Updates

The Gaza Strip

Hamas authorities execute 3 men in Gaza

On 31 May 2016 Hamas authorities executed 3 Gazans it convicted of murder: Ahmad Shurab, 43; Yusef Abu Shamleh, 38; and Muhammad ‘Othman 28. Since Hamas seized control of Gaza, 67 people have been condemned by its courts, and 33 people executed (this figure does not include people executed during Operation Protective Edge), some of whom were sentenced before the Hamas takeover. B’Tselem condemns the use of capital punishment, which is both immoral and a grave violation of human rights. A state may not take a person’s life and violate the right to life as a punitive measure, even if ostensibly for the purpose of law enforcement.

7 June 2016

No Accountability

Testimonies: Prior to incident for which Elor Azaria is facing charges, Ramzi al-Qasrawi was also executed

Testimonies to B’Tselem indicate that during the Mar. 24 incident in which a soldier executed ‘Abd al-Fatah a-Sharif, an action for which he is now standing trial, Ramzi al-Qasrawi was also executed. The two men had stabbed a soldier, who was lightly injured. Since the recent wave of violence began in Oct., a good number of cases were captured on video showing executions of Palestinians who stabbed or were suspected of stabbing Israeli security personnel or civilians. The trial currently underway is an exception to the rule, as law enforcement agencies usually willfully turn a blind eye to this reality.

6 June 2016

Communities Facing Expulsion

Civil Administration confiscates 7 pre-fabs at community of Wadi al-Qatif, rendering 26 people homeless

Yesterday, 5 June 2016, Civil Administration and Border Police forces arrived at the Wadi al-Qatif (Satah al-Bahar) community, which is located along Route No. 1 between the settlement of Mitzpe Yeriho and a-Nabi Musa. They dismantled and confiscated seven pre-fabs donated several weeks ago by a humanitarian aid agency to replace old huts. Six of the pre-fabs were being used as living quarters by six families, totaling 26 individuals, including 13 minors. The seventh pre-fab was being used as a day care center for 12 of the community’s children. The residents of the community live in an area the Israeli military has defined a closed military zone since the early 1980s.

6 June 2016

Area C

Reality check: Almost fifty years of occupation

The occupation is 49 years old. That’s 17,898 days. International law defines occupation as a temporary situation, but after nearly 50 years the reality in the West Bank and Gaza can no longer be considered temporary. It is unreasonable to keep hoping that Israel end this situation of its own volition. As the occupation enters its 50th year, B’Tselem presents the current situation in the West Bank and Gaza. The facts are well-known. Equally well-known is that standing idly by means perpetuating the current situation. Determined action is needed now to clearly demonstrate the termination of local and international cooperation with the occupation.

5 June 2016

Harassment

Soldiers gather children in Hebron neighborhood, photograph them and release them

On 24 May 2016, dozens of soldiers went through Jaber neighborhood, Hebron. They assembled about 20 children and teens against a wall, asked them about a stone-throwing incident earlier that day, photographed each and let them go. At least 14 were minors, incl. 7 under the age of criminal liability. This questionably legal conduct, in blatant disregard of the duty to safeguard the rights of minors, appears to have been meant to intimidate the children so as to deter them from throwing stones. The military cannot treat civilians, let alone minors, as potential lawbreakers.

2 June 2016

Agriculture

375 Palestinians, more than half of them minors, temporarily displaced due to military training in Jordan Valley

On 26 May ‘16, the Civil Administration notified 58 families from 5 Palestinian communities in the northern Jordan Valley that due to military training in the area, they must leave home for varying stretches of time from 30 May to 1 June. In ‘Ein al-Meyteh, al-Burj and Khirbet al-Malih, 27 families were temporarily displaced for 9 hours. In Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar, 14 families were displaced, some on all three days and some on one, for 9 to 14 hours a time. Khirbet Humsah suffered most: 19 families were displaced for many hours on all three days; on one, they were made to stay far away at night, too, and on another they were only allowed to return at midnight.

1 June 2016

Economic & Social Rights

Stores in al-Birah, Area A, ruined after security forces cause fire and leave, delaying Palestinian firefighters

In April 2016, Israeli forces blew up a safe in a money-changing store in al-Birah, Area A, having refused to let the owner’s son open it for them. This caused a fire that destroyed several stores and a warehouse. They made no attempt to put out the fire and delayed a Palestinian firetruck on its way there. The incident illustrates how easily security forces damage Palestinian property and shows up Israel’s cynical use of the formal division into Areas A, B and C as, in practice, the occupation continues throughout the West Bank.

30 May 2016

No Accountability

B’Tselem will no longer refer complaints to the Israeli military law enforcement system, which serves as a whitewash mechanism

Today, B’Tselem announced it would no longer refer complaints to the military’s law enforcement system. We explain this unusual decision in our new report, The Occupation's Fig Leaf: Israel's Military Law Enforcement System as a Whitewash Mechanism, which is based on hundreds of complaints B’Tselem has filed, dozens of military investigations and many meetings with officials. We will continue reporting violations but will no longer help a whitewash mechanism that also, in advance, absolves senior military and government officials of responsibility for the policy they set out.

25 May 2016

Area C

Civil Administration dismantles and confiscates trailers which were home to 49 people, northeast of Jerusalem

On Monday, 16 May 2016, a large force of Civil Administration and Border Police personnel arrived in the Badu al-Baba community, near al-‘Eizariyah, northeast of Jerusalem. The forces dismantled and confiscated ten trailers, which were home to 49 people, including 23 minors. The trailers were recently donated by a humanitarian aid agency to families who had until then lived in tin and wood shacks. The community has about 350 members, roughly half of them minors, and lives in the area designated by Israel as Area E1, where it plans to expand the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim to create a contiguous urban link to Jerusalem.

18 May 2016

Economic & Social Rights

My Own Private Gaza - Reinventing Electricity

What do you do when there’s no electricity or access to advanced technology? Enterprise, innovation and ingenuity try to fill the void. Khaled al-‘Azayzeh, a B’Tselem field researcher in the Gaza Strip, brings us a portrait of Gaza as seen through his own eyes. A third installment in a series.

16 May 2016

No Accountability

Unwarranted killings at Qalandia Checkpoint: Systemic legitimization of a trigger-happy approach continues to claim lives

On 27 April 2016 a brother and sister were shot dead as they approached Qalandia Checkpoint. The sister was apparently carrying a knife. B’Tselem’s investigation indicates they were killed without justification and could have been arrested, and that they received no medical aid. This incident is one of dozens of unjustified killings since Oct. 2015, some tantamount to executions. Such incidents are possible due to a public atmosphere in Israel that encourages the killing of Palestinian assailants. Senior political and military figures, including the prime minister, minister and the attorney general, have implicitly or explicitly supported this approach.

9 May 2016

Beating and Abuse

Three days of unchecked abuse: Israeli soldiers severely abuse six Gazan detainees, incl. three minors

On 10 October 2015, soldiers arrested six Gazan youths who crossed the perimeter fence into Israel during a demonstration and held them at a military base for three days. Three of them, minors, told B’Tselem they were held handcuffed out in the open, subjected to beatings and degradation, and denied food, drink and sleep. The fact that soldiers can so easily turn a military base into an exterritorial area in which they can treat minors as they please is, in part, due to a law enforcement system which has long enabled security establishment personnel to use violence against detainees, including minors, without any accountability.

8 May 2016

Hebron City Center

Settlers assaulted a Palestinian videographer in Hebron, wounding him in the head, while soldiers looked on

Yesterday (4 May) Raed Abu a-Rmeileh, a former B’Tselem camera volunteer, and two friends were assaulted by settlers when Abu a-Rmeileh tried to film them harassing two girls with a dog. He was hit on the head with a drink can and knocked to the ground. The settlers then assaulted his friends and fled. Soldiers present did nothing to stop the attack or help Abu a-Rmeileh, who was later taken to hospital with a light head injury. After his release today, he filed a police complaint, provided the footage and identified the assailants’ photos.

5 May 2016

Economic & Social Rights

Int'l Workers' Day 2016: Desperate to make a living in Gaza

Nine years have passed since Israel began its blockade on Gaza, paralyzing the job market in an area inhabited by two million people. The right to work and make a decent living are both basic human rights. On 1 May 2016, we highlighted the stories of four professionals desperate for work in Gaza.

5 May 2016

Economic & Social Rights

Military effectively shutting down Palestinian quarries in Beit Fajjar to aid de facto annexation of area

In March 2016, Israeli forces shut down operations in several Palestinian quarries in Beit Fajjar, near Bethlehem, assaulting laborers and confiscating essential equipment. According to quarry owners, these raids have occurred for years but have recently intensified. Israel systematically prevents Palestinian quarries from operating in the West Bank while allowing Israeli ones to operate there undisturbed, in breach of international law, as part of a policy to push Palestinian activity into enclaves and de facto annex the rest of the West Bank.

21 April 2016

Home Demolition as Collective Punishment

Massive collective punishment: homes of 149 Palestinians suspected of no wrongdoing demolished since Oct. 2015; hundreds more under threat

Since Oct. 2015, Israel has demolished or sealed 37 homes to punish relatives of Palestinians who attacked Israelis or were suspected of such attacks, leaving 149 people homeless, including 65 minors. Dozens more homes were measured as preparation, forcing 339 people, incl. 128 minors, to live under threat of demolition. Though this collective punishment is unlawful and immoral, the HCJ continues to routinely approve demolition orders. The Supreme Court President has refused recent calls by some justices to revisit the issue.

21 April 2016

Agriculture

7 April 2016: Extensive demolitions in communities facing expulsion; fourth demolition this year in Kh. Tana, Jordan Valley

On 7 April 2016, Israeli authorities carried out extensive demolitions in six Palestinian communities in the West Bank, five near the Ma’ale Adummim settlement and one, Khirbet Tana, in the Jordan Valley. Authorities demolished nearly all structures in Kh. Tana; it is the fourth demolition the community has undergone since February. All told, 34 structures, including 19 homes, 12 livestock pens, and three entrances to cave dwellings were demolished, leaving 112 people homeless, including 55 minors. Since January 2016, demolitions in Area C communities have left 563 people homeless, including 305 minors.

10 April 2016

No Accountability

Closing case against Col. Shomer integral part of whitewash mechanism which is the military investigative system

The MAG announced his decision to close the case against OC Binyamin Regional Brigade Col. Shomer. The officer had shot and killed ‘Ali-Kosba, 17, with three bullets to the upper body, after the latter threw a stone at his vehicle. B’Tselem says this decision is inherent to the whitewash mechanism which is Israel’s military investigative system. The MAG’s determination that the firing was lawful because Shomer claimed he had aimed at ‘Ali-Kosba’s legs but missed indicates the system’s willingness to ignore the law and regulations in the interest of absolving members of the security forces who unlawfully killed Palestinians.

10 April 2016

Agriculture

Three days of destruction: Civil Administration demolishes 10 structures in South Hebron Hills and Wadi al-Qalt

More demolitions this morning in the Jordan Valley and Ma’ale Adumim Area. Wave of demolitions, today, Apr. 7, in several West Bank communities including E1 and repeat demolitions in Khirbet Tana in the Jordan Valley. Earlier this week, the authorities demolished 6 dwellings in Um al-Kheir, South Hebron Hills, and 2 in Wadi al-Qalt. The recent action has left 43 people homeless, including 26 minors. It is part of a demolition campaign launched by Israel in early 2016, in which 128 dwellings and 138 other structures in vulnerable communities have already been destroyed, leaving 510 people, including 275 minors homeless.

7 April 2016

Economic & Social Rights

Israeli security forces demolish four families’ homes, punishing 28 people, including 6 minors, for actions of persons no longer alive

Security forces recently demolished 4 apartments of relatives of Palestinians who perpetrated, or were suspected of perpetrating or aiding in attacks against Israelis, after the HCJ dismissed petitions filed by the families and HaMoked, upholding the demolitions. The demolitions left homeless 28 people, including 6 minors, who are suspected of no wrong doing. Since Oct. 2015 Israel has stepped up punitive house demolitions, with 36 apartments demolished or fully or partially sealed since. The large-scale sealing and demolition operations have left 147 people, including 65 minors, homeless.

5 April 2016

Harassment

B’Tselem to military and police commanders: Protect B’Tselem volunteer who documented Hebron shooting

B’Tselem director wrote yesterday to OC Central Command and Chief of Police informing them of death threats made against ‘Imad Abu Shamsiyeh, the B’Tselem volunteer who filmed the incident in which a soldier shot and killed ‘Abd al-Fatah a-Sharif in Hebron. El-Ad requested assurance that the military and police commanders are aware of the danger to which Abu Shamsiyeh and his family are exposed. Since the footage was released, Abu Shamsiyeh and his family have been subjected to threats of murder, stones thrown at their home, and hateful posts on Facebook. Most of this violence was instigated by settlers.

31 March 2016

No Accountability

Israeli military bombs training camp; two children killed in their beds

On the night of 12 March 2016, there was an Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF Spokesperson said the attack targeted a Hamas training camp, in response to a rocket fired at Israel. No one was injured on the base. The spokesperson failed to mention that a nearby family home was also hit, killing two children. This attack is part of a longstanding unlawful and immoral policy of air strikes on Gaza. Whoever planned the attack ought to have known there were civilians nearby and ensured their safety. Having failed to do so, the military and political decision makers are liable for the children’s death.

30 March 2016

Agriculture

Israeli authorities demolish homes in Khirbet Tana for third time this year, leaving 85 people homeless, including 30 children

On 23 March 2016, Civil Administration and military forces came to Khirbet Tana to the east of Beit Furik and demolished 17 homes, 21 livestock pens, and five outhouses, two of them donated by the European Union. The forces also blocked the entrances to five caves and demolished a water reservoir built with the assistance of a Palestinian association. Six of the residential tents demolished were donated by an international humanitarian aid organization. This is the third demolition operation in the village since the beginning of 2016. The acts of destruction left 85 people homeless, including 30 minors.

24 March 2016

Agriculture

Israeli authorities again demolish structures in two Masafer Yatta communities (Firing Zone 918)

On 22 March 2016, Israeli authorities demolished a family tent and livestock pens and confiscated a solar panel in the Palestinian communities of Khirbet Jenbah and a-Taban in Masafer Yatta. This came a day before the HCJ hearing in the principled petitions filed by residents against the declaration of the area as Firing Zone 918 in an attempt to expel them from their homes. These structures were apparently not included in the orders prohibiting further demolition, issued by the HCJ after previous demolitions in February.

24 March 2016