LAW Weekly Roundup 17-23 May 2001
In this, the bloodiest week of the year, Israeli forces used F-16
fighter jets to bomb PNA installations. 18 Palestinians were killed
this week, including 3 civilians. Among other attacks Al Alia Hospital
in Hebron was shelled. Introduction During Israel’s Prime Ministerial
election campaign, Ariel Sharon, whose provocative visit to Al Aqsa
triggered the current Intifada, put forth a radical program far removed
from the peace process; it was clear from the beginning that he would
become prime minister of Israel. Since his election he has been threatening
to suppress the Intifada by means of the entire Israeli arsenal, as
was made clear in his ‘One Hundred Day Plan.’ The Mitchell Report
was published this week, with one of its main points being a call
to end Israel’s settlement expansion. However, the Israeli government
rejected this call outright, instead announcing a unilateral ceasefire.
This announcement was an attempt to cloud the main issues and to mislead
public opinion by concealing the fact that the conflict is between
an occupation army and the nation it occupies, not an equal conflict
between two armies. On Friday 18 May 2001, the Israeli military used
F-16 fighter jets in an air strike on police stations in Nablus, Ramallah
and Gaza. In Nablus two fighter jets totally destroyed the eastern
part of the building that housed the local police station and prison,
while in Ramallah a fighter jet destroyed the Force 17 headquarters
in Al Masyoun. The offensive left 13 Palestinians dead. In a separate
event, Israeli tanks shelled the residence of Major Jibreel Al Rujub,
head of Preventive Security in the West Bank. He escaped the attack,
but six of his guards were injured: 1. Hassan Mikdadi, 27, from Jalazone
refugee camp 2. Mohammad Al Rimawi, 27, from Biet Reema 3. Amer Mansour,
22, from Nablus 4. Omar Anabi, 23, from Silwad 5. Hisham Shalabi,
22, from Jenin 6. Firas Nawaj’a, 23, from Yata Israeli shelling of
civilian areas continued this week. On Monday 21 May, Hebron’s Al
Alia hospital was shelled, resulting in the abdominal injury of 22-year-old
Majdoleen Al Ra’ee from Al Aroub refugee camp and the destruction
of the hospital’s windows and doors, as well as a great deal of medical
equipment. Israeli Apache gunships also shelled several PNA and civilian
institutions. In an incident reminiscent of the killing of five Palestinian
policemen in Betunia on May 14, Israeli forces killed 37-year-old
Palestinian police officer Fawaz Al Damaj at the National Security
Force (NSF) barrier at Silat Al Harthyi in Jenin, critically wounding
26-year-old Mohammad Dalob from Gaza in the process. As Dalob was
being transported in an ambulance to Gaza, he was forced to sign a
declaration stating that he would not attempt to enter Israel in the
future through Al Ram checkpoint. 18 Palestinians were killed during
this week, including 3 civilians and 15 policemen. The total number
of Palestinians shot dead by Israeli soldiers this year has so far
reached 145, 100 of whom have been killed since Sharon came to power
on 7 February. The total Palestinians killed by Israeli troops during
the Intifada has so far reached 454. One: Excessive use of force In
the morning of Friday 18 May, Israeli soldiers stationed at a military
checkpoint near Surda on the Ramallah-Birzeit road opened fire at
a Palestinian vehicle, wounding the following people: 1. 4-year-old
Yasser Subhi 2. Miriam Abdul Ghani 3. Subhi Subhi in the shoulder
4. Mustafa Abdul Ghani in the right leg Israeli troops injured the
following Palestinians at Al Mintar crossing on Friday: 1. Ibrahim
Abu Thoraya, 11, from Al Shati refugee camp, critically wounded in
the side and admitted to intensive care at Dar Al Shifa hospital 2.
Jameel Asaf, 15, shot in the left leg 3. Mustafa Nasser, 12, from
Al Shati refugee camp, hit by a rubber coated steel bullet in the
head 4. Ala Al Wadyi, 18, from Al Shujaiyi in Gaza, shot in the right
arm 5. Mohammad Tayih, 16, shot in the abdomen 6. Mohammad Al Zibda,
18, from Al Shujaiyi, shot in the left leg 7. Jihad Hijila, 13, shot
in the head 8. Mohammad Tali, 12, from Al Shujaiyi, shot in the right
leg 9. Ahmad Ahmad, 15, from Al Zaytoun, shot in the head 18-year-old
Ahmad Jibreel, a member of Force 17, was shot in the right shoulder
on Saturday when Israeli troops stationed on top of a Palestinian
building south of Betunia shot him while he was on patrol near Betunia
cemetrey. The Palestinian policeman was admitted to the intensive
care unit at Ramallah hospital. 30-year-old Tayseer Al Ar’eer from
Al Shajaiyi was shot dead by Israeli soldiers as he worked on a piece
of land owned by his family east of Gaza. Israeli troops fired on
him, wounding him in the chest and neck and killing him instantly.
Tayseer is survived by his wife and four children. After the funeral
of the policemen killed in the F-16 attack on Nablus on Friday, clashes
broke out between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops near Kufur
Kaleel, south of Nablus. Israeli soldiers responded with random fire,
killing 20-year-old Hamam Abdul Haq and wounding: 1. 25-year-old Yusef
Aziz from Balata refugee camp, critical head wounds 2. 13-year-old
Nidal Zablah from Nablus, shot in the right arm 3. 35-year-old Abdul
Kadir Al Abdi from Askar refugee camp, shot in the left leg 4. 19-year-old
Bassam Al Kasas from Nablus, shot in the right foot 5. 29-year-old
Amar Ghanim from Nablus, shot in the left hand In Hebron, Israeli
soldiers fired on Palestinian demonstrators protesting the F-16 air
strikes, wounding: 1. 18-year-old Mohammad Halahla, shot in the right
leg 2. 15-year-old Usama Amru, shot in the right leg 3. 33-year-old
Bassam Ahmaru, shot in the left foot 4. 16-year-old Mihyar Al Ajluni,
shot in the left leg 5. 21-year-old Thair Al Alami, shot in the right
leg On Monday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed 29-year-old Ahmad
Abu Ajami and Hamad Abu Khusa from Al Breij refugee camp. They kept
the bodies of the two Palestinians until 14:30 before handing them
to the Palestinian Authority. On Tuesday, Israeli soldiers shot 14-year-old
Ali Mhana in Hebron in the right arm. Ali told LAW that Israeli soldiers
opened fire on a group of Palestinians on Al Shalala Street, wounding
him with a rubber-coated steel bullet, which he underwent surgery
to have removed. 15-year-old Ramzi Abu Aram from Rafah was critically
shot in the pelvis and admitted to Dar Al Shifa hospital. According
to information LAW received from Gaza, Abu Aram and a group of boys
were standing 200 metres from Israeli tanks near Slao settlement near
Rafah. The Israeli troops shot at them wounding Abu Aram. Two: Shelling
In the morning of Thursday 17 May, Israeli forces fired four shells
at residential areas and an NSF post west of Qalqilya. Two of the
shells landed near Al Sharq Primary School and two landed in the fields.
The shelling, which went on for 45 minutes, damaged the school walls
and wounded 37-year-old Mohammad Dawood, a street sweeper, in the
right arm. On Friday 18 May, Israel used F-16 fighter jets to launch
air strikes on police stations in Nablus, Ramallah and Gaza. An eyewitness
told LAW that he and his brother were in a car returning from Balata
refugee camp, east of Nablus, approximately 50m from the police station,
when they heard a loud explosion. At first they assumed it was just
a sonic boom from an aircraft, but seconds later a large cloud of
heavy black smoke rose above the station. He asked his brother to
stop the car and rushed towards the station, only to find it completely
demolished with many NSF members lying on the ground and others aiding
them. 24-year-old Ra’ed Dandan, a policeman from Balata, told LAW
that at 17:30 he heard jet fighters and saw a light then heard a loud
explosion. He was thrown in the air and passed out. The target in
fact consisted of two buildings; Central Nablus Prison from the west
side and the police station from the east, the two buildings separated
by a large gate. The jets sent down a missile that totally destroyed
the eastern part of the building. Mahmoud Abu Hanood, a Hamas activist
detained in the targeted building, was among the injured. The following
are the names of the police officers killed in Nablus: 1. 21-year-old
Khaled Sbaih from Tayaseer, Tubas 2. 25-year-old Ayman Ma’ruf from
Al Nakura, Nablus 3. 34-year-old Rif’at Rabay’a from Maythalun, Jenin
4. 22-year-old Nasri Yacoub from Deir Al Hatab 5. 23-year-old Mu’taz
Al Khateeb from Boreen 6. 23-year-old Fadi Hamid from Biet Dajan 7.
25-year-old Ahmad Khader from Biet Iba, Nablus 8. 29-year-old Wa’el
Abu Khader from Al Jadida, Jenin 9. 19-year-old Fahid Bani Odeh from
Tamoon, Jenin 10. 20-year-old Rami Yaseen, a cook at the post from
Aseera Al Shamaliya, Nablus 11. 19-year-old Nabeel Ismail, a cook
at the post from Deir Ighsoun, Tulkarem. Palestinian medical sources
at the Ministry of Health announced that the total wounded as a result
of the Israeli attack on the Nablus police station was 47, including
21 by shrapnel and others who suffered nervous breakdowns and fainting.
The following people were hit by shrapnel: · Ra’ed Ali, 19, from Tubas,
shrapnel in the face. · Ayed Hassoun, 75, from Beit Umrein, shrapnel
in the chest and head. · Ali Shtayyeh, 22, from Tal, shrapnel in the
left foot. · Nasser Ali, 22, from Balata refugee camp, shrapnel in
the face. · Abdel Naser Shashtari, 23, from Nablus, shrapnel in the
face. · Fadi Al Habash, 27, from Nablus, shrapnel in the back of the
head. · Iyyad Al Qutob, 24, from Nablus, shrapnel in the left leg.
· Abdil Rahman Abu Areesheh, 20, from Gaza, shrapnel in the face.
· Muhammad Fares, 23, from Balata refugee camp, shrapnel in the right
hand. · Shadi Al Najami, 26, from Ein Beit Al Ma’ refugee camp, shrapnel
in the left foot. · Iyyad Sa’adeh, 24, from Tal, shrapnel in the back
of the head. · Na’el Qazeeh, 22, from Gaza, shrapnel in the back.
· Mustafa Muslim called Castro, 40, from Gaza, the head of the police
station in Nablus, shrapnel in the forehead and chest. · Mahmoud Abu
Hnoud, 26, from Aseerah Al Shimalyia, arrested at the Force, light
shrapnel wound in the hand. · Nahed Hamadi, 39, from Sibastyia, shrapnel
in the neck. · Hafeth Al Ghalayeeni, 27, from Nablus, shrapnel in
the head. · Ra’fat Wahdan, 30, from Tamoun, shrapnel in the head and
left leg. · Ahmad Masha, 21, from Balata refugee camp, shrapnel in
the left knee. · Munir Hatatbeh, 30, from Beit Fureek, shrapnel in
the chin and right hand. · Omar Lafi, 19, from Gaza, shrapnel in the
head. · Ra’ed Dandan from Balata, shrapnel wounds in the head, neck,
and back. At around 5:15pm on the same day, Israeli F-16 fighter jets
rocketed the Force 17 headquarter in Al Masyoun in Ramallah, killing
24-year-old Ismail Abu Rafee’a from Gaza and completely demolishing
the building. Khaled Al Astal, 19, from Khan Younis, a Force 17 member
in Ramallah, was wounded by shrapnel in the head. He taken to Ramallah
hospital in a critical condition and died in the morning of Tuesday
22 May. The Israeli offensive injured 16 people with shrapnel, nervous
breakdowns and shock. Shrapnel hit 7 other people: 1. Shireen Al Bayari,
2, shrapnel all over her body. 2. Nadia Al Tarifi, 10, shrapnel in
the shoulder and limbs. 3. Omar Al Jimzawi, 9, shrapnel in the mouth
and forehead. 4. Mahmoud Ayyad, 15, shrapnel in the hand. 5. Ra’ed
Al Salhi, 25, shrapnel in the legs. 6. Abdul Rahman Marar, 21, a Force17
member from Gaza, shrapnel and fainting. 7. Rami Abed Rabbo, 18, from
Al Am’ari refugee camp, shrapnel in the face, right hand and leg.
In addition, shelling caused severe damage to many civilian establishments
near the site: 1. The Grand Park Hotel, all the windows were smashed.
2. The Rocky Hotel, all the windows were smashed. 3. The 3-storey
Palestinian Communication Company offices, all the windows were smashed
and doors destroyed. 4. A 4-storey residential building lived in by
the families of: Amer Al Tarifi (11 inhabitants), Ali Al Bayari (9
inhabitants) and Saleh Al Bayari (9 inhabitants), window and door
destruction. At 8.40 pm Israeli fighter jets shelled three Palestinian
security posts in Gaza, including the Palestinian Security headquarters
in Ansar, Gaza city, and the Navy offices in Al Sudaniya, Beit Lahia
(north Gaza). The shelling destroyed the targeted buildings and injured
19 people, including civilians. At 8.45 pm three Apache helicopters
shelled the Force 17 headquarters in Tulkarem. According to LAW documentation,
the gunships hit the building, which had been evacuated an hour before
the Israeli offensive, with six missiles, destroying it completely.
At noon on Saturday 19 May, three Israeli Apache jets shelled the
PA headquarters in Tulkarem, targeting the Palestinian Liaison post,
police station, security apparatus officials meeting room, restaurant
and the waiting hall with 6 missiles. 67 apparatus members were injured,
including 37 by shrapnel and the rest from shock and nervous breakdowns.
28-year-old Palestinian Liaison member Marwan Noor from Anabta was
critically hit in the right thigh by shrapnel. The shelling caused
severe damage to the walls, roofs and contents of these installations,
as well as smashing the windows and destroying the doors. 21-year-old
Palestinian liaison member Salam Ghanim from Deir Al Ghuson told LAW
that on Saturday he was travelling with Noor and another four policemen
in a military vehicle when they saw an Apache helicopter flying over
and firing a missile at them. The missile hit the vehicle and started
a fire in the engine, but the policemen managed to escape through
the windows. Ghanim was wounded by shrapnel in the left leg and arm;
he saw Noor bleeding from all over his body. The following received
different shrapnel wounds: 1. Yusef Abdul Fatah, 26, from Salfit,
shrapnel wounds in the legs and the left eye 2. Riyadh Sawalha, 21,
from Tulkarem, shrapnel wounds in the face and left hand 3. Ala Sarhan,
21, from Tulkarem, shrapnel wounds in the face and hands 4. Mohammad
Hamad, 32, from Tulkarem, shrapnel wounds in the legs and right hand
5. Mohammad Makhlof, 24, shrapnel wounds in the back and left knee
6. Samir Al Fol, 21, from Tulkarem, shrapnel wounds in the right hand
7. Walid Bdair, 52, shrapnel wounds in the left leg 8. Mohammad Al
Abudi, from Tulkarem, shrapnel wounds in the face and elbow 9. Mohammad
Abu Al Oon, 20, from Anabta, shrapnel wounds in the back and left
hand 10. Ramzi Al Ashkar, 22, from Tulkarem, shrapnel in the left
knee and left arm 11. Ahmad Hamid, 23, from Shwaika in Tulkarem, shrapnel
in the left shoulder and chest 12. Omar Abu Sa’a, 24, from Tulkarem,
shrapnel wounds in the arms and left lung 13. Nihad Shuman, 27, shrapnel
wounds in the left leg 14. Ziyad Hamada, 25, from Ateel, shrapnel
wounds in the left side 15. Salam Ghanim, 20, shrapnel wounds in the
face, hands, and legs 16. Marwan Noor, 25, shrapnel wounds in the
left leg At 12:15 pm, during the funeral of first lieutenant Fawaz
Al Damaj, four Israeli Apache jets fired 11 missiles at the 2-storey
Force 17 headquarters, destroying four military cars parked in front
of the building, which itself sustained broken roofs, cracked walls
and furniture damage. And at 12:30 Israeli forces stationed in Neve
Dakalim shelled Palestinian homes in Al Namsawi (the Austrian quarter)
wounding Ibrahim Al Shuhari, 20, in the left leg while he was praying
in a mosque. At 21:00 Israeli troops in Jadid and Neve Dakalim settlements
west of Khan Younis shelled buildings belonging to Al Fara Company
in Al Namsawi quarter and Khan Yunis cemetery. The 30-minute shelling
damaged several houses. At 23:00 Israeli in the Ramat Yashai Jewish
enclave in the heart of Hebron shelled Hebron sports club at Bab Al
Zawhi, wounding Akram Maswadi, 51, in the left leg. At 1:00 am on
Sunday morning, Israeli troops again shelled Khan Younis from Neve
Dakalim, damaging: 1. Abdullah Abu Obeida’s four-storey house where
18 people lived. The shelling destroyed what was left of the building
from previous shelling 2. Adel Abu Obeida’s two-storey building where
11 people lived. The shelling destroyed what was left of the building
from previous shelling At 10 pm, Israeli troops opened random fire
on Palestinian homes in Brazil quarter in Rafah, wounding 15-year-old
Aya Al Akhras in the neck. Her sister Neven, who was with her in the
same room during the offensive, suffered a nervous breakdown. At 2
am the following morning, Israeli apaches shelled two factories in
Al Tufah quarter, Gaza. The shelling, which lasted for 15 minutes,
caused major damage to the factories, a medicine store and 8 houses.
The factories were: 1. Al Ashi Factory for marble and wood cutting
tools. The 500 m² factory, which belongs to Said Al Ashi, was hit
by five rockets destroying all its machinery, as well as the roof
and walls. 2. Saleem Al Daramaly’s 600m² marble factory was hit by
two rockets, destroying its equipment and roof and causing holes in
the walls. 3. A medicine warehouse belonging to Abdul Haleem Al Ghathri
suffered cracked walls and destruction of some of its contents. The
shelling also damaged eight houses belonging to the Abu Sharar, Al
Sharfa, Al Ay, Radwan, Abu Hamad, Al Zaharni and Al Daba families:
Israeli troops in the Avraham Avino Jewish enclave in Hebron shelled
Abu Snaineh and Talet Al Takruri quarters, wounding Raed Abu Snaineh,
14, in the right leg and Suha Al Shareef, 35, in the head, as well
as damaging several houses. In the afternoon, Israeli troops armed
with four tanks left Nitsar Khazani settlement and invaded Al Karara
west of Khan Younis. They crossed the lines separating PNA controlled
areas from the rest of the occupied territories and moved 800 metres
inside areas under PNA jurisdiction. During the onslaught, Israeli
tanks and machineguns shelled Palestinian homes, wounding: 1. 13-year-old
Mohammad Al Astal in the abdomen 2. 28-year-old Samir Abu Awili in
the left hand 3. 26-year-old Ismail Abdul Ghafur in the forehead 4.
70-year-old Mahmoud Al Abadla in the forehead The shelling caused
damage to Al Salam mosque and several homes and telephone cables.
The invasion created havoc and terrorised the people, many of whom
ran for their lives. In the afternoon Israeli forces in Kokhav Yacouv
settlement shelled Palestinian homes in Sateh Marhaba in Al Bireh,
causing damage to the following Palestinian houses: 1. Said Bakhas’
house, accommodating 4 people; the shelling damaged internal walls
and smashed the windows 2. Azam Ibsis’ house, accommodating 3 people;
the shelling damaged internal walls, smashed the windows and destroyed
furniture 3. Khaled Shaheen’s house, accommodating 9 people; the shelling
damaged internal walls and smashed the windows and the staircase,
as well as destroying the furniture and a car Israeli forces also
shelled Al Tireh, west of Ramallah. In Khan Younis, Israeli troops
in Gani Tal shelled the Palestinian town and wounded: 1. 30-year-old
Zahir Al Kudra, shrapnel wounds in the right hand 2. 26-year-old Mohammad
Mabrook, shrapnel wounds in the right arm Three: Demolition Israeli
authorities knocked down two houses in the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem
on Tuesday 22 May. The two houses, which had an area of 120m², were
under construction and belonged to Kayid Jaradat. They were intended
to accommodate 16 people and were knocked down without any prior warning.
Jaradat, 51, told LAW that he is unemployed and 5 of his children
are handicapped: Imad, 19, and Taghreed, 20, are both mentally handicapped,
and Fouad, 30, Ashraf, 15, and Mustafa, 4, are blind. Meanwhile, in
Jabal Al Mukabber, Israeli bulldozers demolished Mohammad Al Ja’afra’s
house, which was supposed to accommodate 17 people. In Gaza on Tuesday
morning, Israeli bulldozers destroyed 75 dunums of agricultural land
near Al Mintar crossing, belonging to the Salem, Jindiyi, Manasra,
Abed and Halas families. The land was cultivated with olive trees,
vegetables and wheat. Four: Settler attacks In the afternoon of Tuesday
22 May, settlers attacked Abdullah Al Omari, a 36-year-old taxi driver
from Faku, with rocks, causing severe damage to his car. Shilah settlers
shot at 46-year-old shepherd Mithkal Fakha from Brdala in Tubas. Fakha
escaped the settlers’ fire but three of his sheep were killed. Five:
Detention Israeli forces broke into Akraba, Nablus and arrested Mohammad,
Munther and Yehya Diriyi on Thursday 17 May. On the same day they
arrested 25-year-old Akram Ghanim from Abu Holly in Deir Al Balah,
a student at the Faculty of Education in Khan Younis. According to
information LAW received from Gaza, Akram was arrested after Israeli
soldiers had stopped a taxi taking him home. They searched the taxi
thoroughly and when they found that he had a camcorder, which in fact
belonged to the Faculty, and that someone had filmed armed people,
they arrested him. Ghanim was using the camcorder for his research.
Israeli forces also arrested 11 Palestinians in Al Mawasi in Rafah,
interrogated them and then released them. On Wednesday morning, Israeli
forces broke into Ateel, north of Tulkarem, and arrested Zahir Daka,
25, Mohammad Abu Al Haija, 24, and Isam Daka, 27.