22 july 2015
In Jenin city, IOF raided the home of Yasser Abu Ja’far (22) and kidnapped him.
Israeli forces shoot, kill 21-year-old Palestinian in Jenin
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shot and killed the 21-year-old Palestinian youngster Mohamed Ahmed Alawneh during the clashes that broke out following an Israeli raid into the town of Birqin, to the west of Jenin city, on early Wednesday morning.
A PIC news reporter quoted local sources as stating that Muhammad Ahmad Alawneh, 21, was rushed to Jenin’s public hospital after he was shot with a bullet in his chest.
The casualty’s health deteriorated rapidly due to uncontrollable hemorrhage.
Inhabitants were asked to donate blood, via Jenin's mosques loudspeakers, to Alawneh but the latter succumbed to his wounds shortly afterwards.
Alawneh was hit with a bullet fired by the IOF that pierced his chest and buried itself near his heart.
Injuries, arrests reported in IOF raid in Jenin
A number of Palestinian civilians sustained injuries and a journalist was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Wednesday after the latter rolled into Jenin’s western town of Berkin.
Local sources said the IOF soldiers broke into the family home of the Hamas activist Ali Ateiq and kidnapped his 25-year-old son Mohamed, a journalist, moments after they aggressively assaulted the family members.
Clashes flared up shortly after the soldiers targeted Palestinian civilians with random spates of gunfire.
21-year-old Mohamed Ahmad Alawneh sustained a chest injury and was rushed to Jenin’s public hospital for urgent treatment.
The IOF troops further moved into Jenin’s eastern neighborhood and nabbed a 22-year-old youngster after they wreaked havoc on his family home.
Earlier, on Tuesday evening, the IOF informed a citizen’s family from Kafr Ra’i, that their son Awab, 21, was taken to custody under the pretext of carrying a knife near the Israeli military camp of Salem.
The detainee’s family said their son Awab headed to the civil administration at the Salem camp to apply for a smart card so as to gain access into 1948 Occupied Palestine. He was, however, captured by the occupation soldiers.
Israeli version: Border Police shoot, kill Palestinian during clashes near Jenin
Israeli troops encounter rioting during arrest in the village of Burkin, shoot at main instigators and kill 21-year-old Muhammad Ahmad Alawneh.
A Palestinian from Burkin near Jenin was killed overnight Tuesday in clashes that broke out when Israeli troops entered the village to make an arrest.
Muhammad Ahmad Alawneh, 21, was shot in his chest when he picked up a stone to throw on security forces. He was rushed to the hospital in Jenin for treatment and later succumbed to his wounds.
Security officials said that during an arrest of a wanted Palestinian, violent rioting broke out and a Border Police force fired 0.22 inch caliber bullets (Ruger rifle bullets) at the main instigators.
During the raid on the village, security forces arrested Muhammad Ali Atiq, 22, from Burkin. In another raid in the nearby Jenin, security forces arrested Yasser Ghaleb Abu Jaafar, also 22.
Israeli forces shoot, kill 21-year-old Palestinian in Jenin
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shot and killed the 21-year-old Palestinian youngster Mohamed Ahmed Alawneh during the clashes that broke out following an Israeli raid into the town of Birqin, to the west of Jenin city, on early Wednesday morning.
A PIC news reporter quoted local sources as stating that Muhammad Ahmad Alawneh, 21, was rushed to Jenin’s public hospital after he was shot with a bullet in his chest.
The casualty’s health deteriorated rapidly due to uncontrollable hemorrhage.
Inhabitants were asked to donate blood, via Jenin's mosques loudspeakers, to Alawneh but the latter succumbed to his wounds shortly afterwards.
Alawneh was hit with a bullet fired by the IOF that pierced his chest and buried itself near his heart.
Injuries, arrests reported in IOF raid in Jenin
A number of Palestinian civilians sustained injuries and a journalist was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Wednesday after the latter rolled into Jenin’s western town of Berkin.
Local sources said the IOF soldiers broke into the family home of the Hamas activist Ali Ateiq and kidnapped his 25-year-old son Mohamed, a journalist, moments after they aggressively assaulted the family members.
Clashes flared up shortly after the soldiers targeted Palestinian civilians with random spates of gunfire.
21-year-old Mohamed Ahmad Alawneh sustained a chest injury and was rushed to Jenin’s public hospital for urgent treatment.
The IOF troops further moved into Jenin’s eastern neighborhood and nabbed a 22-year-old youngster after they wreaked havoc on his family home.
Earlier, on Tuesday evening, the IOF informed a citizen’s family from Kafr Ra’i, that their son Awab, 21, was taken to custody under the pretext of carrying a knife near the Israeli military camp of Salem.
The detainee’s family said their son Awab headed to the civil administration at the Salem camp to apply for a smart card so as to gain access into 1948 Occupied Palestine. He was, however, captured by the occupation soldiers.
Israeli version: Border Police shoot, kill Palestinian during clashes near Jenin
Israeli troops encounter rioting during arrest in the village of Burkin, shoot at main instigators and kill 21-year-old Muhammad Ahmad Alawneh.
A Palestinian from Burkin near Jenin was killed overnight Tuesday in clashes that broke out when Israeli troops entered the village to make an arrest.
Muhammad Ahmad Alawneh, 21, was shot in his chest when he picked up a stone to throw on security forces. He was rushed to the hospital in Jenin for treatment and later succumbed to his wounds.
Security officials said that during an arrest of a wanted Palestinian, violent rioting broke out and a Border Police force fired 0.22 inch caliber bullets (Ruger rifle bullets) at the main instigators.
During the raid on the village, security forces arrested Muhammad Ali Atiq, 22, from Burkin. In another raid in the nearby Jenin, security forces arrested Yasser Ghaleb Abu Jaafar, also 22.
20 july 2015

Mourners carry the body of Mohammed al-Kasbeh, 17, during his funeral in Qalandiya refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Ramallah on July 3, 2015
The evidence in an Israeli colonel’s fatal shooting of a Palestinian boy on July 3, 2015, indicates that the shooting violated international standards on the use of lethal force in policing, and possibly also Israel’s own open-fire regulations. A recently released video supports witness accounts and forensic evidence that Col. Israel Shomer killed Mohammad al-Kasbeh, 17, while al-Kasbeh was fleeing, apparently contradicting the military’s initial statement exonerating the colonel on the grounds that he faced a “mortal danger.”
Video footage obtained by B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, supports accounts by Palestinian witnesses that Shomer, a brigade commander, shot al-Kasbeh in the back as he and others were fleeing after he threw a rock at close range at the windshield of a vehicle carrying the colonel. While a rock directed at a moving vehicle can pose a mortal danger, the fatal shooting appears to have occurred after the colonel left the vehicle and pursued the fleeing rock-thrower.
“A proper investigation into this killing should examine mounting evidence that Colonel Shomer shot Mohammad al-Kasbeh in the back as he fled, and not because he posed any ongoing mortal threat,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director.
Palestinian witnesses to the confrontation near the Qalandiya checkpoint south of Ramallah told the media and B’Tselem that they saw two or three soldiers get out of a military vehicle and chase stone-throwing youths, pause, and then shoot at their backs. Human Rights Watch obtained photographs of al-Kasbeh’s body from B’Tselem showing what appear to be three bullet entry wounds – in the upper back, side torso, and jaw. Israel has not performed an autopsy, B’Tselem said.
The grainy video from a nearby surveillance camera appears to show a figure approaching the vehicle as it drives by, throwing an object at its windshield, and fleeing on foot. The vehicle stops immediately, two soldiers get out and pursue the figure, while a third waits by the vehicle. The two soldiers return less than 30 seconds later to the vehicle, which then drives away.
Maj. Gen. Roni Numa, who is the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) commander of the area in which the incident occurred, concluded on the day of the shooting that Shomer had acted appropriately, according to a statement published on the IDF website. “I fully back the brigade commander and his handling of the situation,” Numa said. Shomer, according to the website, “felt in imminent mortal danger, left his vehicle, and conducted an arrest of a suspect.”
Echoing this claim, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben Dahan, and the Chairman of the centrist Yesh Atid Party Yair Lapid all publicly came to the support of Shomer, saying he had acted in self-defense.
International standards governing the use of force by security officers during policing provide that the “intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.” IDF open-fire orders allow soldiers to use lethal force only as a last resort to counter a threat to life or serious injury.
The evidence in an Israeli colonel’s fatal shooting of a Palestinian boy on July 3, 2015, indicates that the shooting violated international standards on the use of lethal force in policing, and possibly also Israel’s own open-fire regulations. A recently released video supports witness accounts and forensic evidence that Col. Israel Shomer killed Mohammad al-Kasbeh, 17, while al-Kasbeh was fleeing, apparently contradicting the military’s initial statement exonerating the colonel on the grounds that he faced a “mortal danger.”
Video footage obtained by B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, supports accounts by Palestinian witnesses that Shomer, a brigade commander, shot al-Kasbeh in the back as he and others were fleeing after he threw a rock at close range at the windshield of a vehicle carrying the colonel. While a rock directed at a moving vehicle can pose a mortal danger, the fatal shooting appears to have occurred after the colonel left the vehicle and pursued the fleeing rock-thrower.
“A proper investigation into this killing should examine mounting evidence that Colonel Shomer shot Mohammad al-Kasbeh in the back as he fled, and not because he posed any ongoing mortal threat,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director.
Palestinian witnesses to the confrontation near the Qalandiya checkpoint south of Ramallah told the media and B’Tselem that they saw two or three soldiers get out of a military vehicle and chase stone-throwing youths, pause, and then shoot at their backs. Human Rights Watch obtained photographs of al-Kasbeh’s body from B’Tselem showing what appear to be three bullet entry wounds – in the upper back, side torso, and jaw. Israel has not performed an autopsy, B’Tselem said.
The grainy video from a nearby surveillance camera appears to show a figure approaching the vehicle as it drives by, throwing an object at its windshield, and fleeing on foot. The vehicle stops immediately, two soldiers get out and pursue the figure, while a third waits by the vehicle. The two soldiers return less than 30 seconds later to the vehicle, which then drives away.
Maj. Gen. Roni Numa, who is the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) commander of the area in which the incident occurred, concluded on the day of the shooting that Shomer had acted appropriately, according to a statement published on the IDF website. “I fully back the brigade commander and his handling of the situation,” Numa said. Shomer, according to the website, “felt in imminent mortal danger, left his vehicle, and conducted an arrest of a suspect.”
Echoing this claim, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben Dahan, and the Chairman of the centrist Yesh Atid Party Yair Lapid all publicly came to the support of Shomer, saying he had acted in self-defense.
International standards governing the use of force by security officers during policing provide that the “intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.” IDF open-fire orders allow soldiers to use lethal force only as a last resort to counter a threat to life or serious injury.

Colonel Shomer
Israeli law also permits soldiers, as a last resort and under specific conditions, to fire at the legs of fleeing suspects who refuse to stop when ordered to do so. However, any attempt to justify the shooting on the basis of the regulations on apprehending a fleeing suspect should explain why the three bullets that struck el-Kasbeh, which were fired from close range, hit him in his upper body rather than his legs.
International standards also require governments and law enforcement agencies to establish an “effective review process” by “independent administrative or prosecutorial authorities” for its officials’ use of force, and to allow victims or their families “access to an independent process, including a judicial process.”
Notwithstanding Numa’s defense of Shomer, the military police announced a criminal investigation into the killing and questioned Shomer following release of the video, the Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli military has a poor record of bringing soldiers to justice for such acts, Human Rights Watch said. In a recent report, B’Tselem identified 304 cases in which soldiers killed Palestinians between 2000 and 2011, yet found the military investigated only 73 of them, with 9 ending in an indictment. In 2011, in response to a lawsuit brought by B’Tselem and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the military changed its procedure to automatically investigate all cases in which people not taking part in hostilities were killed.
Mohammed’s mother, Fatema al-Kasbeh, told Human Rights Watch that her son was in love and they were preparing for his engagement. Mohammed is her third son killed by Israeli soldiers. Soldiers fatally shot her son, Yasser, in 2001 after he threw rocks. He was 11 years old at the time. Forty days later soldiers killed another son, Samer, who was then 15, during the siege on Yasser Arafat’s compound. “They kill because they know the justice system covers for them,” she said.
“The military and senior politicians rushed to support Shomer before considering all the evidence,” Whitson said. “Even if the new video pushes the IDF advocate-general to prosecute, it underscores the need, in any credible investigation, to collect and weigh all evidence, including, wherever possible, Palestinian eyewitness accounts.”
Israeli law also permits soldiers, as a last resort and under specific conditions, to fire at the legs of fleeing suspects who refuse to stop when ordered to do so. However, any attempt to justify the shooting on the basis of the regulations on apprehending a fleeing suspect should explain why the three bullets that struck el-Kasbeh, which were fired from close range, hit him in his upper body rather than his legs.
International standards also require governments and law enforcement agencies to establish an “effective review process” by “independent administrative or prosecutorial authorities” for its officials’ use of force, and to allow victims or their families “access to an independent process, including a judicial process.”
Notwithstanding Numa’s defense of Shomer, the military police announced a criminal investigation into the killing and questioned Shomer following release of the video, the Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli military has a poor record of bringing soldiers to justice for such acts, Human Rights Watch said. In a recent report, B’Tselem identified 304 cases in which soldiers killed Palestinians between 2000 and 2011, yet found the military investigated only 73 of them, with 9 ending in an indictment. In 2011, in response to a lawsuit brought by B’Tselem and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the military changed its procedure to automatically investigate all cases in which people not taking part in hostilities were killed.
Mohammed’s mother, Fatema al-Kasbeh, told Human Rights Watch that her son was in love and they were preparing for his engagement. Mohammed is her third son killed by Israeli soldiers. Soldiers fatally shot her son, Yasser, in 2001 after he threw rocks. He was 11 years old at the time. Forty days later soldiers killed another son, Samer, who was then 15, during the siege on Yasser Arafat’s compound. “They kill because they know the justice system covers for them,” she said.
“The military and senior politicians rushed to support Shomer before considering all the evidence,” Whitson said. “Even if the new video pushes the IDF advocate-general to prosecute, it underscores the need, in any credible investigation, to collect and weigh all evidence, including, wherever possible, Palestinian eyewitness accounts.”
16 july 2015

The leaked American intelligence document.
Security official Brig. Gen. Mahammed Sleiman was killed in 2008 by Israel's elite forces, according to US intelligence documents leaked by Edward Snowden.
Israel's naval commando unit Shayetet 13 is responsible for the 2008 murder of a top security aide of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to secret US intelligence files published on Wednesday.
Brigadier General Mohammed Sleiman was shot in the head and neck on August 1, 2008 by a small team of Israeli commandos as he enjoyed a dinner party at his luxury seaside home on the Syrian coast, said The Intercept website, citing the leaked files.
The Israeli military team then escaped by sea. "The internal National Security Agency document, provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, is the first official confirmation that the assassination of Sleiman was an Israeli military operation," said the website. The revelation "ends speculation that an internal dispute within the Syrian government led to his death," it added.
The NSA's internal version of Wikipedia, "Intellipedia," described the assassination near the port town of Tartus as the "first known instance of Israel targeting a legitimate government official," according to The Intercept. It cited three former US intelligence officers as saying that the document's classification markings indicated that the NSA learned of the assassination through surveillance.
In 2010, US diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks and published by the Guardian newspaper said that Syria suspected Israel of the murder. The killing of Sleiman was kept secret initially by Syrian authorities and the Israeli government denied involvement.
His assassination came 11 months after an Israeli air strike deep inside Syrian territory destroyed a shadowy facility that may have been one of the special projects that Sleiman managed.
Security official Brig. Gen. Mahammed Sleiman was killed in 2008 by Israel's elite forces, according to US intelligence documents leaked by Edward Snowden.
Israel's naval commando unit Shayetet 13 is responsible for the 2008 murder of a top security aide of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to secret US intelligence files published on Wednesday.
Brigadier General Mohammed Sleiman was shot in the head and neck on August 1, 2008 by a small team of Israeli commandos as he enjoyed a dinner party at his luxury seaside home on the Syrian coast, said The Intercept website, citing the leaked files.
The Israeli military team then escaped by sea. "The internal National Security Agency document, provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, is the first official confirmation that the assassination of Sleiman was an Israeli military operation," said the website. The revelation "ends speculation that an internal dispute within the Syrian government led to his death," it added.
The NSA's internal version of Wikipedia, "Intellipedia," described the assassination near the port town of Tartus as the "first known instance of Israel targeting a legitimate government official," according to The Intercept. It cited three former US intelligence officers as saying that the document's classification markings indicated that the NSA learned of the assassination through surveillance.
In 2010, US diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks and published by the Guardian newspaper said that Syria suspected Israel of the murder. The killing of Sleiman was kept secret initially by Syrian authorities and the Israeli government denied involvement.
His assassination came 11 months after an Israeli air strike deep inside Syrian territory destroyed a shadowy facility that may have been one of the special projects that Sleiman managed.
15 july 2015

On Sunday, an undercover unit of Israel's Border Police conducted an arrest raid in Shuafat refugee camp, an area of Occupied East Jerusalem locked behind the Separation Wall. Encountering resistance from local residents, the undercover forces requested assistance, and a large number of uniformed Israeli forces entered the camp.
The police, in order to "extract the undercover unit and the detainee", deployed "tear gas, sponge-tipped bullets and stun grenades."
Nafaz Damiri was shopping in Shuafat when the raid took place. As he stood taking shelter inside a supermarket, Israeli forces shot him in the face with a sponge bullet. The 55-year-old husband and father of one, who was born deaf and dumb, has now lost his right eye.
Following the raid, the Israeli police tweeted the following (thanks to Sol Salbe for translation):
During an arrest of a suspect in Shuafat dozens of residents began throwing stones at the border police force. The force made use of [unspecified] means and left with the detainee. Later on a demonstrator was evacuated for medical treatment.
In addition, the following item was posted on the Israeli police's website at 6pm that evening.
During the arrest of a suspect at the Shuafat refugee camp, dozens of residents began throwing stones at the border police force in an attempt to prevent the (male) detainee from being taken to the station. The troops used [unspecified] means and left with the detainee without taking casualties. Later on, a demonstrator who claimed that he was injured during the removal was evacuated.
Video evidence In the Israeli authorities' version of events, as "dozens" of Palestinians threw stones at the security forces, one "demonstrator" was injured. The Jewish Press, a right-wing, US-based news site, described Damiri as "one of the rioters."
The police's claims soon came unstuck, however, as security camera footage emerged showing how Damiri had indeed been shot while simply standing in the shop. This was the second time in just 24 hours that a story spun by Israeli forces following Palestinian casualties had been exposed.
The police, in order to "extract the undercover unit and the detainee", deployed "tear gas, sponge-tipped bullets and stun grenades."
Nafaz Damiri was shopping in Shuafat when the raid took place. As he stood taking shelter inside a supermarket, Israeli forces shot him in the face with a sponge bullet. The 55-year-old husband and father of one, who was born deaf and dumb, has now lost his right eye.
Following the raid, the Israeli police tweeted the following (thanks to Sol Salbe for translation):
During an arrest of a suspect in Shuafat dozens of residents began throwing stones at the border police force. The force made use of [unspecified] means and left with the detainee. Later on a demonstrator was evacuated for medical treatment.
In addition, the following item was posted on the Israeli police's website at 6pm that evening.
During the arrest of a suspect at the Shuafat refugee camp, dozens of residents began throwing stones at the border police force in an attempt to prevent the (male) detainee from being taken to the station. The troops used [unspecified] means and left with the detainee without taking casualties. Later on, a demonstrator who claimed that he was injured during the removal was evacuated.
Video evidence In the Israeli authorities' version of events, as "dozens" of Palestinians threw stones at the security forces, one "demonstrator" was injured. The Jewish Press, a right-wing, US-based news site, described Damiri as "one of the rioters."
The police's claims soon came unstuck, however, as security camera footage emerged showing how Damiri had indeed been shot while simply standing in the shop. This was the second time in just 24 hours that a story spun by Israeli forces following Palestinian casualties had been exposed.
|
On Sunday, B'Tselem published video footage of the moments leading up to the murder of 17-year-old Palestinian Muhammad Kasbeh at the hands of the Israeli army's Colonel Yisrael Shomer. Kasbeh was killed on July 3 in a-Ram, near the Qalandiya checkpoint.
At the time, the IDF Spokesperson claimed Col. Shomer had "felt in mortal danger and carried out suspect-arrest procedure." Unnamed officials told the press that the stone-throwing was nothing less than a pre-planned ambush by "several Palestinians" throwing "rocks and stones." The video, however, supports what eye-witnesses claimed and the medical evidence indicated: that the commander exited the jeep and deliberately shot the fleeing teenager three times from behind. The whole incident takes about 30 seconds, from the moment Kasbeh threw a stone at the jeep, to when the soldiers return to their vehicle and continue on their way. "Non-lethal" sponge bullets Reporting on Sunday's Shuafat camp raid, The Times of Israel described sponge bullets as "less-than-lethal fire." In fact, late last August, 16-year-old Palestinian boy Mohammad Sunuqrut was killed by a sponge bullet fired at his head in the Wadi Joz neighbourhood of East Jerusalem - the autopsy results contradicting police claims that he fell and hit his head. Police used the bullets for months "without issuing regulations for their use." One human rights organisation has documented 17 instances of Palestinians in East Jerusalem being injured by sponge bullets over the past year (prior to Sunday's attack in Shuafat), including 12 occasions when a shot to the head caused fractures and/or a loss of vision. The youngest casualty was just six-years-old. |
Last November, Israeli forces shot 11-year-old Muhammad Abu al-Hummus in the face at close range with a sponge bullet, blinding his left eye. The vision in his right eye was also "severely damaged." The attack took place in Issawiya, part of Occupied East Jerusalem, during protests by residents at the "the closure of three out of four entrances to the village by Israeli forces."
In an even more disturbing incident on March 31 of this year, Zakariya Julani, a 13-year-old child from Shuafat refugee camp, lost an eye after he was shot by a Border Police officer. According to the boy's family and friends, Zakariya was shot as he was returning from school. There were no disturbances in the area at the time.
Targeting civilians with live ammunition In the West Bank, meanwhile, Col. Shomer's use of live ammunition to kill an unarmed Palestinian civilian is a horrifyingly frequent occurrence. For example, on March 18, Israeli occupation forces shot 20-year-old Ali Mahmoud Safi in the chest during protests at Jalazun refugee camp, near Ramallah. He later died in hospital.
On April 27 in al-Araqa village near Jenin, meanwhile, 18-year-old Muhammad Murad Muhammad Mustafa Yahiya was shot in the lower stomach and died in hospital. The teenager was shot during clashes with Israeli occupation forces near the Separation Wall.
Two weeks ago, Israeli human rights NGO B'Tselem revealed how it had documented "dozens" of cases in the previous few months when "Palestinians were injured, some severely, by live ammunition fired by Israeli security forces", including 11-year-old Muhammad Hamad, shot in the stomach during a protest on March 13 in Silwad village.
According to the recently-published UN Human Rights Council's Commission of Inquiry, between June 12 and August 26, 2014, Israeli forces killed 27 Palestinians, including five children, and injured 3,100 others, including 460 children. Around a quarter of Palestinian injuries were sustained as a result of Israeli forces' use of live ammunition.
Impunity and international justice The Israeli soldiers who pull the trigger know there is almost no chance they will be held to account for the killing and maiming of Palestinian civilians. In just the last month, the Israeli military decided to file no charges in the case of a 14-year-old shot dead in an ambush at the Separation Wall, and also closed the investigation into the IDF's killing of two Palestinian teenagers in 'Iraq Burin in 2010.
No wonder then, that in the case of Mohammad Kasbeh there are few hopes that the military police will carry out "an effective, unbiased investigation." Indeed, the impunity enjoyed by Israeli armed forces in the killing of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank is significant in light of the preliminary examination being conducted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
As ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda recently explained, one of the "core principles of the Rome Statute system" is "complementarity". This means that it is only when national authorities are "unwilling or unable genuinely to conduct national investigations and prosecutions" that "the Rome Statute authorizes the ICC to step in."
In a bid to prove the integrity of its own internal investigative processes, Israel has focused predominantly on incidents that have occurred in the context of hostilities in the Gaza Strip. However, the impunity enjoyed by those who commit war crimes is just as equally - if not more - evidenced by Israel's atrocities in the West Bank.
From the colonel down to the conscript soldier, there is a systematic absence of accountability for what amounts to wilful killings - war crimes. As Amnesty International put it last year, the frequency of the shootings and "the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators" all point to lethal violence being used "as a matter of policy."
If the ICC opens a full investigation into possible breaches of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, it won't just be the ruins of Gaza that implicate Israeli officials; it will also be the bereaved families of West Bank towns, villages, and refugee camps, whose loved ones where gunned down by an occupying army that shoots, lies, then closes the file.
In an even more disturbing incident on March 31 of this year, Zakariya Julani, a 13-year-old child from Shuafat refugee camp, lost an eye after he was shot by a Border Police officer. According to the boy's family and friends, Zakariya was shot as he was returning from school. There were no disturbances in the area at the time.
Targeting civilians with live ammunition In the West Bank, meanwhile, Col. Shomer's use of live ammunition to kill an unarmed Palestinian civilian is a horrifyingly frequent occurrence. For example, on March 18, Israeli occupation forces shot 20-year-old Ali Mahmoud Safi in the chest during protests at Jalazun refugee camp, near Ramallah. He later died in hospital.
On April 27 in al-Araqa village near Jenin, meanwhile, 18-year-old Muhammad Murad Muhammad Mustafa Yahiya was shot in the lower stomach and died in hospital. The teenager was shot during clashes with Israeli occupation forces near the Separation Wall.
Two weeks ago, Israeli human rights NGO B'Tselem revealed how it had documented "dozens" of cases in the previous few months when "Palestinians were injured, some severely, by live ammunition fired by Israeli security forces", including 11-year-old Muhammad Hamad, shot in the stomach during a protest on March 13 in Silwad village.
According to the recently-published UN Human Rights Council's Commission of Inquiry, between June 12 and August 26, 2014, Israeli forces killed 27 Palestinians, including five children, and injured 3,100 others, including 460 children. Around a quarter of Palestinian injuries were sustained as a result of Israeli forces' use of live ammunition.
Impunity and international justice The Israeli soldiers who pull the trigger know there is almost no chance they will be held to account for the killing and maiming of Palestinian civilians. In just the last month, the Israeli military decided to file no charges in the case of a 14-year-old shot dead in an ambush at the Separation Wall, and also closed the investigation into the IDF's killing of two Palestinian teenagers in 'Iraq Burin in 2010.
No wonder then, that in the case of Mohammad Kasbeh there are few hopes that the military police will carry out "an effective, unbiased investigation." Indeed, the impunity enjoyed by Israeli armed forces in the killing of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank is significant in light of the preliminary examination being conducted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
As ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda recently explained, one of the "core principles of the Rome Statute system" is "complementarity". This means that it is only when national authorities are "unwilling or unable genuinely to conduct national investigations and prosecutions" that "the Rome Statute authorizes the ICC to step in."
In a bid to prove the integrity of its own internal investigative processes, Israel has focused predominantly on incidents that have occurred in the context of hostilities in the Gaza Strip. However, the impunity enjoyed by those who commit war crimes is just as equally - if not more - evidenced by Israel's atrocities in the West Bank.
From the colonel down to the conscript soldier, there is a systematic absence of accountability for what amounts to wilful killings - war crimes. As Amnesty International put it last year, the frequency of the shootings and "the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators" all point to lethal violence being used "as a matter of policy."
If the ICC opens a full investigation into possible breaches of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, it won't just be the ruins of Gaza that implicate Israeli officials; it will also be the bereaved families of West Bank towns, villages, and refugee camps, whose loved ones where gunned down by an occupying army that shoots, lies, then closes the file.
12 july 2015
|
![]() Mohammed Hani al-Kasbah 17
VIDEO: Security camera captured incident in which a teenager was apparently shot in the back while fleeing after throwing rocks at IDF jeep carrying brigade commander; IDF says troops felt their lives were in danger, which NGO claims is unreasonable. The B'Tselem human rights NGO on Sunday released video of an incident in which 17-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Hani al-Kasbah was shot dead by an IDF brigade commander, Colonel Yisrael Shomer. The video shows al-Kasbah fleeing after throwing a rock at the commander's jeep. |
Two soldiers exited the jeep at this point and shot al-Kasbah as his back was to them. Al-Kasbah cannot be seen being hit by the bullet.
The incident, during which the jeep's windshield was broken, occurred on July 3 while the commander and his troops traveled through Al-Ram, near Ramallah. The IDF said that the officer felt his life was in danger after rocks and boulders were thrown and opened fire according to procedure.
Al-Kasbah was evacuated to a Ramallah hospital, where he died. Military police opened an investigation into the death as per IDF protocol regarding incidents in which Palestinians are killed. A preliminary investigation showed that a military vehicle is permitted to use the road even if it is not armored, like the jeep damaged in the incident.
Major General Roni Numa , head of the IDF Central Command, backed the officer and said that a preliminary probe showed he acted as was expected of him. "I completely support the commander and his performance during the incident in which he faced a real threat to his life," he said.
However, the video captured by a security camera raises the possibility that the death could have been averted.
It shows al-Kasbah standing at the side of the road flanked by two other people. When the jeep arrives, he is seen running towards it and throwing a rock from very close range, shattering the windshield.
The incident, during which the jeep's windshield was broken, occurred on July 3 while the commander and his troops traveled through Al-Ram, near Ramallah. The IDF said that the officer felt his life was in danger after rocks and boulders were thrown and opened fire according to procedure.
Al-Kasbah was evacuated to a Ramallah hospital, where he died. Military police opened an investigation into the death as per IDF protocol regarding incidents in which Palestinians are killed. A preliminary investigation showed that a military vehicle is permitted to use the road even if it is not armored, like the jeep damaged in the incident.
Major General Roni Numa , head of the IDF Central Command, backed the officer and said that a preliminary probe showed he acted as was expected of him. "I completely support the commander and his performance during the incident in which he faced a real threat to his life," he said.
However, the video captured by a security camera raises the possibility that the death could have been averted.
It shows al-Kasbah standing at the side of the road flanked by two other people. When the jeep arrives, he is seen running towards it and throwing a rock from very close range, shattering the windshield.

Mohammeds killer Yisrael Shomer
The jeep then stops, after which al-Kasbah runs away with his back to the vehicle. Soldiers rapidly exit the vehicle, one of whom chases al-Kasbah while the other stops and then also breaks into a run. The continuation of the chase and the gunfire are not seen, as they occurred out of the camera frame.
Palestinian witnesses who cooperated with the B'Tselem investigation said the officer shot the Palestinian at a distance of ten meters (around 33 feet). According to the witnesses, the troops left the scene after wounding the teenager.
The video also disproves the story promoted by the Palestinians on the day of the incident, according to which the al-Kasbah was shot while climbing the border fence.
B'Tselem has provided a copy of the video to military police. The organization said that the IDF's claim that the jeep passengers' lives were at risk is unreasonable.
"No one disputes that the rock hitting the jeep's windshield and breaking it endangered its passengers at the time, but the shooting of al-Kasbah in the back occurred after he was fleeing the site and not when there was an immediate danger to life," said B'Tselem.
The jeep then stops, after which al-Kasbah runs away with his back to the vehicle. Soldiers rapidly exit the vehicle, one of whom chases al-Kasbah while the other stops and then also breaks into a run. The continuation of the chase and the gunfire are not seen, as they occurred out of the camera frame.
Palestinian witnesses who cooperated with the B'Tselem investigation said the officer shot the Palestinian at a distance of ten meters (around 33 feet). According to the witnesses, the troops left the scene after wounding the teenager.
The video also disproves the story promoted by the Palestinians on the day of the incident, according to which the al-Kasbah was shot while climbing the border fence.
B'Tselem has provided a copy of the video to military police. The organization said that the IDF's claim that the jeep passengers' lives were at risk is unreasonable.
"No one disputes that the rock hitting the jeep's windshield and breaking it endangered its passengers at the time, but the shooting of al-Kasbah in the back occurred after he was fleeing the site and not when there was an immediate danger to life," said B'Tselem.
7 july 2015

Sabreen Al-Masri's unborn child
On Saturday evening, Israeli extremists assaulted several Palestinians of the al-Masri family, in Jerusalem, while driving on Road #1.
Resident Ahmad al-Masri said the fanatics hurled stones on the cars before assaulting them with batons, and that one of the assailants was waving a pocket knife.
Al-Masri added that the police confiscated the knife, and instead of detaining the attackers, briefly imprisoned him, and his brother Hasan.
He stated that the fanatics were also shouting and cursing at his pregnant wife, and his mother, and that his wife, Sabreen, suffered a miscarriage directly after the attack.
A Jerusalemite lady suffers a miscarriage after she was assaulted by setters
The Israeli police released on Monday Hasan Masri with a third-party bail.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the occupation forces arrested Masri and his brother Ahmad after they were attacked by settlers in Street number 1 in Jerusalem on Saturday night. Masri and his brother were with their families at the time of the assault and Sabreen Masri suffered a miscarriage due after suffering a state of extreme fear.
In a conversation with Ahmad Masri, he said: “We were on our way to Bethlehem last Saturday evening and a group of settlers were randomly throwing stones towards the vehicle. We were hit once and then against at the next intersection and then we were attacked with stones and batons.”
Masri explained that he got out of the vehicle with his brother to keep the settlers away especially that there was a lot of traffic. One of the settlers ran towards a nearby house while another settler threatened him with a knife but the police was in the area and confiscated the knife.”
Masri also added that a group of settlers attacked the people inside the vehicles once again. Among them were his father and his 30-year old wife Sabreen who suffered a state of extreme fear which resulted in a miscarriage; note that she was two months pregnant.
Masri also said that the settlers deliberately damaged the windows of their vehicles.
On Saturday evening, Israeli extremists assaulted several Palestinians of the al-Masri family, in Jerusalem, while driving on Road #1.
Resident Ahmad al-Masri said the fanatics hurled stones on the cars before assaulting them with batons, and that one of the assailants was waving a pocket knife.
Al-Masri added that the police confiscated the knife, and instead of detaining the attackers, briefly imprisoned him, and his brother Hasan.
He stated that the fanatics were also shouting and cursing at his pregnant wife, and his mother, and that his wife, Sabreen, suffered a miscarriage directly after the attack.
A Jerusalemite lady suffers a miscarriage after she was assaulted by setters
The Israeli police released on Monday Hasan Masri with a third-party bail.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the occupation forces arrested Masri and his brother Ahmad after they were attacked by settlers in Street number 1 in Jerusalem on Saturday night. Masri and his brother were with their families at the time of the assault and Sabreen Masri suffered a miscarriage due after suffering a state of extreme fear.
In a conversation with Ahmad Masri, he said: “We were on our way to Bethlehem last Saturday evening and a group of settlers were randomly throwing stones towards the vehicle. We were hit once and then against at the next intersection and then we were attacked with stones and batons.”
Masri explained that he got out of the vehicle with his brother to keep the settlers away especially that there was a lot of traffic. One of the settlers ran towards a nearby house while another settler threatened him with a knife but the police was in the area and confiscated the knife.”
Masri also added that a group of settlers attacked the people inside the vehicles once again. Among them were his father and his 30-year old wife Sabreen who suffered a state of extreme fear which resulted in a miscarriage; note that she was two months pregnant.
Masri also said that the settlers deliberately damaged the windows of their vehicles.