Updates

Agriculture

B’Tselem-produced documentary project receives WebFest Best Interactive Experience Award

Yesterday, 27 May 2017, “The Invisible Walls of Occupation” was announced as winner of the Best Interactive Experience Award at the T.O. WebFest 2017, a Toronto festival dedicated to web-based content. Viewers of the interactive documentary, which illustrates various aspects of Palestinians’ daily life under occupation, are invited on a virtual tour of the Palestinian village of Burqah. The project was co-produced by B’Tselem and Canadian digital studio Folklore, and is based on a B’Tselem report by the same name.

28 May 2017

Intra-Palestinian Violations

Hamas government executes three people in pseudo-trial that fails to meet any international standard

Today, Hamas authorities in Gaza reportedly executed three men convicted of assassinating a senior member of its military wing in a rushed trial without legal representation or an appeals instance. Since Hamas took over Gaza, its courts have issued 90 death sentences and 25 people have been formally executed. The Hamas military wing has summarily executed at least 31 others, 15 of whom had not been sentenced to death. Executions, with or without trial, are prohibited. A regime that takes human lives as punishment or deterrent is committing an intolerable violation of human rights.

25 May 2017

Detainees & Prisoners

Israel is ignoring its obligations to the prisoners and the medical condition of the hunger strikers is deteriorating

Some 150 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike have reportedly been taken to hospital as their medical condition worsened. As long as Israel continues to ignore its obligations to the prisoners and violates their rights, their condition will deteriorate, raising fear of force-feeding, which the international medical community widely regards as prohibited. Holding so many Palestinians in prisons inside Israel, most without a fair trial, some with no trial at all, and the draconian restrictions they face are an integral part of the occupation regime.

25 May 2017

Agriculture

Civil Administration uproots 135 olive trees on privately owned Palestinian land in Wadi Qana – part of Israel’s efforts toward its de facto annexation

On 3 Apr. 2017, the Civil Administration used bulldozers to uproot 135 olive saplings in Wadi Qana, near Qaliqiliyah, on land owned by Palestinians from Deir Istiya. In 1983, the CA declared the valley the Nahal Qana Reserve, and in recent years, Israeli authorities have been pushing to exclude Palestinian farmers from the wadi, and displace them using different practices, while giving settlers free reign. Like elsewhere in the West Bank, declaring land a nature reserve does not serve to protect nature, but to displace Palestinians in favor of Israeli interests.

21 May 2017

Harm to suspected collaborators

Gaza executions: Taking human lives has no place in law or law enforcement

Reportedly, a month ago (6 April 2017) Hamas authorities in Gaza executed three people convicted of collaboration with Israel. Since Hamas took control of Gaza, its courts have imposed 85 death sentences and 22 people have been executed in formal proceedings. The military wing of Hamas has summarily executed at least 31 others, including 15 against whom legal proceedings were still underway. Executions - following a real trial, a show trial or no trial at all - are prohibited. A regime that takes human lives as punishment or deterrent is committing an intolerable violation of human rights.

17 May 2017

Hebron City Center

“The Boy from H2” to be screened at the Vienna Shorts Festival

A short documentary by Helen Yanovsky, “The Boy from H2”, created in collaboration with B’Tselem’s field researchers and Camera Project volunteers in Hebron, and produced by B’Tselem’s video department, will be screened at the Vienna Shorts Festival on Sunday, 4 June 2017. The film is also a candidate in an international film competition taking place at the festival. The documentary follows 12-year-old Muhammad Burqan, who lives in Area H2 of Hebron, a section of the city under full Israeli control.

17 May 2017

Restrictions on Movement

Israel bars thousands of Palestinians from traveling abroad; many other don’t even bother to make the attempt

Israel controls all West Bank entrance and exit points, so any departure requires Israeli approval. Palestinian West Bank residents can only travel abroad via the Allenby Bridge Border Crossing. Israel uses its control over the crossing to deny travel to many residents, keeping them confined to the West Bank for years, without any judicial review or explanation. This policy harms thousands of Palestinians denied travel for no defensible reason and many others who do not even bother making the attempt, and illustrates Israel’s full control over the lives of all West Bank residents.

15 May 2017

No Accountability

Israeli police shoot and kill 16-year-old girl who brandished a knife at them, but did not pose a real danger to them

On 7 May 2017, Fatimah Hjeiji, 16, approached a metal barrier near Damascus Gate, East Jerusalem. Hjeiji stopped, stood, and brandished a knife at 5 police officers on the other side of the barrier, who then fatally shot her. The Police District Commander called the shooting legal and appropriate, ignoring the facts of the case which indicate Hajij posed no threat to the officers. The continued policy of fatally shooting Palestinians who do not pose a mortal danger illustrates the discrepancy between accepted norms prohibiting such use and frequent shoot-to-kill incidents which are encouraged by senior officials and public sentiment.

10 May 2017

Beating and Abuse

Batan al-Hawa: A Threatened Existence

The neighborhood of Batan al-Hawa in the heart of Silwan, East Jerusalem, is the setting for the largest expulsion in recent years in the city, a process supported by the Israeli government and courts. Click on the figures to enter the neighborhood’s story.

8 May 2017

No Accountability

Israeli military fires shells at Palestinians near Gaza perimeter fence, killing a 15-year-old and injuring another man

On 21 March 2017, two Gazan men and a minor went from Rafah towards the perimeter fence, hoping to enter Israel for work. Around midnight, before they tried to cross the border and although they posed no danger, the military fired a shell at them. They fled, but another shell killed Yusef Abu ‘Athrah (15) and injured one man. The military's statement, that the suspicion the three had been trying to plant an explosive device on the fence was investigated after the fact, attests to a ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ policy.

4 May 2017

Detainees & Prisoners

B’Tselem on hunger strike: Israel must meet Palestinian prisoners’ demands for improved conditions

The hunger strike by over 1,000 Palestinian inmates begun on April 17 is a non-violent protest focused on valid, basic demands for improved conditions. Because they are held in Israel, in contravention of international law, Israel imposes severe restrictions on family visits. Instead of addressing the demands, Israel adopted unacceptable punitive measures designed to break the strikers’ spirit. The strike cannot be viewed in isolation: next month the occupation will mark its 50th anniversary. Even if conditions are improved - Israel will still be holding thousands of Palestinians who have had no fair trial, or no trial at all.

3 May 2017

General

Artist Ai Weiwei Supports B'Tselem

Artist and activist Ai Weiwei reveals today a limited edition of his work Study of Perspective: The White House, in response to first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, and in collaboration with The Skateroom. The artist chose B’Tselem as well as the Turkish “Bridging the People” to receive sales proceeds.

1 May 2017

Education

Israeli settler fires in the air near Burin school, others throw stones; soldiers come to scene but do nothing

On 16 Mar. settlers harassed students in a Burin school, threw stones and fired in the air. Instead of arresting or removing the settlers, soldiers who came to the scene repeated their claims that students had thrown stones. The case illustrates how the military serves the settlers, acting as their mouthpiece, and does not protect Palestinians. It also demonstrates the double standard on stone throwing: Palestinians throwing stones are considered an immediate threat justifying lethal force; whereas settlers, even if they fire, are presumed to be justified and the military stands by as an onlooker.

25 April 2017

Area C

Israeli Civil Administration demolishes home in Jabal al-Baba community for second time this year

On 19 April 2017, in the Jabal al-Baba community, northeast of Jerusalem, the CA demolished a 45-sqm pre-fab donated by an aid agency that served as home to a family of seven, including two minors. Their previous home had been demolished on 26 Jan. 2017. Jabal al-Baba numbers some 350, about half of them minors and is in an area Israeli authorities designated for an expansion of the settlement of Maale Adumim so as to achieve a contiguous urban bloc from there to Jerusalem. The previous demolition there was on 26 Jan. 2017, when authorities demolished three families’ residential tents and two livestock pens.

25 April 2017

Harassment

Israeli military raids two print shops in Tulkarm, confiscates equipment and papers, and causes much damage

In March 2017 soldiers entered two Tulkarm print shops for allegedly serving “illegal” organizations. They damaged equipment and caused the owners heavy losses, but arrested no one. The military law imposed by Israel in the West Bank allows soldiers to enter any Palestinian home or business without a warrant. The military often abuses this authority and causes damage to businesses and homes without any justification. This conduct is one of the most pervasive and powerful indications of Israel’s control over the lives of all Palestinians in the West Bank.

24 April 2017

Area C

Israeli Civil Administration evacuates 9 families for an entire night, citing military training near their homes

On 5 April 2017 the CA evacuated nine families from Kh. a-Ras al-Ahmar, the northern Jordan Valley, from 5:00 P.M. until 5:00 A.M. the next morning. Forty people, incl. about 15 minors, were forced to leave behind their sheep and property, to vacate their homes and spend the night out in the open. In 2016, families from the community were evacuated ten times on the same pretext. The repeated evacuations cause an intolerable disruption to daily life, are unjustified and unlawful. Israel must immediately stop the evacuations and all other measures it is taking to drive out residents of the Jordan Valley.

23 April 2017

No Accountability

From trigger-happy to shoot-to-kill: Israeli security forces killed 101 Palestinians, incl. 31 minors in 2016

In 2016, Israeli security forces killed 101 Palestinians, incl. 31 minors – 90 in the West Bank (incl. East Jerusalem), 8 in Gaza, and 3 in Israel. Ten women and one female minor were among the casualties. Seventy-five (74%) were killed in attempted, alleged or real assaults on Israelis; another 17 (17%) were killed in clashes, protests, and stone-throwing incidents. The responsibility for these deaths lies with the top levels of Israel’s military and government, which allow this open-fire policy and the subsequent lack of accountability.

20 April 2017

The Jordan Valley

Retrospective of occupation films and personal video diaries in two B’Tselem special screenings during Tel Aviv Solidarity Film Festival

A selection of films produced by B’Tselem’s video department will be screened during the 2017 Solidarity Human Rights Film Festival at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. On 9 May, the festival will host an evening to mark a decade of work by B’Tselem’s camera distribution project: “The Best of the Worst” – a selection of videos that reflect various aspects of the occupation, which will be marking its 50th year this June. On 6 May, the festival will screen the video diaries of two Palestinian women from the Jordan Valley who documented their lives and the lives of their families.

20 April 2017

Attacks on Israeli Civilians by Palestinians

Palestinian stabs British national to death in Jerusalem

B’Tselem expresses deep sorrow at the death of Hannah Bladon, 21, a British citizen who was stabbed to death yesterday (14 April 2017) by a Palestinian on Jerusalem's light railway. Two other people were lightly injured by the sudden braking of the train and required hospital treatment. B’Tselem conveys its sincerest condolences to the Bladon family, and its best wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded. The deliberate targeting of civilians undermines every moral, legal and human standard. B’Tselem strongly condemns any and all deliberate attacks against civilians.

15 April 2017

Agriculture

Khirbet a-Ras al-Ahmar families served substitute all-night evacuation orders

On the morning of Mon. 3 April 2017, the Civil Administration (CA) arrived at Kh. a-Ras al-Ahmar in the northern Jordan Valley and served nine families with evacuation orders from Wed. 5 April 2017 at 5:00 P.M. to 5:00 A.M. next morning. As a result, 40 people, incl. some 15 minors, will have to spend an entire night away from home. Last week, the CA served ten families with evacuation orders for Wed. afternoon to Thurs. morning. Yet no military training was then carried out on land near their homes and, contrary to past practice, the CA did not arrive to evacuate them. Residents remained in a state of uncertainty all night long, concerned they might be evacuated.

4 April 2017

No Accountability

Israeli Border Police kill Siham Nimer in unjustified shooting after she brandished scissors at them

On 29 Mar. 2017 Border Police officers killed Siham Nimer, 49, as she approached a police barrier brandishing scissors. Given that they were behind the barrier and in protective gear, she likely could have been overpowered without lethal gunfire. Her son, Mustafa, 26, was killed in Sept. 2016 in Shu’fat R.C., also by police who were quick to shoot. Shooting to kill is permissible only in cases of mortal danger. There is a chilling gap between this principle and the present reality in which unjustified shoot-to-kill incidents are a frequent occurrence and are encouraged by public sentiment.

4 April 2017

Beating and Abuse

In midnight raids, Israeli soldiers enter homes in Nablus District, wake families, and use young men as human shields

In Jan.-Feb. 2017, large numbers of troops entered homes at night in two villages in the Nablus District, waking whole families. In Beit Furik, they made one home into a temporary interrogation facility; in Burin, they forced young men to serve as human shields. This is yet another example of how the military abuses its power to disrupt the lives of Palestinians accused of no wrongdoing, invading their privacy and intimidating them. Israel’s security forces broadly abuse their authority, citing flimsy security considerations, to justify frequent, random raids on homes.

4 April 2017

Harassment

Israeli security forces enter 2 homes in Hebron area, strip search family members - including children - and wreak havoc

In early 2017, B’Tselem documented two incidents in which security forces, some masked, raided homes in Dura and Hebron at night, ordering family members to strip and wreaking havoc in their homes. The military law applicable in the West Bank allows soldiers and officers to enter any Palestinian home at any time with no warrant or justification, a power widely used on feeble security pretexts. These nighttime raids - which frighten residents, humiliate them and destroy property - are nightly occurrences and have long since become part of life under occupation.

2 April 2017

Area C

Unbridled theft masquerading as “restrained construction”

The new “construction policy” the PM presented to the security cabinet yesterday spells out continued harm to Palestinians, settlement expansion, and breach of international law. Israel granted itself permission itself to go on stealing Palestinian land in the West Bank while barring and demolishing construction by Palestinians. This policy means that Israel will go on building as it pleases, both in and outside settlements, in complete disregard of UNSCR 2334 on the illegality of the settlement enterprise. This policy is no show of good faith; it is unbridled theft masquerading as “restrained construction.”

31 March 2017