Updates

A Routine Founded on Violence

#Occupation365 - Updates from the West Bank routine, 27 April 2019 - 10 May 2019

Every day, Israel determines what the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank will look like – while they, themselves, are barred from taking part in decisions that shape their present and their future. Israel uses its power in a violent, arbitrary fashion, with blatant disregard for the safety, wellbeing and quality of life of the Palestinians who live under its control.

16 May 2019

Settler Violence = State Violence

Israeli settlers and military intensify attacks against Palestinian shepherds in the village of al-Farisiyah in the northern Jordan Valley

In recent months, shepherds from the Palestinian communities of al-Farisiyah in the northern Jordan Valley have reported an upsurge in the frequency and severity of attacks by settlers and soldiers when they go out to graze their flocks. These incidents are part of the policy Israel has been implementing in the Jordan Valley. Its goal is to take over land by various measures, including by making life unbearable for Palestinians. It includes coordinated attacks by soldiers and settlers and a comprehensive ban on the development of Palestinian communities.

15 May 2019

The Gaza Strip

No to firing at civilians in Israel or Gaza; blockade must be lifted

Waging another war in the Gaza Strip is a folly that will enhance no-one’s safety or wellbeing. It will merely exacerbate the suffering of civilians on both sides. The Israeli government must lift the stifling blockade it has imposed on the residents of the Gaza Strip; Hamas must cease firing at civilians.

5 May 2019

Open-Fire Policy

Israeli soldiers fire at a Palestinian car that had stopped on the road, injuring the driver and killing a man who tried to help the family

On 20 March 2019, Maysaa and ‘Alaa Ghayadah were on their home with their two daughters. Following an argument on the road, ‘Alaa pulled over near a checkpoint and got out of the car. Soldiers in a nearby watchtower shot him, hitting him in the stomach. Maysaa flagged down a passing car: three of the passengers took ‘Alaa to hospital. The fourth, Ahmad Manasrah, 22, tried to start the car to get Maysaa and her daughters away from the spot, but the soldiers at the watchtower shot and killed him. His death is one of four that B’Tselem has investigated since the beginning of March, in which the use of lethal gunfire was found to be clearly unjustified.

5 May 2019

A Routine Founded on Violence

#Occupation365 - Updates from the West Bank routine, 6 April 2019 - 26 April 2019

Every day, Israel determines what the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank will look like – while they, themselves, are barred from taking part in decisions that shape their present and their future. Israel uses its power in a violent, arbitrary fashion, with blatant disregard for the safety, wellbeing and quality of life of the Palestinians who live under its control.

2 May 2019

Open-Fire Policy

Israeli soldiers fatally shoot Muhammad Dar ‘Udwan from behind, as he was fleeing

On the night of 2 April 2019, more than 10 Israeli military vehicles entered an alley in Kafr ‘Aqab in northern East Jerusalem. Young Palestinians threw stones and two IEDs at them. Soldiers flanked the young men and fired at them, injuring two. The young men fled. Muhammad Dar ‘Udwan, 24, ran in the opposite direction from the rest, past the soldiers, and they kept shooting even after he passed them. Video footage shows he was shot from behind as he fled. His death is one of four investigated by B’Tselem since the beginning of March, in which lethal gunfire was found to be clearly unjustified.

2 May 2019

Open-Fire Policy

Israeli security forces shoot and kill Palestinian volunteer paramedic Sajed Muzhar, 17, as he treats injured person in a-Duheisheh Refugee Camp

At about 6:00 A.M. on 27 March 2019, some 40-50 Israeli soldiers and Border Police entered a-Duheisheh Refugee Camp, south of Bethlehem. Clashes ensued with local residents, who threw stones at the troops. After arresting three residents, the troops went down an alley. Local young men ran after them, throwing stones. A member of the Israeli security forces fired at a young man, hitting him in the leg. Volunteer medic Sajed Muzhar, 17 – wearing a medical crew vest – ran to his aid, and was fatally shot by one of the troops. His death is one of four that B’Tselem has investigated since the beginning of March, in which lethal gunfire was found to be clearly unjustified.

30 April 2019

Open-Fire Policy

Israeli security forces shoot and kill young Palestinian watching them clash with stone-throwers in Salfit

On the afternoon of 12 March 2019 Israeli soldiers and Border Police arrived at the town of Salfit. Clashes ensued with some 40 Palestinians who threw stones at them from about 80 meters away. The troops threw stun grenades and fired teargas, rubber-coated metal bullets and live ammunition at the young men, mildly wounding three. Muhammad Shahin was standing about 20 meters behind the stone-throwers, watching the clashes. At about 4:30 P.M., the troops fired one live bullet at Shahin, killing him. His death is one of four that B’Tselem has investigated since the beginning of March, in which lethal gunfire was found to be clearly unjustified.

29 April 2019

East Jerusalem

“Self-destruction”: Palestinians in East Jerusalem forced to demolish own homes

In 2019, many more Palestinian families in East Jerusalem demolished their own homes, which were built without permits. They did this to avoid the high fees the city would have charged them for carrying out the demolition itself. Through the end of March, 15 homes were demolished in this way. Israel does not see East Jerusalem residents as equal citizens and barely allows them to build legally. When, given no other choice, they build homes without permits, the municipality demolishes them – all as part of a policy to Judaize Jerusalem.

28 April 2019

Settler Violence = State Violence

Predictable, violent settler rampage after a Palestinian attacks Israelis; Israeli security forces do nothing

For five days, starting 17 March 2019 – the day a Palestinian killed a soldier and a settler and wounded two more soldiers – settlers assaulted Palestinians across the West Bank, beating them, throwing stones at cars and homes, vandalizing cars and defacing a mosque. Attacks of this sort happen after nearly every attack by a Palestinian, so it stands to reason that Israeli security forces could have taken preventative measures. However, as in the past, Israeli authorities did nothing, with settler violence fitting in with Israeli policy.

18 April 2019

Open-Fire Policy

Expendable lives: Four Palestinians shot to death with no justification

B’Tselem’s investigation into four killings since the beginning of March 2019 clearly shows the lethal fire was completely unjustified. These cases illustrate, once more, just how little value Israel’s security establishment places on the lives of Palestinians. None of the victims posed a threat to the lives of security personnel. Not one of these incidents should have ended in death. As B'Tselem has cautioned countless times in the past, these are not aberrations, or “bad apples”. These are incidents that occur as part of the routine actions of soldiers and police officers, pursuant to Israel’s dangerous, lethal open-fire policy.

17 April 2019

Settler Violence = State Violence

B'Tselem investigation finds: Israeli settlers killed Muhammad 'Abd al-Fatah with no justification

B’Tselem’s investigation has found that in an incident reported by the media as an attempted stabbing at Huwarah on 3 April 2019, Muhammad ‘Abd al-Fatah had been throwing stones at Israeli cars driving along the road and was then shot by a settler who pulled over. As al-Fatah lay wounded on the ground, the settler, along with another settler who also pulled over, shot him again, killing him. Soldiers erased video footage of the incident.

14 April 2019

A Routine Founded on Violence

#Occupation365 - Updates from the West Bank routine, 23 March 2019 - 5 April 2019

Every day, Israel determines what the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank will look like – while they, themselves, are barred from taking part in decisions that shape their present and their future. Israel uses its power in a violent, arbitrary fashion, with blatant disregard for the safety, wellbeing and quality of life of the Palestinians who live under its control.

11 April 2019

General

Democracy, Israeli Style

Tomorrow, Israel heads to its 15th national election since the occupation began. Israelis will cast a vote to decide their own fate – and the fate of millions of Palestinian subjects denied that same right. Yesterday, the New York Times published Democracy, Israeli Style, an op-ed written by B'Tselem Executive Director, Hagai El-Ad, about reality in the occupied territories, the denial of political rights, and Trump’s possibly forthcoming “deal of the century”. But the real deal is this one: Israel continuing to control and oppress the Palestinians, while facing no international price to pay.

8 April 2019

A Routine Founded on Violence

#Occupation365 - Updates from the West Bank routine, 23 Feb. 2019 - 22 March 2019

Every day, Israel determines what the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank will look like – while they, themselves, are barred from taking part in decisions that shape their present and their future. Israel uses its power in a violent, arbitrary fashion, with blatant disregard for the safety, wellbeing and quality of life of the Palestinians who live under its control.

31 March 2019

A Routine Founded on Violence

Israeli soldiers detain Palestinian ambulance at gunpoint during protest in the village of Beit Sira

On 8 March 2019, at a demonstration in Beit Sira, Ramallah District, to protest the killing of two Palestinians, an ambulance found itself amidst the clashes. As it tried to drive away, an officer ordered the driver at gunpoint to shut off the engine and hand over the keys. The ambulance was detained for about 15 minutes. Interfering with the work of medical crews or causing them harm is prohibited. There were no grounds for threatening, detaining or endangering the EMTs. These actions by the security forces are but another example of their disregard for the lives of Palestinians, conduct always carried out with impunity.

25 March 2019

A Routine Founded on Violence

Israeli soldier beats blind, diabetic, kidney-diseased Palestinian man in bed, continuing even after the man’s face was bloodied

“One of the soldiers assaulted my father and beat him in the face until he bled. I was shocked and furious. I couldn’t understand why he’d done it. Didn’t he know my father was ill and blind? What did my father do to deserve that? I have a lot of questions that I still need answered. It’s a nightmare I can’t ever forget, even though it’s very upsetting whenever I think about it.” Taken from the testimony of Mazen Muzher (15).

25 March 2019

Open-Fire Policy

Interval between time Palestinian car hit Israeli troops near village of Kafr Ni’ma and the fatal shooting of two of the car’s passengers raises grave concerns

On Mon., 4 March 2019, at around 2:30 A.M., a Palestinian car hit a military jeep. The car also hit an officer, seriously injuring him, and a Border Police officer, who sustained mild injuries. Two of the three Palestinians in the car, Yusef ‘Anqawi and Amir Dar Daraj, were fatally shot and the third was arrested. Video footage of the incident reveals that the two men were shot only four and a half minutes after the collision. This time gap, the IDF Spokesperson’s refusal to explain it, and the confiscation of footage from a nearby security camera all raise grave concerns as to the circumstances in which the two men were killed.

24 March 2019

Hebron City Center

Video: Israeli soldiers forcibly seize 9-year-old Yazan Idris at his elementary school, Hebron

On 19 March 2019, after school had let out, brothers Yazan (9) and Tayyem (7) ran back to school crying. They were followed by armed soldiers, who burst into the school and tried to arrest them for allegedly throwing stones. The teachers extricated Tayyem, but the soldiers arrested Yazan and took him to a nearby checkpoint. They released him only an hour later, after his mother had arrived. This is not the first time Israeli forces have entered a school or illegally detained children below the age of criminal liability in the West Bank.

21 March 2019

Attacks on Israeli Civilians by Palestinians

Palestinian kills Israeli civilian and soldier near settlement of Ariel

B’Tselem expresses its sorrow over the killing of Rabbi Ahiad Ettinger, a 47-year-old husband and father of twelve from the settlement of Eli in Nablus District who was shot by a Palestinianand on 17 March 2019 and died of his wounds yesterday, and conveys its sincerest condolences to his family. The deliberate targeting of civilians undermines every moral, legal and human standard. B’Tselem strongly condemns any and all deliberate attacks against civilians and calls once again on politicians and leaders to act responsibly and avoid fanning the flames of violence.

19 March 2019

Open-Fire Policy

B’Tselem to UN Commission of Inquiry into 2018 Gaza protests: Israeli “investigations” a whitewashing mechanism to allow further killing

Ahead of the UN Human Rights Council meeting today (Monday, 18 March 2019) on the findings of the UN commission of inquiry into the 2018 Gaza protests, B’Tselem has issued a position paper explaining that Israel’s promise to “investigate” 11 incidents in which protesters were killed is mere propaganda. In a letter, B’Tselem’s director, Hagai El-Ad called upon the head of the commission, Santiago Canton, to reject the tapestry of lies Israel has woven while killing more unarmed protesters.

18 March 2019

Open-Fire Policy

Shoot and abandon: Israel barring wounded Gazan protesters' access to medical care

Israel permits live fire, from some distance, at non-dangerous protestors by the Gaza perimeter fence, an unlawful policy that has caused thousands of casualties. Yet the injury does not end there: Israel has rejected more than 80% of requests by wounded protestors to leave Gaza for treatment in the West Bank or in Israel. Israel is responsible for the injuries and for Gaza’s failing healthcare system after more than a decade of blockade. It follows that Israel is responsible for changing this reality.

14 March 2019

East Jerusalem

East Jerusalem cleansing continues: Israel removes more Palestinian families, hands over their homes to settlers

Israel has long been implementing a policy aimed at cleansing East Jerusalem of Palestinians, using a variety of unlawful means: prohibiting construction; home demolition; not investing in services and infrastructure; and not allowing spouses from elsewhere in the West Bank and Gaza to live with their Jerusalem spouses. In recent years, the number of settlers moving into the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods has risen, with the approval, backing, funding and aid of Israeli authorities. We bring you the testimonies of two Palestinians whose families have recently been targeted by this policy.

11 March 2019

East Jerusalem

Israel Police remove Palestinian boy, 13, from bed at dead of night and arrest him in al-‘Eisawiyah, East J-M

On 10 Feb. 2019, police came to the Abu Ryalahs’ home at 4:00 A.M. and arrested Adam, 13. He was taken to a police station and interrogated for hours with no parent present, for allegedly throwing stones. This is not unusual. The Israeli authorities do not treat Palestinian minors in East Jerusalem as entitled to special protections and routinely abuse their rights. This policy, which the law enforcement system would never dare use against other groups in Israel, has been openly employed against hundreds of Palestinian teens a year for decades.

5 March 2019