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Israel forces detained more than 100 Palestinians in three days

December 11, 2017 at 1:47 pm

Israelis soldiers arrest Palestinian teen Fawzi Muhammad Al-Juneidi in Jerusalem on 8 December, 2017 [Twitter]

Israeli forces detained more than 100 Palestinians during three days of protests in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), a statement released by prisoner rights group Addameer yesterday said.

According to the group, in the first three days of protests that began Thursday, Israeli occupation forces detained some 35-40 Palestinians from East Jerusalem and some 25 from Hebron (including a number of children). Most Jerusalemite detainees have been “conditionally released”.

The detainees included three women, two of whom are from East Jerusalem.

On the Thursday, meanwhile, 22 were arrested from the village of Qussra, in Nablus district.

“These arrests came as a response to a peaceful protest organised by the village residents in response to the killing of a villager by a settler last week”, Addameer explained, adding that “the occupation forces have only released one prisoner thus far, and kept 21”.

According to Addameer, “in the past few days, East Jerusalem has been especially targeted”, with Israeli forces installing “several checkpoints” and increasing “the number of their forces in the areas around Damascus Gate and Salah al-Deen Street”.

Such measures “have been coupled with violent responses to any form of protesting”.

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Addameer explains that, “rather than recognising the status of these prisoners and detainees as ‘protected persons’ under international humanitarian law”, Israel registers Jerusalemites “as security or criminal offenders”.

“If a Jerusalemite is charged with an offense which was committed in Jerusalem or territories inside the Green Line, he/she will be tried before the Israeli civilian courts, according to the 1977 Penal Code, the 1948 Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance and the 1982 Criminal Procedures Law.”

However, the group added: “Military court jurisdiction can be extended to Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem if their alleged offense was committed in or otherwise has ties to the West Bank.”

Addameer urged “the immediate release of all prisoners”, and for “third state parties to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to respect their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and to hold them accountable for the violations they have committed.”