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PHRMG Hotline Update # 1/2002
Jerusalem, January 7, 2002 |
“Know Your
Rights” Workshop in Hebron
On Thursday, 3 January
2002, representatives from the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring
Group delivered a workshop in the Tel Rumaida neighborhood of
Hebron. This workshop dealt with information presented in the
recently published “Know Your Rights” handbook written by the PHRMG.
Copies of the handbook were also distributed to the 50 Palestinians
in attendance.
The “Know Your Rights”
handbook is intended to help Palestinians protect their legal rights
and seek justice when they fall victim to attacks by Jewish
settlers. Through our initial research on settler violence, it
became clear that many Palestinians are unaware of their rights in
such situations. The handbook discusses the rights held by
Palestinians in the occupied territories under International and
Israeli law and describes the responsibilities of the Israeli
police, the State Attorney’s Office, and the Israeli courts if a
crime is committed. The full text of the handbook is available in
both English and Arabic upon request and will be posted on the PHRMG
website (www.phrmg.org)
shortly.
The first workshop
introducing the “Know Your Rights” handbook was held in Hebron due
to the numerous incidents of settler violence being reported in the
area. Bedawi Abu Eisheh, a resident of Tel Rumaida who has been
victimized by Jewish settlers on many occasions, hosted the
workshop. Abu Eisheh’s family no longer lives in the home, as
frequent attacks by neighboring settlers have made it too dangerous
to remain in residence. Participant feedback was overwhelmingly
positive, although many voiced their concerns and skepticism about
filing complaints with the Israeli police. Some asserted that their
complaints have gone unanswered for years, with no apparent police
action. Others commented that many organizations had spoken with
them in the past about the settler violence issue, but nothing
tangible had ever been done on their behalf. PHRMG Hotline Legal
Advisor, Audrey Bomse, assured the group that every legitimate
complaint received by PHRMG would be pursued with the Israeli
police, prosecutors and the court.
Hebron resident Amjad Abu
Eisheh (24) spoke about his unwillingness to file a complaint with
the Israeli police. Two years ago, Abu Eisheh and his brother Ayman
witnessed a Jewish settler beating a Palestinian. The police
arrived and asked if anyone present had witnessed the attack. The
brothers indicated that they had seen the incident, and agreed to go
to the police station to give a testimony. Some hours later, the
settler was released, along with the victim. The brothers were
jailed for eight days, accused of having broken the arm of a settler
girl. They were brought to court, and in the absence of any
evidence against them, were released after paying a fine of 500
shekels each. The Israeli police closed down Abu Eisheh’s copper
factory in December following months of protests and violent attacks
by settlers. He is now extremely reluctant to file an official
complaint in the light of his past experience with the local
police.
This project is made possible by the
generous support of:
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The Norwegian Representative to the PA
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UNA International Service ( UNAIS )
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Foundation for Middle East Peace
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Diakonia
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