- 2 apr 2003
Omar Musa Ahmad Matar, 14
Jihad Aziz Abdul-Rauf Nazal, 14
Omar of Kalandya refugee camp, died from neck wounds sustained March 28 from IDF gunfire during a demonstration near the Kalandya checkpoint.
Jihad of Qalqilya, killed by IDF gunfire to his chest and left thigh near his home during an incursion.
('Omar Mussa Matar)
(Jihad 'Aziz 'Abd a-Ruf Nazzal)
6 apr 2012, 22:14 , Respect -
Khaled Ghian, 33Khalid Ali Ryan Sanakreh Mujahid KsamiKhalid Bakr Ryan, Field commander
If only the bullets could talk-This week, the list of Palestinian passersby, including children, who passed over to the next world during "incidents" in the territories, grew longer.
This week, the list of Palestinian passersby, including children, who passed over to the next world during "incidents" in the territories, grew longer. According to Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon, the IDF takes cases of innocent civilians being hurt very seriously. According to Judge Advocat General Maj. Gen. Menachem Finkelstein, the IDF thoroughly investigates any suspicions of death by negligence, let alone deliberate attacks on civilians.
But if the military law enforcement agencies were to open a file after every "unfortunate incident of death," instead of looking for "wanted men," the commanders in the field would be busy looking for lawyers. The IDF's authorities have therefore ruled that it's up to field commanders to decide which cases of death justify a Military Police investigation, and which deaths of civilians are called an "unfortunate incident." In addition, the state attorney will be brought into action whenever outside agencies, like human rights groups or the press, draw the army's attention to unusual incidents.
For some months, this column has been tracking, alongside B'Tselem, two deaths in Nablus. The military prosecution recently decided to order Military Police investigations. The chain of events shows that if not for the intervention of B'Tselem and the press, these two cases, like hundreds of other "incidents," would have been buried along with the victims.
Ahmed Abdul Rahman al Karini, a 54-year-old municipal maintenance man, was shot to death on August 10, 2002 by an IDF curfew patrol, while Karini was repairing the city electrical grid. The chief military prosecutor, Col. Einat Ron, told B'Tselem on September 10 that she decided not to put the Military Police on the case.
She wrote, "The force's actions did not deviate from the realm of reasonablenesss expected of a military force in the area, under the conditions in which it was acting." The prosecutor said the soldiers were tasked with enforcing the curfew and "noticed a commercial van that approached and stopped suddenly in a way that raised their suspicions." A few lines later in her letter, she said the soldiers "fired in the air" since they believed the van, which she said "stopped suspiciously," was "trying to evade the force."
Col. Ron explained the mistaken identity of the vehicle by noting that "it did not have a flashing orange light on the roof." The experience of the last two years shows that the case would have been closed, if not for an Associated Press videotape that recorded the incident and which reached B'Tselem's hands. The tape clearly shows a blinking orange light on the roof of Karini's bullet-ridden van.
On November 17, 2002, B'Tselem gave the tape to the JAG prosecutors. On January 29, 2003, four-and-a-half months after JAG said it saw no reason for an inquiry, Col. Ron wrote to B'Tselem that JAG decided to initiate a Military Police probe.
The second incident also took place in Nablus. On October 11, 2002, during a lengthy curfew in the city, there was a burst of machine gun fire from a passing jeep near the home of the Abu Hijla family in Raffadiyeh.
Shaden Abu Hijla, a women in her 60s, well-known as a peace activist, was sitting in her garden, embroidering. She was killed on the spot, while her husband, a prominent doctor, and her son, a university teacher, were wounded.
Abu Hijla's death was widely reported in the press. Even President George W. Bush was personally told of it. In its first, unofficial version of the events, the army said the woman was killed (and her husband and son were wounded) by a single stray bullet. After the army learned that the family had found 14 empty shells from an automatic weapon on the scene, Ya'alon ordered the case reopened. This week, nearly five months after Abu Hijla's death, the IDF Spokesman said the JAG has ordered a Military Police inquiry.
These two "unusual" stories indicate what can be assumed to be the more usual routine for the hundreds of anonymous cases where the circumstances of the deaths are not known to the human rights groups or the press. This column will continue tracking the findings of the Military Police inquiries and the steps taken (if any are) in their wake against the guilty parties.
The round table
The dispute between the White House and the U.S. State Department regarding the road map is becoming more and more reminiscent of the worst days of the unity government. On one side is Elliott Abrams, Bush's new National Security Council adviser on Middle East affairs, who has deposed three top officials from his department: Flint Levert, Ben Miller and Hillary Mann. All three are ex-CIA, all three were professional appointments, and all three were suspected of supporting the road map of the Quartet, a forum, it should be remembered, that includes the U.S. Abrams is part and parcel of the neo-conservative gang surrounding Bush, and was appointed to make sure the road map is kosher.
At the same time, Secretary of State Colin Powell promises anyone who asks - including Ehud Barak, who dropped by recently - that the day after the attack on Iraq, indeed that very morning, the Bush administration will deliver the road map to Ariel Sharon.
Now, a respectable group of key players from former administrations - both Democratic and Republican - have lined up behind Powell. They've issued a document resulting from a New York Council on Foreign Relations round table, urging the president to immediately present an accelerated plan for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The task force, headed by Henry Siegman, hints that American concessions to pressure from Israel to postpone negotiations for peace has nothing to do with U.S. national security interests. The group included Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter; Lee Hamilton, a former chairman of the House International Relations Committee; Frederic Hof, former staff director of the Mitchell Committee; Geoffrey Kemp, former National Security Council senior director for Middle East Affairs; Robert Malley, former National Security Council director for Middle East Affairs in the Clinton administration; Thomas Pickering, former under secretary of state and ambassador to Israel; Brent Scowcroft, former national security adviser to President George Bush (Sr.), among others. Scowcroft and Brzezinski summed up the document in a February 13 Wall Street Journal article.
In addition to the explicit use of the term "double standard," the team states bluntly what it thinks about the gap between the determination Bush is showing on one side of the Middle East and his leniency with the other side.
"Arab countries and much of the Muslim world, as well as most European countries, see a direct linkage between their ability to be more forthcoming in supporting U.S. goals in Iraq and our seriousness in working for a fair settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict," says the document, adding, "We believe there is no national security reason for the President to delay elaboration of his June 24 vision. Indeed, there are important national security reasons to spell out without further delay the broad shape of the peace agreement for which the U.S. intends to work ... It would also facilitate international cooperation with the U.S. in its war on global terrorism and in its efforts to encourage the spread of democracy throughout the world."
The team proposes Bush get off the hobby horse of deposing Arafat. "We support President George W. Bush's view that the Palestinian people deserve political leadership and institutions not tainted by terrorism and corruption. However, the resumption of a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians should not be conditioned upon the replacement of a particular individual.
"To do so invites resistance on the part of large segments of the Palestinian population that desire change in their leadership and accountable democratic governance, but do not wish to be seen as doing a foreign country's bidding. It also places the role of one man above the American interest in bringing a speedy end to the violence."
Instead of dealing with Arafat, say the round-table participants, it would be best to encourage an end to terror and changes in Palestinian society, through a peace process "that holds out a credible promise of viable Palestinian statehood."
The new document also rejects the one-sided condition imposed by the Bush-Sharon team, with regard to an end to the terrorist attacks. It proposes, "the U.S. administration and its Quartet partners must insist on a 100 percent Palestinian Authority effort to end violence that is unconditional and independent of actions demanded of Israel. The U.S. and its Quartet partners must similarly insist on an equally unconditional cessation of Israeli settlement expansion (including so-called natural growth) that is independent of actions required of Palestinians." The document says, "This parallelism is not to suggest moral equivalence. It is to recognize that no peace talks are possible if Palestinians fail to exert 100 percent effort to halt Palestinian terrorism or if Israel continues through its settlement policy to encroach on Palestinian lives and property."
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem has been getting some reports lately that Abrams, the senior pro-Israel official, won't be able to remain a vegetarian much longer on the issue of the settlements. But there's a long way to go from that, to imposing the road map, before, during or after the Iraq war. And if the "window of opportunity" opens after a military campaign in Iraq, the political advisers running Bush's election campaign will make sure it doesn't close on their boss's calloused fingers.
6 apr 2012, 22:14 , Respect -
'Alaa Jawadi Ribhi a-Natsheh 20
resident of Hebron, killed next to Kiryat Arba, Hebron district. Killed in an exchange of gunfire when he was trying to enter the settlement through the gate.
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Yousef Riyad abu-Nadi, 16Marwan Abdullah Abu Giap
Yousef of al-Mussader, Gaza, killed by an IDF missile during a demonstration.
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Taleb Juma Kamal Badriya, 17,
of Gaza City, killed by IDF gunfire to his abdomen near the Netzarim settlement.
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Anas Jihad al-Kahlout, 12
Ahmad Khamis al-Ashram, 13
Sami Hassan Qassem, 16
Anas of Jabalya refugee camp, Gaza, killed by IDF gunfire to his head.
Ahmad of Gaza City, killed in an IDF helicopter missile strike during a targeted assassination.
Sami of Gaza City, killed in an IDF helicopter missile strike during a targeted assassination.
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Mahmoud S. FarwanaAshraf Abdel-Rahim al-HalabiSa'id Arabid
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Ahmad Rashad Abdullah abul-Qumsan, 16
Emad Adnan HindiBasil Akram Suleiman Al Sardi 22Ramiz Nafez Talmas
Ahmad of Beit Hanoun, Gaza, killed by IDF gunfire to his chest during clashes.
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Radwan Qarom 20
Bassem Freddie, 22
Jasser Hussein Ahmad 'Alumi, 23
Badr 'Abd a-Ruf Yasin, 23
Radwan resident of 'Ein Beit al-Maa R.C., Nablus district, killed next to Beka'ot, Jericho district. Killed after infiltrating an army post near Biqa'ot and killing two soldiers and wounding others.
Bassem resident of 'Ein Beit al-Maa R.C., Nablus district, killed next to Beka'ot, Jericho district. Killed after infiltrating an army post near Biqa'ot and killing two soldiers and wounding others.
Jasser resident of Tulkarm, killed in Tulkarm, by live ammunition. He was the object of a targeted killing.
Badr resident of Salfit, killed in Salfit. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Killed by an IDF undercover unit after he tried to flee arrest. He was not armed.
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Ghaseb Mahmoud Hawarin, 22
resident of a-Dhahiriyah, Hebron district, killed in a-Dhahiriyah, Hebron district. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Killed by IDF gunfire after Palestinians threw stones at soldiers who were looking for stolen cars in car repair shops.
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Muhammad Ahmed Madi, 11,
of Aroob refugee camp, killed by an Israeli settler vehicle.
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Fritkh, 25
Hassan Munasreh, 35
Fritkh resident of Nablus, killed in Nablus. Killed in an exchange of gunfire.
Hassan resident of Yatta, Hebron district, killed in Yatta, Hebron district. Killed in an exchange of gunfire after IDF soldiers surrounded his house with the intention of arresting him.
6 apr 2012, 22:15 , Respect -
Hassan Suleiman Manasra, Field commander
17 apr 2003
Yusef 'Abd a-Razaq Yihya, 15
resident of Tulkarm, killed in Tulkarm. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Injured during an incident in which Palestinians threw stones at IDF soldiers - 19 apr 2003
Mahmoud Ahmad Ibrahim abu-Kosh 14
Muhammad Ibrahim al-Hamaida 14 Anas Mahmoud 'Ajawi 21
Mahmoud of Rafah, Gaza, killed by IDF gunfire to his stomach during an incursion.
Muhammad of Rafah, Gaza, killed by IDF gunfire to his abdomen during an incursion.
Anas resident of Jenin, killed in Shaqed, Jenin district. Killed during a shooting attack on a settlement, in which he wounded three Israelis.
6 apr 2012, 22:16 , Respect -
Maria 19 apr 2003
Nazih Darwazeh, 45
April 19, 2003, in Nablus, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Darwazeh, a cameraman for The Associated Press Television News (APTN), was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Nablus while filming clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli troops at around 9 a.m., according to Palestinian journalists who witnessed the incident. Video footage of the incident, reviewed by CPJ, appears to corroborate their accounts.
The shooting occurred after clashes erupted in Nablus when Israeli forces entered the city's downtown area in tanks, searching for an alleged Palestinian suicide bomber. Clashes broke out in several locations near the city's center, involving youths throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli troops. Some Palestinian gunmen were also observed firing guns, according to press accounts.
At the time that Darwazeh was shot, he had been filming an Israeli tank stranded at the corner of an alleyway. Darwazeh and several other Palestinian journalists were standing by a door in the alleyway. A few minutes before Darwazeh was killed, Reuters cameraman Hassan Titi filmed a group of Palestinian youths running down the alley away from the stranded tank. Titi and Reuters photographer Abed Qusini, who were standing near Darwazeh, said that an Israeli soldier crouched under the tank and quickly fired a single shot at the journalists from a distance of about 11 to 22 yards (10 or 20 meters). Darwazeh was struck in the back of the head and died instantly.
Titi and Qusini said there were no clashes or gunfire in the alley at the time, although there had been some Palestinian gunfire in the vicinity earlier. The AP reported that gunfire may have struck near the tank at around the same time, but that it likely came from a different direction from where Darwazeh was standing.
Maj. Sharon Feingold, a spokeswoman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was quoted by the AP as saying that Israeli troops had been rescuing the stranded tank when they were attacked with stones, and "explosive devices and shots were fired from the crowd." Despite eyewitness accounts and video footage, the IDF said that it was unclear who fired the shot that killed Darwazeh.
Darwazeh and his colleagues were clearly identified as members of the press, based on the testimony of those at the scene and the video footage of the events. In fact, Darwazeh was wearing a fluorescent jacket marked press, and before the shooting, the journalists said they shouted loudly in both English and Hebrew indicating that they were with the media.
The IDF says it is investigating the incident but has not released any details.
http://cpj.org/killed/2003/nazih-darwazeh.php 6 apr 2012, 22:16 , Respect -
Maria 20 apr 2003
Abdul-Rahman Zuhdi Ahmad Abed, 16
Mus'ab Ibrahim Jaber, 16
Abdul-Rahman of Azoun, near Qalqilya, killed by IDF gunfire to his right armpit during a demonstration.
Mus'ab resident of Jenin, killed in Jenin. Killed when participating in hostilities. Killed during an exchange of gunfire during an IDF operation to arrest a wanted person.
('Abd a-Rahman Zuhdi Ahmad 'Abd) 6 apr 2012, 22:16 , Respect -
Maria 24 apr 2003
Faker 'Aziz 'Azzat 'Arrar, 17
Osamah Hamdallah Sharif 'Arrar, 24
Faker resident of Qarawat Bani Zeid, Ramallah and al-Bira district, killed on 24.04.2003 in Qarawat Bani Zeid, Ramallah and al-Bira district. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Additional information: Killed when soldiers opened fire from their jeep at stone-throwing Palestinians.
Osamah resident of Qarawat Bani Zeid, Ramallah and al-Bira district, killed on 24.04.2003 in Qarawat Bani Zeid, Ramallah and al-Bira district. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Additional information: Killed when soldiers opened fire from their jeep at stone-throwing Palestinians.
6 apr 2012, 22:16 , Respect -
Maria 26 apr 2003
Khalid Mohammed Jarbou
27 apr 2003
Tariq Dovc 21
28 apr 2003
Masab Ibrahim Hasan Jabr, 16
Masab of Jenin, killed by IDF gunfire to his head during an incursion.
6 apr 2012, 22:16 , Respect -
Maria 29 apr 2003
Azhar Ghassan Fawaz Abu 17Mohammed Amin Mahmoud Glma 22
'Adnan Teysir 'Abdallah Jawarish, 25
Mahmoud Mahmoud 'Abd al-Fatah, 30
'Adnan resident of Beit Jala, Bethlehem district, killed in Beit Jala, Bethlehem district. Killed in an exchange of gunfire during an attempt to arrest him.
Mahmoud resident of al-Khader, Bethlehem district, killed in Beit Jala, Bethlehem district. Killed in an exchange of gunfire during an attempt to arrest him.
...Read more 6 apr 2012, 22:21 , Respect -
Maria 1 mei 2003
Amir Ahmad Muhammad Ayyad, 2
Muhammad Abdul-Nasr Abdul-Dahduh, 13
Ahmad Ramadan Younis al-Tatar, 13
Amir of Gaza City, killed by IDF gunfire to his chest and abdomen during an incursion.
Muhammad of Gaza City, killed by IDF gunfire to his chest and abdomen during an incursion.
Ahmad of Gaza City, killed by IDF gunfire to his chest and abdomen during an incursion.
6 apr 2012, 22:21 , Respect -
Maria 1 mei 2003
Muhammad Qa'id Sa'ad Dib, 22Yousuf Abu HeenRami Sa'id
Khaled Jabarin Shahadeh Salameh Abdul-Fattah Mustafa Jabari
Muhammad resident of Gaza city, killed in Yatta, Hebron district. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Killed in an exchange of gunfire during the arrest of a wanted individual.
Khaled resident of Yatta, Hebron district, killed in Yatta, Hebron district. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Killed in an exchange of gunfire during the arrest of a wanted individual.
Name unknown Killed next to Hermesh, Jenin district. Killed while to infiltrate into the Hermesh settlement. He was armed.
...Read more 6 apr 2012, 22:21 , Respect -
Maria 1 mei 2003
Abdullah Faraj UrbanNaim Bassem NaimMohamed Kamal Abu Zarina 6 apr 2012, 22:21 , Respect -
Maria 2 mei 2003
James Miller
May 2, 2003, in Rafah, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Miller, a British freelance cameraman and film director with U.K.-based Frostbite Films, was fatally shot in the Gaza Strip.
An award-winning documentary filmmaker, the journalist was with a crew in the town of Rafah in southern Gaza near the Egyptian border filming an HBO documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That evening, he and his four-person crew were in a Palestinian home filming the army's demolition of houses in the area that the Israeli army alleged contained tunnels used to smuggle arms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohSO_MGNw1Q
According to published testimonies of eyewitnesses and an Associated Press Television News cameraman who was filming in the same house, the incident occurred between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., when the group decided to leave. Miller, his producer Saira Shah, and translator Abdul Rahman Abdullah attempted to identify themselves to the Israeli troops in the area while they were leaving. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops were in armored personnel carriers (APCs) about 330 feet (100 meters) away from the house where the journalists had been filming.
The journalists were wearing jackets and helmets marked "TV." Abdullah waved a white flag while Miller used a flashlight to illuminate the flag. As they approached the APCs, the journalists shouted "Hello," and then a shot was fired. The journalists yelled that they were British journalists, and a second shot was fired immediately after. In video footage of the incident, it appears that that the second shot hit Miller, who was struck in the neck. Several more shots followed.
An Israeli army spokesman was quoted as saying that troops in the area returned fire after being fired on by rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Later, the army said that Miller was struck by a bullet from behind, claiming that he may have been hit by Palestinian fire.
A detailed onsite investigation sponsored by Miller's colleagues, friends, and family and conducted by British security consultant Chris Cobb-Smith of Chiron Resources Limited security company (www.chiron-resources.com) concluded that Miller and his crew "were consciously and deliberately targeted by the IDF soldiers." The report added that it is not clear "whether this action is a deliberate policy by the IDF or whether this incident is a result of ill discipline and malicious intent by the junior soldiers." A copy of the investigation is available at a Web site hosted by James Miller's family, www.justice4jamesmiller.com.
According to the investigation, the area where Miller's crew was operating was quiet for about an hour before he was killed. Prior to that time, witnesses heard only sporadic gunfire, but not in the journalists' vicinity. The report concluded that the IDF must have known that the journalists were in the area.
After viewing the video taken of the incident, Cobb-Smith discounted the IDF's claim that RPG fire had occurred before the troops opened fire on the journalists and observed that the shots were fired without warning. Based on the trajectory of the bullets fired, as well as the unanimous testimony of eyewitnesses who said the fire came from the direction of the APC's, Cobb-Smith also disagrees with suggestions from Israeli officials that the shots came from behind the crew.
As of press time, an Israeli military police investigation into the incident was under way, and the IDF's investigation had not been made public.
http://cpj.org/killed/2003/james-miller.php
11 aug 2005
Israeli Soldier to be jaild for 8 years for killing British Activist
6 apr 2006
UK Jury rules British Journalist's death by Israeli army gunfire is murder
6 apr 2012, 22:21 , Respect -
Maria 4 mei 2003
Muhammad Zahi Majdi Hasan Hijazi, 14,
of Nablus, killed by IDF gunfire to his head during a demonstration.
(Zahavi Majdi Hajazi) 6 apr 2012, 22:21 , Respect -
Maria 7 mei 2003
Elian Saad Elian al-Bashiti, 18 months
Ahmad Isam Muhammad Joudah, 16Amin Hamdan Fadel 29
Elian of Khan Younis, Gaza, killed by IDF shelling to his head.
Ahmad of Jabalya, Gaza, killed by IDF gunfire to his head.
6 apr 2012, 22:21 , Respect -
Maria 8 mei 2003
Ahmad Seifaldeen Khader al-Hamshari, 14
Ahmad Seif Khader al-Hamshri, 15
Zaher Hamad Ass'ad Shuli, 36
Ahmad of Tulkarm refugee camp, died of head wounds sustained March 3 from IDF gunfire while throwing stones at soldiers near his school.
Ahmad Seif resident of Tulkarm R.C., injured on 03.03.2003 in Tulkarm R.C., and died on 08.05.2003. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Killed on his way home from school after throwing stones at soldiers.
Zaher resident of 'Asira a-Shamaliya, Nablus district, killed next to 'Asira a-Shamaliya, Nablus district. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Killed while going by donkey from 'Asira a-Samaliya to Nablus.
6 apr 2012, 22:22 , Respect -
Maria 14 mei 2003
Dia Nasif Qawadra, 15
Teysir Abu Shihab, 22
Dia of Jenin, killed by IDF gunfire to her neck during an incursion.
Teysir resident of Nablus, killed in Nablus. Killed when participating in hostilities. Killed in an exchange of gunfire with soldiers in the casbah in Nablus.
6 apr 2012, 22:22 , Respect -
Maria 15 mei 2003
Taher 'Abdu, 28
resident of Beit Imrin, Nablus district, killed in Beit Imrin, Nablus district. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Taher who suffered from mental illness, was killed by soldiers when he attempted to flee after they saw him in a field.