Israeli forces continue assault on Palestinian civilians, medical personnel and journalists
April 2, 2002
LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment
From: "Lawsociety" <law@lawsociety.org>
Israeli forces continue assault on Palestinian civilians, medical personnel
and journalists
April 2, 2002
For the fifth consecutive day Israeli war against all Palestinians living
in the Occupied Palestinian Territories continues. The situation on the
ground is deteriorating by the minute. Despite repeated calls for international
intervention, the international community continues to give Israeli forces
a green light to commit further grave breaches of international humanitarian
law, war crimes, and other violations of human rights. Paramedics, journalists
and human rights defenders face difficulty in performing their jobs due
to Israeli assaults on any moving object and various restrictions. Israeli
forces continue assaults on residents in Ramallah, El-Bireh, Beit Jala,
Bethlehem, Tulkarem and Qalqiliya. Israeli forces are reinforced to enter
Nablus, Jenin and Hebron. At this moment, Ramallah is facing a humanitarian
crisis, lacking water, food, and medicines.
Israeli forces continue to prevent paramedics from
evacuating the injured and in many cases the injured are left in the streets.
Israeli soldiers have confiscated ambulances belonging to the Palestinian
Red Crescent Society and the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees
as well as public medical institutions and used them in house-to-house
raids and assaults on Palestinian civilians.
Hours ago, Israeli tanks shelled St. Mary Church
in Bethlehem, killing Father Jack (54) and injuring five sisters.
Last night, Israeli forces started shelling the
headquarters of the Palestinian Preventive Security Forces in Betunia,
southwest of Ramallah. Eyewitnesses stated to LAW that Israeli forces use
Palestinian civilians as human shields in the raid. The headquarter, currently,
has approximately four hundred persons inside, including staff, detainees
and families. Dozens have been killed and injured, however, Israeli forces
prevent ambulances from reaching the injured and evacuate bodies.
The total number of Palestinians killed is yet unknown.
Sources at Ramallah hospital have reported that twenty five dead bodies
have so far been brought to the hospital, awaiting burial. The sources
also warned of a humanitarian, health and environmental disaster due to
Israeli forces preventing the burial of killed persons. The mortuary of
the hospital does not have more capacity.
Today, when Widad Hamad Safran (45) from Kadoura
refugee camp went to Ramallah hospital to have a cask removed from her
previously broken leg, she was shot and killed twenty meters from the hospital
by Israeli snipers who have been positioned in al-Ramouni building. A bullet
hit her shoulder and entered her heart. Israeli soldiers prevented Italian
observers from providing aid. Israeli soldiers have occupied the building
since yesterday. The building hosts the Union of Medical Relief Committees,
the Mandela Institute, and some residential apartments. Yesterday, Israeli
forces entered the office of the human rights organization al-Haq and the
Health Development Information and Policy Institute.
An eye-witness, Marleen Anqous, who lives in the
Ramouni building, saw the Israeli soldiers evacuating women and children
from the building to Undsam restaurant, which is located opposite the building
and the men were brought to al-Odeh Hotel. The eye-witness told LAW that
she saw an explosion on the second floor of the building. Another eye-witness,
Amin Anabi, saw Israeli soldiers arresting Dr. Muhammad Iskafi, from the
Medical Relief Committees, who was previously arrested on Saturday, March
30, and have used the doctor as a human shield to enter another building.
Leila Hussain Aruri, from Ramallah, who suffers
from diabetes, yesterday, received insulin from a paramedic. However, since
there has been no electricity in her home, she could not take the medication.
She lost her conscience and if she doesn't receive medication in time,
she will die.
This morning, at 11.00, Andre Durand, a journalist
who works for Agence France Press, together with 'Ata Awisat who is a reporter
for Gama News, were stopped by Israeli soldiers in Beitunia. After two
hours they released the French journalist. 'Ata Awisat is still being held.
Yesterday, Abas al-Moumani, a photojournalist, who works for Agence France
Presse, was driving his car, which has been clearly marked with "TV", at
Manari, the main square in the center of Ramallah. Israeli soldiers opened
fire at his car and a live bullet hit the mirror inside the car. The driver
was not hurt. The car was stopped and Israeli soldiers confiscated Moumani's
camera. They forced him to put his hands behind his head and left him standing
for three hours, after which they returned his camera and ordered him to
leave the area.
LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection
of Human Rights and the Environment has repeatedly called for international
protection and intervention. If states fail to take immediate actions,
these states facilitate, if not encourage, Israel's ongoing violations
of international law, including war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The international community, in particular, the
European Union, must now take effective and concrete action, in accordance
with its legal obligations under international humanitarian law, to ensure
that Israel's military offensive against Palestinian civilians is halted
immediately and that those responsible for the perpetration of war crimes,
and other gross violations of international law, are sought and prosecuted
in accordance with international law. Clearly, sporadic condemnations by
various states of individual violations of international law are wholly
insufficient, and clearly increasingly ineffective. As Israel continues
to ignore the criticisms and calls of the international community, including
the European Union, clearly effective pressure must be applied, and actions
must be taken and taken immediately.
____________________________
LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is affiliate to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Federation Internationale des Ligues de Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) and the World Organisation Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).
LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem, tel. +972-2-5833530, fax. +972-2- 5833317, email: law@lawsociety.org, web: http://www.lawsociety.org
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