Updates

Israeli soldiers fatally shoot Fahmeyeh al-Hrub (60), although she posed no danger

On Sunday, 2 May 2021, around 8:30 A.M., Fahmeyeh al-Hrub (60), from Husan, walked slowly towards soldiers at the Gush Etzion junction, holding a knife. When she did not respond to their calls to stop or a shot fired in the air, she was shot from a distance where she posed no danger to them. She was later pronounced dead at a Jerusalem hospital. This conduct is a true reflection of the open fire policy in such cases which allows lethal fire at any Palestinian holding a knife, regardless of the level of danger they pose.

6 May 2021

The Gaza Strip

Since pandemic, has Israel allowed almost no Palestinians out of Gaza for medical treatment

In March 2020, Israel announced that as part of its fight against the coronavirus, it would reduce even further the number of Palestinians permitted to leave Gaza for medical care. Permit numbers also dropped as patients feared travel during the pandemic and the PA halted coordination with Israeli authorities. Israel, which is responsible for the dire state of Gaza’s healthcare system and for holding Gazans effectively imprisoned, avoided its duty to provide solutions and allow sick residents access to the care they need.

3 May 2021

Open-Fire Policy

Not an attack or a car-ramming: Soldiers at checkpoint shoot and injure Palestinian parents of five, killing father

After midnight on 6 April 2021, soldiers set up a flying checkpoint on the road from Bir Nabala to al-Jib and opened fire at Osama and Sumayah Mansur, who were driving back from the doctor, killing Osama. B’Tselem’s investigation found that despite the military’s announcement of a car-ramming attack, the driver had stopped at the checkpoint and, after a brief argument, resumed driving in a lane with no soldiers. Based on years of experience, the MPIU investigation launched is likely to serve merely as a fig leaf to whitewash the killing.

27 April 2021

Hebron City Center

Occupation routine in central Hebron: Palestinian boy pepper-sprayed in face by Border Police officer after asking about his stolen bike

On Friday, 2 April 2021, around 5:30 P.M., Mu’taz Zaru (13) from the a-Sahala neighborhood in Hebron went out to ride his bicycle but discovered it was gone. A friend told him a Border Police officer they know had photographed the thief. When Mu’taz asked the officer, he mocked him and then pepper-sprayed him in the face. This incident is no aberration. It is part of daily life for Palestinians in Hebron, who routinely suffer violence at the hands of Israeli security forces.

22 April 2021

Open-Fire Policy

Soldier shoots and kills Palestinian protestor during dispersal of weekly protest against illegal outpost

On 19 March 21, residents of Beit Dajan held their weekly protest against an outpost built on their land and related settler violence. ‘Atef Hanayshi, one of several protestors who were throwing stones at soldiers dispersing the protest, came within several dozen meters of a soldier – who shot and killed him, even though he was not in mortal danger. Hanayshi is the 39th person killed in the West Bank since 2015 by Israeli security forces’ unjustified live fire at Palestinians who threw stones or were suspected of throwing stones.

21 April 2021

Apartheid

New all population Israeli-Palestinian survey: 45% of those living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea believe “apartheid” is an appropriate description of the regime

B’Tselem is publishing the results of its new commissioned public opinion survey. The survey, conducted by Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin and Dr. Khalil Shikaki, took a fresh approach by examining what all people living under Israeli control – Israeli and Palestinian citizens and Palestinian subjects in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip (WBG&EJ) –think about the current situation, their lives and the future, analyzed as a single population unit, rather than two separate populations.

13 April 2021

A Routine Founded on Violence

Soldiers arrest two brothers, 8 and 10, and detain them for half a day

On 21 Feb. 2021, soldiers arrested brothers Aws (10) and Muhammad (8) Salah a-Din from Hizma, who were riding bicycles by their home, and accused them of throwing stones. They handcuffed the children and held them for hours, including inside a military base, before handing them over to the Palestinian police, and ultimately to their father, at night. Arresting children below the age of criminal responsibility, holding them in handcuffs and not informing them or their parents when they will be released, is both illegal and immoral.

11 April 2021

A Routine Founded on Violence

Routine abuse in al-‘Esawiyah: Police violently arrest 20-year-old

On 1 March 2021, Israeli police forces raided the ‘Obeid home in the neighborhood of al-‘Esawiyah, violently assaulting Marwan ‘Obeid and arresting his son, Tareq. The police also sprayed foul-smelling liquid along the streets and inside a house. ‘Obeid was taken to hospital for bruising following his interrogation, and released under house arrest after posting bail. The ongoing police violence in al-‘Esawiyah is another facet of Israel’s oppression of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, aimed at driving them out and maintaining a Jewish majority.

25 March 2021

The South Hebron Hills

Dangerous harvest: Soldiers arrest five children, 9 to 13, and detain them for hours

Five Palestinians aged 9 to 13 were picking wild greens near the outpost of Havat Ma’on when two settlers approached and they fled. Soldiers chased and arrested them, although most are below the age of criminal responsiblity. The cavalier approach of senior officers, who overlook the imperative to avoid the traumatic arrest of children unless crucial, cannot be justified. Israel’s view of the arrest and even prosecution of Palestinian children as an acceptable routine defies the basic tenets of justice and the provisions of international law.

25 March 2021

A Routine Founded on Violence

Occupation routine: Soldiers assault 16-year-old at al-'Arrub R.C., break his jaw and arrest him for 26 days

On Sunday, 29 November 2020, soldiers entered al-'Arrub R.C. Some youths threw stones at the soldiers who responded with tear gas canisters and stun grenades. The soldiers severely beat one of the youths, Muhammad Muqbal (16), breaking his jaw, and arrested him and others. Muqbal underwent surgery and was then returned to detention for 26 days. He was released after the prosecution’s remand request was rejected twice.

24 March 2021

Open-Fire Policy

Israeli soldiers unjustifiably shoot and injure two Palestinians at entrance to Silwad

On Friday, 5 Feb. 2021, three Palestinians from al-Jalazun R.C. were waiting for a taxi near the southern entrance to Silwad. When a military jeep neared, the three ran towards the town. Four soldiers got out of the jeep and opened live fire at them, injuring two. There is no way to justify the shooting at the two men, who were fleeing the soldiers and not endangering anyone. This case is no exception, but rather another expression of Israel’s open-fire policy, which will continue as long as those responsible for it pay no price.

17 March 2021

A Routine Founded on Violence

Occupation routine: my home is not my castle - Palestinian homes in Hebron district raided by the Israeli military during October-November 2020

Every day and every night, soldiers may enter Palestinian homes. Such invasions of private space have long been an integral part of security forces’ operations in the West Bank. Palestinians know that soldiers may enter their homes at will, invade their bedrooms, wake their children and rummage through their belongings. For most of us, the home is a safe space. This is not so for Palestinians. Control, humiliation, and oppression penetrate their homes. In recent weeks, we published descriptions of incursions into homes in Ramallah, Qalqiliyah, and Tulkarm Districts. Below are descriptions of several raids on homes in Hebron District during these months.

15 March 2021

A Routine Founded on Violence

Occupation routine : my home is not my castle - The ‘Ammar family in Qaffin, Tulkarm district and The ‘Ali and ‘Omar families in Kafr Qadum, Qalqiliyah district

Every day and every night, soldiers may enter Palestinian homes. Such invasions of private space have long been an integral part of security forces’ operations in the West Bank. Palestinians know that soldiers may enter their homes at will, invade their bedrooms, wake their children and rummage through their belongings. For most of us, the home is a safe space. This is not so for Palestinians. Control, humiliation, and oppression penetrate their homes. Throughout October and November 2020, Israeli security forces entered 493 homes in the West Bank. Read descriptions of two such incursions, one in Tulkarm District and the other in Qalqiliyah District.

11 March 2021

Open-Fire Policy

Soldiers again ambush, shoot and injure 12 Palestinian workers trying to enter Israel

Tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians enter Israel every day for work without a permit. The state is well aware of this reality, as it serves its interests by guaranteeing cheap, disempowered labor. The military occasionally deploys soldiers who lay in wait and fire at workers trying to enter Israel through gaps in the Separation Barrier. On three occasions in January and February. 2021, soldiers fired at workers passing through gaps in the barrier in the Far’on and Barta’ah a-Sharqiyah area, injuring 12, including a 16-year-old.

9 March 2021

The Gaza Strip

Under the guise of the permit system: Israel separates women living in Gaza from their families in the West Bank

As part of the apartheid regime it implements between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, Israel imposes extreme restrictions on the movement of Palestinians between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This prevents thousands of families in which one spouse is a resident of Gaza and the other a resident of the West Bank from maintaining a family life. They face an impossible choice: live together in Gaza and be cut off from the rest of the family in the West Bank, or live apart.

8 March 2021

A Routine Founded on Violence

Occupation routine : my home is not my castle - Kobar, Ramallah District

Every day and every night, soldiers may enter Palestinian homes. Such invasions of private space have long been an integral part of security forces’ operations in the West Bank. Palestinians know that soldiers may enter their homes at will, invade their bedrooms, wake their children and rummage through their belongings. For most of us, the home is a safe space. This is not so for Palestinians. Control, humiliation, and oppression penetrate their homes. In the coming days, we will present cases that occurred throughout November and October 2020.

28 February 2021

Open-Fire Policy

Israeli police enter Qalandia Refugee Camp, assault Palestinian teen, fire indiscriminately, and injure five

On Monday morning, 17 December 2020, Border Police and Special Patrol Unit forces entered Qalandiya Refugee Camp. About 10 officers entered one of the camp’s homes, attacking a 15-year-old, locking his family members in rooms, violently searching the house, and leaving as they arrested two sons. During clashes that broke out in the camp, police snipers opened wanton fire, injuring five. In this case, as in hundreds of others, no one will be held accountable for the violence meted against the family or the shooting.

24 February 2021

Communities Facing Expulsion

Repeat demolitions of Khirbet Humsah are test case for international community

Yesterday, Israel demolished the Palestinian community of Khirbet Humsah for the fourth time, following twice last week and once in November 2020. These actions – carried out in the midst of a humanitarian crisis caused by the pandemic — are part of Israel’s efforts to forcibly transfer the community on spurious pretexts of “military training” and “law enforcement.”

9 February 2021

Open-Fire Policy

The right to demonstrate, Border Police style – firing 0.22-inch bullets and sponge rounds at non-threatening protesters

In November 2020, Israeli Border Police officers shot and injured two Palestinians who were protesting the establishment of a settlement outpost near the Bedouin community of Ras a-Tin. ‘Abdallah Abu Rahma (55) was hit in the shoulder by a sponge round at close range; Y.B. (19) was hit in the leg by a live sniper fire. In both cases, the shooting was unlawful, immoral and unjustified, in keeping with Israel's open-fire policy in the Occupied Territories that conveys utter disregard for the lives and wellbeing of Palestinians.

3 February 2021

A Routine Founded on Violence

Occupation routine: Four soldiers abuse residents of Silwad for three weeks

For three weeks, four soldiers abused the residents of Silwad, a town northwest of Ramallah, on a daily basis. They set up checkpoints, searched cars coming and going, swore at residents and assaulted them. The soldiers roamed the town firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters and damaging vehicles. In one case, they shot and wounded a teenager. Their commanders did not intervene to stop the abuse. Years of experience show no one will be held accountable for this conduct, which serves the occupation regime and allows it to continue.

1 February 2021

Settler Violence = State Violence

All Foreseen and Not Prevented: Spike in settler violence backed and encouraged by state

Since the death of 16-year-old Israeli settler Ahuvia Sandak on 21 Dec. 2020, B’Tselem has documented a spike in settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank: 49 until 24 Jan. 2021. Yet settler violence against Palestinians has long been a routine part of the occupation. These acts are fully backed by the state, which sends forces to protect the assailants and holds no one accountable after the fact. That is precisely what a Jewish supremacist regime looks like.

28 January 2021