[News] Excessive Use of Force and Collective Punishment: IOF Kills 3 Palestinians and Destroys a Prisoner’s House in Less than 24 Hours

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://imemc.org/article/pchr-excessive-use-of-force-and-collective-punishment-iof-kills-3-palestinians-and-destroys-a-prisoners-house-in-less-than-24-hours/ 



  Excessive Use of Force and Collective Punishment: IOF Kills 3
  Palestinians and Destroys a Prisoner’s House in Less than 24 Hours

February 6, 2020
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The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR): The newest Israeli 
killing of Palestinians under its policy of excessive use of force, the 
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed 3 Palestinians and wounded 8 
others in less than 24 hours in Jenin and Hebron, north and south of the 
West Bank.

Of the Palestinians killed, 2, including a policeman, were shot and 
killed during an IOF raid into Jenin to demolish a prisoner’s house, for 
the second time. This falls under the Israeli policy of collective 
punishment employed against families of Palestinians accused of carrying 
out attacks against Israeli soldiers and/or settlers. Meanwhile, the 
third Palestinian was killed by an Israeli sniper in a protest in Hebron.

According to PCHR investigations, at approximately 1:30 on Thursday, 06 
February 2020, IOF, backed by 20 military and construction vehicles, 
moved into al-Basateen neighborhood north of Jenin.

The soldiers were deployed among civilian houses and topped the roofs of 
some while 30 of them raided Palestinian prisoner, Ahmed Jamal Ahmed 
al-Qumbo’s,  house (220 sqm, home to 8 persons, including 2 children) to 
execute a demolition order issued by an Israeli court 48 hours prior. 
Al-Qumbo’ has been arrested since 17 January 2018, and the house was 
built only 9 months ago following IOF’s earlier demolition.

The soldiers did a thorough search of the house with a large number of 
police dogs; afterwards, the Israeli bulldozers proceeded to level the 
house to the ground. During the demolition, a number of Palestinian 
civilians gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at IOF military 
vehicles present at the scene.

Immediately, IOF responded with live and rubber bullets and toxic tear 
gas canisters; the situation quickly escalated. As a result of the 
Israeli shooting, 2 Palestinians were killed, one on the spot and the 
other succumbed to his wounds hours later, and 7 were wounded. The two 
killed were identified as 1. Yazan Monther Khaled Abu-Tabykh (19), a 
university student from Wad Bourqin area west of Jenin, was shot with a 
live bullet in the chest and killed immediately; and 2. Tariq Loay Ahmed 
Badwan (24), a Palestinian police officer from Qalqiliyah, was shot with 
a live bullet in the abdomen while inside the police station. He was 
transferred to the hospital where his condition was classified as 
critical and he was pronounced dead at 11:40 on Thursday.

It should be noted that IOF detonated prisoner al-Qumbo’s house for the 
first time on 24 April 2019, under the pretext of being charged with 
involvement in the killing of an Israeli settler, Arail Shefeh, from 
“Hefat Gilad” settlement, southwest of Nablus, on 09 January 2018.

At approximately 16:00 on Wednesday, 05 February 2020, an Israeli sniper 
stationed on a building’s roof near Israeli Military Checkpoint (56) 
established on al-Shuhada’a Street, fired 3 live bullets at Mohammed 
Salman Ta’mah al-Haddad (17)  from a distance of 100 meters as Mohammed 
was near an old market, 50 meters away from the checkpoint’s entrance.

As a result, Mohammed was shot and injured with a live bullet in the 
heart and fell on the ground. A number of young men managed to reach 
Mohammed and transferred him via an ambulance to Hebron Governmental 
Hospital.

A few minutes later, doctors pronounced Mohammed’s death after being 
shot with a live bullet that penetrated his heart and caused severe 
bleeding. The shooting was reported during a protest organized by dozens 
of young men, who threw stones at IOF and burned tires near the 
abovementioned checkpoint.

These crimes are part of IOF’s grave escalation in the oPt since the U.S 
President Trump declared his Middle-East Peace Plan known as “the Deal 
of the Century” on 28 January 2020. IOF suppressed more than 60 protests 
against Trump’s plan at seam points confrontation in the West Bank, 
including occupied East Jerusalem.

As a result, dozens of civilians were shot and injured with live and 
rubber bullets in addition to many others suffocated due to tear gas 
inhalation.

PCHR strongly condemns the IOF’s crimes, which prove the ongoing Israeli 
use of excessive force against Palestinian civilian, who did not pose 
danger or threat to the soldiers’ lives.

PCHR condemns the crime of demolishing Qombo’s house for the 2nd time as 
part of IOF’s collective punishment policy against the Palestinian 
civilians.

PCHR reminds that this policy is internationally prohibited according to 
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that: “No 
protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not 
personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of 
intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. 
Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.”

Therefore, PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to 
take immediate action to put an end to the Israeli crimes. PCHR also 
reiterates its call upon the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth 
Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to 
respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and 
their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to 
commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same 
Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions 
regarding the guarantee of Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in 
the oPt.

-- 
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