Category: Press Releases - Page 55 - International Solidarity Movement

An appeal to the international community to save the lives of Palestinian administrative detainees on hunger strike, al-Sharawna and al-Eissawi

20 December 2012 | Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) expresses extreme concern over the fate of Ayman al-Sharawna and Samer al-Eissawi, who have been on hunger strike in Israeli jails. PCHR holds the Israeli Occupation Forces accountable for these lives, and calls upon the international community to exert pressure on the IOF to immediately release al-Sharawna and al-Eissawi.

Ayman al-Sharawna, 36, from Hebron, and Samer al-Eissawi, 33, from Jerusalem, have now been on hunger strike for 173 days and 143 days respectively. Al-Sharawna started the hunger strike on 1 July, while al-Eisswi, started it on 1 August, in protest against being re-arrested and placed under the administrative detention. The two detainees were released in the context of the prisoners’ swap deal between Palestinian armed groups and Israeli authorities in October 2011, under which 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.

According to various human rights sources, the health conditions of the two detainees are continuously deteriorating because of the long periods of their hunger strikes, and they have recently abstained from drinking water. They suffer from various health problems, including leanness, general weakness, anemia, protein shortages, sugar shortage, deteriorated visions, and others. Their lives are at stake.

In spite of their serious health conditions, Israeli authorities have refused to release al-Sharawna and al-Eissawi, and exerted heavy pressure on both of them to stop their hunger strikes, in exchange for departing them abroad, but the two detainees have rejected these attempts and have insisted on continuing their hunger strike demanding their release to their homes.

In another development, on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, Israeli soldiers violently beat al-Eissawi in Jerusalem courtroom during the hearing held for considering the appeal to release him on bail or placing him under house arrest until his trial is concluded. The Israeli soldiers attacked al-Eissawi and his family members who came to see him, although he entered the courtroom on a wheelchair and handcuffed as he is unable to walk because of the long period of his hunger strike. They pulled al-Eissawi out of the courtroom and transported him back to Ramla Hospital. Additionally, Israeli forces raided al-Eissawi’s house and arrested him sister, Shirin al-Eissawi, who was presented to a judge. She was released yesterday, but was placed under house arrest.

PCHR has extreme concern over the fate of al-Sharawna and al-Eissawi, who are on hunger strike in Israeli jails, and seeking to save their lives:

1. Calls upon the international community to exert pressure on the IOF to immediately release them, in order to save their lives.

2. Calls upon human rights organizations and international solidarity organizations to put an end to the misuse of administrative arrests by the IOF, based on the term of ‘unlawful combatant,’ in violation of the fundamental right to a fair trial.

3. Notes with grave concern the deterioration of living conditions of more than 4,700 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Israeli forces fire on Gaza farmers and internationals in Khuza’a [Update: Video Added]

12th December 2012 | Khuza’a, Besieged Gaza.

Gaza- Israeli forces fired live ammunition and tear gas at unarmed farmers and international activists working in Khuza’a, a small village outside of Khan Younis located near the Israeli border. At 10:30 AM, the farmers arrived and began to plough approximately 100 meters from the separation fence while internationals lined up in between the border and the farmers. They were quickly met by an Israeli military jeep and transport vehicle. An Israeli soldier issued a warning in Arabic to leave the area and then fired two rounds into the air. The farmers and internationals remained calm and continued their work and the Israeli soldiers left the area.

At around 11 AM, approximately 20 Palestinians and farmers gathered around 300meters back from the fence. Two military jeeps returned to the area. One soldier exited his vehicle and fired four shots in the direction of the farmers and activists. The fourth shot crossed the line of the activists and landed in the field being ploughed. Again, the Palestinians and internationals were not deterred. The Israeli jeeps left and the farmers finished working on this section of land and moved on to an adjacent plot.

Fifteen minutes later, two Israeli jeeps returned, one equipped with an automatic machine gun. A soldier fired three canisters of tear gas directly in front of the activists. He proceeded to shoot at the tractor, damaging its engine and bringing the work to a halt. An international was accompanying the driver aboard the tractor. The accompaniment team included participants from Spain, Italy, France, England, Scotland, Germany and the United States

Gazan farmers successfully ploughed and sowed wheat in adjacent plots, with the presence of internationals, during the two days prior to the incident. Though they were issued warnings by Israeli forces to stay 100 meters from the fence, they were not fired upon in a similar fashion. “This incident is a prime example of the military harassment and unpredictability of the Israeli occupation forces that farmers routinely face while working their land in Gaza,” said a solidarity activist from Spain. For a report from the previous days farming, see https://palsolidarity.org/2012/12/gazan-farmers-at-work-in-kuzaa/.

Residents from Khuza’a said they have not planted in this area, declared a closed military zone by Israel, for the past thirteen years. Formerly an orchard, Israeli forces bulldozed the field multiple times during military incursions and regularly shoots at farmers who attempt to work there. Farmers were under the impression that this area was now accessible after the November 21st ceasefire’s stipulations that Israeli forces would “refrain from targeting residents in the border areas” and to “stop all hostilities in the Gaza Strip land, sea and air including incursions and targeting of individuals.” This is the optimum season for planting wheat and the Gazan farmers only have a small window of time in which to work before the land will be rendered unusable.

More evictions for army training in the Jordan Valley

10th December 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, Jordan Valley, Occupied Palestine.

5am in Homsa in the northern Jordan Valley. Abdullah Ghanni, his family and his livestock are on the move under the watchful eyes of the Israeli Army. Two days earlier Ghanni had received a visit from soldiers informing him that military training would take place on land belonging to him and his fellow villagers. Ghanni and five other families were evicted from their land for the duration of the training – 7am to 5pm on the 9^th December and 5am to 1pm the following day. All people in the village and their animals were required to leave. Continue reading More evictions for army training in the Jordan Valley

PCHR launches campaign ‘Palestine to the ICC’

10 December 2012 | Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

On 10 December 2012, on the occasion of Human Rights Day, PCHR is launching its ‘Palestine to the ICC‘ campaign. The campaign aims to encourage the relevant stakeholders, namely the State of Palestine, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and the international community, to fulfil their responsibilities in ensuring justice and redress for Palestinian victims on violations of international law. 10 years after the creation of the International Criminal Court, the institution created to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, PCHR is demanding accountability for the countless Palestinian victims who have been denied access to justice for so long.

The drafters of the Rome Statute recognised that “all people are united by common bonds, their cultures pieced together in a shared heritage.” The values that form the Court are indeed universal, building upon the rights that were proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. As article 2 states “…no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.”

64 years later, countless peoples are still discriminated against and huge distinctions are made between individuals, simply because of the political status of the land into which they are born. The Palestinian people have consistently been discriminated against precisely because of the lack of independence in their territory and the limitation of sovereignty imposed on them since the creation of the State of Israel – that very same year.

The human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is worsening year after year. The right to self-determination and the achievement of a Palestinian State appear as lofty ideals vis-á-vis the reality on the ground. The situation in the West Bank and in Jerusalem is deteriorating under occupation and expanding settlements, with the entire world as a witness. In the Gaza Strip, 1.7 million people are subjected to a heinous form of collective punishment, cut off from the outside world and forced into de-development.

These same people, protected persons of international humanitarian law, are subjected to relentless attacks. During the so-called ‘Operation Cast Lead’, it was the civilian population in the eye of the storm, denied even the possibility to flee. Over 80% of all casualties were civilians. All this happened under the eyes of the international community. Nearly 4 years later, there has not been any proper investigation at the national level.

Worse still, the international community has looked on once more as Israel carried out yet another offensive involving disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks which caused the loss of many civilians lives. Almost two-thirds of those killed and 97% of those injured during ‘Operation Pillar of Defence’ were civilians. Even before ‘Operation Cast Lead’ has been properly investigated, yet another large-scale offensive has left many more victims in its wake.

The UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict found that war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed during ‘Operation Cast Lead’. Most importantly, the Report outlined mechanisms of accountability at the national and, in case of failure, the international level. As concluded by the UN Committee of Experts “the official inquiry must be conducted by a truly independent body, given the obvious conflict inherent in the military’s examining its own role in designing and executing ‘Operation Cast Lead’”.

PCHR recognises that the ICC is the principle independent body which is capable of conducting such investigations and, in this context, PCHR is launching its campaign, ‘Palestine to the ICC’, which aims to encourage the relevant actors to fulfil their responsibility in ensuring that Palestine gains access to the ICC. Firstly, the State of Palestine should sign and ratify the Rome Statute without undue delay, and lodge a declaration with the Court’s Registrar under Article 11 (2) and 12 (3) of the Statute, accepting the exercise of jurisdiction by the Court from the date of entry into force of the Statute, 1 July 2002.

Following the accession of Palestine to the Rome Statute, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court should initiate an investigation proprio motu into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity which are committed in Palestine in violation of the Statute, and request an authorization of the Pre-Trial Chamber to proceed with an investigation, pursuant to article 15 of the Statute. Thereafter, the Prosecutor of the

International Criminal Court should reopen the preliminary examination, and take into account the proper elements in order to finally open an investigation into the situation in

Palestine, bringing the issue before the Pre-trial Chamber for a judicial determination of the matter. Finally, it falls upon the international community to support the efforts of the Palestinian people to seek justice for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law through use of the principle of universal jurisdiction.

See the petition here.

Bulldozers arrive in Hajja

9th December 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, Occupied Palestine.

On Sunday 9^th December at 4pm the bulldozers rolled into the small sleepy town of Hajja near Kufr Qaddoum, in the northern part of the West Bank. They rolled past the Illegal Israeli Settlements, where many Palestinians from the surrounding villages work, with less workers’ rights than the Israeli Settlers who work in the same factory.

Beneath the factories lies open farmland. Olive trees run up the sides of the hill, this is the land they’ve come to take. Continue reading Bulldozers arrive in Hajja