B'Tselem Report: Bethlehem Region, 19 October to 28 October 2001

Three and a half months after invading Bethlehem, the IDF is still "unfamiliar" with the circumstances that led to the death of Palestinian civilians by IDF gunfire

In response to a new B'Tselem report published today, the IDF Spokesperson claims that the IDF is unfamiliar with the majority of the cases described in the report. This, despite the fact that many of these cases were previously publicized and that journalists and human rights organizations submitted specific inquiries to the IDF.

In a single week during the IDF's invasion into the Bethlehem area, between October 19-25, 2001, fifteen Palestinians were killed, eleven of whom were civilians, including two minors and three women. B'Tselem's report on the invasion reveals that at least nine of these civilians were unarmed. The investigation also reveals that in all the cases described in the report, no shots were fired toward IDF soldiers from the immediate vicinity of the civilians who were killed.

Upon invading Bethlehem, the IDF Spokesperson pledged that the IDF would make every effort not to harm innocent civilians. B'Tselem's investigation shows that this pledge remained an empty promise. Even if there was no intention to harm civilians, no real effort was made to avoid it.

The fact that the IDF has yet to investigate the cases presented in the B'Tselem report, once again demonstrates the IDF's blatant disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians. Since the beginning of the current intifada, the IDF has shirked its obligation to conduct serious investigations into the deaths of Palestinian civilians. This was clearly demonstrated in B'Tselem's previous report Whitewash, concerning the death of eleven-year-old Khalil al-Mughrabi. The result is a complete lack of military accountability; the IDF continues to send its soldiers a clear message that they can violate Palestinian human rights with impunity and that soldiers will not be held accountable for harming innocent people.