Israeli Brutality Blasted
Israeli ongoing blitz against unarmed Palestinians has stirred an international uproar, dismay and protest by many peace loving people all over the world. The sharp criticisms came from the International Amnesty not to mention even the calls among peace advocates among the Israelis themselves, like those uttered repeatedly by Gush Shalom members. Actually, such frequent calls and some of the on and off US and international exerted peace efforts, can make some in this region optimistic regarding the possibility of peace, harmony and coexistence.
In its recent report on the Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights, the Amensty International declared that More than 460 Palestinians were killed during 2001 by the Israeli security forces; most were unlawfully killed. Among the victims were 79 children and 32 individuals targeted for assassination. More than 2,000 Palestinians were arrested for security reasons. There were widespread reports of police brutality. Palestinian detainees frequently reported that they were tortured or ill-treated during interrogation. At the end of the year at least 40 people were under administrative detention. At least 33 conscientious objectors were imprisoned during 2001. Hundreds of Palestinians from the Occupied Territories were tried before military courts in trials whose procedures fell short of international standards. Collective punishments against Palestinians included closures of towns and villages, demolition of more than 350 Palestinian HOMEs and prolonged curfews.
The Amnesty added that the Israeli Forces “went increasingly on the offensive, invading Palestinian areas, including areas under full Palestinian Authority (PA) control. Palestinian houses, especially those close to borders or settlements, were frequently destroyed without warning and orchards and agricultural or industrial installations were destroyed. Most of the towns and villages in the Occupied territories were closed by physical barriers or by army checkpoints during 2001. “The Israeli Forces used heavy weaponry, including tanks, F16 fighter aircraft and naval gunships, to shell randomly Palestinian areas from where Palestinians had opened fire.”
Palestinians were killed unlawfully by the Israeli security forces. Israeli security forces killed some Palestinians during gun battles. At least 32 Palestinians were deliberately targeted in extrajudicial executions which also killed 15 bystanders. Israeli security forces using high-velocity ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets killed and wounded demonstrators throwing stones or Molotov cocktails. Ammunition used against Palestinians included mortars, grenade launchers and artillery shells, including shells containing flechettes (5cm-long steel darts).
At least 2,000 Palestinians, including about 100 from Israel and more than 1,900 from the Occupied Territories, were arrested during 2001. Several of those arrested were prisoners of conscience. More than 90 Palestinians were arrested during raids into Area A. Palestinians arrested were frequently held in prolonged incommunicado detention without access to lawyers or family. Palestinians frequently suffered verbal or physical abuse from members of the Israeli security forces. Security force personnel who carried out attacks on Palestinians benefited from impunity in all but the most high-profile cases.
Regarding the Israeli torture and ill-treatment against Palestinians, the Amnesty cited numerous allegations of torture and ill-treatment where the victims included Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians from the Occupied Territories were held in prolonged incommunicado detention for 20 days and sometimes for up to 70 days. At least 70 administrative detention orders were issued; by the end of the year the number of those in administrative detention had risen from 12 to 40. Among them were six Palestinian citizens of Israel and Lebanese nationals placed in administrative detention under Israeli law. Administrative detainees are held without charge or trial or any right to full appeal. Hundreds of Palestinians were tried by military courts in trials which did not meet international standards for fair trial. The Amnesty declared that by the end of last year, “2,200 Palestinians were held on political charges; some were allegedly ill-treated. Palestinian children held at Abu Kabir Detention Centre alleged that they were beaten, sexually abused and insulted ; for several months families were not allowed to visit them in prison. More than 1,000 political detainees in Megiddo Prison were held in tents in overcrowded conditions. All prisoners suffered from a lack of family visits because of Israeli government restrictions on Palestinian movement.
The Amnesty also detailed, with numbers and names, the cases of Palestinian houses being demolished by the bulldozers of the nicknamed ‘ bulldozer’’ where the Israelis destroyed Palestinian houses for alleged security reasons, as punishment, and as part of a discriminatory planning policy which prohibits the building of Palestinian houses while freely allowing Israelis to construct settlements. At least 350 Palestinian houses were destroyed in the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the West Bank during 2001. Besides, the Israeli Forces maintained strict closures on most of the Palestinian areas of the Occupied Territories. The Gaza Strip was surrounded by a high wire fence and throughout the year most Gazans were forbidden from entering Israel, the West
Bank and Jerusalem. Some Palestinian areas of the Gaza Strip were barred to non-residents. In the West Bank roads to Palestinian towns and villages were repeatedly closed by earth barriers, concrete blocks and deep trenches. Palestinians from the West Bank were barred from entry into East Jerusalem except with special permission. Palestinians were barred from travelling along certain roads in the Occupied Territories. Although regulations required Israeli soldiers to allow medical emergencies through, these were often ignored and at least 29 people died after delays impeded their access to hospitals.
With this in mind, is it logic to accuse Palestinians of being the aggressors. Will it take long and more of innocent civilian blood from every side before the world at large would recognize the people right to live secure and free from all forms of occupation and terrorism?
By
Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim