New Report

 

The Monitor

 

Al-Aqsa Uprising Second Year

(29/09/021- 28/09/02)

 

Killing and Destruction

Closure and Starvation

 

 

Vol. 6, Issue # 5

October 2002

 

 

 
 

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The Palestinian Human Rights Monitor
The bi-monthly publication of the PHRMG

Al-Aqsa Uprising: Second Year

(29/09/2001 - 28/09/2002)

 

3) Israeli Penetration and Reoccupation in the Palestinian Territories

 With the escalation of the circle of violence between the two sides during the second year of the Uprising, the Israeli government resorted to the policy of military penetration into the Palestinian self-ruled areas as a first step, then to fully reoccupying those areas at a later stage, and thus, putting an end to the era of negotiations and peace treaties between the two sides.

On 6/2/2001 Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, promised the Israeli people “peace and security.” He believes he can do that through the military option. Therefore, with the increased number of Palestinian suicide bombings, Sharon found an excuse to launch a massive military operation that began in late March 2002 and ended up with the Israeli Army reoccupying most of the West Bank, including the major cities and towns.

3/1: Ramallah and al-Bireh

On 4/12/2001 the Israeli Army penetrated into Ramallah and al-Bireh, especially in al-Balou’ and al-Irsal neighborhoods, and in Betunia to the west, and in the villages of Sinjel and Ein-‘Areek, where an Israeli tank fell over a Palestinian house injuring Walid Husni al-Sharif (38), his wife and their three children. On 5/12/2001, the Israeli Army broke into the Central Bureau of Statistics in Ramallah.

On 18/12/2001, the Israeli Army imposed a curfew on the village of Deir Abu-Mash’al, and on 20/12/2001, the Israeli Army penetrated into Qarawet Bani Zeid where a campaign of arrests was carried out, while the Israeli soldiers continued to block the road between Ramallah and Bir-Zeit. On Friday, 18/2/2002, about 20 Israeli tanks accompanied by military helicopters entered Ramallah and took positions near the Muqata’a compound  (the offices of Yasser Arafat). The following day, 19/1/2002, the Israeli Forces burnt by explosives the premises of Palestine TV and Radio Station in Um-al-Sharayet neighborhood.

On 12/3/2002 the Israeli Army occupied Ramallah and al-Bireh for three days, killing 13 Palestinians and injuring over 100. The Israeli forces damaged numerous buildings in the city, imposed a siege on the Ramallah Hospital, prevented medical assistance from reaching the wounded and harassed both Palestinian and foreign journalists. Among the Palestinians killed were:

Fuad ‘Adilee (47)

Firas al-Beituni (24)

Maher al-Sharif (31)

Ahmad Gharaybeh (20)

Mohammed al-Muneir (25)

Ala al-Maloukh (25)

Mohammed Abu Latifeh (26)

Ahmad al-Omary

Fares Kheir-Eddin

Rami Basheer

Ziad al-Barghouthi

Ahmad Adham

The Israeli Forces also killed Raffaele Cirielo, an Italian journalist who was shot six times by an Israeli tank near the al-‘Amari Refugee Camp.

On Friday 29/3/2002, at dawn, the Israeli Army made a full incursion into Ramallah and al-Bireh, for the second time in less than a month. The Israeli forces bombarded the offices of President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, after Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, declared that Arafat was “the enemy.”(International Herald Tribune, 30-31 March 2002)

Over the course of the military incursion into Ramallah and the surrounding villages, the Israeli Army killed dozens of Palestinians, including five men from the Palestinian National Security Forces who appear to have been shot in cold blood inside al-Taboun building in the center of Ramallah. The five were: Khaled Awadallah (30, from Jericho), Ismail Ibrahim Deeb (56, from Beit-Inan), Saeed Moh’d Mahdi (60 from Gaza), Abdel-Raham Tawfiq Abdallah (58, from Nablus) and Omar Moh’d Mousa (54 from Jericho).

Perhaps most alarming was the complete media blackout imposed by the Israeli Army.  The Israeli Forces declared the whole district a “closed military zone” and prevented journalists from entering.  Several journalists found inside Ramallah were expelled.  All foreigners, including diplomats, were also forbidden entry into the city. On 2/4/2002 the Israeli soldiers at the Qalandia checkpoint prevented a convoy of seven European diplomats from entering Ramallah. On 13/4/2002 the Belgian Minister of Health was denied entry into the occupied city.

Offices of the Palestinian Authority were raided by Israeli troops, and thousands of documents were confiscated or destroyed, an action that will severely diminish the Palestinian Authority’s capacity to administer social services.  Ambulances and medical staff were prevented from moving freely.  Israeli soldiers set the Ramallah Chamber of Commerce on fire and took hundreds of Palestinians as prisoners. 

The morgue at the Ramallah Hospital was inundated beyond its capacity and on 2/4/02, Palestinians were forced to bury 15 bodies in a mass grave outside of the hospital in an attempt to prevent the spread of disease from the decomposing bodies.  The 15 dead included:

Hussein Hosni al-Ashqar (37)

Ahmad Anwar Kullab (23)

Sarida Abu-Gharbieh (30)

Fare’ Ali Daraghmeh (32)

Omar A-Hamid Hamayel (43)

Jamal .M . Abdel-Salam (35)

Nader Abdel-Latif As’ad (33)

Murad Wafiq ‘Awaysa (33)

Ayoub M. Abu-Musallem (40)

Mohammed Hosni Mraouh (33)

Shaher Abu-Sharar (33)

 

On Tuesday 2/4/2002 at dawn, the Israeli forces supported by helicopters and tanks, bombarded the premises of the Preventive Security Service in Betunia, south of Ramallah.  Dozens of Palestinians, including some “wanted” activists were detained and taken by Israeli buses to unknown destinations.

The Israeli military occupation of Ramallah and al-Bireh resulted in the death of dozens of Palestinians, severe damage to numerous homes and stores, and damage to infrastructure throughout the city, representing a dangerous breach of international humanitarian law and the principles of human rights.

- All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

- Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Articles 1 & 3, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

- Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wound, detention … shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction.

Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in the Time of War, of August 12, 1949, Article 3

 The United Nations Security Council approved two resolutions: UN Resolution #1402, issued on 30/3/2002, calls for the withdrawal of the Israeli troops from Ramallah and other Palestinian cities, and #1403, issued on 4/4/2002, demands the implementation of resolution #1402. The Israeli government, lead by the notorious Ariel Sharon, has ignored these resolutions, and the American government has failed to exert any real pressure on him to fully implement them.

On 22/4/02, the Israeli Army redeployed and closures were lifted in most areas of Ramallah, but the siege on Arafat’s headquarters continues, and the Army has not yet withdrawn from the city. 

On 19/9/2002 the Israeli troops supported by tanks and soldiers carriers invaded the offices of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, as a retaliation for the bombing attack that occurred in Tel-Aviv earlier that day and killed five Israelis. The Israeli tanks and bulldozers destroyed almost all the buildings in the presidential compound. Israel claimed there were some “wanted” Palestinians inside the compound with Arafat, who denied that and refused all the Israeli allegations.

3/2: Bethlehem

Fierce confrontations broke out in Bethlehem on 18/10/2001, after the Israeli Forces assassinated the local Fateh leader ‘Atef Ebayat (24) and two of his companions, Jamal Ebayat (32) and Issa Ebayat (28) in a car explosion. On 20/10/2001, the Israeli Army entered Bethlehem and Beit-Jala and killed four Palestinians, while the village of al-Khader, and the refugee camps of Dheishe and Aida witnessed armed confrontations between Palestinian Resistance men and the Israeli Army.

Israeli Army Invades Bethlehem, the City of Peace

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards

one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, Article 1

Early on the morning of Tuesday, 2/4/2002, the Israeli Army invaded Bethlehem and Beit-Sahour in the West Bank with more than 200 military vehicles. Between the onset of the invasion and 21/4/2002, twenty Palestinians were killed by the Israeli Forces in the Bethlehem District, and numerous homes, businesses and places of worship were damaged. A great deal of public infrastructure has been demolished by the Israeli tanks and bulldozers.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, Article 3

On 1/4/2002, one day prior to the invasion of Bethlehem, the Israeli Army entered the Dehaishe Refugee Camp, searched homes and detained between 350 and 400 Palestinian men, some of whom were released several days later from the “Etzion” military site south of Bethlehem.  Precisely how many remain in detention is unknown.  

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, Article 9

The Church of Nativity in Bethlehem was under heavy siege from 2/4/2002.  There were approximately 200 Palestinians, including armed fighters, priests, monks and nuns, and approximately 50 youth inside the church.  Those taking refuge in the church endured a severe shortage of food, water, and medical supplies.  Two corpses of Palestinians killed by Israeli snipers remain in the church.  From 2/4/2002, frequent gunfire was directed toward the church compound.  No Palestinians civilians or even journalists were permitted to approach the church. Parts of the Mosque of Omar, close to the Church of Nativity, were also burnt as a result of the heavy Israeli gunfire.

After numerous attempts, the Israeli Forces finally permitted a humanitarian convoy to deliver a small amount of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians under siege in the Church of the Nativity.  On Sunday 21/4/2002, dozens of religious leaders, legal activists and Arab members of the Knesset tried to reach the city, but were prevented by the Israeli forces. 

Article 3, Paragraph 1: Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wound, detention … shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction.

Article 16: The wounded and sick, as well as the infirm, and the expectant mothers, shall be the object of particular protection and respect.

Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in the Time of War, of August 12, 1949.

Negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians regarding the siege on the church were scheduled to begin on 23/4/02.  The status of those taking refuge in the church was to be discussed.  Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, indicated that the Israeli government intended to try those in the church in Israeli court or deport them.  However, On Friday 3/5/2002 the two sides agreed on a plan to deport 13 Palestinians, from those who were armed inside the Church, to Europe, and 26 others were deported to Gaza Strip.

The 20 Palestinians killed by the Israeli Army between 1/4/2002 and 22/4/2002 are:

Izzat Yousef Yassin (51)

Aboud al-Omary (60)

Omar Salahat (35)

Issa Da’boub (14)

Khaled Abu-Siam (26)

Sameer Salman (50)

Khaled Za’rour (17)

Symaya ‘Abdeh (65)

Khaled ‘Abdeh (38)

Awad Mousa Awad (35)

Hasan al-Nasman (24)

Atallah Al-Hayek (43)

Ali Khalil Qarei (60)

Fahmieh Mansour (70)

Mohammed al-Wahsh (29)

Rana Karajeh (28)

Yehia Da’amseh (40)

Anan Jawarish (28)

Mahmoud Salah (30)

Ahmad al-Mughrabi (28)

On 19th August 2002, the Palestinian Authority and Israel agreed on a deal called “Bethlehem – Gaza First.” Afterward, that the Israeli Army withdrew from the center of Bethlehem.

3:3 Nablus

On 21/10/2001, the Israeli Army penetrated into Nablus City and carried out a massive campaign of arrests and imposed a firm closure on it. The villages of Hawwara, Einabous and ‘Awarta suffered from curfew for long periods of time. On 12/11/2001 the Israeli Army carried out a military operation in the village of Tal where they killed Mohammed Riahn (25) and arrested his uncle, four brothers, and 40 other Palestinians.

In the period 1/12/2001 – 4/1/2002 the Israeli Army entered Nablus City three times and fastened the military closure on the city and its surrounding villages, especially Hawwara, Sebastia and Iraq-Borin. On 28/2/2002, the Israeli Army tried for the third time to enter Balata Camp, but the Armed Resistance men fought very hard.  Five Palestinians were killed in the confrontation.

On 14/12/2001, the Israeli Army invaded the town of Salfit and killed four Palestinians. On 24/12/2001, the Israeli Army invaded the village of Kufor el-Dik and arrested a dozen Palestinians; they did the same thing in the village of Deir-Istia on 25/12/2001.

We have seen in a previous section the crimes the Israeli Army carried out in the Old City of Nablus. The Israeli helicopters and tanks once again shelled the Old Qasaba of Nablus on 16/8/2002 after an armed confrontation broke out between armed resistance men and a patrol of Israeli soldiers there.

3:4 Qalqilia

On 10/10/2001 the Israeli Army penetrated into Qalqilia and imposed a curfew on the villages of al-Fundoq, Habla, Kufor-Qadoum, Kufor Laqef and Beit Ommein, and arrested a number of Palestinians from those areas. On 21/11/2001 the Israeli forces entered the village of Azzoun and arrested several citizens from there.

3:5 Jenin

On Thursday 18/10/2001, a group of Israeli tanks entered the city from the direction of al-Jaberiyat neighborhood, and shelled few houses in that area. The tanks also penetrated towards Jenin Camp and took positions near the UNRWA school. The Israeli Army imposed a firm closure on the villages of al-Hashikiya, Borqin, Kufor-Qoud, Qabatia, Maythaloun, ‘Arraba, al-Yamoun, Nazlet-Zeid, Beer-el-Jimal and Kufor Dhan.

On 15/12/2001 the Israeli Army invaded the town of Toubas and carried out an arrest campaign. The water network to the town was destroyed by the Israeli tanks. On 9/2/2002 the Israeli Army reoccupied the village of Tammoun and arrested a number of Palestinians.

We have seen in a previous section the crimes that were carried out by the Israeli Occupation Forces in Jenin Camp.

3:6 Tulkarem

On 19/10/2001 at dawn, more than 40 Israeli tanks invaded the city from the four directions, two Palestinians were killed, many Palestinians security sites were destroyed, and dozens were arrested. On 21/10/2001, the Israeli Army shelled Nour-Shams Camp and wounded a number of people. On 23/10/2001 the Israeli Occupation Forces committed a massacre by killing 7 Palestinians.

On 13/11/2001, a Palestinian woman, Wafa As’ad Nassif (34), was killed while she was standing at the window in her house. The Israeli tanks and heavy machine-guns caused considerable damage to the College of Khadouri in the city. On 1/12/2001 the Israeli Army invaded the village of Jaroushiya and arrested a dozen of Palestinians. On 9/12/2001, four Palestinians were killed in ‘Anabta by Israeli gunfire. On 13/12/2001 the Israeli Forces imposed a curfew on the village of Baqa al-Sharqia, and imposed a firm closure on the villages of al-Kafriyat, Barta’a and Showaika. On 12/1/2002 the Israeli Army invaded the village of Deir-el-Ghusoun, and on 22/1/2002 the whole city of Tulkarem was reoccupied by the Israeli Army after it was shelled by F-16 warplanes. Four days after that, the building of al-Muqata’a (the PA’s security headquarters in the city) was completely destroyed by the Israeli forces.

3:7 Hebron

On 5/10/2001, the Israeli Army penetrated into Hebron where confrontations took place in the neighborhoods of Abu-Sneineh, al-Takruri, Jabal Juneid, Khallet Hadour and Wadi Rumman, and in Yatta and al-Fawwar Camp. On 21/10/2001, the Israeli Forces entered into al-Kayyal mosque in the city and arrested a few worshipers. On 29/10/2001 the Israeli forces invaded al-‘Aroub Camp and arrested dozens of men.

On 29/11/2001 the Israeli forces carried out a huge arrest campaign in the village of Bani Naim, and entered the basic schools in the Old City of Hebron and prevented worshipers from entering al-Ibrahimi mosque.

Destruction of the building of al-Muqata’a in Hebron

A Palestinian eyewitness, Ra’ef Abdel-Qader al-Ja’bari (36), who lives near al-Muqata’a building told the PHRMG:

On 25/6/2002 at about 4:00 a.m. the Israeli Army invaded the city of Hebron from all directions, and imposed a military curfew on its Arab population of 160,000. The Israeli forces also entered the big building of al-Muqata’a where there are all the Palestinian security offices, and the office of President Yasser Arafat.

When the Israeli Army entered the building, they killed four Palestinian security guards at the entrance, and asked all the people inside, most of them security members, through loudspeakers, to go out and give away their weapons. About 200 men were inside, they turned themselves over and handed away their guns.

The Israeli soldiers continued to call upon everyone that was inside the building to go out. Then they brought an old man who went inside the building and brought his son out. Ma’moun Amro, his son, a member in the Palestinian Security Service, was wounded four times in clashes with the Israeli soldiers during the current Intifada. This incident affirmed the Israeli suspicion that there were still some armed Palestinians inside the building. So, the Israeli Army began negotiations with Sheikh Talal Sider, a former Minister in the PA, who went inside the building for two hours, and came out to say there was no one inside.