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Investigation into Israeli Violations in Handling the Palestinian Uprising
By Dina Rashed
 Two major human rights organizations have released their most recent reports of their investigations into the handling of the Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories by Israeli authorities.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) conducted their investigation from October 4th through October 11th. Amnesty International has released preliminary findings from its first delegation to the area, and awaits the reports of a second fact-finding delegation that is presently continuing their investigation, due to be released early next week.
Human Rights Watch Findings
The HRW report disclosed a pattern of the repeated use of excessive lethal force by Israeli security forces against unarmed Palestinian demonstrators who posed no threat of death or serious injury to Israeli troops or to others. In cases where gunfire by Palestinian security forces or armed protestors was involved, the use of lethal force against them by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was indiscriminate, and often, it was not directed at the source of the threat, in violation of international law enforcement standards.
One of the striking findings of the HRW report is that in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, the IDF regularly used rubber and plastic-coated metal bullets as well as live ammunition in an excessive or indiscriminate manner. An example of their egregious behavior is their use of medium-caliber bullets against unarmed demonstrators, and in some instances, such as at the Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip, even against medical personnel. These bullets, which inflict massive trauma upon striking flesh, are normally used to penetrate concrete and are not appropriate for crowd control.
The IDF itself set the following regulations restricting the use of weapons and ammunition such as rubber bullets:
1) They are never to be used against children;
2) They are to be used only from distances of over forty meters;
3) They should be aimed at the legs and lower body only;
4) They are to be used only when there is a clear threat to the public welfare and measures of lesser severity are unavailable;
5) They are to be used only when their use will not endanger innocent people.
However, despite their own regulations, they used these bullets in clashes against unarmed demonstrators, according to the findings of HRW and both Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations.
Facts supplied by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) indicate that about 50% of injuries suffered by protestors were from shots targeted at the upper torso, particularly at the eyes and the head. Statistics also indicate that over 50% of the casualties have been youth under the age of 20 years, and about 25% are under the age of 13 years.
Another disturbing finding of HRW is the assaults by Israeli authorities and civilians on medical relief. The report documents a pattern of IDF disregard for and targeting of Palestinian medical personnel and ambulances attempting to treat or evacuate injured civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Although it reports incidences of the stoning of Israeli ambulances by Palestinians as well, most of the cases reported involved PRCS vehicles being stoned by Israeli settlers living in the occupied territories.
HRW concluded its report by recommending that the United Nations authorize and provide funding for the High Commissioner for Human Rights to set up an international panel of experts to conduct an impartial investigation into human rights violations by all parties to the conflict, and to establish a standing body of highly qualified and experienced independent international criminal justice investigators.
These recommendations bear great similarities to those in the resolution passed by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on October 19th, which condemned Israel's excessive use of force and asked for an impartial international inquiry and the implementation of a criminal investigation on the killing of innocent civilians and children. The resolution was fiercely opposed by the Israeli authorities, who instead asked for an inquiry led by U.S. investigators who would then submit their report to the U.S. president.
Amnesty International's Findings
Amnesty's first report declared that, in policing the recent demonstrations, the Israeli security forces tended to use military methods rather than policing methods to protect human lives.
"This report examines the unlawful use of potentially lethal force, as well as the impeding of medical access to the wounded," said Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkin, from the Middle East Program of Amnesty International and a member of their delegation.
Efforts to Suspend Arms Sales to Israel
Both Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch have submitted pledges to U.S. officials to halt the sale of arms and military equipment such as gunship helicopters to be used against Palestinian civilians. Amnesty International had earlier called on the U.S. government to suspend all exports of components for U.S. Apache helicopters to Israel until they showed that they would not be used to breach human rights.
A letter signed by representatives of 19 human rights organizations, religious institutions, and public and strategic studies centers urged the U.S. Secretary of State to suspend pending sales of helicopters to Israel, to investigate the use of U.S. supplied helicopters in attacks against Palestinians and the civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, and to consider securing a firm commitment from Israel that it will not use these gunships against civilians.
The United Kingdom is undertaking measures to investigate whether British equipment has been used in the attack against Palestinians, officials declared on October 25th. They are also considering suspending future arms sales to Israel.
American Arabs and Palestinians have shown considerable disappointment with the verbal agreement of the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit in which the Palestinian Authority agreed, among other things, to an inquiry into the causes of the conflict by international parties led by U.S. officials.
"The report will be issued by the U.S. president, and [the] others would be just observers. We might as well not have the inquiry at all," said Mazin Qumsiyeh, a key figure in the Al-Awda organization (Palestinian Right to Return Coalition)
"As a Muslim American, I think it is our role now to educate the American public and exert continuous pressure on the American administration to see the human crisis there," said Dr. Sabri Samirah of the Islamic Association for Palestine.
"A new sense may actually be dawning that only a mass movement against Israeli apartheid (similar to the South African variety) will work. Certainly, it is sheer idiocy for Barak and Albright to hold Arafat responsible for what he no longer fully controls.
Rather than dismissing the new framework being proposed, Israel's supporters would be wise to remember that the question of Palestine concerns an entire people, not an aging and discredited leader. Besides, peace in Palestine/Israel can only be made between equals once the military occupation has ended. No Palestinian, not even Arafat, can really accept anything less," said Edward Saeed, Palestinian activist.
Most Palestinian, Arab and Muslim Americans agree to the importance of tackling the Palestinian crisis as a human rights issue, a stand long held by Saeed. He argues that it will be more effective to create a popular American movement that sides with the Palestinians in their plight to regain their human rights rather than to continue trying to change the position of the American administration (which has always been influenced by the Zionist perspective of the conflict, and will probably continue to be for a long time) through sheer politics. After fully witnessing and understanding the gravity of the human tragedies being committed against the Palestinian people, the public will have greater leverage in successfully altering American foreign policy.
In conclusion, as taxpayers, Arab and Muslim Americans as well as American activists should vigorously protest the sale of arms and financial aid (of which a substantial portion is directed to the import of arms to be used primarily to strengthen its occupation in the disputed territories) from the U.S. to Israel.
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