Israel accused of 'deliberately killing' Palestinians

Rights groups say Israel is using excessive force against unarmed Palestinian civilians

 in the recent wave of violence.

Israel's government is facing serious questions over its use of force in the latest outbreak of violence with protesters after a number of videos appeared online showing soldiers shooting at Palestinians.

Amnesty International told Al Jazeera on Sunday that some of the recorded incidents amounted to "extrajudicial killings", while Human rights Watch was "strongly concerned" by Israel's "indiscriminate and even deliberate" use of fire on demonstrators.

"These are extrajudicial killings against unarmed civilians," Mariam Farah, the spokesperson for Amnesty International in Israel, said.

On Friday, a video emerged showing a number of Israeli soldiers surrounding a young Palestinian woman allegedly holding a knife before they shot her with live bullets multiple times. Israa Ayed, 29, was critically injured.

Palestinian teenager Fadi Alloun was shot and killed last week. He was running away 

after he allegedly tried to stab an Israeli. His family denies he tried to hurt anyone. 

On September 22, a young Palestinian woman died of her wounds after being shot by Israeli troops at a checkpoint in the West Bank.

Source : Al - Jazeera

Published on Oct 5, 2015

Palestinian boy shot dead in the West Bank during clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army. Report by Asana Greenstreet.

Undercover Israeli police attack Palestinian protesters

Many undercover Israeli soldiers join Palestinian protests as agent provocateur and incite protesters to hurl stones at Israeli soldiers, then they draw their guns and start helping their fellow military members in arresting the protesters. A newly released video has captured such a story.

Disguised as Palestinian protesters, the Israeli infiltrating team was caught on camera by several journalists in the vicinity of the illegally-built Israeli settlement of Beit El near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

The video also shows Palestinian protesters running from the scene while Israeli agents – who were shooting toward the crowd with their handguns – help other Israeli soldiers in giving a torrent of kicks and punches on the captured protesters.

At least one young Palestinian was shot in the leg at point-blank range by one of the fake protesters.

Meanwhile, Palestine's Ma'an news agency reported that at least 18 Palestinians sustained injuries with rubber-coated steel bullets fired by Israeli soldiers during clashes in the environs of Ramallah.

Israeli soldiers detain a wounded Palestinian after infiltrated members of the Israeli forces shot at Palestinian protesters during clashes in Beit El, on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Ramallah, on October 7, 2015. (AFP)

Tensions have been running high in the region over the past few days after Israel imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the Old City, where the al-Aqsa Mosque compound is located. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest site after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.

The measure was taken earlier this month after two Israelis were killed and two others wounded during clashes between a Palestinian man and Israeli settlers in al-Quds.

Source : Press TV

Israeli forces detain 550 Palestinians in six months

Israeli forces have detained 550 Palestinians, including women and children, in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of 2015.

The detainees, who were arrested in the southern city of al-Khalil (Hebron), included seven women and 105 teenagers, Amjad Najjar, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) in al-Khalil, said on Thursday.

The Palestinian official added that 225 of the detainees received sentences through the Israeli practice of the so-called administrative detention, under which Palestinians are kept behind bars without charge or trial for months or even years.

According to Najjar, 78 Palestinian patients “who faced a real life threat as a result of detention” were among the inmates in Israeli jails, where they receive no “medical treatment.”

He noted that Israeli forces treat the Palestinian detainees in a “savage and inhuman way during detention.”

Israeli police arrest a Palestinian protester near the Damascus Gate in the Old City of al-Quds (Jerusalem) on March 30, 2015. (© AFP)

The PPS report pointed out that many of those detained during the six-month period were from the town of Beit Ummar, where over 60 residents, mostly minors, were arrested between January and March.

Earlier reports by the PPS showed that Israel detained 383 Palestinians across the West Bank in December 2014.

Over 7,000 Palestinians are reportedly incarcerated in 17 Israeli prisons and detention camps.

YH/GHN/HMV

Source : Press TV

UNHRC report put criminal, victim in one scale

Jun 22, 2015

Days of Palestine, Brussels –Detailed UN report accuses Israeli occupation and Palestinian resistance of committing war crimes. 

The United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on Operation Protective Edge (last summer’s Israeli offensive on Gaza that killed 2,260 Palestinians) found that Palestinian resistance and Israeli occupation committed abuses in the Gaza war that may amount to war crimes.

The report, which was released on Monday, suggested that the Israeli occupation does not do enough to investigate and punish alleged war crimes, saying that the Jewish nation must “break with its lamentable track record” and hold perpetrators accountable.

UN investigators noted Israeli use of precision weapons during airstrikes, but added that “the timing of the attacks increased the likelihood that many people, often entire families, would be at home. Attacking residential buildings rendered women particularly vulnerable to death and injury.”

Investigators found that Israeli failure to change strategy after seeing a large number of deaths in Gaza raises questions about potential violations by “political and military leadership.”

The Israeli occupation was called on to provide further details of its “targeting decisions” in the report, saying that this would allow for further independent assessment of its attack on Gaza.

Investigators also took aim at Hamas in Gaza however, condemning the executions of alleged “collaborators” that amount to war crimes and demand that someone be held accountable.

- Source : http://www.daysofpalestine.com/news/unhrc-report-put-criminal-victim-one-scale/#.VYh6ClgBLiw.facebook

Israeli Settler Runs Over Child

An extremist Israeli settler ran over 3-year old Palestinian child in occupied Jerusalem, Saturday (20 Jun 2015).

The child was identified as Yasser Shammas from Wadi al-Hilwa, in the village of Silwan, occupied city of Jerusalem.

Witnesses said, according to Days of Palestine, that the settler, who was driving a mini-car, approached the Palestinian child while he was waiting with his mother to cross the street.

Palestinian paramedics rushed to the scene and evacuated the child to Hadasa Hospital, in Silwan.

According to medical sources, the child sustained light injures, but bruises are spread all over his body. The child is still under continuous observation, medical sources added.

Source : http://www.imemc.org/article/72004

Israel locks community of 6,000 behind steel gate

Palestinians protest Israel’s closure of the gate that leads from Jerusalem to al-Zaim village, 8 May

Because the gate is only open for a few hours each afternoon, local children have to pass through a different exit than they normally would to attend school in nearbyJerusalem. A journey that should be no longer than 15 minutes can now take an hour.For the past few weeks, the 6,000 people of al-Zaim have been locked behind a steel gate that forms part of Israel’s massive wall in the occupied West Bank.

Ashraf, one of al-Zaim’s residents, has to take time off from work to drive his six-year-old son. The boy had previously traveled to and from school by bus. But the gate’s closure means he would have to cross a busy highway if Ashraf did not drive him. “It is not safe at all,” said Ashraf.

The Israeli authorities have closed the gate since the evening of 24 April. The closure followed Israel’s killing of 17-year-old Ali Muhammad Abu Ghannam at a military checkpoint beside the entrance to al-Zaim.

The blockade has disrupted life in this community.

Cars wishing to enter al-Zaim must continue past a checkpoint on Highway 1 toward the Dead Sea. Then they have to look for the next exit for the Israeli settlement Maale Adumim, make a U-turn and head back toward Jerusalem again.

“Out of our control”

“I am losing this time from my life,” said Ashraf. “This is not a dangerous neighborhood, people here don’t make problems, they don’t throw stones. I want my son to get to and from school safely.”

Because public buses are no longer running into al-Zaim, businesses are also strained. The Atallah Wedding Hall has received cancellations for events booked three months in advance. Carwashes sit empty and one auto shop owner is considering closing for good. “I had to tell my workers to go home, there is nothing to do because no one will come here anymore,” he said.

The al-Zaim local council, headed by Naeem Sob Laban, has organized demonstrations at the gate each Friday since it was closed. Council members have held placards reading “We want to live free” and “This is a village, not a prison.”

At the most recent Friday demonstration on 15 May, children from al-Zaim stood at the front of a crowd of approximately 60. The protest was peaceful and closed with afternoon prayers.

When asked if he is hopeful at the prospect of opening the gate, Sob Laban said, “it’s possible if you ask for it.”

Approximately 95 percent of al-Zaim residents have identity cards issued by the Israeli authorities that allow ID holders to travel to Jerusalem without obtaining permits.

This means that the people of al-Zaim have tended to have greater access to Jerusalem than those of some other Palestinian communities near the wall. Locals fear, however, that there could be long-term effects on their access.

On 10 May Israeli authorities called residents in al-Zaim, threatening to confiscate the blue Jerusalem ID cards of anyone who participates in the demonstrations. Al-Zaim’s local council has complained to the Israeli authorities.

According to Hamood, a local resident, the situation will probably worsen. “It is like an earthquake coming,” he said.

“We are living under a curfew, we are living in a big prison,” he added. “People here are scared to be happy, they are scared get their hopes up, because tomorrow can always be bad, and it’s out of our control.”

Jesse Rubin is an intern at the Palestine-Israel Journal and a freelance reporter living in Jerusalem. Twitter: @JesseJDRubin.

Source : http://electronicintifada.net/ 

Vatican recognizes state of Palestine in new treaty

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican officially recognized the state of Palestine in a new treaty finalized Wednesday, immediately sparking Israeli ire and accusations that the move hurt peace prospects.

The treaty, which concerns the activities of the Catholic Church in Palestinian territory, is both deeply symbolic and makes explicit that the Holy See has switched its diplomatic recognition from the Palestine Liberation Organization to the state of Palestine.

The Vatican had welcomed the decision by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012 to recognize a Palestinian state and had referred to the Palestine state since. But the treaty is the first legal document negotiated between the Holy See and the Palestinian state, giving the Vatican's former signs of recognition an unambiguous confirmation in a formal, bilateral treaty.

"Yes, it's a recognition that the state exists," said the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it was "disappointed."

"This move does not promote the peace process and distances the Palestinian leadership from returning to direct and bilateral negotiations," the ministry said in a text message.

The United States and Israel oppose recognition, arguing that it undermines U.S.-led efforts to negotiate an Israeli-Palestinian deal on the terms of Palestinian statehood. Most countries in Western Europe have held off on recognition, but some have hinted that their position could change if peace efforts remain deadlocked.

The treaty was finalized days before Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visits Pope Francis at the Vatican. Abbas is heading to Rome to attend Francis' canonization Sunday of two new saints from the Holy Land.

"This is a very important recognition as the Vatican has a very important political status that stems from its spiritual status," said Abbas' senior aide, Nabil Shaath. "We expect more EU countries to follow."

The Vatican has been referring unofficially to the state of Palestine since 2012.

During Pope Francis' 2014 visit to the Holy Land, the Vatican's official program referred to Abbas as the president of the "state of Palestine."

The Vatican's foreign minister, Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, acknowledged the change in status, but said the shift was simply in line with the Holy See's position.

The Holy See clearly tried to underplay the development, suggesting that its 2012 press statement welcoming the U.N. vote constituted its first official recognition. Nowhere in that statement does the Vatican say it recognizes the state of Palestine, and the Holy See couldn't vote for the U.N. resolution because it doesn't have voting rights at the General Assembly.

The Vatican's efforts to downplay the move seemed justified given the swift condemnation of the development by Israeli groups: The American Jewish Committee said it was "counterproductive to all who seek true peace between Israel and the Palestinians." The Anti-Defamation League said it was "premature."

"We appreciate that the Vatican's basic intention is to promote Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation, but believe that this diplomatic recognition will be unhelpful to that end," the ADL's Abraham Foxman said.

The 2012 U.N. vote recognized Palestine as a non-member observer state, made up of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

The Palestinians celebrated the vote as a milestone in their quest for international recognition. Most countries in Africa, Asia and South America have individually recognized Palestine. In Western Europe, Sweden took the step last year, while several parliaments have approved non-binding motions urging recognition.