[News] Palestinians commemorate International Human Rights Day - over 266 Palestinians - 76 children - killed by Israeli Occupation Forces

[Anti-Imperialist News]

addameer.org 
<http://www.addameer.org/news/intl-human-rights-day-palestinian-people%E2%80%99s-suffering-continues> 



  On Int'l Human Rights Day, Palestinian People’s Suffering Continues

07 December 2016

This year, Palestinians commemorate *International Human Rights Day 
*mourning over *266 Palestinians *including *76 children* who were 
killed by Israeli Occupation Forces since October 2015. Palestinians 
mark this day following over a year of nonstop violence and widespread 
human rights violations by Israeli Occupation Forces against the 
Palestinian population used as a form of collective punishment and a 
method of control of Palestinian society. These consistent and 
systematic policies by the occupation include, mass arrests campaigns, 
torture, hunger strikes, extrajudicial executions and issuance of 
discriminatory legislations.

*Extrajudicial Executions and Withholding of Bodies*

In 2016 there have been 120 Palestinians killed and extrajudicially 
executed. Since October 2015, there have been 266 documented 
Palestinians killed since October 2015, 78 from Hebron, 58 from 
Jerusalem, 24 in Ramallah, 21 in Jenin, 19 from Nablus, 15 in Bethlehem, 
5 in Tulkarem, 4 from Salfit, and 3 from Qalqiliya, 2 from 1948, and 34 
from Gaza (Jerusalem Center for the Study of Israeli-Palestinian 
affairs/Addameer). 76 of those have been children, about 29% of the 
total number. 24 of them are female.

Currently, the bodies of 25 Palestinian extrajudicially executed 
Palestinians are being held, including the bodies of seven children. Of 
the 25 bodies withheld, 24 are from the West Bank and one is from 
occupied Jerusalem (Jerusalem Center for the Study of 
Israeli-Palestinian affairs/Addameer.)

*Arrests of Palestinians*

Under *Article 3* and *Article 9* of the *Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights*, all human beings have the right to liberty and the right not to 
be subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention. Palestinians, however, 
have suffered from a widespread policy of arrests and use of arbitrary 
detention by IOF for decades. In the months following October 2015, and 
throughout 2016, mass arrests campaigns have continued throughout 
occupied Palestine The number of daily arrests has increased over the 
past year and has included the arrests of different ages and social 
groups, children, women and men. Since October, at least 7955 
Palestinians were arrested, including 1963 children, 229 women and 
girls, 41 journalists and five members of the Palestinian Legislative 
Council. Currently there are approximately 7000 Palestinian political 
prisoners held in Israeli detention, including 400 children, 7 
Palestinian legislative council members, 64 females, and over 720 
Palestinian administrative detainees held without charge or trial.

*Administrative Detention of Palestinians*

The use of administrative detention continued throughout 2016 in a 
widespread and systematic form. Addameer documentation unit finds that 
between 1 January 2016 and 30 November 2016, there were 1586 total 
administrative detention orders issued, among them 588 new orders and 
998 renewed orders. Among the current 720 Palestinian administrative 
detainees, there are 5 children, 3 Palestinian Legislative Council 
members, and one female. These include, for example, the case of Hamza 
Hammad, a 16-year old Palestinian child from the village of Silwad who 
is held under administrative detention without charge or trial since 28 
February 2016.

*Hunger Strikes for Dignity*

Throughout 2016, following the escalation of the use of administrative 
detention, a number of Palestinian detainees have resorted to hunger in 
protest of their detention without charge or trial based on “secret 
information”. The most recent mass hunger strike began in June 2016 
following the administrative detention of Bilal Kayed, who had completed 
serving over 14 years in prison; over 100 Palestinian prisoners and 
detainees joined a solidarity hunger strike. Numerous individual hunger 
strikes have occurred throughout 2016 in protest of administrative 
detention – such as Mohammad Al Qeeq (2015-2016), Malek Al-Qadi (2016), 
Mohammad Al- Balboul (2016), and Mahmoud Al-Balboul  (2016).

Currently, two Palestinian prisoners, Anas Shadid and Ahmad Abu Fara, 
are on hunger strike against their imprisonment without charge or trial 
under Israeli administrative detention. Abu Fara, 29, and Shadid, 19, 
have been on hunger strike since 25 September. Both have been imprisoned 
without charge or trial since 1 and 2 August, respectively, and are on 
strike to demand their release.

*Imprisonment of Palestinian Children*

Under International Human Rights Law, children must be afforded special 
protection and their best interest should always be a primary 
consideration. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was 
ratified by Israel in 1991, prohibits the arbitrary detention of 
children and stipulates that the detention and imprisonment of children 
should only be used as a measure of last resort and for the shortest 
appropriate period of time. Palestinian children, however, are regularly 
subjected to arrests and detention by Israeli occupation. Children often 
undergo ill-treatment at the hands of IOF forces and are subject to a 
wide array of violations. Arrests usually take place in night raids and 
are often physically and verbally abused during arrest, transfer and 
detention.

Almost one-fourth of those arrested since 1 October were children, which 
resulted in tripling the number of Palestinian minors held in Israeli 
occupation prisons to reach *least 400 children.* 5 of them are 
currently held under administrative detention considered to be a 
“/direct and immediate threat to the national security of 
Israel/.” Israeli occupation also continues to target children with new 
harsh policies and laws including a new Knesset law which would allowed 
custodian sentences for children as young as 12-year-old.

*Torture and ill-Treatment*

Torture and ill treatment has continued throughout 2016. Addameer has 
documented an escalation of the use of violence and excessive force 
against Palestinians during arrest and detention. Several Palestinian 
youth were arrested after being shot by IOF forces in the aftermath of 
alleged stabbing attacks. Many of those who were arrested after being 
shot were subjected to field interrogations while bleedings, 
interrogations during treatment in hospitals while chained to bed as 
well as being subjected to harsh interrogations shortly after release 
from hospitals. It has been noted by Addameer’s documentation unit that 
the use of shaking has become more prominent in the interrogation 
centers. Other practices include sleep deprivation, deprivation from 
food and water, threats against family members, threats of sexual 
violence, and threats of administrative detention without charge or 
trial. Medical negligence continues to be a policy, with specialized 
medical care unavailable to prisoners and detainees.

*Medical Negligence*

The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) has adopted a policy of deliberate 
medical neglect against prisoners and detainees. Human rights 
organizations estimate that since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada 
in 2000 until 2008, 17 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli 
prisons and detention centers as a result of medical negligence. In 
HaSharon prison, there are approximately 10 Palestinian females that 
have been injured from the time of their arrests as a result of attacks 
by Israel forces, who are not provided with adequate medical treatment. 
HaSharon and Damon prisons continue to lack specialized medical care for 
women.

*Human Rights Defenders and Journalists*

2016 witnessed the crackdown and repression of human rights defenders 
and journalists. These include Addameer media officer Hasan Safadi, who 
was arrested on May 1^st , 2016. On October 2016, Israeli Forces 
arrested Mr. Salah Khawaja, the coordinator of the Popular Campaign 
against the Wall and Settlements and member of the Boycott, Divestment 
and Sanctions National Committee, in central Ramallah, and caused 
destruction in the property of his home in the raid and sprayed tear gas 
in the neighborhood resulting in suffocation of residents.

*Re-arrest of Released Prisoners*

In 2016, Article 186 of Military Order 1651 has continued to affect 
Palestinians who were released in the prisoner exchange deal of 18 
October 2011. Since then, several of these formerly released prisoners 
were then re-arrested based on secret information. Currently, there are 
approximately 60 prisoners and detainees who have been rearrested since 
2011 under article 186 who remain in detention, and the majority of 
those sentenced were ordered to serve the remainder of their previous 
sentences based on secret information.

For example, Nael Barghouti, 59, continues to be held despite having 
served his latest sentence of 30 months. An appeal was submitted by the 
prosecution on 25 November 2015, who seek to re-instate a previous life 
sentence on Mr. Barghouti. The military court is to provide an answer to 
the prosecution’s appeal by 17 December 2016. Mr. Barghouti faces the 
possibility of re-instatement of life sentence based on secret information.

*Discriminatory Legislation*

Since October 2015, a series of discriminatory legislation has also been 
passed. In 2015, an amendment was made to institute mandatory minimum 
sentences of no less than one-fifth of the potential maximum sentence 
for throwing stones, and up to 10 and 20 years for adults. The Knesset 
also passed an amendment to the national insurance law, which 
effectively  to denies social benefits to children convicted of 
“nationalistic-motivated” offenses and “terrorist activities” during 
their imprisonment. The change also allows Israeli courts to fine their 
families with up to NIS 10,000 (US$2,580). In addition, the Israeli 
Knesset approved a bill to allow custodial sentences for children as 
young as 12, which is exclusively used against Palestinian children.

*“Incitement” charge as Obstruction of Freedom of Expression*

The year 2016 also witnessed an increasing number of Palestinians being 
arrested for incitement charges based on social media posts. Since the 
beginning of October 2015, Addameer has documented more than 200 cases 
of arrests of Palestinians, including children, for alleged incitement. 
The prosecution of Palestinians for social media posts is based on 
information obtained from the intelligence. The intelligence and 
prosecution analyze the detainees’ publications by addressing its 
content, the number of people that interacted with the post (likes and 
shares), and the comments received.

*Conclusion*

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Addameer calls for an 
end to ongoing collective punishment by Israeli occupation forces in the 
form of mass arrest campaigns, rapidly increasing use of administrative 
detention, continued denial of fair trial, and illegal transfer and 
deportation of detainees. Addameer therefore calls on members of the 
international community, particularly UN Member States and relevant UN 
bodies and agencies, to hold Israel accountable for the ongoing 
collective punishment and harsh policies against the Palestinian 
population. Israeli mass incarceration of Palestinians is an 
inextricable part of the ongoing violence of occupation.  Tearing at the 
fabric of Palestinian society, recent arrest campaigns seek to quash 
Palestinian ability to endure in their struggles against the occupation. 
It is important that on this day, we all stand united to call for an end 
to Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.  As Israel acts with ever 
growing contempt for international law and the will of the international 
community, action is now needed more than ever.

-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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