Killing Palestinians with Impunity
With peace talks underway in Washington; Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt; Jerusalem; then New York, Israel, almost daily, commits crimes of war and against humanity. Some of the latest include:
● air strikes against Gaza, killing two Palestinian civilians in another one;
● peaceful protesters attacked in Gaza and the West Bank;
● live rounds and shells fired against farmers and workers in the Strip's border areas, killing an old man, his grandchild, another boy, and 30 sheep;
● over 100 live rounds fired at an Erez Crossing peaceful demonstration near Beit Hanoun;
● its medieval siege maintained, suffocating 1.5 million people and preventing 40,000 students from attending UN schools;
● violations against Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons escalated; most are political prisoners;
● 16 new Jordan Valley demolition orders for Palestinian barns and greenhouses issued plus others to bulldoze their homes;
● 87 incursions into West Bank communities and three in Gaza in the first half of September, arresting 43 civilians, including nine children; and
● unabated illegal settlement construction.
Israeli does what it pleases, defiling the rule of law, including letting its security forces kill with impunity, a new B'Tselem report confirming it. Titled "Void of Responsibility: Israeli Military Policy not to investigate Killings of Palestinians by Soldiers," it provides plenty of evidence.
Protests throughout the Territories occur regularly, in Bil'in village every Friday against the Separation Wall. April 17 was typical. Soldiers attacked demonstrators with tear gas, rubber bullets, at times live fire, and extended-range gas canisters. Used against Bassem Abu Rahmeh, it killed him from massive internal injuries, a case of cold-blooded murder.