute anyone who organizes politically, speaks out, or even reports the news in ways that displease the army.”
“Israeli military law, in place for 52 years, bars Palestinians in the West Bank from such basic freedoms as waving flags, peacefully protesting the occupation, joining all major political movements, and publishing political material,” she pointed out.
The report was based on 29 interviews, primarily with former detainees and lawyers, reviews of military court indictments, and examination of eight illustrative cases of activists, journalists, and other Palestinians detained under Israeli military orders over the past five years.
It was the first report issued by HRW since Israel expelled the organization’s regional director Omar Shakir, last month
Israel accused Shakir of supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for exerting financial pressure on the Tel Aviv regime, to end its rights abuses against Palestinians, an accusation the activist and HRW have both denied.
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