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Israel uses deadly weapons on unarmed Palestinian protesters - watchdog
Protesters run as an Israeli Army truck fires a water cannon, containing a foul-smelling substance, during clashes with stone-throwing protesters in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah (Reuters / STR)
Israel is using lethal force on unarmed Palestinian protesters in the West Bank, according to the latest report by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. It says 56 people were killed in the clashes, with an average age of 18.
In the 31-page report, B’Tselem accused Israeli security forces of having "extensively and systematically violated" rules that ban deadly response to a non-lethal assault. B’Tselem has been working on the report, ‘Crowd Control: Israel’s use of Crowd Control Weapons in the West Bank’ for the past year.
Only in the past fortnight, the Israeli military shot dead two Palestinians in the clashes.
Since 2005, six people were killed by rubber-coated metal bullets and two by teargas canisters, both supposedly non-lethal weapons which were fired directly at protesters, according to B'Tselem.
Live ammunition was utilized in other 48 cases of death. The average age of those killed was reportedly 18-and-a-half.
The typical riot dispersal tools of security forces include teargas, rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades, live ammunition, skunk and water cannons, pepper spray, and sponge rounds – non-lethal weapons which are not dangerous for long-term health if used correctly.
However, "in practice, members of the security forces make almost routine use of these weapons in unlawful, dangerous ways, and the relevant Israeli authorities do too little to prevent the recurrence of this conduct," says the document reported by Reuters.
Investigations, if launched, tend to be closed without any action taken to hold those who are guilty of deaths responsible.
“Senior officers on the ground back up their troops in such incidents, and the law enforcement authorities refrain from promoting accountability in cases where orders were allegedly breached,” the document stated.
In particular, the report called the IDF to prohibit using live ammunition including 0.22 inch-caliber bullets and rubber-coated metal bullets for crowd control, except in instances of mortal danger.
Firing 40mm teargas canisters directly or horizontally at individuals should be prohibited, the report further argued, Jerusalem Post reported.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) countered that the human rights group’s report "presents a biased narrative, relying primarily on incidents that are either old or still under investigation by the Military Police", Reuters reported. [Old and still in investigation? That's a very heterogeneous sample, then! - RFS]
"The IDF does everything in its power to ensure that the use of riot dispersal means is done in accordance with the rules of engagement," the report also said.
Peace talks between the sides have been frozen since 2010. Palestinians withdrew from the negotiations with Israel at the time, saying talks would only be possible after Tel Aviv halts all construction projects in the disputed areas.
[The Guardian has a summary of some of those recent deaths:
...
"None of [the dead] posed a threat that justifies the use of lethal force," said Sarit Michaeli, of the Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem and the author of a report published on Monday which analyses the IDF's use of crowd control weapons in the West Bank.
...
The youngest to be killed was 15-year-old Salah Amarin, who died last Wednesday, five days after being shot in the head during clashes near Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. According to the IDF, he had been launching stones from a slingshot.
The same day as Amarin died, Lubna al-Hanash, 22, was shot in the face while walking on a college campus south of Bethlehem. According to the IDF, a routine patrol in the area had opened fire in self-defence after being "confronted by Palestinians with Molotov cocktails". But Suad Jaara, a friend who was injured in the shooting, told the Palestinian news agency Ma'an: "An Israeli soldier was shooting from his rifle while a white car was parked on the roadside. There was no one in the area except Lubna and I."
Sixteen-year-old Samir Awad was shot on 15 January after crossing a fence that forms part of the security barrier near his home in the village of Budrus. He had just completed school exam before a midterm break from school when he was grabbed by soldiers, broke free and ran away. Soldiers opened fire, hitting him from behind in the back and the head. The IDF said Awad was "attempting to infiltrate into Israel".
Three days earlier, Uday Darwish, 21, was also shot in the back while running away from soldiers after attempting to cross the separation barrier south of Hebron, according to Palestinian sources. The IDF said "soldiers at the scene fired towards his legs".
Last month, Mohammed al-Salaymeh was killed by a female soldier at a checkpoint in Hebron while en route to buy a cake to celebrate his 17th birthday. The IDF said he had brandished a toy gun. Grainy video footage of the incident appears to show the youth struggling with a soldier, and then being shot three times. The third and final shot is fired as Salaymeh is leaving the scene.
In Gaza, Anwar al-Mamlouk, 19, was shot in the abdomen 50 metres from the border fence on 11 January by Israeli soldiers, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
Three days later, a 21-year-old farmer, Mustafa Abu Jarad died after being shot in the head. The IDF denied it was responsible.
...
- RFS]
Protesters run as an Israeli Army truck fires a water cannon, containing a foul-smelling substance, during clashes with stone-throwing protesters in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah (Reuters / STR)
Israel is using lethal force on unarmed Palestinian protesters in the West Bank, according to the latest report by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. It says 56 people were killed in the clashes, with an average age of 18.
In the 31-page report, B’Tselem accused Israeli security forces of having "extensively and systematically violated" rules that ban deadly response to a non-lethal assault. B’Tselem has been working on the report, ‘Crowd Control: Israel’s use of Crowd Control Weapons in the West Bank’ for the past year.
Only in the past fortnight, the Israeli military shot dead two Palestinians in the clashes.
Since 2005, six people were killed by rubber-coated metal bullets and two by teargas canisters, both supposedly non-lethal weapons which were fired directly at protesters, according to B'Tselem.
Live ammunition was utilized in other 48 cases of death. The average age of those killed was reportedly 18-and-a-half.
The typical riot dispersal tools of security forces include teargas, rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades, live ammunition, skunk and water cannons, pepper spray, and sponge rounds – non-lethal weapons which are not dangerous for long-term health if used correctly.
However, "in practice, members of the security forces make almost routine use of these weapons in unlawful, dangerous ways, and the relevant Israeli authorities do too little to prevent the recurrence of this conduct," says the document reported by Reuters.
Investigations, if launched, tend to be closed without any action taken to hold those who are guilty of deaths responsible.
“Senior officers on the ground back up their troops in such incidents, and the law enforcement authorities refrain from promoting accountability in cases where orders were allegedly breached,” the document stated.
In particular, the report called the IDF to prohibit using live ammunition including 0.22 inch-caliber bullets and rubber-coated metal bullets for crowd control, except in instances of mortal danger.
Firing 40mm teargas canisters directly or horizontally at individuals should be prohibited, the report further argued, Jerusalem Post reported.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) countered that the human rights group’s report "presents a biased narrative, relying primarily on incidents that are either old or still under investigation by the Military Police", Reuters reported. [Old and still in investigation? That's a very heterogeneous sample, then! - RFS]
"The IDF does everything in its power to ensure that the use of riot dispersal means is done in accordance with the rules of engagement," the report also said.
Peace talks between the sides have been frozen since 2010. Palestinians withdrew from the negotiations with Israel at the time, saying talks would only be possible after Tel Aviv halts all construction projects in the disputed areas.
[The Guardian has a summary of some of those recent deaths:
...
"None of [the dead] posed a threat that justifies the use of lethal force," said Sarit Michaeli, of the Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem and the author of a report published on Monday which analyses the IDF's use of crowd control weapons in the West Bank.
...
The youngest to be killed was 15-year-old Salah Amarin, who died last Wednesday, five days after being shot in the head during clashes near Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. According to the IDF, he had been launching stones from a slingshot.
The same day as Amarin died, Lubna al-Hanash, 22, was shot in the face while walking on a college campus south of Bethlehem. According to the IDF, a routine patrol in the area had opened fire in self-defence after being "confronted by Palestinians with Molotov cocktails". But Suad Jaara, a friend who was injured in the shooting, told the Palestinian news agency Ma'an: "An Israeli soldier was shooting from his rifle while a white car was parked on the roadside. There was no one in the area except Lubna and I."
Sixteen-year-old Samir Awad was shot on 15 January after crossing a fence that forms part of the security barrier near his home in the village of Budrus. He had just completed school exam before a midterm break from school when he was grabbed by soldiers, broke free and ran away. Soldiers opened fire, hitting him from behind in the back and the head. The IDF said Awad was "attempting to infiltrate into Israel".
Three days earlier, Uday Darwish, 21, was also shot in the back while running away from soldiers after attempting to cross the separation barrier south of Hebron, according to Palestinian sources. The IDF said "soldiers at the scene fired towards his legs".
Last month, Mohammed al-Salaymeh was killed by a female soldier at a checkpoint in Hebron while en route to buy a cake to celebrate his 17th birthday. The IDF said he had brandished a toy gun. Grainy video footage of the incident appears to show the youth struggling with a soldier, and then being shot three times. The third and final shot is fired as Salaymeh is leaving the scene.
In Gaza, Anwar al-Mamlouk, 19, was shot in the abdomen 50 metres from the border fence on 11 January by Israeli soldiers, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
Three days later, a 21-year-old farmer, Mustafa Abu Jarad died after being shot in the head. The IDF denied it was responsible.
...
- RFS]
