9 jan 2018
The Israeli army filed a lawsuit against the family, and the entire town, of a Palestinian who was crushed to death under a military jeep which flipped over him, after the army invaded Kafr Malek village, east of Ramallah, in central West Bank, in mid-June 2014.
The military is demanding the family of Abdullah Ghanayem (Ghneimat), and his entire town, to pay 95.260 Israeli Shekels, in compensation for damages caused to the military jeep.
The military is demanding the family of Abdullah Ghanayem (Ghneimat), and his entire town, to pay 95.260 Israeli Shekels, in compensation for damages caused to the military jeep.
Ghanayem was crushed by an Israeli military jeep, on June 14, 2015, after the soldiers invaded Kafr Malek.
He remained under the jeep for three hours, and bled to death, after the soldiers prevented medics and rescue teams from helping him.
Now, the Israeli authorities are demanding his family, and his entire village, to pay 95.260 Shekels in compensation, for damages caused to the military jeep.
Israel demands payment from Palestinian martyr's family
A military jeep flipped over the body of Abdullah Ghanayem after he was shot dead by the Israeli army
Israel’s army has demanded $27,000 in compensation for damage to a military vehicle which flipped over a martyred Palestinian's body, Naila Atiyya, the lawyer of the martyr's family, told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.
In June 2015, 22-year-old Palestinian activist Abdullah Ghanayem was martyred when Israeli soldiers used live ammunition on Palestinians who struggled against occupying soldiers during a raid in Ramallah's Kafr Malik province. A military jeep trying to go over him flipped onto his dead body, trapping it for four hours under the vehicle.
Ghanayem’s family was shocked by the demand for damages sent by Israel’s army late Monday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Thursday, Ghanayem’s father called the demand “insolent.”
"They not only murder our children, they also demand compensation for their actions; I wonder if they will demand that we pay for the bullets that kill our children," he said.
He said that Israel is an occupying state that steals Palestinian land and destroys their homes.
"We are the ones who should be asking for compensation,” he added, vowing to fight the demand in local and international courts.
Omar Rahhal, head of the Human Rights and Democracy Media Center (SHAMS), told Anadolu Agency that Israel's demand was "impertinent and shameless."
Saying that Israel took this step in order to prevent Ghanayem’s family from seeking an investigation, Rahhal said the young Palestinian was martyred only a few meters from his house.
He urged the media to expose Israeli human rights violations and added:
"According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Israeli army, which kills civilians, occupies, and exploits Palestinian lands, must pay compensation. Under the same agreement, the occupying force must guard the people who live on the lands where they are present, not kill them."
The convention requires states to ensure the safety of civilians under occupation and forbids collective punishment of a civilian population. Although Israel signed the agreement, it has yet to ratify it.
Israel, for its part, calls the territories it seized in the West Bank and East Jerusalem "disputed" rather than "under occupation".
Israel claims that its actions against Palestinians and establishing Jewish settlements do not violate the agreement.
Palestine accepted the convention in 2014.
He remained under the jeep for three hours, and bled to death, after the soldiers prevented medics and rescue teams from helping him.
Now, the Israeli authorities are demanding his family, and his entire village, to pay 95.260 Shekels in compensation, for damages caused to the military jeep.
Israel demands payment from Palestinian martyr's family
A military jeep flipped over the body of Abdullah Ghanayem after he was shot dead by the Israeli army
Israel’s army has demanded $27,000 in compensation for damage to a military vehicle which flipped over a martyred Palestinian's body, Naila Atiyya, the lawyer of the martyr's family, told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.
In June 2015, 22-year-old Palestinian activist Abdullah Ghanayem was martyred when Israeli soldiers used live ammunition on Palestinians who struggled against occupying soldiers during a raid in Ramallah's Kafr Malik province. A military jeep trying to go over him flipped onto his dead body, trapping it for four hours under the vehicle.
Ghanayem’s family was shocked by the demand for damages sent by Israel’s army late Monday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Thursday, Ghanayem’s father called the demand “insolent.”
"They not only murder our children, they also demand compensation for their actions; I wonder if they will demand that we pay for the bullets that kill our children," he said.
He said that Israel is an occupying state that steals Palestinian land and destroys their homes.
"We are the ones who should be asking for compensation,” he added, vowing to fight the demand in local and international courts.
Omar Rahhal, head of the Human Rights and Democracy Media Center (SHAMS), told Anadolu Agency that Israel's demand was "impertinent and shameless."
Saying that Israel took this step in order to prevent Ghanayem’s family from seeking an investigation, Rahhal said the young Palestinian was martyred only a few meters from his house.
He urged the media to expose Israeli human rights violations and added:
"According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Israeli army, which kills civilians, occupies, and exploits Palestinian lands, must pay compensation. Under the same agreement, the occupying force must guard the people who live on the lands where they are present, not kill them."
The convention requires states to ensure the safety of civilians under occupation and forbids collective punishment of a civilian population. Although Israel signed the agreement, it has yet to ratify it.
Israel, for its part, calls the territories it seized in the West Bank and East Jerusalem "disputed" rather than "under occupation".
Israel claims that its actions against Palestinians and establishing Jewish settlements do not violate the agreement.
Palestine accepted the convention in 2014.
4 jan 2018
Rami Issa Khalil Ismael 38
A 38-year-old Palestinian man, Rami Asad, was killed on Thursday after an Israeli settler, in a speedy bus, ran over him on Street 60, a bypass road near al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem city in the southern West Bank.
According to the family, an Israeli bus driver deliberately ran over their son while he was going to work in his land. His brain was scattered over the road and he died immediately.
The family added that Israeli occupation authorities returned the body of the martyr to his family after five hours of the crime. He was transferred to Beit Jala Hospital in Bethlehem.
The funeral is slated to be held on Friday afternoon in his town, Artas, which is located to the south of the city.
Palestinian Killed After Being Rammed By Israeli Colony’s Bus
A Palestinian man was killed, Thursday, after being rammed by a speeding Israeli colony’s bus, near Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, before the soldiers took his body, and returned it to his family five hours later.
The family, from Ertas village, south of Bethlehem, said that the bus driver deliberately rammed their son, Rami Issa Khalil Ismael, 38, on Road #60, near the al-Khader town, also south of Bethlehem.
The man was mainly struck in the head, causing many fractures, including to his skull, and splattering his brain onto the road.
An Eyewitness said that he, and other Palestinians, including Rami, were crossing the road when the settlement bus was still at a distance, but then the driver sped towards them, ramming Rami, and killing him.
“We were crossing the road, but when the bus driver saw us, he just sped towards us, and struck Rami, instantly killing him.
His family said that the soldiers took his corpse, and returned it to them five hours later, before it was moved to Beit Jala governmental hospital. Rami, a married father of one child, will be buried, Friday, in Ertas village.
He is just the latest of a number of Palestinians killed on this road by Israeli settler vehicles, while going from their community to their farmlands, or heading back home.
The Israeli drivers frequently speed up when they see Palestinians on or near the road, often aiming towards them to try to run them down.
Israel is also trying to confiscate the Palestinian lands, to expand its colonies in the area.
A 38-year-old Palestinian man, Rami Asad, was killed on Thursday after an Israeli settler, in a speedy bus, ran over him on Street 60, a bypass road near al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem city in the southern West Bank.
According to the family, an Israeli bus driver deliberately ran over their son while he was going to work in his land. His brain was scattered over the road and he died immediately.
The family added that Israeli occupation authorities returned the body of the martyr to his family after five hours of the crime. He was transferred to Beit Jala Hospital in Bethlehem.
The funeral is slated to be held on Friday afternoon in his town, Artas, which is located to the south of the city.
Palestinian Killed After Being Rammed By Israeli Colony’s Bus
A Palestinian man was killed, Thursday, after being rammed by a speeding Israeli colony’s bus, near Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, before the soldiers took his body, and returned it to his family five hours later.
The family, from Ertas village, south of Bethlehem, said that the bus driver deliberately rammed their son, Rami Issa Khalil Ismael, 38, on Road #60, near the al-Khader town, also south of Bethlehem.
The man was mainly struck in the head, causing many fractures, including to his skull, and splattering his brain onto the road.
An Eyewitness said that he, and other Palestinians, including Rami, were crossing the road when the settlement bus was still at a distance, but then the driver sped towards them, ramming Rami, and killing him.
“We were crossing the road, but when the bus driver saw us, he just sped towards us, and struck Rami, instantly killing him.
His family said that the soldiers took his corpse, and returned it to them five hours later, before it was moved to Beit Jala governmental hospital. Rami, a married father of one child, will be buried, Friday, in Ertas village.
He is just the latest of a number of Palestinians killed on this road by Israeli settler vehicles, while going from their community to their farmlands, or heading back home.
The Israeli drivers frequently speed up when they see Palestinians on or near the road, often aiming towards them to try to run them down.
Israel is also trying to confiscate the Palestinian lands, to expand its colonies in the area.
Abdel Fattah al-Sibakhi 65
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) is responsible for the death of the famous UNRWA staffer Abdel Fattah al-Sibakhi, 65, after banning him from crossing the Beit Hanoun checkpoint, when he was still in the middle of his chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer.
He had been working for 30 years at UNRWA's Procurement and Warehousing Unit in occupied Jerusalem until he was promoted to a director, thus obtaining an almost permanent residency in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Al-Sibakhi died a few days ago after being denied access to the Israeli-controlled Beit Hanoun crossing for chemical treatment and urgent medical tests under the pretext of security checks.
Permanent travel
The last thing that the al-Sibakhi family expected was that Abdel Fattah would not be able to reach the occupied city of Jerusalem, where he spent 28 years working as an UNRWA staffer, whom the occupation soldiers got familiar with, while moving between Gaza and Jerusalem as a staff member of a humanitarian organization.
For a whole year, Jamal al-Sibakhi accompanied his brother Abdel Fattah during his battle with cancer between Gaza and Jerusalem, spending the last moments with him before he passed away, watching him in Gaza unable to cross the Beit Hanoun crossing.
Jamal told the PIC, “My brother was very generous and giving during his work with UNRWA and he served everyone. He retired years ago, but UNRWA renewed his contract twice for his experience and dedication. Months ago, he suffered from cancer.”
At the beginning, Jamal was shocked by the news that Abdel Fattah had cancer; but he decided to accompany him on his treatment journey, and traveled with him seven times to Jerusalem after many security rejections by Israel.
He added, “After three months, they gave us a permit to enter Jerusalem and have him treated there, even though they knew of his work at UNRWA for 30 years. At some point, he even rented an apartment in Jerusalem for one year and did not return to Gaza.”
The Israeli intelligence deliberately denied al-Sibakhi treatment at a critical stage, when he was in bad need for the chemotherapy dose and some special drugs, which could only be obtained in Jerusalem.
His illness lasted eight months and it got worse. UNRWA, human rights institutions working in Israel, and the Palestinian Authority tried to intervene to help the famous UNRWA staffer complete his treatment, but the IOA rejected their requests.
He adds, “His long record of employment with UNRWA didn’t help him. UNRWA was unable to intervene. We arrived at the crossing and the Israeli security interrogated him for 3-4 hours. He was subjected to a long routine questioning. He was unable to sit or talk, but the interrogator insisted on exhausting him.”
During questioning, al-Sibakhi was struggling with his pain and illness, telling his interrogator (if I had to be held in custody, why would you do that to me?). When he returned after he was denied entry, he said to his family, “Nothing will happen except by God's will.”
IOA brutality
Mohammed al-Sibakhi, the son of Abdel Fattah, lived for 10 months in a state of constant concern for his father, who got rejections nine times to travel for treatment and was able to cross the crossing seven times after a great deal of trouble.
Mohammed told the PIC, “We lived with him a difficult experience and we felt the bitterness of the siege. When you find yourself unable to cross the Beit Hanoun crossing as well as the Rafah crossing, you feel the cruelty of the siege.”
Mohammed used every single opportunity to contact Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations to help his father cross the Beit Hanoun crossing, but he always received a negative response from the Israeli intelligence, saying that his father’s permit is under ‘security check’.
He was shocked by the brutality of the IOA, which knows very well that his father was an UNRWA staff for a long time and that he crossed the Beit Hanoun crossing hundreds of times, yet they deliberately let him die at an advanced stage of cancer.
Jawhar al-Sibakhi, another brother of Abdel-Fattah, described what happened to his brother as “deliberate murder”, because the IOA knew all the details about his case and followed up his medical profile, and denying him a permit was meant to deprive him his right to treatment when he was vulnerable the most.
“They knew him by heart, he has been a permanent staffer in Jerusalem and the West Bank for many years, but they killed him indirectly, and their goal was only deliberate murder, even though he had all the medical papers,” he noted.
Abu Daoud Tamraz, a neighbor of the al-Sibakhi, keeps details of the humane touches and values al-Sibakhi had for many years, with his commitment and care of all beings even animals.
“I have known him as a good neighbor to all his people and neighbors, always giving charity to the poor during the day and at night he took care of stray animals.”
On the last day of his life, he lost all his energy and was unable to eat, but he recommended his children to maintain good relations with relatives and neighbors.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) is responsible for the death of the famous UNRWA staffer Abdel Fattah al-Sibakhi, 65, after banning him from crossing the Beit Hanoun checkpoint, when he was still in the middle of his chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer.
He had been working for 30 years at UNRWA's Procurement and Warehousing Unit in occupied Jerusalem until he was promoted to a director, thus obtaining an almost permanent residency in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Al-Sibakhi died a few days ago after being denied access to the Israeli-controlled Beit Hanoun crossing for chemical treatment and urgent medical tests under the pretext of security checks.
Permanent travel
The last thing that the al-Sibakhi family expected was that Abdel Fattah would not be able to reach the occupied city of Jerusalem, where he spent 28 years working as an UNRWA staffer, whom the occupation soldiers got familiar with, while moving between Gaza and Jerusalem as a staff member of a humanitarian organization.
For a whole year, Jamal al-Sibakhi accompanied his brother Abdel Fattah during his battle with cancer between Gaza and Jerusalem, spending the last moments with him before he passed away, watching him in Gaza unable to cross the Beit Hanoun crossing.
Jamal told the PIC, “My brother was very generous and giving during his work with UNRWA and he served everyone. He retired years ago, but UNRWA renewed his contract twice for his experience and dedication. Months ago, he suffered from cancer.”
At the beginning, Jamal was shocked by the news that Abdel Fattah had cancer; but he decided to accompany him on his treatment journey, and traveled with him seven times to Jerusalem after many security rejections by Israel.
He added, “After three months, they gave us a permit to enter Jerusalem and have him treated there, even though they knew of his work at UNRWA for 30 years. At some point, he even rented an apartment in Jerusalem for one year and did not return to Gaza.”
The Israeli intelligence deliberately denied al-Sibakhi treatment at a critical stage, when he was in bad need for the chemotherapy dose and some special drugs, which could only be obtained in Jerusalem.
His illness lasted eight months and it got worse. UNRWA, human rights institutions working in Israel, and the Palestinian Authority tried to intervene to help the famous UNRWA staffer complete his treatment, but the IOA rejected their requests.
He adds, “His long record of employment with UNRWA didn’t help him. UNRWA was unable to intervene. We arrived at the crossing and the Israeli security interrogated him for 3-4 hours. He was subjected to a long routine questioning. He was unable to sit or talk, but the interrogator insisted on exhausting him.”
During questioning, al-Sibakhi was struggling with his pain and illness, telling his interrogator (if I had to be held in custody, why would you do that to me?). When he returned after he was denied entry, he said to his family, “Nothing will happen except by God's will.”
IOA brutality
Mohammed al-Sibakhi, the son of Abdel Fattah, lived for 10 months in a state of constant concern for his father, who got rejections nine times to travel for treatment and was able to cross the crossing seven times after a great deal of trouble.
Mohammed told the PIC, “We lived with him a difficult experience and we felt the bitterness of the siege. When you find yourself unable to cross the Beit Hanoun crossing as well as the Rafah crossing, you feel the cruelty of the siege.”
Mohammed used every single opportunity to contact Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations to help his father cross the Beit Hanoun crossing, but he always received a negative response from the Israeli intelligence, saying that his father’s permit is under ‘security check’.
He was shocked by the brutality of the IOA, which knows very well that his father was an UNRWA staff for a long time and that he crossed the Beit Hanoun crossing hundreds of times, yet they deliberately let him die at an advanced stage of cancer.
Jawhar al-Sibakhi, another brother of Abdel-Fattah, described what happened to his brother as “deliberate murder”, because the IOA knew all the details about his case and followed up his medical profile, and denying him a permit was meant to deprive him his right to treatment when he was vulnerable the most.
“They knew him by heart, he has been a permanent staffer in Jerusalem and the West Bank for many years, but they killed him indirectly, and their goal was only deliberate murder, even though he had all the medical papers,” he noted.
Abu Daoud Tamraz, a neighbor of the al-Sibakhi, keeps details of the humane touches and values al-Sibakhi had for many years, with his commitment and care of all beings even animals.
“I have known him as a good neighbor to all his people and neighbors, always giving charity to the poor during the day and at night he took care of stray animals.”
On the last day of his life, he lost all his energy and was unable to eat, but he recommended his children to maintain good relations with relatives and neighbors.
3 jan 2018
Relatives of slain teen Musab al-Tamimi mourn at a Ramallah hospital in the occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian teen on the northern outskirts of the occupied West Bank town of Ramallah, according to Palestinian officials.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the 17-year-old boy as Musab Firas al-Tamimi from the village of Deir Nitham, where Wednesday's shooting took place.
Nabi Saleh: 'It's a silent ethnic cleansing'
"He died shortly after the occupation forces fired a bullet into his neck," Maria Aqraa, a spokesman for the ministry, told Al Jazeera.
"He was transferred to a hospital in Ramallah and he passed away minutes later," she added.
Aqraa said Musab was shot during a confrontation with the Israeli army.
According to the Times of Israel news website, the Israeli army said Musab had "appeared to be holding a gun", but that it was "not immediately confirmed that al-Tamimi had been armed at the time of the shooting".
An army spokesperson reportedly told the website that the circumstances of Musab's killing were being investigated.
'The world is just silently watching'
Musab was a member of the Tamimi family, who live in the adjacent village of Nabi Saleh, where a prominent teen activist was arrested on December 19.
Ahed Tamimi was filmed slapping a soldier was standing outside her home, after Israeli forces had shot her 15-year-old cousin in the face with a rubber bullet.
The family has been persecuted for years by the Israeli army which has detained and killed several of them during weekly unarmed village protests against the theft of their lands for the nearby illegal Jewish-only settlement, Halamish.
Musab's father, Firas, said the Israeli army has been provoking the residents of both villages for months now.
He told Al Jazeera that Israeli soldiers raided Deir Nitham at about 8am local time (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday after which boys from the village went out to confront them. "The occupation army has been raiding both Deir Nitham and Nabi Saleh day in and day out. They come in, irritate the residents, raid our homes at night and throw sound bombs in the street. This has been our reality every day," said Firas.
"We cannot just keep quiet and keep watching. No one is listening to us - no one feels the pain that we're going through. The world is just silently watching."
Since December 6, when US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, 16 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army largely during protests against Washington's decision.
Musab's killing, which is unrelated to the protests against Trump's move, makes him the first Palestinian to be shot dead by Israeli forces in 2018.
Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian teen on the northern outskirts of the occupied West Bank town of Ramallah, according to Palestinian officials.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the 17-year-old boy as Musab Firas al-Tamimi from the village of Deir Nitham, where Wednesday's shooting took place.
Nabi Saleh: 'It's a silent ethnic cleansing'
"He died shortly after the occupation forces fired a bullet into his neck," Maria Aqraa, a spokesman for the ministry, told Al Jazeera.
"He was transferred to a hospital in Ramallah and he passed away minutes later," she added.
Aqraa said Musab was shot during a confrontation with the Israeli army.
According to the Times of Israel news website, the Israeli army said Musab had "appeared to be holding a gun", but that it was "not immediately confirmed that al-Tamimi had been armed at the time of the shooting".
An army spokesperson reportedly told the website that the circumstances of Musab's killing were being investigated.
'The world is just silently watching'
Musab was a member of the Tamimi family, who live in the adjacent village of Nabi Saleh, where a prominent teen activist was arrested on December 19.
Ahed Tamimi was filmed slapping a soldier was standing outside her home, after Israeli forces had shot her 15-year-old cousin in the face with a rubber bullet.
The family has been persecuted for years by the Israeli army which has detained and killed several of them during weekly unarmed village protests against the theft of their lands for the nearby illegal Jewish-only settlement, Halamish.
Musab's father, Firas, said the Israeli army has been provoking the residents of both villages for months now.
He told Al Jazeera that Israeli soldiers raided Deir Nitham at about 8am local time (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday after which boys from the village went out to confront them. "The occupation army has been raiding both Deir Nitham and Nabi Saleh day in and day out. They come in, irritate the residents, raid our homes at night and throw sound bombs in the street. This has been our reality every day," said Firas.
"We cannot just keep quiet and keep watching. No one is listening to us - no one feels the pain that we're going through. The world is just silently watching."
Since December 6, when US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, 16 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army largely during protests against Washington's decision.
Musab's killing, which is unrelated to the protests against Trump's move, makes him the first Palestinian to be shot dead by Israeli forces in 2018.
Musaab Firas al-Tamimi 17
A Palestinian teen was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Friday near the Deir Nitham village, northwest of Ramallah city in the central occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that the teen arrived to the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah City in critical condition, after he was shot in the back of his head.
The ministry identified him as Musaab Firas al-Tamimi, 17.
Israeli forces shot the teen, reportedly from a close range, during clashes that had erupted in the village after Israeli forces raided the area.
Three other Palestinian youths were injured with rubber-coated steel bullets during the clashes.
Hebrew-language media, meanwhile, reported that Israeli forces had opened fire on a Palestinian near the Illegal Israeli Halamish settlement, nearby Deir Nitham, for allegedly carrying a gun.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an they were looking into reports.
According to Ma’an documentation al-Tamimi was the 14th Palestinian to have been killed by Israel since US President Donald Trump recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last month, sparking widespread protests across the West Bank, gaza, and East jerusalem.
The teenager is the first Palestinian to have been killed by Israel this year.
A Palestinian teen was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Friday near the Deir Nitham village, northwest of Ramallah city in the central occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that the teen arrived to the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah City in critical condition, after he was shot in the back of his head.
The ministry identified him as Musaab Firas al-Tamimi, 17.
Israeli forces shot the teen, reportedly from a close range, during clashes that had erupted in the village after Israeli forces raided the area.
Three other Palestinian youths were injured with rubber-coated steel bullets during the clashes.
Hebrew-language media, meanwhile, reported that Israeli forces had opened fire on a Palestinian near the Illegal Israeli Halamish settlement, nearby Deir Nitham, for allegedly carrying a gun.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an they were looking into reports.
According to Ma’an documentation al-Tamimi was the 14th Palestinian to have been killed by Israel since US President Donald Trump recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last month, sparking widespread protests across the West Bank, gaza, and East jerusalem.
The teenager is the first Palestinian to have been killed by Israel this year.
The Israeli Knesset intends to vote on Wednesday, 03 January 2018, to amend the Penal Code in order to legalize the use of death penalty against those involved in murders while carrying out “terrorist operations”.
The bill was presented before the Knesset on 30 October 2017 by three Israeli extremist parliamentarians: Robert Eltov, Oded Forer and Yuli Leminovsky.
The bill stipulates that “the Minister of Defense orders the commander of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the division to give orders to: 1- the Military Court in the division to have the power to sentence death penalty without requiring the consensus of the Military Court, but only the ordinary majority; 2- No other court in the division has the right to commute a final death sentence issued by the military court in the division.”
The explanation for the amendment says, “Releasing terrorists following a period of their imprisonment (in reference to prisoner exchange deals with the Palestinian armed groups) due to carrying out terrible operations sends a reverse message that does not contribute to fighting terrorism and strengthening the Israeli deterrence capability. The bill aims at creating a meaningful deterrence and showing Israel is tightening up its policies and no longer tolerates such crimes.”
PCHR emphasizes that such repeated bills are an attempt to legitimize a current status, which is the policy of assassinations and extra-judicial executions carried out according to direct orders directly from the highest decision makers in the Israeli forces against the Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). PCHR has followed many statements which stressed use of assassinations and lethal force when dealing with any danger threats the Israeli soldiers. PCHR and media also documented scenes of extra-judicial executions and assassinations, which undoubtedly confirm the existence of an extra-judicial executions policy practiced by the Israeli forces.
While following up the bill which legitimizes the Israeli killing, the Palestinian memory recalls the killing scene of young man Ibrahim Abu Thurayah, who was killed twice by the Israeli forces. The first time when the Israeli bombing caused the amputation of his legs during the Israeli offensive on Gaza in 2008 while the second was when he was shot dead by the Israeli snipers to the head during his participation in a protest near the border fence in December 2017.
The cruel scenes of dozens of cold-blooded killings by Israeli soldiers continue to haunt the Palestinian memory, such as the scene of the Israeli soldier Eleazar Azariah, who in cold blood killed the Palestinian civilian Abed al-Fattah al-Sharif in March 2016. Abed al-Fattah was directly hit with a live bullet to the head while lying on the ground motionless.
It should be noted that the policy of assassinations and extra-judicial executions are adopted by the Israeli forces as PCHR has monitored the implementation of hundreds of assassinations that claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinian civilians. Moreover, PCHR monitored dozens of extra-judicial executions since 2014, most of them were killed without posing any real threat to the Israeli soldiers, and some were killed on mere suspicion.
It is noteworthy that tabling the bill was one of the election promises by the Israeli War Minister, Knesset Member and Leader of the extremist “Yisrael Beiteinu” Party, Avigdor Lieberman. According to the Israeli media, this racist law is supported by a number of extremist ministers in the Israeli government: Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, Minister of Agriculture Uri Yehuda Ariel, Minister of Culture Miri Regev, Minister of Science Danny Danon and Minister of Immigration Ze’ev Elkin.
The above-mentioned facts reveal two things; First, Israel never stopped using death penalty but extra-judicially through summary executions and what Israel is now trying to do is to legitimize such crime. It should be noted that the idea of codifying crimes is an Israeli systematic policy. This idea is used by Israel legitimize the settlement activities, house demolitions, and confiscation of civilians’ properties.
All of these practices are war crimes but legalized by Israel against Palestinians according to applicable laws and upheld by Judicial rulings.
Second, this attempt confirms that Israel is an apartheid state ruled by racists. Moreover, the submitted bill, which is supported by the government ministers, has worked on applying death penalty on Palestinians only and not Israelis, even if this was not mentioned in text, it is seen on the ground as this amendment shall be applied within the military courts in the oPt. This scene recalls the laws of the apartheid state in South Africa.
A similar bill was previously rejected by the Israeli Knesset in 2015. At that time, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who recommended his Party Members in the Knesset not to vote for the bill, which only received 6 votes, commented that the bill needed an amendment and prolonged discussions. He added then that he and his extremist (Likud) party accepted the bill in principle and the disagreement was only about details.
It should be noted that the death penalty is codified in the Israeli military laws and decisions, but is optional and not mandatory for the judge. Following the occupation of the oPt in 1967, the Israeli authorities issued 2 decisions (268 and 159) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 and 1968 respectively. According to the decisions, the death penalty becomes optional and not mandatory for the judge. Therefore, death penalty can be replaced by life imprisonment or hard labor for life.
The Israeli judiciary has applied life imprisonment instead of death penalty, constituting a stable precedent over the past decades. Those who presented this bill are attempting to cancel this precedent, bring the death penalty to life, and facilitate sentencing it without requiring the consensus of the judicial body to issue the death sentence.
It should be noted that the death penalty was officially applied once upon a decision by an Israeli court in 1962 against Adolf Eichmann, a senior officer in the Nazi German Army during World War II.
PCHR raises the alarm about the legitimization of the Israeli killing because it paves the way towards committing more murders and will be used as a display justified in the name of strengthening “deterrence” as called by the bill. PCHR confirms that the suggested amendment violates Israel’s obligations under Article (6) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which sets conditions to apply the death penalty not available in the Israeli military courts such as: the fair trial conditions, to be presented before natural judge and the endorsement of the death penalty by the consensus of the judicial body and not only by majority (as suggested by the amendment submitted to the Knesset.)
Thus, PCHR calls upon the UN and High Contracting Parties and Signatory Parties to the human rights conventions, particularly the ICCPR, to ensure that Israel respects human rights in the oPt and ends its interference and racist actions against Palestinians.
PCHR also calls upon the European Union (EU) to take serious steps to prevent enacting such law based on Israel’s obligations under the Israel-EU Association Agreement.
Moreover, PCHR calls upon all anti-death penalty groups and organizations to work to prevent enacting such law and emerge summary execution and assassination crimes into its focus circle for constituting a de facto acknowledgment of death penalty that is way dangerous than the legal acknowledgment as it grants an absolute power to the soldiers to issue and apply the death sentence.
The bill was presented before the Knesset on 30 October 2017 by three Israeli extremist parliamentarians: Robert Eltov, Oded Forer and Yuli Leminovsky.
The bill stipulates that “the Minister of Defense orders the commander of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the division to give orders to: 1- the Military Court in the division to have the power to sentence death penalty without requiring the consensus of the Military Court, but only the ordinary majority; 2- No other court in the division has the right to commute a final death sentence issued by the military court in the division.”
The explanation for the amendment says, “Releasing terrorists following a period of their imprisonment (in reference to prisoner exchange deals with the Palestinian armed groups) due to carrying out terrible operations sends a reverse message that does not contribute to fighting terrorism and strengthening the Israeli deterrence capability. The bill aims at creating a meaningful deterrence and showing Israel is tightening up its policies and no longer tolerates such crimes.”
PCHR emphasizes that such repeated bills are an attempt to legitimize a current status, which is the policy of assassinations and extra-judicial executions carried out according to direct orders directly from the highest decision makers in the Israeli forces against the Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). PCHR has followed many statements which stressed use of assassinations and lethal force when dealing with any danger threats the Israeli soldiers. PCHR and media also documented scenes of extra-judicial executions and assassinations, which undoubtedly confirm the existence of an extra-judicial executions policy practiced by the Israeli forces.
While following up the bill which legitimizes the Israeli killing, the Palestinian memory recalls the killing scene of young man Ibrahim Abu Thurayah, who was killed twice by the Israeli forces. The first time when the Israeli bombing caused the amputation of his legs during the Israeli offensive on Gaza in 2008 while the second was when he was shot dead by the Israeli snipers to the head during his participation in a protest near the border fence in December 2017.
The cruel scenes of dozens of cold-blooded killings by Israeli soldiers continue to haunt the Palestinian memory, such as the scene of the Israeli soldier Eleazar Azariah, who in cold blood killed the Palestinian civilian Abed al-Fattah al-Sharif in March 2016. Abed al-Fattah was directly hit with a live bullet to the head while lying on the ground motionless.
It should be noted that the policy of assassinations and extra-judicial executions are adopted by the Israeli forces as PCHR has monitored the implementation of hundreds of assassinations that claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinian civilians. Moreover, PCHR monitored dozens of extra-judicial executions since 2014, most of them were killed without posing any real threat to the Israeli soldiers, and some were killed on mere suspicion.
It is noteworthy that tabling the bill was one of the election promises by the Israeli War Minister, Knesset Member and Leader of the extremist “Yisrael Beiteinu” Party, Avigdor Lieberman. According to the Israeli media, this racist law is supported by a number of extremist ministers in the Israeli government: Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, Minister of Agriculture Uri Yehuda Ariel, Minister of Culture Miri Regev, Minister of Science Danny Danon and Minister of Immigration Ze’ev Elkin.
The above-mentioned facts reveal two things; First, Israel never stopped using death penalty but extra-judicially through summary executions and what Israel is now trying to do is to legitimize such crime. It should be noted that the idea of codifying crimes is an Israeli systematic policy. This idea is used by Israel legitimize the settlement activities, house demolitions, and confiscation of civilians’ properties.
All of these practices are war crimes but legalized by Israel against Palestinians according to applicable laws and upheld by Judicial rulings.
Second, this attempt confirms that Israel is an apartheid state ruled by racists. Moreover, the submitted bill, which is supported by the government ministers, has worked on applying death penalty on Palestinians only and not Israelis, even if this was not mentioned in text, it is seen on the ground as this amendment shall be applied within the military courts in the oPt. This scene recalls the laws of the apartheid state in South Africa.
A similar bill was previously rejected by the Israeli Knesset in 2015. At that time, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who recommended his Party Members in the Knesset not to vote for the bill, which only received 6 votes, commented that the bill needed an amendment and prolonged discussions. He added then that he and his extremist (Likud) party accepted the bill in principle and the disagreement was only about details.
It should be noted that the death penalty is codified in the Israeli military laws and decisions, but is optional and not mandatory for the judge. Following the occupation of the oPt in 1967, the Israeli authorities issued 2 decisions (268 and 159) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 and 1968 respectively. According to the decisions, the death penalty becomes optional and not mandatory for the judge. Therefore, death penalty can be replaced by life imprisonment or hard labor for life.
The Israeli judiciary has applied life imprisonment instead of death penalty, constituting a stable precedent over the past decades. Those who presented this bill are attempting to cancel this precedent, bring the death penalty to life, and facilitate sentencing it without requiring the consensus of the judicial body to issue the death sentence.
It should be noted that the death penalty was officially applied once upon a decision by an Israeli court in 1962 against Adolf Eichmann, a senior officer in the Nazi German Army during World War II.
PCHR raises the alarm about the legitimization of the Israeli killing because it paves the way towards committing more murders and will be used as a display justified in the name of strengthening “deterrence” as called by the bill. PCHR confirms that the suggested amendment violates Israel’s obligations under Article (6) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which sets conditions to apply the death penalty not available in the Israeli military courts such as: the fair trial conditions, to be presented before natural judge and the endorsement of the death penalty by the consensus of the judicial body and not only by majority (as suggested by the amendment submitted to the Knesset.)
Thus, PCHR calls upon the UN and High Contracting Parties and Signatory Parties to the human rights conventions, particularly the ICCPR, to ensure that Israel respects human rights in the oPt and ends its interference and racist actions against Palestinians.
PCHR also calls upon the European Union (EU) to take serious steps to prevent enacting such law based on Israel’s obligations under the Israel-EU Association Agreement.
Moreover, PCHR calls upon all anti-death penalty groups and organizations to work to prevent enacting such law and emerge summary execution and assassination crimes into its focus circle for constituting a de facto acknowledgment of death penalty that is way dangerous than the legal acknowledgment as it grants an absolute power to the soldiers to issue and apply the death sentence.
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