Distr.
GENERAL

A/52/131
2 May 1997


Original: ENGLISH

Fifty-second session
Item 87 of the preliminary list(1)


REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE ISRAELI PRACTICES AFFECTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE
PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND OTHER ARABS OF
THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Note by the Secretary-General


The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the members of the General Assembly the attached periodic report covering the period from 21 September to 31 December 1996, which was submitted to him, in accordance with paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 of Assembly resolution 51/131 of 13 December 1996, by the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories.


CONTENTS



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

I. INTRODUCTION

II. INFORMATION RECEIVED BY THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE

A. General situation

1. General developments and policy statements
2. Incidents resulting from the occupation
(a) List of Palestinians killed by troops or Israeli civilians
(b) List of other Palestinians killed as a result of the occupation
(c) Other incidents
B. Administration of justice, including the right to a fair trial
1. Palestinian population
2. Israelis

(more)


LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary-General of the United Nations New York

19 February 1997

Sir,

The Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories has the honour to transmit to you herewith, in accordance with paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 of General Assembly resolution 51/131 of 13 December 1996, a periodic report updating information contained in the twenty-eighth report, which it adopted and presented to you on 20 September 1996 (A/51/99/Add.2). The present periodic report has been prepared in order to bring to your attention, and to the attention of the General Assembly, updated information on the human rights situation in the occupied territories.

The present periodic report covers the period from 21 September to 31 December 1996. It is based on written information gathered from various sources among which the Special Committee has selected relevant excerpts and summaries, which are reflected in the report.

Accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

(Signed) Dato' ABDUL MAJID Mohamed

Chairman a.i. of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories





I. INTRODUCTION





1. In its resolution 51/131 of 13 December 1996, the General Assembly:

"5. Requests the Special Committee, pending complete termination of the Israeli occupation, to continue to investigate Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, especially Israeli lack of compliance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, and to consult, as appropriate, with the International Committee of the Red Cross according to its regulations in order to ensure that the welfare and human rights of the peoples of the occupied territories are safeguarded and to report to the Secretary-General as soon as possible and whenever the need arises thereafter;

"6. Also requests the Special Committee to submit regularly to the Secretary-General periodic reports on the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem;

"7. Further requests the Special Committee to continue to investigate the treatment of prisoners in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967."

2. The Special Committee continued its work under the rules of procedure contained in its first report to the Secretary-General and held the first of its series of meetings from 17 to 19 February 1997 at Geneva. The first series of meetings was attended by Mrs. Absa Claude Diallo (Senegal) and Dato' Abdul Majid Mohamed (Malaysia). Since Mr. Herman Leonard de Silva (Sri Lanka, Chairman), was unable to attend, Dato' Abdul Majid Mohamed chaired the meetings.

3. The Special Committee decided to continue its system of monitoring information on the occupied territories and, in accordance with paragraph 7 of resolution 51/131, to pay special attention to information on the treatment of prisoners. The Special Committee examined information appearing in the Israeli press and in the Arab-language newspapers published in the occupied territories on developments that had occurred in the occupied territories between 21 September and 31 December 1996. Other materials related to its mandate were also made available.

4. The Special Committee also decided upon the organization of its work for the year. It agreed to address the Governments of Egypt, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic with a view to seeking their cooperation in the implementation of its mandate. The Special Committee also agreed to address the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations Office at Geneva and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Finally, the Special Committee decided that at its next series of meetings it would undertake hearings in the area for the purpose of recording relevant information or evidence.

5. On 19 February 1997, the Special Committee addressed a letter to the Secretary-General seeking his intervention in an effort to secure the cooperation of the Government of Israel. The Special Committee also addressed the Government of Israel directly.

6. The Special Committee also examined the present report, which was adopted on 19 February 1997.

7. The geographical names and the terminology employed in the present report reflect the usage in the original sources and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Special Committee or the Secretariat of the United Nations.





II. INFORMATION RECEIVED BY THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE





A. General situation





1. General developments and policy statements





8. On 19 September, the seizure of a house on Nablus road in East Jerusalem by Jewish settlers was seen by the Palestinian population of the city as a prelude to a larger operation aimed at seizing scores of other Arab houses within and outside the Old City walls. According to informed sources, 48 Arab houses had been earmarked for takeover by settlers. The sources indicated that the societies of Ateret Kohanim and El-Ad, whose aim was to increase the Jewish presence in the city, have succeeded in buying the houses in question from their Arab owners. (The Jerusalem Times, 27 September)

9. On 23 September, the Israeli authorities opened a new exit to the Hashmonean Tunnel located near the Temple Mount, in defiance of vehement Muslim opposition. The opening took place in secret between 11.30 p.m. and midnight under heavy police guard and sparked off widespread protest by the entire Muslim world and the Palestinian people. During an emergency meeting, the Muslim leaders in Jerusalem charged that the tunnel had damaged Muslim property, including that of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheik Mohammed Hussein, stated that Israel had declared war against the entire Islamic world by opening a new exit to the tunnel, a step which he claimed marked the end of the peace process. Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat stated that the opening of the tunnel constituted a crime against the Muslim religion and its holy places and was contrary to the peace process and all that had been agreed upon. Mr. Arafat declared that the Palestinian people would not look on passively as its holy places were being harmed, and he called for a general commercial strike and demonstrations to be staged throughout the territories. The League of Arab States warned that Israel had enraged Muslims worldwide and risked triggering widespread unrest. A statement issued by the secretariat of the League declared that the League would appeal to the United Nations, the co-sponsors of the peace process, and the European Union to try immediately and seriously to persuade Israel to close the tunnel. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood by his decision, stating that the tunnel represented a bedrock of Jewish existence and that he was proud to implement the previous Government's decision to open the tunnel, which should have opened before. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 25 September)

10. On 24 September, violent clashes between Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) troops and Palestinians protesting the opening of the Hashmonean Tunnel broke out throughout the occupied territories. During the ensuing three days, dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and hundreds more injured in what was described by the IDF as a war rather than intifada. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 25, 26, 27, 28 September)

11. On 24 September, the Palestinian Authority called on the Security Council to discuss the violence which broke out in the territories following the opening of the Hashmonean Tunnel near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Post, 26 September)

12. On 24 September, Palestinian protesters, including the mayor of Hebron, Mustapha Natshe, and the Palestinian Authority Minister for Higher Education, Hanan Ashrawi, demonstrated against the new Israeli policy of allowing the Jewish settlers to have a free hand in the city. (The Jerusalem Times, 27 September)

13. On 25 September, King Hussein of Jordan denounced the opening of a new exit to the Hashmonean Tunnel, stating that the move was an infringement of the rights of all Arabs and Muslims. A statement by the Government of Jordan also condemned the measure, stating that it undermined the structure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, changed the features of the holy city and harmed the feelings of Arabs and Muslims. The statement called on Israel to abide by international agreements and urged Arab and Islamic States to work to preserve the holy site and ensure that Al-Aqsa Mosque sustained no damage. The Arab League issued an official statement claiming that Israel's objective in opening the tunnel was to make the Al-Aqsa Mosque collapse so that the Jewish Temple could be rebuilt in its place. According to the League's Under-Secretary for Palestine Affairs, the 450-metre-long tunnel represents the first step in a scheme to demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Answering these accusations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the tunnel did not pass under the Temple Mount and would not cause it to collapse. The Deputy Religious Affairs Minister announced that the tunnel would be opened to visitors during the Jewish holiday of Succoth and that work on the passageway would continue despite Muslim and Palestinian opposition. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 26 September)

14. On 26 September, the League of Arab States held a special meeting in Cairo at the request of the Palestinians. Following the meeting, it released a statement hailing "the intifada of the Palestinian people, with the participation of its leaders, in intrepidly confronting Israeli repressive practices". The statement, in which the League used the word intifada for the first time in at least three years, indicated that the League considered the latest move to be part of an Israeli and Zionist plot to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque, set up the Temple of Solomon in its place, obliterate Islamic Arab landmarks in Jerusalem and create more facts on the ground which harmed the legal status of Arabs in Jerusalem. The statement charged further that the Government of Israel alone would bear responsibility for the serious consequences which would ensue, and called for an urgent intervention by the Security Council and the sponsors of the Middle East peace process to restrain Israel. (Jerusalem Post, 27 September)

15. On 26 September, Israeli Arab leaders called for a general strike of the entire community of 900,000 to protest against the bloodshed in the territories and the Government's policies. The leaders also called for protest marches to be held in towns and villages throughout the country. However, they called on the public to show restraint throughout the general strike and the protest marches. In the past, violence in the territories had spilled over into the streets of the Arab neighbourhoods in Israel and had led to riots. (Jerusalem Post, 27 September)

16. On 26 September, the Palestinian Authority declared a day of national mourning after the killing of 44 Palestinians by the IDF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. (The Jerusalem Times, 4 October)

17. On 27 September, it was reported that Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat termed the opening of a tunnel bordering the western side of the Al-Aqsa Mosque a breach of the Palestinian-Israeli accords. The tunnel links the Via Dolorosa street in the Muslim Quarter to the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall). The agreements stipulate that no changes would be made in the landscape of the city in East Jerusalem. (The Jerusalem Times, 27 September)

18. On 28 September, the spokesman for the Ministry of Religious Affairs stated that all the Succoth events planned by the Ministry for the Western Wall area were to take place as planned, including tours through the Hashmonean Tunnel. (Jerusalem Post, 29 September)

19. On 28 September, in its resolution 1073 (1996), the Security Council called on Israel to revoke immediately all the measures that had caused the situation in the territories to deteriorate. In the preamble to the resolution, which was approved by 14 Council members, with an abstention by the United States of America, the Security Council expressed its concern about the difficulties facing the peace process and the aggravation of the situation in the territories which affected the living conditions of the Palestinian people. (Ha'aretz, 30 September)

20. On 29 September, Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem called for continued demonstrations, but stated that the protests should be peaceful in order to allow for a return to normal life in the city's Arab neighbourhoods. They also called on pupils to return to school and for businesses to reopen. Both Arab schools and businesses had been closed since 23 September as part of a widespread protest against the opening of the Hashmonean Tunnel. (Jerusalem Post, 30 September)

21. On 30 September, it was reported that all joint patrols in the West Bank had been suspended as the IDF continued to deploy more tanks around Palestinian-controlled areas and to increase pressure on the Palestinians to stabilize the situation there. Furthermore, in the third stage of the IDF "Field of Thorns" contingency plan, the army was reportedly prepared to reoccupy Palestinian-controlled areas should the situation there deteriorate. Chief of General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Amnon Shahak stated that he was doubtful whether the situation that existed prior to the crisis could be restored. This view was expressed by another senior IDF officer, who stated that there had been a total breakdown of confidence in the Palestinian police, who in some cases had reportedly turned their guns on Israeli soldiers with whom they had patrolled only a day before. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 30 September)

22. On 30 September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai and senior IDF officials discussed IDF activities in the territories following numerous violent clashes in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Among the issues discussed were the rules of opening fire. According to the new rules, soldiers serving in the territories were allowed to shoot immediately in order to kill whenever they were fired at. In addition, the rules stated that Palestinians were henceforth prohibited from approaching IDF outposts and that soldiers were authorized to shoot at and kill without hesitation any Palestinian who came within the range of or approached an IDF outpost or soldiers. (Ha'aretz, 1 October)

23. On 30 September, it was reported that according to figures released by the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority, 250 Palestinians who were injured during clashes with IDF troops were still hospitalized in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. Among them, 80 were listed as being in serious condition. The director of the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority, Dr. Imad Trawiya, reported that more than 65 Palestinians had been killed and some 1,700 injured since 25 August. According to Dr. Trawiya, most of the casualties had been injured by shots in the head, stomach and chest and that there had been a clear intention to hit the upper part of the body. Dr. Trawiya pointed out that the principal current problem was that soldiers were making it difficult for ambulances to pass into the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem. He stated that an ambulance driver was killed and a paramedic and another driver injured by IDF gunfire on 26 September. A total of five ambulances had been hit during the riots. (Ha'aretz, 30 September)

24. On 1 October, an Officer Commanding (OC) IDF combat troops stated that practically all army training and courses had been stopped and that most of the soldiers, cadets and officers had been stationed in the territories. The statement was made when the IDF continued to deploy additional forces in the territories, including armoured personnel carriers and tanks. Snipers from elite commando units are also said to have been dispatched in pairs to military bases in the territories. (Ha'aretz, 2 October)

25. On 1 October, it was reported that according to a report compiled by investigators from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, the majority of the Palestinians killed or injured in the Gaza Strip during the two days of clashes in September had been hit in the head, neck, chest or stomach, clearly proving that the Israeli forces used their weapons with the aim of killing or inflicting serious injury. The report mentioned the killing of a male nurse, who was shot in the chest while providing assistance to casualties. Another medical worker and an ambulance driver were also hit. According to the report, this proved that shots were fired indiscriminately. It stated further that medical personnel wore special uniforms in order to be easily identifiable. It was observed that shooting at medical personnel constituted a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. In a related development, it was reported that 409 out of the more than 500 Palestinians who were wounded in clashes in the Gaza Strip remained hospitalized in clinics and hospitals in Rafah. Some casualties were sent home prematurely because of the hospitals' limited capacity and had to return for treatment every day. (Ha'aretz, 1 October)

26. On 2 October, an Israeli army spokesman stated that IDF troops in the occupied territories had been placed on alert in order to counter Palestinian reaction in the wake of the results of the Washington summit. Six cities in the West Bank were cordoned off by tank formations. Tanks were also deployed along the entire length of the Green Line separating Israel from the occupied territories and the self-rule areas. (The Jerusalem Times, 4 October)

27. On 3 October, Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai held a special meeting with senior army officers in order to assess the situation in the territories. Three scenarios regarding a renewed conflagration of hostilities were examined at the meeting: shooting incidents and mass demonstrations; demonstrations and strikes without shooting incidents; and demonstrations accompanied by the throwing of stones and incendiary bottles. The IDF was given rules for opening fire corresponding to each case. (Ha'aretz, 4 October)

28. On 4 October, it was reported that Hamas had called on Palestinians to engage in a "total confrontation" with soldiers and settlers. In a statement it released, Hamas labelled the previous week's violence the "Al-Aqsa intifada" and urged that it be continued "as long as the crimes of Judaization and settlements went on". However, on the orders of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, Palestinian police visited schools and universities in the Gaza Strip and warned students to refrain from violent demonstrations. (Jerusalem Post, 4 October)

29. On 4 October, it was reported that the final casualty toll of the September confrontations amounted to 1,200 Palestinians wounded and 70 killed, while 14 Israeli soldiers had been killed and 50 wounded. (The Jerusalem Times, 4 October)

30. On 8 October, the OC Southern Command, General Shlomo Yanai, stated that a total of 35 Palestinians had been killed and more than 500 injured during the violence which erupted in the Gaza Strip some two weeks earlier. Mr. Yanai believed that IDF soldiers had shown great restraint during the confrontations and that the Palestinian death toll could have been much higher. (Ha'aretz, 9 October)

31. On 8 October, the human rights organization B'tselem announced that it had conducted an investigation of the clashes of 28 September at the Temple Mount and found that "policemen had used lethal weapons in situations in which their lives were not threatened". The organization claimed that police had used live ammunition to break up the demonstrations that erupted after Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Jerusalem police spokeswoman declined to comment on B'tselem's findings on the grounds that the Justice Ministry's Police Investigations Division was conducting an inquiry into the matter. (Jerusalem Post, 9 October; Ha'aretz, 10 October)

32. On 11 October, it was reported that the human rights organization Al-Haq had stated that 65 Palestinians had been killed in the recent clashes in the West bank and the Gaza Strip. The count included two Palestinians, both from the Gaza Strip, who died of their wounds during the week. In a separate report, the International Society for the Defence of Children indicated that 16 children were among those killed in the clashes. The report added that 1,600 persons had been wounded, 23 of whom, including 5 children, remained in intensive care. (The Jerusalem Times, 11 October)

33. On 16 October, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, warned the United States against extraditing Mussa Abu Marzuk, the head of the Political Bureau of the Movement, to Israel. Hamas warned that the extradition of Abu Marzuk would ignite a new wave of bloody confrontations in the areas. (The Jerusalem Times, 18 October)

34. On 21 October, the IDF magazine Bamahaneh reported that officers commanding IDF troops in the West Bank would thenceforth be instructed to use tank fire against targets in populated areas in the West Bank. The magazine also reported that the Central Command had decided to increase the number of IDF troops, tanks and armoured personnel carriers stationed in the West Bank. A senior military source explained that the IDF was not willing to take any risks and was preparing soldiers for the eventuality of another confrontation with the Palestinians. (Ha'aretz, 21 October)

35. On 25 October, it was reported that soldiers and settlers had been placed on high alert for fear that Islamic Jihad "terrorists" might attempt to carry out kidnappings. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai ordered the security forces to maintain a high level of alert amid specific warnings of an attempted suicide attack by Muslim extremists on the anniversary of the assassination of Islamic Jihad leadeJerusalem Post, 25 October)

36. On 29 October, Foreign Minister David Levy told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that the Government was in distress over the Oslo Accords, which, he claimed, had been "forced upon it". According to an official briefing, Mr. Levy stated that the Government had determined that it would not abandon the settlers on diplomatic, moral or political grounds. While strongly criticizing the Oslo Accords, he stressed, however, the Government's commitment, albeit unwillingly, to honour them. (Jerusalem Post, 30 October)

37. On 31 October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the Jewish settlement in Hebron would never be uprooted. Featured as a guest speaker before the Central Committee of the National Religious Party, Mr. Netanyahu cited maintaining and strengthening the Jewish settlement in Hebron and safeguarding the tombs of the Jewish patriarchs as his Government's twin goals in the talks on redeployment. (Jerusalem Post, 1 November)

38. On 1 November 1996, it was reported that the Israeli army had begun building two concrete walls in order to separate Israel from the West Bank. The two-mile-long walls in the northern West Bank, in the Tulkarm and Kalkiliya areas. The decision to erect the walls was taken by the Labour coalition of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. (The Jerusalem Times, 1 November)

39. On 3 November, the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry published a report stating that the closure that had been in force in the Gaza Strip for a month had already caused the death of 17 Palestinians, who were unable to receive adequate medical treatment. The report, published in the Al-Quds newspaper, stated that the Israeli authorities had allowed only 80 out of 260 patients requiring medical treatment in Israel or in Jordan to leave the Strip. According to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, the 17 patients who died were among those whose entry to Israel had not been approved. (Ha'aretz, 4 November)

40. On 5 November, joint Israeli and Palestinian patrols resumed in Jenin and Jericho, more than a month after they were halted following the violent riots in the territories. An Israeli security source stated that the deployment of joint patrols in other West Bank cities was reportedly under discussion and would be resumed shortly. The resumption of the joint patrols in Jenin and Jericho came after weeks of consultations between Israeli and Palestinian officers and a meeting between the various joint patrols. Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai stated that the mutual confidence between the two forces had been greatly shaken during the riots. Speaking before the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Mordechai noted that at least two Israeli soldiers had been shot by Palestinian members of the joint patrols. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 6 November)

41. On 8 November, it was reported that Palestinian policemen and Israeli soldiers had resumed their joint patrols in the area of Jericho, Jenin and Tulkarm. The patrols were suspended following the outbreak of clashes at the end of September 1996. (The Jerusalem Times, 8 November)

42. On 8 November, the Israeli Minister of Infrastructure, Ariel Sharon, reportedly announced a general plan whereby large settlements would be constructed between Jerusalem and Ramallah. These settlements would form part of a longer line of settlements which would extend from the north of Jerusalem to the suburbs of Tel Aviv. The director of the mapping department at the Arab Studies Centre, Khalil Tofakji, indicated that the plan had been blueprinted back in 1990, when Sharon was Minister of Housing. (The Jerusalem Times, 8 November)

43. On 10 November, Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai stated that there would be no mass round-ups of Jewish extremists in Hebron. He added, however, that the Government would not hesitate to detain extremists in order to prevent violence and the disruption of the IDF redeployment in the city. Mr. Mordechai explained that the Government's policy was to resort to administrative detention orders against Jews only if the security forces were sure that a person posed a real threat that could inflame the situation and endanger Jews or Arabs. Finally, he indicated that there was no intention of removing any Jewish settlers from Hebron. (Jerusalem Post, 11 November)

44. On 12 November, an acrimonious exchange between the left and right took place in the Knesset Interior Committee during a discussion about the beatification of Baruch Goldstein's grave. The Committee eventually decided to ask the State Comptroller to investigate how the area surrounding the grave of the man who had murdered 29 Muslim worshippers in Hebron in 1994 had been turned into a garden with numerous visitors. The Committee also decided to ask the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Civil Administration to "consider transferring the grave to a more modest site". The grave is located in Meir Kahane Park near the entrance to the Kiryat Arba settlement. In addition to the tombstone, the site comprises a tiled floor, a wash basin, two bookcases for prayer books and a charity box. A sign indicates that the site is meant only for saying prayers and chanting psalms and that men and women should stand separately. The grave is inscribed with the word "martyr" and the inscription "He gave his life for the people of Israel, its Torah and its land ... He was killed sanctifying God's name". (Jerusalem Post, 13 November)

45. On 17 November, it was reported that the Government had decided to work for the strengthening of Israeli sovereignty in East Jerusalem. An interministerial panel headed by Interior Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani was reportedly preparing a plan to strengthen the Israeli presence in East Jerusalem. According to a senior government source, the plan was aimed at "making East Jerusalem look like West Jerusalem". The source also indicated that "Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and all of it had to look the same". The decision to strengthen Israeli sovereignty in East Jerusalem was taken by the Interministerial Committee on Jerusalem Affairs headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Jerusalem Municipality and various ministries were requested to submit a five-year action plan in their fields of competence. The Jerusalem Municipality, the Interior Security Ministry and the Transport Ministry had already submitted several proposals to the interministerial panel. Interior Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani urged the other ministries to complete their action plans and submit them to the panel as soon as possible so that it could present an overall plan for approval by the Interministerial Committee. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also urged the ministers to hurry up in elaborating their plans. (Ha'aretz, 17 November)

46. On 18 November, it was reported that a senior IDF commander had revealed that combat troops carried out more patrols in the territories and performed less training in the field owing to renewed demands on the IDF to deploy in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The officer stated that the modification in the use of troops had been decided following the recent violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during which hundreds of troops were dispatched to those areas in order to suppress Palestinian rioters. (Jerusalem Post, 18 November)

47. On 19 November, Palestinian Authority Minister Abed-Rabbo warned that should the policy of the Government of Israel continue along its current track, it would be heading towards a "total confrontation" with the Palestinians. He stated at a press conference held at the Palestinian Authority Information Ministry in Ramallah that the current Israeli Government no longer had a policy of creating normal relations between the Palestinian people and Israelis. He stated that the Government had adopted a policy aimed at encouraging and protecting settlers who confiscated and stole Palestinian land and observed that the Government was taking daily steps and decisions that risked leading to a violent confrontation on a wide scale with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority. (Jerusalem Post, 22 November)

48. On 19 November, the Israeli Internal Security Service (Shin Beth) arrested 17 Palestinians in Hebron. They were accused of membership in the Islamic Jihad. (The Jerusalem Times, 22 November)

49. On 22 November, it was reported that the IDF had increased its presence in the positions it had taken up around Nablus in the wake of the September clashes. The IDF also set up a new position west of Nablus, along the main road. The IDF reinforcements have led to growing tension between the two sides. (The Jerusalem Times, 22 November)

50. On 24 November, Egypt stated that Israel's resumption of settlement activities in occupied Arab land constituted a violation of international law and the principles of the Middle East peace process. Foreign Minister Amr Moussa stated that, once again, Israel was striving to create a fait accompli in the occupied territories and ignore the principle of "land for peace". Mr. Moussa warned that such policies and practices raised extremely dangerous and serious questions as to the true intentions of the current Government of Israel. The League of Arab States also warned that Israel's settlement building in the territories would increase tension and violence in the region and lead to the questioning of Israel's "intentions about the Middle East peace process". (Jerusalem Post, 25 November)

51. On 25 November, Farouk Kaddoumi, a senior aide to Yasser Arafat, was quoted as stating that Israel's behaviour justified suicide bomb attacks by Islamic militants. Mr. Kaddoumi, who is the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Political Department, stated in an interview published in the London-based Al-Wasat magazine that the policy of the Government of Israel of building additional settlements in the West Bank was pushing Palestinians towards resistance. (Jerusalem Post, 26 November)

52. On 25 November, the IDF dispatched large numbers of forces, including tanks and armoured personnel carriers, to the Gaza Strip and ordered officers commanding IDF troops in the region to be inflexible in their treatment of Palestinians. In addition, the IDF made it clear to the Palestinian Authority that a renewed outbreak of riots in the territories would lead to the implementation of military plans to enter Palestinian population centres. The move came after an incident in which Yasser Arafat allegedly instructed the Palestinian security forces to block the Netzarim junction. (Ha'aretz, 26 November)

53. On 28 November, the Association of Physicians for Human Rights protested against the decision by the Interministerial Committee on General Security Service (GSS) Affairs to extend once again the permission granted to the GSS to use "exceptional interrogation methods" during the interrogation of Palestinians. According to the Association, these methods were nothing but torture. The Association stated that the permission that the Interministerial Committee granted every three months was automatic and therefore an object of derision. It observed that this only meant that Israel had not learned a lesson from the death of the Palestinian detainee Abed Harizat and that it did not attach any importance to the fact that it was a signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Association indicated further that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads the Interministerial Committee on the GSS, had declared in his speech before the American Congress that "democracy and human rights were one of the three foundations of a permanent peace" and it called on him to act accordingly. (Ha'aretz, 29 November)

54. On 6 December, an official report prepared by the Information Ministry of the Palestinian Authority revealed that since the 1967 War, Israel had confiscated more than half the land in the occupied territories. The report stated that out of the 5.8 million dunums of land which constituted the total area of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli authorities had confiscated more than 3 million dunums, which amounted to 74 per cent of the West Bank and 40 per cent of the Gaza Strip. The report added that since the signing of the Oslo I Agreement in September 1993 until September 1996, Israel had confiscated some 300,000 dunums of Arab land in the West Bank, using a number of security pretexts and a set of military orders. (The Jerusalem Times, 6 December)

55. On 6 December, it was reported that the Palestinian expert on settlement, Khalil Toufakji, noted that Israel had almost completed what he called a third Green Line, in reference to the 1967 border between Israel and the West Bank. Toufakji stated that the new line, which cuts through Palestinian villages north-west of Jerusalem, aimed to redefine the borders before the start of the final status talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. In another development, the Hebrew daily Yediot Aharanot reported earlier in the week that some $40 million had been raised by various Jewish organizations for the purpose of purchasing land and assets in Hebron, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and in the Negev. (The Jerusalem Times, 6 December)

56. On 13 December, the Cabinet voted with an overwhelming majority to reinstate financial subsidies to all settlers by conferring "top national priority" status on the territories. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to head a ministerial committee for the implementation of the decision, designed to give settlers a range of tax breaks and preferential mortgage terms, as well as assist businesses with grants amounting to up to 30 per cent of the investment. The Palestinian Authority's Cabinet denounced Israel's decision as a "declaration of war" on the peace process and urged Palestinians to take to the streets to defend the land of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. (Ha'aretz, 13 and 15 December; Jerusalem Post, 15 December)

57. On 13 December, it was reported that Palestinian sources estimated at 1,700 the number of martyrs killed by the Israeli occupation forces during the intifada. Approximately 100,000 others were wounded. According to a report, published by the Israeli human rights organization B'tselem, 1,251 Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers from the beginning of the intifada until August 1996. (The Jerusalem Times, 13 December)

58. On 20 December, Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, issued a Christmas message condemning the Israeli authorities for turning Palestinian towns into "large prisons" and calling for religious leaders to work for peace at a time when peace seemed impossible. Sabbah, the first Palestinian to serve as the titular head of the Roman Catholic community in the Holy Land, described the current year as one of the most difficult periods in the life of the Palestinian people. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 22 December)

59. On 23 December, a Palestinian source, Colonel Saeb Ajez, announced that an agreement had been reached concerning the reopening of the road running parallel to the Gaza coastline west of the Netzarim settlement. The road had been closed for the past two years. Ajez added that the agreement included new security arrangements for the Netzarim settlement. (The Jerusalem Times, 27 December)

2. Incidents resulting from the occupation

60. The following abbreviations of the names of newspapers are used in the tables:

H: Ha'aretz

JP: Jerusalem Post

JT: The Jerusalem Times.

(a) List of Palestinians killed by troops or Israeli civilians



Date
Name and age
Place of residence
Remarks and source
25 September
    Ibrahim or Raied Sharaka, 15
Jalazone refugee camp (West Bank)
    Killed by IDF gunfire during a violent demonstration at an IDF checkpoint located at the southern entrance to El-Bireh, near Ramallah. (H, 26, 27, 29, 30 September; JP, 26 September)
25 September
    Munir Jamhour, 22 or 23
Beit Anan (Ramallah area)
    Killed by IDF gunfire during a violent demonstration at an IDF checkpoint at the southern entrance to El-Bireh, near Ramallah. (H, 26, 27, 29 and 30 September; JP, 26 September)
25 September
    Ashraf el Ashraf, 28
Gaza Strip
    Palestinian policeman. Killed by IDF gunfire during a violent demonstration at an IDF checkpoint at the southern entrance to El-Bireh, near Ramallah. (H, 26, 27, 29, 30 September; JP, 26 September)
25 September
    (Name and age not reported)
(Not reported)
    Killed by IDF gunfire during a violent demonstration at an IDF checkpoint at the southern entrance to El-Bireh, near Ramallah. (H, 26, 27, 29 and 30 September; JP, 26 September)
25 September
    3 persons (names and ages not reported)
(Not reported)
    Palestinian youth. Shot in the head by Israeli police during riots on the Temple Mount. According to the director of Mukassad Hospital, was killed by live ammunition, a charge denied by the Jerusalem district police spokesman, who stated that only rubber bullets and tear gas had been used during the riots. (H, 27 September)
26 September
    (Name and age not reported)
(Not reported)
    Killed during an exchange of fire between IDF soldiers and Palestinian policemen at an Israeli army roadblock at the southern entrance to El-Bireh village, near Ramallah. (H, 26, 27, 29 and 30 September; JP, 26 September)
26 September
    Mura Sa'ad, 17
Deir Al Balah (Gaza Strip)
    Student. Shot in the neck by IDF soldiers who opened fire at Palestinian pupils throwing stones in the direction of the Kfar Darom settlement. (H, 27 September and 1 October; JP, 27 September)
26 September
    Mohammed Al-Astal, 14
Khan Younis (Gaza Strip)
    Shot by Israeli forces in the head, chest and arms during riots in the Gaza Strip. (H, 27 September and 1 October; JP, 27 September)
26 September
    Qasim Al-Njaili, 15
Gaza Strip
    Shot by Israeli forces in the chest during riots in the Gaza Strip. (H, 27 September and 1 October; JP, 27 September)
26 September
    Basil Na'im, 25
Beit Hanoun (Gaza Strip)
    Nurse at Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Shot in the chest while helping the wounded. Another nurse and an ambulance driver were wounded in the same incident. (H, 27 September and 1 October; JP, 27 September)
26 September
    20 persons (names and ages not reported)
Gaza Strip
    Killed by Israeli forces during riots in the Gaza Strip. (H, JP, 27 September)
26 September
    Mazen Abu-Ahur, 21
(Not reported)
    Officer in the Palestinian Preventive Security Service. Killed by IDF soldiers during clashes with Palestinian demonstrators and Palestinian policemen near Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem. (H, JP, 27 September)
26 September
    Mohammed Abu-Srur, 22
Bethlehem
    Killed by IDF soldiers during clashes with Palestinian demonstrators and Palestinian policemen near Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem. (H, JP, 27 September)
26 September
    (Name not reported), 15
(Not reported)
    Killed during an exchange of fire between IDF soldiers and Palestinian policemen at an Israeli army roadblock at the southern entrance to El-Bireh village, near Ramallah. (H, 27 and 29 September; JP, 27 September)
26 September
    10 persons (names and ages not reported)
(Not reported)
    Killed during an exchange of fire between IDF soldiers and Palestinian policemen at an Israeli army roadblock at the southern entrance to El-Bireh village, near Ramallah. (H, 27 and 29 September; JP, 27 September)
26 September
    Iyad Tripi, 22
El-Bireh
    Killed during an exchange of fire between IDF soldiers and Palestinian policemen at an Israeli army roadblock at the southern entrance to El-Bireh village, near Ramallah. (H, 27 and 29 September; JP, 27 September)
26 September
    (Name and age not reported)
(Not reported)
    Died in a hospital in Ramallah of wounds sustained during clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and IDF soldiers at an army roadblock at the entrance to Ramallah. (H, 27 September)
26 September
    2 persons (names and ages not reported)
(Not reported)
    Killed during exchanges of fire between armed Palestinians and IDF soldiers at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus. (H, JP, 27 September)
27 September
    Ibrahim Abu Ghana or Rnam, 19
A-Tur neighbourhood (Jerusalem)
    Shot in the neck by the police during unrest on the Temple Mount. (H, JP, 29 September)
27 September
    Iman Edkeikdak, 25 or 28
A-Tur neighbourhood
    Shot in the head by the police during unrest on the Temple Mount. (H, JP, 27 September)
27 September
    Jawad Bazlamit, 20
El Suwani or Ras el Amud neighbourhood
    Shot in the head by the police during unrest on the Temple Mount. (H, JP, 27 September)
27 September
    Hanin Kassem, five-month-old baby girl
Shu'fat refugee camp
    According to her family, died of tear-gas inhalation during clashes between Palestinian youths and the police in the Shu'fat refugee camp. A doctor in Mukassad Hospital stated, however, that it was impossible to determine whether this had effectively been the case since the baby had suffered from cardiac malfunction since birth. An autopsy was not performed, on religious grounds. (H, 29 September)
27 September
    Zi'ad el Sharif, 37
Tulkarm
    Officer in the Palestinian security service. Killed during exchanges of fire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian policemen near Jericho. (H, 29 September)
27 September
    Firas Awjna, 20
Jericho
    Killed during exchanges of fire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian policemen near Jericho. (H, 29 September)
27 September
    Fadi Atiya, 19
Jericho
    Killed during exchanges of fire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian policemen near Jericho. (H, 29 September)
29 September
    Mansur Shwamra, 22
Kadura refugee camp
    Shot in the head during clashes with IDF soldiers on 25 September. Died of his wounds in the State-owned hospital in Ramallah. (H, 30 September)
1 October
    (Name and age not reported)
Gaza Strip
    Palestinian boy. Died in hospital from wounds sustained during riots in Gaza a week earlier. (JP, 2 October)
1 October
    (Name and age not reported)
Gaza Strip
    Palestinian policeman. Died in hospital of wounds sustained during riots in Gaza a week earlier. (JP, 2 October)
2 October
    Abed el Karim Isa el B'tir, 12 or 13
Sa'ir village (Hebron area)
    Shot dead by IDF soldiers during a stone-throwing incident on the Halhoul bypass road. Three or four other youths were moderately to seriously injured during the same incident. According to an investigator from the human rights organization Al-Haq, there had been no justification for the shooting, which, according to eyewitnesses, occurred with no provocation whatsoever on the part of the youths. (H, 3 and 4 October; JP, 3 October)
7 October
    Ri'ad Li'am Raheb, 25
Gaza Strip
    Palestinian policeman. Shot in the head during riots in the Gaza Strip. Died of his wounds in hospital. (H, 8 October)
21 October
    Fathi Sahouri, 40, 42 or 43
Sinjil village (Ramallah area)
    Found dead in his vehicle on the Ramallah bypass road. According to a police spokesman, killed in a stone-throwing incident. He stated that it was unclear whether Arabs or Jews were behind the stoning. Palestinian eyewitnesses claimed that the man had been killed by shots in the head fired from an Israeli vehicle, possibly by settlers. Palestinian doctors from the Ramallah Hospital who performed an autopsy also reported that the man had been killed by a bullet and not by a stone. (H, JP, 22, 23 and 28 October; JT, 25 October)
22 October
    Abdullah Karakreh, 18 or 19
Sinjil village (Ramallah area)
    Shot in the neck by IDF soldiers during a demonstration in protest of the killing of a resident of Sinjil village a day before, apparently by a settler. (H, JP, 23 October; JT, 25 October)
27 October
    Hilmi Shoushi, 10 or 11
Husan village
    Beaten to death by a settler from Betar after allegedly throwing stones at cars near Husan village. (H, JP, 29 and 30 October; also referred to in JT, 29 and 30 October)
10 November
    Atallah Hasan Amireh, 36
Naaleh village (or Naalin)
    Palestinian landowner and father of seven. Shot in the chest by the IDF with live ammunition during peaceful Palestinian protests against land confiscation in the Ramallah area. (H, JP, 11 November; also referred to in JT, 15 November)
20 November
    Ihab Jrir Abu Hadaf, 16
Gaza Strip
    Shot in the stomach during clashes near the Kfar Darom settlement in the Gaza Strip on 26 September. Died in a hospital in Gaza where he had been receiving treatment since then. (H, 21 November)
12 December
    Samir Abu Shaqfa, 40
Jabalia refugee camp
    Shot dead by an Israeli citizen who claimed that he suspected him of being a burglar or a "terrorist". According to Palestinians, however, the man was killed in revenge against killing of a women settler and her son on 11 December. (H, JP, 13 December)
30 December
    Ibrahim Abu Nassir, 33
Gaza Strip
    Shot dead by a settler from Kfar Darom. According to the settler's version, he was shot after infiltrating into the settlement and trying to attack two residents. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights which investigated the incident, the man did not enter the settlement but was shot on a path along the settlement's fence while he was on his way to visit his relatives. (H, JP, 31 December; H, 1 January)




(b) List of other Palestinians killed as a result of the occupation




Date
Name and age
Place of residence
Remarks and source
16 November
    Mahmoud Sa'id Asfasa, 31 or 34
Kabatiya village (Jenin area)
    Known Hamas activist. Released from an Israeli prison two months earlier. According to villagers, served numerous jail sentences for involvement with Hamas. Died in an explosion in his courtyard in Kabatiya, apparently while preparing a bomb. (H, 17 and 19 November; JP, 17 November)
21 November
    Mouhamad Mahmoud Brhama, 12 or 13
Anzah village
    Killed by a landmine he was playing with. According to an IDF investigation, the mine was planted by Jordanians before 1967. However, Palestinian villagers accused Israel of being behind the explosion, stating that soldiers holding exercises in the area left ammunition behind. (H, 22 November; JP, 22 and 24 November; also referred to in JT, 15 November)
21 or 22 November
    Nimar Mouhamad J'rar, 13
Anzah village
    Killed by a landmine he was playing with. According to an IDF investigation, the mine was planted by Jordanians before 1967. However, Palestinian villagers accused Israel of being behind the explosion stating that soldiers holding exercises in the area left ammunition behind them. (H, 22 November; JP, 22 and 24 November; also referred to in JT, 15 November)





(c) Other incidents

61. On 23 September, three IDF soldiers were slightly injured when a car driven by a Palestinian deliberately crashed into their jeep near the Alfei Menasheh settlement. When the three soldiers approached the vehicle, the driver threatened them with a gas canister and tried to escape. He was seriously wounded when he was shot after ignoring an order to stop. In another incident, shots were fired from Rafah at an IDF patrol, but there were no injuries or damage. The soldiers returned fire and began searching the area. (Ha'aretz, 24 and 25 September; Jerusalem Post, 26 September)

62. On 24 September, violent demonstrations broke out in East Jerusalem in protest against the opening of a new entrance to the Hashmonean Tunnel in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. A general commercial strike was declared in East Jerusalem, and Arab educational institutions were closed at midday. In the morning, the Director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, as well as members of the Palestinian National Council, led a protest march through the streets of the Old City in which hundreds of Palestinians participated. The protesters were pushed back by police and border police forces when they reached the Via Dolorosa. Less than an hour later, another demonstration broke out at the Temple Mount compound, with dozens of youths throwing stones at policemen who were deployed at the entrance to the Mount. The policemen responded by firing rubber bullets in the air. One policeman was slightly injured in the eye during the demonstration. A dozen Palestinian youths were detained for throwing stones and bottles. Shortly thereafter, other riots erupted in the commercial district of East Jerusalem, with dozens of youths throwing stones at police and border police, who responded by firing rubber bullets; 11 Palestinians were arrested on suspicion of throwing stones. In another incident, protesters torched an Israeli truck near the Salah a-Din Street and a rented car near the American Colony Hotel. In western Jerusalem, dozens of Arab students from the Hebrew University and Peace Now activists protested against the opening of the tunnel and the demolition of Palestinian homes. In the Ramallah area, stones were thrown at an IDF patrol. Two other stone-throwing incidents took place in the Sufa crossing to the Gaza Strip. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 25 September)

63. On 24 September, disturbances were reported in Jerusalem when young Palestinians who gathered near the tunnel opened by the Israelis near the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque were prevented by the IDF from entering the holy compound. The unrest spread to Jerusalem's streets. Demonstrators burned an Israeli truck on East Jerusalem's Al Zahra street. Thirty Palestinians were detained. (The Jerusalem Times, 4 October)

64. On 25 September, violent clashes between IDF troops and Palestinians broke out throughout the territories as thousands of Palestinians vented their rage over the opening of the Hashmonean Tunnel near the Temple Mount. Eight Palestinians were killed by IDF gunfire and some 350 injured, most slightly, by tear-gas inhalation. Twelve IDF soldiers and an Israeli civilian were slightly to moderately injured by Palestinian police gunfire and by stones and bottles thrown by Palestinian protesters. The most violent incident occurred at a checkpoint located at the entrance to Ramallah. The incident began when between 1,000 and 1,500 Palestinians, many of whom were students at Bir Zeit University, approached an IDF checkpoint south of Ramallah to protest against the opening of the Hashmonean Tunnel and the policy of the Government of Israel. The Palestinians hurled stones and bottles at soldiers, who responded by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and warning shots in the air. Additional troops were dispatched to the checkpoint. Between 200 and 240 demonstrators were injured, some seriously. During an ensuing gun battle between Palestinian policemen and IDF troops, five Palestinians were killed (see list). Seven Israeli soldiers were wounded by Palestinian police gunfire; one soldier was injured by stones. In East Jerusalem, three Palestinian youths were shot dead (see list) during riots that erupted on the Temple Mount at the end of the prayers. The bodies of the three victims were taken to Mukassad Hospital, where 80 other injured Palestinians were being treated, 43 of whom were listed as being in moderate to serious condition, while the rest were slightly to moderately wounded. The hospital's director stated that there was no doubt that the three youths had been killed by live bullets. One eyewitness of the incident stated that policemen dressed as Arabs mingled with the crowd and shot indiscriminately. In another incident in East Jerusalem, mounted policemen and baton-wielding border policemen broke up a protest march of several hundred Palestinians. The Religious Affairs Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Hassan Tahboub, was injured when hit in the head by border policemen wielding batons. Jerusalem Mufti Akram Sabri was also injured during the clash. During other incidents, 10 Palestinians were slightly injured, while 7 were detained when other protest marches were forcibly dispersed in East Jerusalem, where a general commercial strike was proclaimed at 12 noon. In Beit Hanina and the Shu'fat refugee camp, youths threw stones at Israeli vehicles. In A-Tur neighbourhood, youths burned tires and blocked a road. In the Isawiya village in East Jerusalem, youths threw stones at border police troops who responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas and injuring two Palestinians. Riots also took place in Ras el Amud and Abu Dis. During clashes with IDF and border police troops in Bethlehem, 90 Palestinians were injured at Rachel's Tomb, 12 by gunfire. The confrontation began when hundreds of Palestinians from Bethlehem and the Aida refugee camp arrived at the tomb and set fire to scaffolding that was put up as part of the works to "protect" the site. Palestinians clashed with soldiers and border policemen who responded by using tear gas, throwing shock grenades and firing gravel at the demonstrators. Additional shooting incidents took place later in the day; four Palestinians were wounded. In an earlier demonstration in Bethlehem, hundreds of students of the University of Bethlehem headed towards Rachel's Tomb, throwing stones at the IDF and border police troops, who dispersed them without causing any injuries. A general commercial strike was observed for two hours in Hebron, where a few dozen Palestinians burned an Israeli flag. In Jenin, the District Governor and the Police Chief led a protest march of 10,000 Palestinians. Another protest march, in which 2,000 Palestinians, including school children, participated, was held in Kalkiliya, with demonstrators carrying signs condemning the opening of the tunnel in the Old City of Jerusalem and the Government's policy of land confiscation and settlement expansion. Other demonstrations took place in Jericho, Tulkarm and Nablus. In the Gaza Strip, several hundred Palestinians demonstrated at the Netzarim junction. The army stated that the demonstrators were dispersed peacefully. In Gaza City, some 5,000 high school students chanted "death to the criminal" (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) and burned an Israel flag. Commenting on the events in the territories, Yasser Arafat stated that he held the Government of Israel responsible for the deterioration of the situation. Mr. Arafat accused the Government of oppressing the Palestinian people who protested against the violation of the peace accords and the opening of the Hashmonean Tunnel under holy Muslim sites. The Palestinian Authority declared a national day of mourning following the killing and wounding of Palestinian demonstrators. (Jerusalem Post, 26 September; Ha'aretz, 26 and 30 September)

65. On 25 September, clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces at the entrance to El-Bireh resulted in the death of seven Palestinians, three of whom were policemen. Clashes also occurred at Rachel's Tomb at the entrance to Bethlehem. The number of injured in El-Bireh and Bethlehem was estimated at 400. Border guards and soldiers also attacked a crowd of peaceful protesters in Jerusalem, among whom were three Palestinian Authority ministers and three members of the Palestinian Council. The most violent clashes took place at the southern entrance to El-Bireh, at the Israeli military checkpoint, which was attacked by stone-throwing demonstrators. Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas. Some 250 Bir Zeit University students were injured during the confrontations. When the Israeli forces entered territory under the control of the Palestinian Authority at the entrances to El-Bireh and Ramallah, both within the A Area, Palestinian security forces intervened. Three policemen were killed by the Israeli forces. (The Jerusalem Times, 27 September and 4 October)

66. On 26 September, dozens of Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured during clashes in the territories between Israeli soldiers, Palestinian demonstrators and Palestinian police. In addition, 11 Israeli soldiers were killed and 55 injured. Three Israeli civilians were also injured. According to the Palestinian Authority Chairman, 69 Palestinians were killed and 1,086 injured. According to Riyad Zanoun, the Health Minister of the Palestinian Authority, 44 Palestinians were killed by IDF soldiers, while 739 were injured (392 in the Gaza Strip and 347 in the West Bank). Israeli Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai declared a state of emergency, and all available regular soldiers, tanks, armoured personnel carriers, helicopter gunships and other sophisticated weapons were dispatched to the territories to help suppress the escalating conflict. The following incidents were reported: in the Gaza Strip, an estimated 24 Palestinians, mostly policemen, were killed (see list), while 350 were wounded by live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas during exchanges of fire between IDF troops and Palestinians, including Palestinian officers and policemen. Some four Israeli soldiers were killed and 30 wounded in what was described by the IDF as a war rather than an intifada. According to the IDF, thousands of Palestinians took part in the attacks. Army officials stated that the Palestinians would first start throwing stones and firebombs, which were subsequently followed by live gunfire. The IDF used tear gas and rubber bullets to try to stop the riots, but subsequently resorted to firing live ammunition. The clashes started in the morning, at Kfar Darom, and then spread to the Netzarim, Erez, Morag and Gush Katif junctions. Hundreds of Palestinians converged on the fences surrounding the Kfar Darom and Ganei Tal settlements and started throwing stones at the settlers' houses. This quickly degenerated into shooting at soldiers and into the settlements. Bullets hit several houses but there were no injuries. At the order of OC Southern Command, a number of settlers were evacuated for fear that the Palestinians might enter the settlements and harm them. Soldiers stated that as numerous Palestinians were injured, hundreds of other residents arrived on the scene and tried to damage the settlements' greenhouses. At one point, the demonstrators converged on an IDF outpost in Kfar Darom and tried to force their way in but were pushed back and fired at by IDF soldiers. Later in the day, Palestinians marched on other IDF posts at the Morag, Netzarim, Gush Katif and Erez junctions. In one incident, some 1,000 Palestinians came from Rafah, near the Egyptian border, and threw stones and iron bars at IDF outposts and cut the fence separating the Egyptian from the Palestinian part of town. In Nissanit, settlers living on the outskirts of the settlement were moved further inward, while a number of women and children were evacuated to Ashkelon because of the shooting that could be heard in the settlement throughout the day. Relative calm had returned to the area by nightfall, except for occasional bursts of fire. In Bethlehem, two Palestinians were killed (see list) and up to 160 injured during clashes near Rachel's Tomb. Two Israeli soldiers were also slightly injured during the clashes, which occurred when hundreds of demonstrators started to throw stones and bottles at the security forces that were deployed at the site. IDF and border police troops initially tried to disperse the demonstrators by using tear gas and firing rubber bullets, but then resorted to the use of live ammunition. Palestinian policemen responded, and an hour-long gun battle ensued. Some 160 wounded, most of them slightly injured by tear-gas inhalation and rubber bullets, were rushed to Palestinian hospitals in the area. Eighteen were injured by live gunfire. Thousands of Palestinians, including politicians and members of the Palestinian National Council, took part in the funeral of the two Palestinian victims of the clashes. At the El-Bireh roadblock, 11 Palestinians were killed (see list) and up to 57 injured during an exchange of fire between IDF soldiers and Palestinian policemen. Another Palestinian died (see list) in a hospital in Ramallah of wounds sustained in a clash which occurred at the same roadblock the day before, thus raising to 17 the number of Palestinians who had been shot dead at the roadblock. An Israeli civilian was killed and seven Israeli soldiers were injured during the clashes which broke out when hundreds of residents set out from Ramallah to an IDF roadblock located at the southern entrance to El-Bireh village. The demonstrators threw stones and empty bottles at the soldiers, who responded with gunfire. Palestinian policemen returned fire, and a gun battle ensued for several hours, with Israeli soldiers, snipers and helicopter gunships firing at the crowd. Soldiers also started using machine-guns. According to residents, settlers also participated in the shooting. The bloodshed was halted only after the Palestinian police had declared a ceasefire. In Nablus, one or two Palestinians were killed (see list) and between 90 and 181 were wounded during riots and exchanges of fire at Joseph's Tomb. Six Israeli soldiers were killed and some eight injured during the clashes, which began when hundreds of Palestinian policemen and armed demonstrators stormed the shrine, uprooted fences, set two vehicles on fire, threw stones at soldiers, ransacked parts of the adjacent yeshiva and then took Israeli soldiers as prisoners of war. The soldiers, who opened fire at the demonstrators, called for help. Reinforcements came under a hail of stones and bullets, forcing soldiers to abandon their vehicles. An IDF helicopter tried to evacuate the wounded but had to retreat under heavy gunfire. The demonstrators also overturned border police jeeps and set at least six of them and an armed personnel carrier on fire. In Hebron, Palestinian sources reported that 44 Palestinians were injured, 3 of them seriously, during clashes between residents and IDF troops. In the villages of Beit Ummar, Al-Arub, Sir and Al-Fawar, residents set up barricades and clashed with the Israeli army. In Beit Ummar, residents also set fire to a settler bus. Thousands of Palestinians from Jenin staged a demonstration near the Ginat settlement and threw stones at IDF troops who responded by using tear gas and firing rubber bullets in the air; no injuries were reported. Large protest marches were also staged in Jenin itself and the surrounding villages, where a general strike was observed, as was the case in other West Bank cities. In Jerusalem, some 40 Palestinians were detained on charges of throwing stones and bottles and participating in protest marches that were banned by the police. In the Old City, dozens of baton-wielding policemen forcibly dispersed Palestinian religious and national leaders, as well as several dozen Palestinians who tried to stage a demonstration near the Hashmonean Tunnel. The Palestinians reportedly started throwing stones and bottles at border policemen, who responded with rubber bullets and detained a number of youths. Faisal Husseini, a senior PLO official in Jerusalem, lost consciousness after being clubbed by the border police and was transferred to Makassad Hospital. Two other Palestinian Council members were slightly injured by border policemen. In other incidents, Palestinians from the Jabel Mukaber village threw stones at houses located on the outskirts of the Harmon Hanatziv settlement, shattering several windows. Palestinian youths set fire to tires and blocked roads. In the A-Tur neighbourhood, Palestinian youths also set tires on fire and placed rocks on the main road, but were quickly dispersed by the police. Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in the Abu-Dis neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, with youths throwing stones at an IDF patrol and clashing with IDF soldiers and the police. Other incidents involving the throwing of stones at police forces and Israeli vehicles occurred in the Shu'fat refugee camp and Isawiya village. Shots were fired at cars at the southern entrance of the new Gush Etzion-Jerusalem tunnel, forcing its closure for one hour. There were no injuries. Other shots were fired near the Gilo roadblock at the entrance to Bethlehem, slightly to moderately injuring an Israeli soldier. In a further development, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad both issued statements calling on the Palestinian people to escalate their struggle against Israel and avenge the killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces. (Jerusalem Post, 27 September; Ha'aretz, 27, 29 and 30 September)

67. On 26 September, violent confrontations resulted in the killing of 25 Palestinians at Erez and Netzarim in the Gaza Strip and 19 others in the West Bank. Israel forces used Cobra military helicopters and heavy automatic weapons against unarmed Palestinians. The Israeli army also moved tanks into the West Bank, the first time they had been deployed there since 1967. Israeli soldiers killed seven Palestinians and wounded three others during a battle at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus. (The Jerusalem Times, 27 September and 4 October)

68. On 27 September, three Palestinians were shot dead (see list) and 120 injured, two of them seriously, when police stormed the Temple Mount, allegedly after Muslim worshippers had begun rioting there. Ten policemen were slightly injured during the confrontation, which, according to the police, started when hundreds of youths began chanting "Allah Akbar" in a threatening way, closing in on the policemen stationed on the Mount and throwing stones. The police allegedly had no other choice but to open fire. According to the Jerusalem police chief, only tear gas and rubber bullets were fired. However, Palestinian sources presented a very different picture of the incident. They stated that the police had opened fire too quickly, using live ammunition. They claimed that only a small group of youths had thrown stones, and that the calls of "Allah Akbar" had in fact been only the traditional call at the end of the prayer. They charged that rubber bullets and batons were used against the first worshippers, who fled the site through the Lions' Gate. When they returned to the Mount, they found themselves on a real battle ground, with the police firing tear gas into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to flush out the worshippers who had taken refuge inside. According to Palestinian Council member Hatem Abed Elkader, who attended the prayers, the shooting started immediately after the prayer, with no provocation on the part of the worshippers. He stated that the worshippers had no time to "even put on their shoes and leave, when suddenly shots were fired at the entrance to the Mosque". According to another witness, a reporter for the Voice of Palestine, residents who carried the casualties were also beaten by policemen. In an earlier incident near the Temple Mount before the prayers, Palestinian youths threw bottles at policemen guarding the new entrance to the Hashmonean Tunnel. A police spokesman stated that eight youths had been detained. There were no injuries. Internal Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani, who went to the Mount immediately after the disturbances were brought under control, praised the police response. Later in the day, hundreds of Palestinians attended the funerals of the two persons killed during the Temple Mount incident. After the funeral, several participants clashed with police and border police on the Mount of Olives and were dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets. Sporadic unrest also occurred in the Shu'fat refugee camp, in Abu Tor and Jebel Mukaber, with youths burning tires and setting up stone barricades on several streets. As a result of the clashes between Palestinians and the police forces in East Jerusalem and the Kalandia refugee camp, the number of Palestinians injured in the Jerusalem area rose to 157. In a related development, the body of a five-month-old baby girl from the Shu'fat refugee camp was brought to Mukassad Hospital in East Jerusalem (see list). Her family accused the police of causing her death from tear-gas inhalation near her home during clashes between Palestinian youths and the police. Three Palestinians were killed (see list) in other incidents in the West Bank during exchanges of fire near the Elisha settlement located north-east of Jericho. The incident began after the noon prayer, when thousands of Palestinians, led by the Palestinian Authority Minister of Municipal Affairs, staged a protest march through Jericho. Subsequently, hundreds of demonstrators marched towards the "Nahal" outpost near the Elisha settlement and threw stones at IDF soldiers, who responded with gunfire, injuring a number of Palestinians. Palestinian police returned fire, and 3 Palestinians were killed and 35 others injured during the ensuing gun battle. Two IDF soldiers were moderately to seriously injured during the exchange of fire, which stopped only after the IDF dispatched tanks and armoured personnel carriers to the scene. Clashes took place in all West Bank cities, with the IDF deploying helicopter gunships and even using machine-guns to shoot at Palestinians. In Tulkarm, two border policemen were killed when Palestinian policemen opened fire inside the Israeli-Palestinian coordination office. Numerous Palestinians were reportedly wounded in the ensuing gun battle between Israeli forces and Palestinians. In Ramallah, hundreds of Palestinians, including Palestinian policemen, shot at IDF troops, who responded with gunfire. In the Abu Dis area, Palestinians, including Palestinian policemen, clashed with IDF troops, injuring five soldiers. Seventeen Israeli soldiers were reportedly wounded during the incidents in the West Bank. Elsewhere in the West Bank, numerous armoured forces were deployed around Nablus as a warning to the Palestinians that Israel would not hesitate to reoccupy the city should the situation there deteriorate. In Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, riots erupted when hundreds of Palestinians walked to the Egyptian part of the town, shouting at Israeli soldiers that they had come to slaughter them. The protesters threw stones and bottles and fired at an army outpost on the border. An Israeli officer was killed and two soldiers and two Israelis were injured during the exchange of fire. According to Palestinian sources, 25 Palestinians were injured by IDF gunfire. According to the IDF, Egyptian soldiers took part in the shooting from the Egyptian part of Rafah. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 29 September)

69. On 27 September, according to Palestinian sources, Israeli forces invaded the Holy Compound of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and started shooting at the 4,000 persons still bowed in prayer. Three persons were killed and 125 were injured. Some 3,500 Israeli policemen and soldiers who encircled the compound fired live ammunition, tear gas and rubber bullets at the worshippers. The Israelis hindered the arrival of medical assistance, and delayed ambulances, doctors and nurses in evacuating the wounded to East Jerusalem hospitals. (The Jerusalem Times, 4 October)

70. On 28 September, sporadic clashes between Palestinians and IDF troops occurred in the territories, although their scope and scale had declined dramatically amid conciliation efforts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. At the El-Bireh roadblock, 24 Palestinians were injured, most of them slightly to moderately, during clashes with IDF soldiers. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 29 September)

71. On 29 September, an IDF solider died of wounds sustained on 26 September during a clash with Palestinians near the Netzarim settlement in Gaza. He was the fifteenth soldier to have died as a result of the armed clashes. Two Israeli soldiers were slightly injured along the Israel-Egypt-Gaza border when dozens of Palestinians threw stones and seven incendiary bottles at an IDF outpost. Palestinian policemen who rushed to scene quickly dispersed the demonstrators. A number of incidents involving the throwing of stones at IDF soldiers took place in Ramallah. Protest marches were held in all West Bank towns under the Palestinian Authority's control. The demonstrators demanded that the Western Wall Tunnel be closed and protested against the policy of the Israeli Government. In Ramallah, Palestinian Authority Information Minister, Yasser Abed Rabbo, and a local Greek Catholic priest led a march of almost 1,000 Palestinian protesters. Hundreds of Palestinian policemen kept the protesters away from IDF roadblocks in the town. Palestinian policemen prevented a number of attempts by demonstrators to clash with IDF soldiers in several other flashpoints, including the Kalandia refugee camp and Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 30 September)

72. On 1 October, the funerals of a Palestinian boy and a policeman who died (see list) in hospital of wounds sustained in the previous week's riots in Gaza brought out hundreds of residents to the streets, many chanting "death to the Jews". An Israeli boy was slightly wounded near Dhahiriya village in the Hebron hills when stones were thrown at the car he was travelling in. Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle and IDF troops near Ein Arik village in the Ramallah area; no harm or injuries were reported. A stone was thrown at an IDF soldier near Joseph's Tomb but the soldier was unharmed. Stones were thrown at IDF tanks near Ramallah. IDF troops responded by firing in the air; no injuries were reported. In Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip, stones were thrown at IDF patrols and settlers' cars. Several settlers responded by firing in the air. It was further reported that Israeli tanks were stationed outside the Gaza Strip and that schools in Gaza were giving pupils instruction on how to behave in case of an Israeli invasion. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 2 October)

73. On 2 October, a Palestinian boy was killed (see list) and three or four youths injured by IDF gunfire during clashes with IDF troops in the Hebron hills. The confrontation reportedly took place in the Sa'ir area, where demonstrators had gathered despite the curfew imposed on the area, and threw stones at IDF troops, who responded with gunfire. Earlier in the day, soldiers shot and wounded another Palestinian youth, who had allegedly prepared a Molotov cocktail to be thrown at cars travelling on the Halhoul bypass road. In another incident in the Hebron area, several shots were fired at an Israeli citizen at the Zehuhit junction, without causing harm or injuries. In the city of Hebron, IDF troops chased dozens of stone-throwers through the alleys of the town's market, but did not fire tear gas or rubber bullets. In Kalkiliya, numerous residents placed sandbags in front of their homes as the IDF continued to deploy additional forces along the Green Line. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 3 October)

74. On 3 October, hundreds of protesters in Sa'ir village (Hebron area) burned United States flags and a poster of Benjamin Netanyahu following the funeral of a Palestinian boy who was shot dead the day before during clashes between stone-throwers and soldiers. Two Molotov cocktails were thrown at a bus near Karnei Shomron, but there were no injuries or damage. An incendiary bottle was thrown at a car near Marda in the Nablus area, causing no injuries or damage. Two incendiary bottles were thrown at an Israeli bus near the Karnei Shomron junction; no harm or injuries were reported. Two incendiary bottles were thrown at IDF patrols in the Ramallah area; no harm or injuries were reported. Shots were fired at a car outside the Psagot settlement near Ramallah. No one was injured during the incident; two bullet holes were found in the car. An IDF soldier was slightly injured by stones thrown at him near the A-Ram roadblock north of Jerusalem. An Israeli citizen was slightly injured when stones were thrown at a group of Israelis near Halhoul. Five incidents involving the throwing of stones at Israeli vehicles occurred in the Gaza Strip without causing any injuries. In another development in the Gaza Strip, IDF troops stepped up their patrols around settlements in the Gush Katif area for fear of attacks. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 4 October)

75. On 4 October, Muslim worshippers threw stones at the police stationed on the Temple Mount. The Jerusalem police chief immediately ordered the evacuation of Jewish worshippers and visitors from the Western Wall Plaza for fear that they might be hit by the stones. Muslim officials, headed by the Al-Aqsa Director Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, calmed the crowd, which halted the stone throwing and dispersed peacefully. No injuries were reported. In another incident, IDF soldiers opened fire at a Palestinian man who ran through an army roadblock in Halhoul near Hebron. The man was slightly injured in the leg. (Jerusalem Post, 6 October)

76. On 6 October, isolated incidents were reported in the territories. Two incidents involving the throwing of stones at IDF patrols occurred in Ramallah without causing any injuries, and stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Jenin bypass road without causing any injuries. In another development, the IDF withdrew its tanks several hundred metres away from West Bank cities and pointed their barrels backwards, in order to defuse tensions in the area. (Ha'aretz, 7 October)

77. On 7 October, a Palestinian policeman who was critically injured in the head during the violent riots in the territories two weeks earlier died of his wounds (see list). His death raised the number of victims to 84, including 68 Palestinians, 15 Israelis and 1 Egyptian. Four incidents occurred in the territories in which stones were reportedly thrown at IDF troops in the Ramallah area; no injuries were reported. Other stone-throwing incidents took place in the Kalkiliya and Tulkarm areas. A fragmentation grenade was placed on the bypass road south of the Kiryat Arba settlement. The grenade was detected and defused by IDF soldiers. (Ha'aretz, 8 October)

78. On 10 October, isolated incidents involving the throwing of stones at IDF patrols occurred in the Ramallah area, without causing any harm or injuries. Two similar incidents took place in the Hebron area, also without causing any injuries. In another development, the IDF continued to strengthen its outposts in the territories, to set up new posts and provide soldiers with bullet-proof vests. The measures were said to be taken as part of preparations for the possibility of renewed outbreaks of violence in the territories. Moreover, the IDF, the Israeli police and border police mobilized additional forces in Israel and along the Green Line in order to thwart a possible attack during the second half of October. It was further reported that a number of Islamic Jihad and Hamas activists had been rounded up in areas under Israeli security control. (Ha'aretz, 11 October)

79. On 11 and 12 October, a number of isolated incidents were reported in the territories, including two incidents in which incendiary bottles were thrown in the Ramallah area without causing any harm or injuries. It was reported that the state of emergency imposed on the territories remained in force. (Ha'aretz, 13 October)

80. On 15 October, an Israeli citizen was slightly injured by a stone in Nablus. In another development, the IDF re-hoisted the Israeli flag above Joseph's Tomb. Worshippers were still prohibited from reaching the site. (Ha'aretz, 16 October)

81. On 16 October, a yeshiva student was stabbed in the shoulder and slightly wounded in Jerusalem's Old City. The student stated that two Palestinian youths who appeared to be aged 16 or 17 had attacked him and subsequently disappeared. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 17 October)

82. On 17 October, four armed Palestinians were arrested in the Ramallah area on suspicion of planning to carry out attacks. According to military sources, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad continued to issue warnings of possible attacks against Israel. The sources reported that security had been stepped up along the main road in the territories, which remained under a state of emergency. The same sources indicated that the number of IDF troops in the territories had been increased and that tanks had not returned to their bases. In another incident, six residents of the Azun village in the Tulkarm area were arrested on suspicion of possessing weapons. The six were rounded up during raids carried out in the village by the IDF and the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) district police. Several weapons, including four makeshift guns, a revolver, knives, shears, IDF uniforms and inflammatory material were found during the raids. (Ha'aretz, 18 October)

83. On 18 October, a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip was slightly injured by IDF gunfire at a roadblock located between Khan Younis and Gush Katif. According to military sources, the incident occurred when the Palestinian tried to seize the weapon of one of the soldiers who were stationed at the roadblock. Military sources described the incident as grave and indicated that the soldiers had shown restraint in not killing their assailant, although the rules for opening fire allowed them to do so in such circumstances. In another incident, an IDF soldier was slightly injured by stones thrown at his vehicle in the Hebron area. In Ramallah, Palestinians threw stones at IDF troops without causing any harm or injuries. Three other incidents in which stones were thrown at Israelis occurred in the Hebron area without any reports of damage or injuries. (Ha'aretz, 20 October)

84. On 21 October, a Palestinian man, Fathi Sahouri, from Sinjil village was found dead (see list) in his car near an IDF roadblock on the Ramallah bypass road near O'fra settlement. According to a police spokesman, the Palestinian was killed in a stone-throwing incident. He stated that it was unclear whether Arabs or Jews were involved in the stoning. Palestinian eyewitnesses stated, however, that the Palestinian was killed by gunfire. A passenger who was in the same vehicle stated that he had heard an explosion when the Palestinian was hit. A human rights investigator indicated that during the four hours of investigation, the police tried to persuade the eyewitness, who was uninjured, to declare that the Palestinian had been hit by a stone. Other witnesses who were in a car driving behind the man's vehicle also stated that they had seen a person shooting from a vehicle with Israeli licence plates. Their report was corroborated by Palestinian doctors who performed an autopsy at the Ramallah Hospital. Pathologist Dr. Ahmed Heneichen stated that he had detected burn marks around a hole in the skull of the victim, a father of five. According to Palestinian sources, another Palestinian was injured in similar circumstances an hour and a half earlier. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 22, 23 and 28 October; also referred to in The Jerusalem Times, 25 October)

85. On 22 October, a 19-year-old Palestinian youth, Abdullah Karakreh, was shot in the neck and killed (see list) when IDF soldiers used gunfire to disperse Palestinian demonstrators protesting near the village of Sinjil against the death the night before of Fathi Sahouri, a resident of the village who they claimed had been shot dead by settlers. In the Gush Katif area, border police troops arrested a Palestinian who was in possession of an ammunition magazine, a knife and tear gas. Another Palestinian youth who tried to infiltrate into Israel was arrested in the vicinity of the Sufa crossing in the Gaza Strip. In another development, the spokesman for the Samaria and Judea (West Bank) district police stated that some 145 stone-throwing incidents in the territories had been reported to the police over the past two weeks. Settlement leaders claimed that the number was much higher and that most incidents went unreported. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 23 October; also referred to in The Jerusalem Times, 25 October)

86. On 23 October, the police arrested dozens of Palestinians from the territories who stayed within the Green Line without work or residence permits. (Ha'aretz, 24 October)

87. On 24 October, Dan police shot and seriously wounded a 27-year-old Palestinian man from the territories who had fled while his documents were being checked at a routine roadblock near the Morasha junction. Four other Palestinians were taken for questioning. The Dan police chief stated that according to a preliminary investigation of the incident, the police had acted in accordance with regulations. He indicated, however, that as in all cases involving the opening of fire by policemen, the matter had to be investigated by the Justice Ministry's Police Investigations Division. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 25 October)

88. On 26 October, Islamic Jihad supporters marked with rallies and marches in Bir Zeit, Sheikh Radwan and Gaza the anniversary of the assassination of their leader, Fathi Shakaki, who was gunned down in Malta a year before. Shakaki was shot by two men outside his hotel in Malta, where he was staying on his way from the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to Damascus. While the Mossad was widely believed to have been responsible for the killing, the Government of Israel has not acknowledged involvement in the assassination. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 27 October)

89. On 27 October, a settler from Hebron fired several shots in the air after stones were thrown at him in the centre of the town. There were no reports of injuries, but some property was damaged. Palestinian sources stated that the settler was detained by soldiers who were called to the scene. (Ha'aretz, 28 October)

90. On 27 October, a 10-year-old boy (see list) was beaten to death by a settler in the village of Husan, near Bethlehem. The settler, Nahum Korman, a security officer of Hadar Bitar from the Ofrat settlement, was arrested after the incident. (The Jerusalem Times, 1 November)

91. On 29 October, Palestinian youths who were attending the funeral of the boy killed by a settler two days earlier threw stones at Israeli soldiers from a nearby hill. Israeli troops stormed their position using live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas. A young boy had to be treated for a head wound inflicted by a tear-gas grenade. (The Jerusalem Times, 1 November)

92. On 29 October, dozens of Palestinian youths clashed with IDF soldiers in Husan village following the funeral of a Palestinian boy who was allegedly beaten to death by a Jewish settler on 27 October. The soldiers responded with tear gas, injuring one Palestinian. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 30 October)

93. On 3 November, Palestinian policemen fired warning shots in the direction of a border police vehicle that crossed into an area under the control of the Palestinian Authority south of Rachel's Tomb. The Israeli vehicle backed off. No damage or injuries were reported. (Ha'aretz, 4 November)

94. On 5 November, two incidents involving the throwing of stones at Israeli vehicles occurred in the Ramallah area without causing damage or injuries. Stones were also thrown at Israeli and military vehicles in the Bethlehem area, also without causing damage or injuries. In a related development, sources in the Central Command reported that there had been a slight increase in the number of stone-throwing incidents over the previous few days. (Ha'aretz, 6 November)

95. On 5 November, the IDF raided the Samaritan quarter on Mount Gerizim in Nablus and arrested four men. Three guns and some 400 bullets were found in their homes. (The Jerusalem Times, 8 November)

96. On 6 November, a minor bomb explosion occurred in front of the East Jerusalem branch of the Ministry of the Interior. Four persons suffered slight injuries. No material damage was reported. Palestinian residents suspected Jewish extremists were behind the act. (The Jerusalem Times, 8 November)

97. On 7 November, a small bomb exploded near the entrance of the Interior Ministry's East Jerusalem bureau, slightly injuring four Palestinian women and a baby. Dozens of Palestinians were waiting in line outside the bureau when the bomb exploded. A Jerusalem police spokesman stated that the police were investigating all possibilities, including that the bombing was criminally motivated or carried out by Jewish or Palestinian extremists. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 8 November)

98. On 10 November, an 18-year-old Palestinian man who attempted to cross into Israel from the Gaza Strip was shot and moderately wounded by IDF soldiers after he had ignored an order to halt. (Ha'aretz, 11 November)

99. On 10 November, a member of the Land Defence Committee from the village of Naalin was shot dead (see list) by Israeli soldiers during a peaceful protest. The victim was participating in a protest organized by six villages in the Ramallah area against land confiscation for the expansion of the Kiryat Sefer settlement. In a separate development, clashes broke out in Hebron when Jewish settlers confronted a large crowd of Palestinian and Israeli demonstrators who had gathered to demand an immediate redeployment of the Israeli army. The IDF and police sided with the settlers and attacked the protesters. (The Jerusalem Times, 15 November)

100. On 16 November, a known Hamas activist was killed (see list) in a village near Jenin, apparently while preparing a bomb. In another incident, a 10-year-old Israeli boy suffered a fractured skull when the car he was travelling in near the Otzarin village in the West Bank was hit by a stone. IDF troops began searches in the area and detained for interrogation three Palestinian residents suspected of stoning cars. (Ha'aretz, 17 and 19 November; Jerusalem Post, 17 November)

101. On 18 November, the security forces arrested 10 Palestinians on suspicion of belonging to the Islamic Jihad. The arrests were made during a large-scale search operation in the Hebron area. (Ha'aretz, 19 November)

102. On 19 and 20 November, more than 30 Islamic Jihad and Hamas activists were arrested in the West Bank. Palestinian sources reported that more than 100 soldiers had participated in one operation near the Aliya Hospital in Hebron. The sources also reported that IDF troops had raided students' dormitories at the town's university and polytechnic, arresting nine students on suspicion of belonging to the Islamic Jihad. (Ha'aretz, 20 November)

103. On 20 November, a Palestinian youth who was injured during the violent clashes in the territories in September died of his wounds (see list) in a hospital in Gaza, thus bringing the Palestinian death toll to 70. In Nablus, thousands of students at Al-Najah University gathered for a rally to honour the Palestinians killed on the Temple Mount in clashes with IDF security forces in September. (Ha'aretz, 21 November)

104. On 21 or 22 November, two Palestinian boys died (see list) in the explosion of an old mine in Anzah village, near Jenin. According to an IDF investigation of the incident, the mines were used by the Jordanian army before 1967. According to the villagers, the IDF had carried out manoeuvres in the area on 20 November. They claimed that there was a link between the explosion and the military exercise. The villagers complained that soldiers exercising in the area were disrespectful and left explosive devices behind them. According to Palestinian sources, the residents stated that they had found a second mine planted under an olive tree in the same area, and reports indicated that the mines could have been planted by extremist Jewish settler organizations. In another incident, IDF soldiers shot and slightly to moderately wounded a Palestinian man who fled from a roadblock during a routine security check. The man was stopped by soldiers at a roadblock outside Ramallah. When they demanded to see his permit to enter Israel, he jumped out of the car and fled on foot. Soldiers ordered him to stop and shot him in the back of the leg above the knee when he did not do so. (Ha'aretz, 22 November; Jerusalem Post, 22 and 24 November; also referred to in The Jerusalem Times, 29 November)

105. On 23 November, four Palestinian youths allegedly attacked two border policemen who had stopped them at the Gilo checkpoint. The policemen were slightly injured. Additional border police and police forces were rushed to the scene and detained the Palestinians. (Ha'aretz, 25 November)

106. On 24 November, a Palestinian was slightly wounded at a military checkpoint at the southern entrance to Ramallah when an Israeli soldier fired at him. According to IDF sources, the man failed to stop his car when asked to do so by the soldiers. The source said the man fled from his car, which prompted the soldiers to open fire. The incident occurred against a background of increasing police and army violence at Israeli checkpoints. (The Jerusalem Times, 29 November)

107. On 26 November, two soldiers were slightly injured when two petrol bombs were thrown at their patrol vehicle in the village of Tufah near Hebron. The army stated that the two soldiers were evacuated for medical treatment and that IDF troops had launched searches for the perpetrators of the attack. (Jerusalem Post, 27 November)

108. On 29 November, a number of incidents took place in the territories. Military sources reported two incidents involving the throwing of stones at Israeli vehicles in the Ramallah area. A settler was slightly injured during one of the incidents. Three other stone-throwing incidents took place in the Hebron area. (Ha'aretz, 1 December)

109. On 2 December, a young Palestinian woman was arrested in possession of a knife at a police roadblock in the Hebron area. During her interrogation, she stated that she had intended to stab a settler. An armed Palestinian youth was caught at a roadblock in Hebron in a similar incident. (Ha'aretz, 3 December)

110. On 7 December, Palestinian sources reported that IDF troops had arrested seven Hamas activists near Ramallah. (Ha'aretz, 9 December)

111. On 10 December, two incidents involving the throwing of stones at border police patrols occurred in the vicinity of the Cave of the Patriarchs (Ibrahimi Mosque); no harm or injuries were reported. Other incidents involving the throwing of stones at settlers took place near the site, also with no injuries. In another development, it was reported that some 10 Islamic Jihad and Hamas activists had been arrested in the Hebron area, in Ramallah and in nearby villages. All the activists were arrested in areas under Israeli security control. (Ha'aretz, 11 December)

112. On 11 December, a woman settler from Beit El and her 12-year-old son were killed by "terrorists" in a drive-by shooting near the settlement. The woman's husband and four other children, aged 4 to 17, were wounded in the attack. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine took responsibility for the attack, announcing from Damascus that the organization would continue its struggle as long as the occupation and settlements continued to exist. Following the incident, IDF troops and Israeli policemen entered Ramallah, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority, to search for the assailants. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that anyone who thought that they would uproot the people of Israel from their land and from the heart of their land by such acts of terror should know that Israel would uproot them. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 12 December)

113. On 12 December, a 40-year-old Palestinian worker from the Jabalia refugee camp was shot dead (see list) and four of his companions were wounded by an Israeli farmer. The Israeli initially told the police that he believed that the Palestinian was a burglar, but later contended that he suspected the Palestinian was a "terrorist" on his way to carry out an attack. The members of the victim's family claimed, however, that the killing was meant to avenge the fatal shooting of a woman settler and her son near Beit El by Arab "terrorists" on 11 December. Brig. Gen. Ziyad Atrash, a senior Palestinian police officer in Gaza, stated that information at his disposal discounted the possibility that the Palestinian was killed on suspicion of burglary. Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat condemned the killing as a serious crime against a Palestinian worker who went to earn a living, adding that Israel had not shown any serious intention of uprooting "terrorism" against Palestinians. Police sources stated that the Israeli farmer would probably be charged with causing death by negligence for having fired shots before thoroughly checking the situation. In another incident, IDF troops discovered light ammunition as well as spent cartridges and cannon shells at the Karni crossing. Several stone-throwing incidents took place in the territories. Stones were thrown at a border police vehicle in the Hebron area. Other stone-throwing incidents occurred near the Cave of the Patriarchs and on bypass roads. The IDF stepped up its patrols throughout the West Bank. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 13 December; also referred to in The Jerusalem Times, 20 December)

114. On 18 December, five members of a Hamas cell believed to be on their way to carry out an attack in Israel were arrested by a border police undercover unit in the Bethlehem area. In another development, dozens of Palestinian policemen tried to block the IDF access road to Netzarim in an attempt to prevent the army from setting up a new outpost west of the settlement. The Palestinian policemen left the site after the IDF threatened to use "all the means at its disposal" against them. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 19 December)

115. On 20 December, a makeshift bomb exploded at a garbage dump west of the Karni border crossing. The explosion caused no injuries or damage. In another incident, an incendiary bottle was thrown at Beit Hadassah in Hebron. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 22 December)

116. On 22 December, three incidents in which stones were thrown at military and other Israeli vehicles took place in the Hebron area without causing any harm or injuries. Two additional stone-throwing incidents were reported on the Ramallah bypass road. A makeshift bomb exploded at a hitchhiking post near the Alon Shvut settlement. The explosion caused extensive damage to the hitchhiking post but no one was injured. Two incendiary bottles were thrown at IDF outposts in Hebron. Palestinian sources reported dozens of arrests in connection with the incident. Another incendiary bottle was thrown near Beit Hadassah. In another incident, a small explosive device attached to a gas canister went off on the Gaza bypass road. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 23 December)

117. On 24 December, it was reported that the IDF and the police had arrested several youths from the Hebron area on suspicion of throwing incendiary bottles at soldiers, border policemen and settlers in Hebron. A 10-year-old girl from a settlement in the Hebron area was slightly injured by a stone thrown at the vehicle she was travelling in near Halhoul. Two other incidents involving the throwing of stones at IDF vehicles took place in the Ramallah area. One border policeman was slHa'aretz, 24 December)

118. On 25 December, three firebombs were thrown at settlers and soldiers in Hebron, without causing any harm or injuries. Five Palestinians were arrested in connection with the incident. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 26 December)

119. On 26 December, an incendiary bottle was thrown at Beit Hasson, in Hebron. The bottle exploded on the road, without causing any harm or injuries. Six Palestinian youths suspected of involvement in the incident were taken for interrogation. (Ha'aretz, 27 December)





B. Administration of justice, including the right to a fair trial

1. Palestinian population





120. On 24 September, the High Court of Justice rejected an appeal by a Palestinian detainee that he be released earlier in order to enable him to travel to Holland for studies. The detainee, who was held on suspicion of involvement with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was placed in administrative detention 10 months before. The order was issued for six months but was subsequently extended by an additional four months, until 10 October, on "security grounds". A representative of the security forces claimed during the appeal hearings that the detainee's stay in Holland would not diminish the security threat that he posed. In addition, he announced that OC Central Command General Uzi Dayan had decided to extend his administrative detention by another six months until April 1997. On the basis of classified information they were presented with, the justices ruled that the refusal of the security forces to allow the defendant to travel abroad was based on the same motives as those justifying his administrative detention and therefore that the Court had no grounds to intervene. (Ha'aretz, 25 September)

121. On 30 September, the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court judge ruled that the death of a Palestinian resident of the territories as a result of shots fired by soldiers at his car was a "car accident". The Palestinian, Jamel Judat Abed el Karim, was reportedly killed by a bullet in the temple fired in the Fa'ra refugee camp in 1988 during disturbances and clashes between IDF soldiers and Palestinian youths. Since the incident was described as a car accident, the compensation claim against the State was rejected. (Ha'aretz, 1 October)

122. On 21 October, the High Court of Justice rejected an appeal by the Association of Terror Victims and Likud MK David Mena to overturn the previous Government's decision to award an exceptional compensation to the families of victims of the Cave of the Patriarchs (Ibrahimi Mosque) massacre. Alternatively, they asked the High Court to pay such compensations also to Israeli terror victims. Lawyer Shlomo Ravelski claimed in the appeal that Israeli terror victims were discriminated against by the decision to grant compensation to Palestinian families which he claimed trampled on the principles of the rule of law. (Ha'aretz, 22 October)

123. On 22 October, the Lod Military Court sentenced a 23-year-old resident of Gaza to nine and a half years of imprisonment for attempting to smuggle explosives into Israel. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 23 October)

124. On 27 October, the Haifa Magistrate's Court ordered the State of Israel to pay NIS 270,000 in compensation to a Palestinian youth who was the victim of an act of sodomy performed by a reservist soldier at the Tulkarm detention facility in 1992. The reservist was sentenced by a military court in May 1994 to 8 years of imprisonment. (Ha'aretz, 28 October)

125. On 8 November, it was reported that the Beer Sheva Magistrate's Court had accepted the appeal by a 16-year-old Palestinian youth against the severity of the sentence meted out to him for entering Israel illegally: 15 months in prison, 9 of which were taken from a previous suspended sentence. The justices ruled that the youth had to serve only a six-month prison term. The youth's lawyers stated in the appeal that the Magistrate's Court was wrong to judge the youth as if he were an adult, without asking a probation officer to submit a report about him and invite his parents to the hearing. With regard to the severity of the punishment, the lawyers claimed that the youth's previous suspended sentence was related to property offences and that there were no grounds to apply it to the offence of illegal entry into Israel. (Ha'aretz, 8 November)

126. On 10 November, a 14-and-a-half-year-old Palestinian boy, who was caught on the Israeli side of the security fence surrounding the Gaza Strip, was sentenced by an Israeli military court to four months in prison plus six months suspended sentence. The boy, from the Jabalia refugee camp, was caught on 5 November and a charge sheet was filed against him two days later. The authorities at the Erez detention facility, where he was detained until 10 November did not inform his family of the arrest. The judge gave the boy two options: to be tried the same day with no legal representation, or to be tried at a later date after an attorney had been appointed to defend him. The boy chose to be tried immediately and was therefore not represented by an attorney. According to the protocol of the trial, the boy told the court that he had not intended to enter Israel. He stated that he had crossed the fence for no reason while playing with friends in the vicinity. A civilian truck which passed by handed him over to the army. The boy stated further that he wanted to return home, that he was a pupil and that his family was looking for him. Lawyer Tamar Peleg, who was allowed to speak to the boy over the phone only on 10 November, and the Association for the Rights of the Child stated that they would appeal against the sentence. On 27 November, the Erez Military Appeals Court ordered the immediate release of the boy. (Ha'aretz, 11 and 28 November)

127. On 22 November, it was reported that the Israeli High Court had sanctioned the use of torture against Palestinian detainee Mohammed Hamdan. Hamdan, who comes from Beit Sira village, was suspected of membership in a militant Palestinian organization. The High Court indicated in the ruling that it believed that bodily physical torture forced activists to reveal information that could lead the police to prevent a military act in Israel. The same court indirectly sanctioned another case of torture when it rejected an appeal from the attorney of detainee Khader Mubarak, from Halhul near Hebron. The appeal could have prevented the Israeli interrogators from torturing Mubarak. Like Hamdan, Mubarak is also suspected of membership in a militant group. (The Jerusalem Times, 22 November)

128. On 28 November, a 26-year-old Palestinian man from a refugee camp near Jenin was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Nazareth Magistrate's Court for the 1992 murder of an Israeli farmer from moshav Meitav. In October 1992, the Palestinian and his cousin reportedly conspired to murder a Jew for nationalistic reasons. They were accused of stabbing the farmer, who was working alone in his field, 31 times and ignoring his pleas for mercy. The judges did not accept the defendant's claim that a confession he wrote himself was extracted by the General Security Services through torture. (Jerusalem Post, 29 November)

129. On 12 December, the Dotan Military Court sentenced a Hamas activist to life imprisonment plus 10 years for having stabbed to death an Israeli soldier at an IDF base in the Jenin area in January 1996. (Ha'aretz, 13 December)

130. On 20 December, it was reported that a Palestinian military court had convicted three Palestinians of opening fire on an Israeli car near Ramallah on 11 December 1996, killing two Jewish settlers and injuring three others. Abdul Nasser Al Qaisi, 25, from Beit Jala, and Ibrahim Saleh Alqam, 24, from Ramallah, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Ibrahim Mas'ad Hani, 25, from Ramallah was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. All were members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. (The Jerusalem Times, 20 December)

131. On 22 December, the Lod Military Court sentenced two Palestinians to life imprisonment for their involvement in the Tel Aviv and Ashkelon bus bombings in 1995. (Ha'aretz, 23 December)





2. Israelis

132. On 24 September, the High Court of Justice upheld in a precedent-setting five to two ruling the conviction of a rabbi on charges of incitement to racism. The rabbi, a teacher in Hebron, wrote an article entitled "An investigation into the laws of a non-Jew", which he distributed to his students in 1994, two months after Baruch Goldstein murdered 29 Arabs in the Cave of the Patriarchs (the Ibrahimi Mosque). The article argued that killing a non-Jew was not prohibited by the Torah and that while there were various rabbinical prohibitions on killing non-Jews, there was no punishment for violating these proscriptions. In April 1995, the rabbi was convicted of incitement to racism and attempting to manufacture and obtain illegal weapons, obstructing justice and trying to enter a closed military zone. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but was released earlier in 1996 after having served one third of his sentence, which was reduced for good behaviour. (Jerusalem Post, 25 September)

133. On 6 November, it was reported that a prominent member of the outlawed Kach movement had been arrested for sending an inflammatory message to Radio Israel. However, he was released on bail after questioning. (Jerusalem Post, 6 November)

134. On 8 November, it was reported that over the past year there had been a sharp decrease in the number of restricting orders prohibiting Jewish right-wing activists from entering various localities in the West Bank. On the other hand, there had been an increase in the number of orders prohibiting extreme right-wing activists from entering the Temple Mount complex. According to official figures published in Ha'aretz, the OC Central Command General Uzi Dayan had signed 23 restricting orders prohibiting Israelis from entering the whole or parts of the West Bank on 27 December 1995. Currently, only six such orders are valid. The number of orders prohibiting Jews from entering the Temple Mount increased from 9 on 1 January to the current 12. (Ha'aretz, 8 November)

135. On 17 November, a military court in Lod sentenced four soldiers from the Duvdevan undercover unit to one hour in prison and a fine of one agora (penny) for killing a Palestinian while "not following the guidelines for opening fire". The undercover soldiers had reportedly negotiated a plea bargain in which they pleaded guilty in return for a light sentence. The incident reportedly occurred on 13 November 1993, when the soldiers opened fire at a car that did not stop at a roadblock near Salfit, killing one of the passengers, 18-year-old Iyad Badran. The driver stated that he had not seen a roadblock but only a flashing light and flares, which blinded him. He stopped anyway. The soldiers then opened fire, hitting Badran. The military prosecution stated that it would lodge an appeal with the Military Court of Appeals against the leniency of the sentence. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 19 November)

136. On 19 November, the Jaffa Military Court fined four Israeli undercover agents for causing the death by negligence of Iyad Awad. The fine imposed on each agent was one agora. Awad was killed at a checkpoint on 13 November 1993 while driving from Salfit in the Nablus area. (The Jerusalem Times, 22 November)

137. On 26 November, two border policemen who were filmed beating Palestinians were placed under house arrest by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. The Court did not comply with the request of the Jerusalem District Attorney that the policemen be remanded until the end of the proceedings against them. The two were released on a NIS 15,000 bail. Among the restrictions, the telephone lines to their homes were disconnected and they were not to meet with anyone. (Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, 27 November)

138. On 3 December, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court acquitted the former Kach spokesman, Noam Federman, of throwing firecrackers at Palestinians in 1993. His lawyer disclosed that Federman was acquitted because the police had destroyed the evidence (the firecrackers) before they could be examined by the judges. (Jerusalem Post, 4 December)




(more)


HOME | SITE MAP | SEARCH | INDEX | DOCUMENTS | TREATIES | MEETINGS | PRESS | STATEMENTS



© Copyright 1996-2000
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Geneva, Switzerland