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In what belongs
in no civil or humane society, PHRMG joins other human
rights and humanitarian organizations in condemning the
Israeli Army’s practice of using tank fire against
civilians that resulted in the death of free-lance
photographer, Mr. Imad Abu Zahra.
Mr. Abu Zahra
died on July 12 from wounds received a day earlier while he
was photographing tanks entering Jenin.
Such excessive use of force is shockingly prevalent
in the Israeli Army’s ongoing occupation of the West Bank
and Gaza Strip. As
a photographer, Mr. Abu Zahra was carrying a camera, not a
weapon, and upon hearing the rolling tanks come into the
area, all other people fled to safety, so there was no
crowd-just the victim and his colleague.
It is abhorrent that such an abuse of power would be
used against a civilian.
The fact that the
Israeli Army had “no comment” on this killing is
completely unacceptable.
The Israeli Army must immediately conduct a thorough
investigation and appropriately punish those responsible for
the death of Mr. Abu Zahra.
The Geneva
Convention of 1949, signed by Israel, demands the
“protection of civilians in time of war, including
journalists, since they are part of the civilian
population”. In
a time of war, it is crucial that the media be present to
record what is occurring to hold the military accountable to
charges it may otherwise ignore.
Journalists must be allowed to freely cover the
incidents in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Since the
beginning of the current Intifada in September 2000, 4
Palestinian journalists and one Italian have been killed by
Israeli forces. Israeli
forces have injured more than 220 other journalists.
Israel’s prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has now been
placed on Reporters Without Borders’ list of “predators
of press freedom.”
PHRMG demands the
Israeli Army immediately stop using tanks against civilians,
that an investigation be conducted into the circumstances
behind the killing of Mr. Abu Zahra, and that the
international community not remain silent in the face of
human rights atrocities. |
