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PHRMG Condemns Violence and Murder of Palestinian
Girl by Settlers
Extremist
Israeli settlers went on a violent rampage into the Old City
of Hebron, attacking innocent Palestinian civilians,
murdering and stabbing two children, and burning houses and
stalls in an open market on Sunday, July 28. This followed a settler funeral in the middle of Hebron,
where settlers cried “Revenge!” and then started
shooting and throwing rocks at the Palestinian homes.
Niveen
Mousa Jamjoum, age 14, was shot in her head by settlers as
she stood on her balcony.
Hospital staff report that she may have been saved if
she was not delayed by the usual harassment of ambulances by
Israeli soldiers at checkpoints en route to the emergency
room. Ahmed
Natcha, age 8, was viciously stabbed by settlers who broke
into and destroyed his family’s home.
At least 15 other Palestinians were wounded by
gunfire or severe beatings.
Settlers broke into the home of the Abu Nagib
Al-Sharbati family and violently forced them into a single
room as they overtook the house. Settlers, who have an extensive history of unprovoked
violence against Palestinian civilians, also set one house
on fire and damaged many others.
Settlers also injured 15 members of the Israeli
police. Palestinian
residents of Hebron were locked down in a 24-hour curfew
imposed especially because this settler funeral was taking
place.
Equally
despicable is the fact that all of this took place in front
of Israeli soldiers and police who, under both international
law and domestic Israeli law, are responsible for protecting
Palestinian civilians and their property. Article 3 of the United Nations Universal Declaration
of Human Rights (UNUDHR) states, “Everyone has the right
to life, liberty and security of person.”
The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits “at any time
and in any place whatsoever” with respect to
non-combatants “violence
to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds…”
and also mandates that protected persons, in all
circumstances, be entitled to be “humanely treated, and
shall be protected especially against all acts of
violence…” It was easily predictable that a community
notorious for its violence would launch a random assault of
terror on the Palestinian inhabitants, but nothing was done
to prevent it, even though there was ample Israeli security
at the scene to protect the settlers.
The only repercussion the settlers suffered for their
murderous crimes was the arrest of four settlers, released
the following morning.
PHRMG
declares that this heinous crime is the fault of the
Government of Israel. It
permitted and, in fact, encouraged the establishment of
settlements-a crime in and of itself.
It allowed fanatics to invade the heart of Hebron and
terrorize and murder people who were supposed to be under
Israeli protection. 400
Israeli settlers live in the Old City of Hebron, along side
120,000 Palestinians who suffer repeated curfews such as the
one yesterday imposed for the ease of the settlers.
Aside from the fact that Israeli settlements are
blatantly illegal and in violation of international law, it
is an even greater outrage if Israel’s own police and
military cannot, or will not, control the violent acts of
these settlers upon innocent civilians, especially children.
The
PHRMG launched its Settler Violence Legal Unit in an attempt
to protect Palestinians from settler criminal behavior and
to assist victims seek justice by forcing Israeli law
enforcement authorities to comply with their duty under both
international and Israeli law.
We will attempt to ensure that the criminals
responsible for yesterday’s outrage are found and
punished. However,
such violence will end only with the dismantling of the
illegal settlements. |
