Israel 'booby-traps' apartment block in Al Bireh, threatening the life of Palestinian civilians

14 March 2001

Israeli forces booby-trapped an apartment block under construction in the Salaymi area of Al Bireh, which is in Area B (under Israeli security control). The booby-trap contains an explosive device that places Palestinian civilian life in jeopardy. According to LAW Society's documentation, 65 year-old Azeez Shaibi, a contractor from Al Bireh who owns the apartment block, went to the construction site accompanied by a group of builders on 11 March 2001. He noticed a thin metal wire running across the entrance to the building, which raised his suspicions enough to prevent him entering. He then saw suspicious-looking objects attached to the end of the wire. When Shaibi called Palestinian security officers to the scene, they found that the building had been booby-trapped and identified the object attached to the wire as an explosive device. When the Palestinians contacted the DCO liaison office, the IDF admitted that it had placed an explosive device at the building to deter Palestinians from using it to shoot at the nearby Psagot settlement. However, there were no signs to alert people to the danger of entering the building. Since Area B is under Israeli jurisdiction, it is the task of Israeli forces to remove the device, which they have not yet done. The six-story apartment block is only 60 metres from Shaibi's home and 10 metres from another Palestinian home. The device also threatens the inhabitants of another apartment block 100 metres away, as well as the lives of passers-by. LAW Society reiterates the following: 1. The Israeli forces are committing increased crimes against Palestinian civilians and using the Israeli war arsenal against unarmed Palestinian civilians. 2. They continue to bomb and shell Palestinian residential areas. 3. They continue to use collective punishment against Palestinians and deprive them of their basic human rights. LAW demands: 1. The Israeli Government to immediately stop the use of excessive and indiscriminate force and collective punishments against Palestinian civilians. 2. The establishment of an international investigation committee based on United Nations Security Council resolutions 1322 of Oct 7, 2000, to investigate the violations of international humanitarian law committed by the Israeli forces inside the occupied Palestinian territories. 3. The international community must hold a conference for the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention in order to take practical measures to ensure Israel's adherence to the convention. 4. The international community must pressurize Israel to immediately to immediately put an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories and effectively support the implementation of the Palestinian right to self-determination. Placing Palestinian people under international protection

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LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is affiliate to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Fédération Internationale des Ligues de Droits de l'Homme (FIDH), World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and Member of the Euro- Mediterranean Human Rights Network.