PRESS RELEASE

May 30, 2003

PHRMG Staff Assaulted by Israeli Soldiers

What Ordinary People Encounter on the Streets of Jerusalem

At 6:30 pm yesterday evening, two young women from the PHRMG staff (one Palestinian, one American) approach the end of Salah al-Din Street in East Jerusalem to find it in an eerie silence. Israeli soldiers had closed off the area outside of the Old City in East Jerusalem for the Israeli’s Jerusalem Day activities and forced all of the Arab residents behind arbitrary points, each guarded by several soldiers. When asked why the road was closed, the soldiers responded with “just because” and “because we said so, now get out of here.” Three soldiers then approached the women very closely, screaming in their faces to move because the soldiers didn’t want to look at them, cursing at them, and putting their hands on the girls to move them. The women resisted the force of the soldiers to leave, although they did not try to pass from where the soldiers blocked them, nor did they instigate arguments, but as human rights workers, they wanted to observe what was happening in the area. The soldiers “allowed” the women to stand for about 20 minutes with the rest of the group of Palestinians who were all denied passage and watched the ensuing Israeli chanting march that was part of the Israeli festival. The soldiers then decided to randomly push the Palestinians watching back even farther, although there was no conflict and the area was extremely quiet with few people talking. When the soldiers shoved a young boy, one of the PHRMG staff called out for them to stop pushing and two soldiers came back, pointing fingers and screaming in her face, threatening to use their guns. At that point, the soldiers decided to gather in a group of at least six, encircling the two young women from around and forcefully thrusting the women back several times, using their bodies, with their hands on their guns, and pushed the women back harshly into the crowd, meanwhile screaming, threatening, and cursing at them. When the women went to the police station to file a complaint, they were insulted by police and soldiers again, and given little confidence that anything would be done to reprimand the harsh brutality of the soldiers. This is how ordinary people, not engaging in conflict or posing any threat, are treated by Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem. Israeli soldiers in groups roughly push, threatened, and curse at women.

Also yesterday, the husband of another PHRMG staff member was assaulted and beaten at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah. This gentleman’s formal documents for Jerusalem are in process and he resides in Beit Hanina with his wife who holds Jerusalem ID. Soldiers stopped him to check ID, an exchange of words took place, and fifteen Israeli soldiers pounced on him, roughly beating him, hand-cuffing him, and forcing him to sit on the ground, leaving his on-looking wife hysterical.

Perhaps most disheartening is that it is well-known that this treatment of ordinary people, although brutish and illegal, is not uncommon and that people residing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are treated so much more roughly. If this is how women in Jerusalem are treated, one can only imagine what grotesque brutality is used against those in more remote, secluded places with little monitoring. It is documented time and again, but little is done to stop the Israeli soldiers from terrorizing whomever they want, as they want, simply because they are Israeli and have a gun.

PHRMG does not tolerate any violence against peaceful people. It cannot be accepted on any level. Israeli soldiers need to halt their brutish, violent behavior immediately. There will be no peace or security while Israeli soldiers beckon those they punish to resent them with their unprovoked violations and abuse of innocent people. It is incredibly sad to see innocent people, women, children, old men, abused by young men with guns with complete indifference and without compassion or morals.

PHRMG requests the reader to contact their Israeli embassy to speak out against the vile misconduct of Israeli soldiers. PHRMG beckons the reader to not tolerate such blatant, constant abuse of ordinary people that would not be tolerated in many Western countries. Do not be silent while others suffer repression.

London

Public Affairs info@israel-embassy.org.uk

Tel 0171-957 9500

Fax 0171-957 9555

Rome

Tel. centralino 0636198500

Fax 0636198555

israel.roma@agora.stm.it

Japan

igto@israel.co.jp

Netherlands

Telefon 070-3760500 (centrale)