Rights group: Israeli and PA forces responsible for unlawful killing of Palestinians

Israeli occupation forces and security forces belonging to the Palestinian Authority (PA) have been responsible for numerous violations of human rights, including unlawful killings and torture, the Arab Organisation of Human Rights in UK (AOHR) has revealed.

A report by the London based organisation, which compiled cases of human rights abuses for the month of August, concluded three cases of unlawful killing by PA security forces; 112 cases of arrest and summons including of four journalists; authorities’ refusal to comply with court release orders; and worrying levels of torture and humiliation of prisoners.

It also mentioned three cases of unlawful killing by Israeli forces and a further 516 arrests, including that of children as young as ten.

The report described a culture of systematic violence, oppression and intimidation of Palestinians. “The Palestinian Authority security forces’ persecution and campaigns of arrest have continued unabated, whilst Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians and on Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails have increased”, concluded the AOHR report.

The three cases of unlawful killing signalled a very dangerous development in the occupied territory.  According to their families and witness testimonies the three Palestinians were killed following their arrest despite no evidence that they resisted arrest or were armed. The killings occurred after a group of unknown men shot at and killed two members of the security forces in the Old Town of Nablus situated in the north of the West Bank.

According to witnesses, two of the men, Faris Abdullah Izzat Halawa and his friend Khalid Al-Aghbar, were taken to an unknown location and were later pronounced dead. The police claimed they were killed in an exchange of fire but several witnesses said the police had shot them dead after taking them to a yard in the Old Town.

The other, Ahmed Izzat Halawa was arrested at his home in Al-Aqaba. He was taken to Junaid Prison, where he was assaulted upon arrival by members of the security forces. His body bore the tell-tale signs of torture and brutal beating.

Israel’s unlawful killing of three Palestinians also showed many disturbing signs. The victims were amongst dozens that have been killed by Israeli occupation forces as part of its strategy to assassinate Palestinians out on the streets, said the report. One of the victims, Yusuf Abu Hashhash, 19, was killed during a raid on Al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron. Al-Hashhash was shot dead by an Israeli soldier as he was exiting a building, after visiting his uncles and grandmother.

The death of Sari Mohammed Abu Ghurba, 26, and 38-year old Iyad Hamed appeared to be an assassination. Abu Ghurba was shot by Israeli soldiers as he was driving along the route branching out of Yitzhar settlement, south of Nablus. Israeli forces claimed he had come out of his car and stabbed one of their soldiers in the neck, before they killed him.

Iyad Hamed was killed outside the western gate of Silwad. According to witnesses, soldiers opened fire as Hamed drove his car. An ambulance was not allowed to enter the area to take him to hospital.

In addition to the killings, there have been countless arrests, attacks on peaceful demonstrations including funeral processions and arbitrary detention by the two security forces. Of the 115 that were arrested and detained, four were journalists: Ragheed Tabsieh, Mujahid Al-Sa’di, Yihia Saleh and Ibrahim Al-Abid.

Amongst the peaceful marches and demonstrations that were attacked was the protest in front of the UN centre in Ramallah for its inability to support prisoners who had gone on hunger strike. Security forces resorted to the use of force to break up the protest. On other occasions security forces fired shots in the air and assaulted several men. During the funeral of one of the men killed in Nablus, tear gas was used to disperse a group of Palestinians who had gathered outside the police station to demand that the victim’s father be released and allowed to attend his son’s funeral.

Despite claims that torture is no longer practiced, victim and family testimonies have confirmed that many detainees are still being tortured. The report mentions the case of Basil Hasan Othman Filian who was arrested on 23 August. He was beaten, hung from a door and subjected to near-death strangulation. Basil also reported he had been stripped naked and photographed for the purpose of blackmail. Basil was arrested in his capacity as the secretary-general of the Stipends Committee at the Birzeit University Student Union. There were other cases of torture mentioned by the report.

Other concerns raised by the report were the number of politically-motivated arbitrary arrests that prompted desperate prisoners to go on hunger strike.

Beside the three Palestinians unlawfully killed by Israeli forces, there were grave concerns raised over Israel’s routine arrest of Palestinians. In total 516 Palestinians were arrested by the Israeli occupation forces during the month of August. This figure includes 73 children, including two under-age girls and ten women.

Recent estimates put the number of Palestinians detained in Israeli occupation prisons at around 7,000. These include 56 women and 340 children.