Category: Press Releases

Judge Advocate General to B’Tselem: 0.22-caliber bullets are not crowd-control measures

B’Tselem

9 July 2009

The army does not classify 0.22 inch caliber bullets as a means to disperse demonstrators or quell disturbances, the Israeli Military’s Judge Advocate General, Brig. Gen. Avichai Mandelblit, informed B’Tselem.

Since the end of 2008, security forces in the West Bank have used 0.22-caliber bullets as an additional means, along with the firing of rubber-coated metal bullets and tear-gas, to disperse demonstrators. In addition, in media statements the IDF Spokesperson referred to 0.22-caliber bullets as a crowd-control measure.

As a result of the use of 0.22 bullets, at least two unarmed Palestinians were killed: on 13 February 2009, ‘Az a-Din al-Jamal, age 14, in Hebron, and on 5 June 2009, ‘Aqel Sror, age 35 in a demonstration in the village of Ni’lin. Dozens of persons have been wounded, some seriously. To the best of B’Tselem’s knowledge, since the killing of Sror, 0.22-caliber bullets have not been fired at demonstrators in Ni’lin.

B’Tselem had written to the Judge Advocate General, demanding that the army cease firing this ammunition at unarmed demonstrators in the West Bank. In its letter, the organization pointed out that, apparently, soldiers and officers in the field view 0.22-caliber ammunition as a means to disperse demonstrators, which led to its widespread and dangerous use. From observations at demonstrations in Ni’lin in recent months, B’Tselem found that 0.22-caliber bullets were not fired in life-threatening situations, but during clashes with demonstrators, some of whom were throwing stones at Israeli forces. B’Tselem provided the JAG with video footage of Border Police officers firing 0.22-caliber bullets in situations in which their lives were not in danger.

In his response, the JAG stated that the rules for firing 0.22-caliber bullets in the West Bank are “stringent, and comparable to the rules for opening fire with ‘live’ ammunition.” He added that, “If misleading information regarding classification of this means [0.22-caliber bullets] has been transmitted to the media or various organizations, it was done by mistake or due to a misunderstanding.” The Judge Advocate General further stated that, “Recently, the open fire regulations that apply to this means have been clarified to the relevant operational elements in the Central Command. Soon the Command will make an evaluation of the situation, headed by a senior Command official, in which framework the lessons relating to the use of this means that have accumulated in recent months will be examined.”

International day of solidarity with East Jerusalem residents facing eviction or demolition of their homes

For Immediate Release

12 pm, Monday, 13 July 2009: Israeli and international solidarity activists will set up tents on King George St. in West Jerusalem as part of a coordinated campaign in solidarity with Palestinians facing home evictions and demolitions in East Jerusalem.

4 pm, Monday 13 July 2009: A press conference will be held at the Sheikh Jarrah protest tent.

Speakers will include:
Sheikh Raed Salah – President of the Islamic Movement inside the Green Line
Mr. Maher Hanoun – Owner of one of the house in danger of eviction, Sheikh Jarrah
Mr. Fakhrie Abu Diab – Owner of one of the houses in danger of demolition, Al Bustan , Silwan

Maher Hannoun, a Sheikh Jarrah resident facing eviction and imprisonment, said:

As refugees and people living under occupation, we are asking the Israeli and international public to help us with our struggle for our rights. It is unbelievable that in the 21st century, Israel’s authorities can get away with demolishing the homes of Palestinians in order to build settlements or national parks. The price we and our neighbours have to pay is too high, we are faced with two impossible choices – either we throw our kids out on the street or we go to prison. If we lose our homes, there is nowhere else for us to go, the only option we have is to live in tents.

Later in the evening a play for children by the Sanabel theatre will be held at the tent.

Similar actions will be happening on the same day in the USA, the UK, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Ireland, France, Spain, Denmark, Holland and Egypt.

Tents have become a powerful symbol of the struggle of Palestinian people living in occupied East Jerusalem. They have been set up as centers of protest in neighbourhoods threatened by Israel’s policy of ethnically cleansing East Jerusalem of its Palestinian population through house evictions and demolitions. A number of the tents, notably the one in Sheikh Jarrah, have been built by Palestinian residents forcibly displaced as a result of this policy. Palestinians, who became refugees in 1948 & 1967 are, once again, facing dispossession from their homes and land as the international community stands by.

The neighbourhoods most severely affected are Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan, Ras Khamiis, Al Tur and Sur Beher however house evictions and demolitions are not uncommon in the Old City itself. In Silwan, 88 homes in the al Bustan quarter are facing immediate destruction in order to create space for a planned national park. A total of 1500 residents would be displaced if this plan went ahead. In Sheikh Jarrah, 28 families are living under the threat of house evictions which are part of a plan to implant a new Jewish settlement in the area, close to the Old City. After the Al Kurd family has been forcibly removed from their home in November 2008, it is now the turn of the al-Ghawe and Hannoun families who face imminent eviction, while others are awaiting further court decisions. Fathers of the two families with current eviction orders also face imprisonment, should they not leave the houses voluntarily by the deadline (19th July) issued by the latest court hearing.

In Beit Hanina, Al Tur, Ath Thuri and Wadi Yasul, a combined total of more than 3,600 persons are affected by pending demolition orders – this includes two apartment buildings in Al Abbasiyya, housing 34 families.

Leonard Cohen is not playing in Ramallah!

Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)

12 July 2009

PACBI has been heartened by the untiring efforts of BDS activists in the US and UK in organizing demonstrations and pickets at Leonard Cohen’s performances in advance of his planned concert in Tel Aviv later this summer. The call, “don’t Play Israel!” has been heard loud and clear.

After exhausting all attempts to convince Cohen to apply his avowed humanistic principles in a morally consistent way by refusing to entertain Israeli apartheid and whitewash its crimes, we called on all supporters of a just peace in our region to shun Cohen’s concerts and CDs and to protest his appearances everywhere. In an open letter to Cohen in May, we warned that we considered his performance in Israel a form of complicity in its grave violations of international law; we reminded him that by violating the Palestinian boycott against Israel he would bring back the ugly memory of artists who violated the boycott against apartheid South Africa and insisted to perform at Sun City, drawing condemnation and revulsion by people of conscience the world over [1].

We are now pleased to announce that we have received confirmation from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club Society that they will not be hosting Leonard Cohen in Ramallah. A strong consensus has emerged among all parties concerned that Cohen is not welcome in Ramallah as long as he insists on performing in Tel Aviv, even though it had been claimed that Cohen would dedicate his concert in Palestine to the cause of Palestinian prisoners. Ramallah will not receive Cohen as long as he is intent on whitewashing Israel‘s colonial apartheid regime by performing in Israel.

PACBI has always rejected any attempt to “balance” concerts or other artistic events in Israel–conscious acts of complicity in Israel‘s violation of international law and human rights–with token events in the occupied Palestinian territory. Such attempts at “parity” not only immorally equate the oppressor with the oppressed, taking a neutral position on the oppression (thereby siding with the oppressor, as Desmond Tutu famously said); they also are an insult to the Palestinian people, as they assume that we are naive enough to accept such token shows of “solidarity” that are solely intended to cover up grave acts of collusion in whitewashing Israel‘s crimes. Those sincerely interested in defending Palestinian rights and taking a moral and courageous stance against the Israeli occupation and apartheid should not play Israel, period. That is the minimum form of solidarity Palestinian civil society has called for.

We feel that this is an occasion to reaffirm our position first articulated two years ago in relation to visits to the occupied Palestinian territory by artists, performers, and academics who wish to show solidarity with Palestinians while primarily coming to Israel to perform or participate in academic or artistic activities. As we noted then, Palestinians have always warmly welcomed solidarity visits by international visitors; however, most Palestinians firmly believe that such solidarity visits should not be used as an occasion to organize performances, film screenings or exhibits in mainstream Israeli venues or to give lectures at Israeli universities ; collaborate in any way with Israeli political, cultural or academic institutions; or participate in activities sponsored or supported — directly or indirectly — by the Israeli government or any of its agencies [2].

The Cohen team’s motives may not be so innocent, however. We believe that the plan for Cohen to perform for Palestinians is an effort to defuse the bad publicity and animated demonstrations by BDS activists at performance venues in several cities. Cohen’s managers probably felt that by adding a Ramallah gig at the last minute, they could deflate the growing protest and the PACBI call for boycott against the tour. While this is a reflection of the positive effect the boycott call has generated, it also shows that Tel Aviv is still on the tour agenda. More protests and more publicity about the boycott are needed, and this is why the demonstrations and pickets in London, Liverpool and elsewhere are so welcome.

PCHR: Highlights of Israel’s continued violations of international law on the 5th anniversary of the ICJ advisory opinion on the Apartheid Wall

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

8 July 2009

On 5th Anniversary of ICJ Advisory Opinion on ‘The Wall’ PCHR Highlight Israel’s Continued Violations of International Law, and the International Community’s Complicity in Illegal Acts

9 July 2009 marks the five year anniversary of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) landmark Advisory Opinion on ‘the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.’ This Advisory Opinion marked the first time that the ICJ turned its attention to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

In its Advisory Opinion, which represents an authoritative interpretation of international law, the ICJ held, inter alia, that: the construction of the Wall and its associated administrative regime are illegal and amount to de facto annexation; the Wall violates Palestinians’ legitimate right to self determination; the Wall must be dismantled, and reparation made to affected Palestinians; all States are under an obligation not to recognize the illegal situation resulting from the Wall, and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the resultant illegal situation.

On the five year anniversary of the Advisory Opinion, The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) wish to highlight the continued construction of the Wall in occupied Palestinian territory, Israel’s continued violations of international law, and the international community’s inaction as regards the obligations to ensure respect for international law and not to recognize the situation created by Israel’s illegal acts.

To date approximately 350 kilometers of the Wall have been constructed. When complete the illegal Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers, trapping approximately 237,000 Palestinians between the Wall and the Green Line (the 1967 borders), and confining approximately 160,000 Palestinians in isolated enclaves with limited access to the outside world. As noted by the ICJ, the Wall has a devastating impact on Palestinian’s fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom of movement, the right to health, the right to work, the right to education, and the right to the highest attainable standard of living. Ultimately, the Wall, and Israel’s longstanding occupation policy, deny the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, a fundamental right enshrined in the UN Charter and numerous human rights treaties.

Despite the ruling of the ICJ, construction of the illegal Wall continues. Israel continues to annex Palestinian land, and to destroy lives and livelihoods. Palestinian civilians continue to suffer the consequences.

The ICJ ruled that, in accordance with inter alia common Article 1 of the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949, all States are under an obligation to ensure Israel’s compliance with international law. Additionally, States are under a legal obligation “not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created” by the construction of the Wall.

Five years after the ICJ Advisory Opinion, Israel has yet to be held to account for its widespread and systematic violations of international law, including the continued construction of the Wall, and international aid continues to flow to the State of Israel. For example, the United States continues to extend significant financial and military aid to the State of Israel, absent any human rights based conditionality, while the EU has failed to enact the human rights clause contained within Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

The international community’s continued support for Israel in the face of the State’s widespread violations of international law is a direct violation of the obligation to ensure respect for international law. This continued support is tantamount to complicity. By continuing to support Israel, or by turning a blind eye to its illegal acts, the international community is contributing to a pervasive climate of impunity. As long as impunity continues to be granted, Israel will continue to violate international law; Palestinian civilians will continue to suffer the horrific consequences.

This impunity manifests itself in numerous violations of international law which extend beyond the construction of the Wall. Israel continues to violate international humanitarian law in its attacks on Palestinians, as dramatically highlighted by the recent offensive on the Gaza Strip. Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem in an attempt to further consolidate the city’s annexation. Israel continues to impose a strict closure on the occupied Palestinian territory, including the closure of the Gaza Strip, a form of collective punishment which has now been in place for more than two consecutive years. On a daily basis, Israeli forces subject Palestinians to degrading and humiliating treatment, exercising control over the most mundane aspects of daily life, and violating these individuals’ fundamental right to human dignity.

The combined effects of Israel’s illegal actions are catastrophic: Palestinians are denied the most basic of human rights, and forced to live in a humanitarian emergency amid rising levels of unemployment and poverty.

PCHR wish to highlight the ICJ finding that “the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (including East Jerusalem) have been established in breach of international law.” The Court further held that, “the route chosen for the wall gives expression in loco to the illegal measures taken by Israel with regard to Jerusalem and the settlements”; the Wall is intended to support Israel’s illegal settlement project.

International attention has returned to Israel’s settlement project in recent weeks. PCHR stress the fundamental illegality of the settlements, and their disastrous impact on Palestinians right to self determination, and other fundamental human rights.

PCHR affirm that political considerations cannot be prioritized over international law and individual’s legitimate rights. PCHR firmly believe that, although legal questions may have political overtones, the only possibility for a just and sustainable peace lies in a solution based on international law. All States must fulfill their international obligations, and hold the State of Israel accountable for its illegal acts. Civilians must be afforded the legal protections that are their right.

Significant findings of the ICJ:

  • The Wall and the associated administrative regime violate Palestinian’s fundamental right to self-determination
  • The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, remain applicable to Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territory
  • The Wall must be dismantled, and reparation made to its victims.
  • The State of Israel is not entitled to invoke Article 51 of the UN Charter (the right to self defense) with respect to the occupied Palestinian territory.

Israeli forces raid Bil’in, arrest one resident and one solidarity activist

For Immediate Release:

Israeli forces attack and arrest American solidarity activist.
Israeli forces attack and arrest American solidarity activist.

On July 7th at 3:30, soldiers disrupted the tranquility of Bi’lin by forcing their way into several houses. Israeli soldiers came with a list of 10 names for arrest . When Palestinian, international, and Israeli activists arrived at the scene they were subjected to violence and intimidation by the Israeli forces. The homes of Basem Yasin, Akhmed Yasin, Shauket Khatib and Abd AlMuamen Abu Rakhma were raided. Israeli forces arrested Majdi Abdel Muamer Abu Rakhma and an American solidarity activist. The American activist with the International Solidarity Movement had non-violently blocked the entrance to one of the doors when he was attacked by soldiers, forced to the ground, and subjected to pain compliance. It was at that time, that the American activist was arrested and carried by a group of soldiers into a military jeep. When activists and community members responded, they were beaten back with batons and forced to dodge a large number of percussion grenades.

Meanwhile, activists tried blocking the jeeps from leaving by erecting makeshift barricades in the street. The Israeli occupation forces responded with a number of percussion grenades and then rammed their jeeps through. They forced their way up the street and to several other houses. While there, they arrested a young man and issued nine summons to families of youths who were not present. This was done without explanation or warning. In the process of storming other houses, the soldiers were again confronted by activists and community members who refused to be dispersed even after repeated percussion and flash bang grenade attacks by soldiers. The jeeps had to make an escape through a second set of erected barricades and they exited into the night with their victims inside.