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October
17, 2002 was one of the days of vicious, abhorrent violence
against innocent Palestinians by the unashamed and
unrepentant Israeli army. At around 3 p.m., as students
from a refugee camp school in Block O of Rafah were heading
home, the Israeli army fired four tank shells into personal
homes, accompanied by mass heavy machinegun fire into the
world’s most densely populated civilian area. A nine year
old girl, a twelve year old boy, and two women were killed
in their homes, as well as two innocent men. Fifty other
civilians were wounded in this Israeli attack, twenty of
them critically. Israeli forces prevented ambulances from
reaching the wounded and even shot at the ambulances with
heavy gunfire. Many people waited for rescue, buried under
piles of rubble from the thundering force that was
mercilessly unleashed upon them. More reports of
dismembered bodies being salvaged from the rubble came from
this impoverished and desperate community that has witnessed
trauma, devastation, and death on a daily basis.
The
Israeli army said they were responding to an attack on one
of their construction vehicles, as another wall caging in
Palestinians is being constructed (on stolen Palestinian
land). Although only one vehicle was damaged and no
soldiers were injured, as opposed to hell being let loose on
a civilian population, the initial response from the Israeli
spokesman was that there was nothing to apologize for as
their forces had behaved properly.
After
an investigation, which has systematically been called for
and rejected regarding so many incidents of Palestinian
deaths, the Israeli spokesman admits the army had used
“exaggerated force” in this instance.
Almost
as shocking as the gross violence itself, is the fact that
no action is expected against those military personnel who
are responsible for the killing and maiming of dozens of
innocents. A crime has been committed with full knowledge
of all the details and it is simply accepted with no
punishment or retribution. This is another form of Israeli
lawlessness and violation of international and human rights
law. It tells their military, and anyone else listening,
that if you slip up and kill a few Palestinian women and
children, “don’t worry—just be a little more careful and
we’ll let this one slide.”
Throughout the current Intifada, 1704 Palestinians have
been killed. 321 of the dead are children under the age of
18. Investigations been opened in very few cases, though
there is a huge demand for such investigations into these
deaths by both Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups.
From this Intifada bearing such a heavy death toll,
approximately fifty cases were opened. PHRMG believes that
if more cases of investigation were opened, it would be
found that there are many, many more incidents of such
“exaggerated force” by the Israeli army against Palestinian
civilians. This is one of the main reasons that
international observers are desperately needed in the
region.
PHRMG
demands that the Israeli military and government prosecute
those involved in these killings and injuries according to
law. If there is a crime and evidence, it must be
prosecuted to ensure a just society. PHRMG states that
Israel can no longer call itself a democracy if it blatantly
allows such disrespect for law and human life. PHRMG also
calls on President George Bush of the United States to hold
his favorite ally to international law, such as the 4th
Geneva Convention, and human decency by demanding that this
and similar crimes be duly prosecuted. |
