As the clashes that began on 28 September 2000 continued to result in a high loss of life and level of injuries among the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and as the various Israeli claims, including Palestinians using "children as shields", increased, I wrote to CNN from London with some suggestions about how to get to the bottom of this.
Dear CNN,
Thank you for your report on Hebron the other day, found at http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/meast/10/27/hebron.curfew/ and the video report, which I am presuming was the broadcast version, by Fionnuala Sweeney.
This was a great report that made clear that the general Palestinian population is suffering through curfew, and identified the current Israeli shifting of opinion towards Hebron's settlers.
This was nicely balanced with the comments by the two female soldiers of the Israeli occupation forces, one of whom wryly noted that the Palestinians additionally need protection from the Jewish settlers.
The report contained a lot of contextual information that we don't usually get, which was appreciated.
"My point is that I saw the same clashes reported on BBC's TV News last night, and it seemed apparent from the footage that the clashes were taking place along the main road where the Israeli occupation troops and children were, and the shooting was taking place between the same Israeli occupation troops on that same road, but with different Palestinian men shooting from the windows of a building under construction *well off to the side* and raised, ie. no children in between them and the soldiers. " |
I am also writing with a suggestion based on seeing the following report and associated video clips/debrief:
"Israeli accuses Palestinians of using 'children as shields'"
From CNN (Washington); correspondents Jerrold Kessel, Fionnuala Sweeney, Kelly Wallace and Rula Amin contributed to this report. October 28, 2000, Web posted at: 1:05 a.m. EDT (0505 GMT), http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/meast/10/28/mideast.03/index.html
"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Israeli army commander accused Palestinians of using children as shields in a gun battle that broke out in Ramallah in the West Bank at sunset on Friday.
But Mustafa Barghouti, the head of Palestinian Medical Relief, accused the Israeli soldiers of shooting solely to kill protesters. "It is a total abuse of military power," he said."
Although the way the report is phrased includes comments from both sides all the way through (one indicator of balance), this is not exactly a new Israeli argument and the difference in this report is that the claim was that was is happening at these particular clashes.
The Israeli commander, Col. Gal Hirsch (pictured left), according to the way it is phrased on the website report, claims that this phenomenon is happening at this particular demonstration and indeed all demonstrations.
I watched the QuickTime source interview by Jerrold Kessel, where Hirsch talks in general about this happening and specifically asks Hirsch how this clash developed, but at no point does anyone suggest that it is *not* happening at this particular clash.
My point is that I saw the same clashes reported on BBC's TV News last night, and it seemed apparent from the footage that the clashes were taking place along the main road where the Israeli occupation troops and children were, and the shooting was taking place between the same Israeli occupation troops on that same road, but with different Palestinian men shooting from the windows of a building under construction *well off to the side* and raised, ie. no children in between them and the soldiers.
This would seem like a simple thing that CNN could verify by pointing the cameras at one of the groups, and panning to the other.
Sure, I wasn't there, and I am prepared to have my suspicions proved wrong about this event but the fact remains that this kind of claim -- which isn't just coming from one Israeli soldier but indeed all the official Israeli sources -- when uninvestigated, leaves CNN open to charges of being used as a propaganda channel for Israel.
Another from Hirsch: "We are shooting children? Lies! We are shooting well-armed Palestinians."
Another: "The only Palestinians that got live bullets in their heads were those Palestinians that opened sniper fire at us. Those were the only ones from all the demonstrators."
"Another from Hirsch: 'We are shooting children? Lies! We are shooting well-armed Palestinians.' ...These statements are patently false and should not be allowed to go by unchallenged. There have been plenty of children killed, and I haven't seen footage of even one of them being carried off to an ambulance with an AK-47 dangling around their neck. " |
Both these statements are patently false and should not be allowed to go by unchallenged. There have been plenty of children killed, and I haven't seen footage of even one of them being carried off to an ambulance with an AK-47 dangling around their neck.
I would totally agree that CNN has the duty to report these statements from both sides but surely the point of having reporters on the ground is to also report what is actually happening on the ground, enabling us to effectively deconstruct these claims.
The crunch, as a viewer, is that I want to know from CNN if these people are telling the truth or not.
Right at the start of the clashes, there was a really interesting report by Mika Hanna of a clash in Jerusalem, which clearly detailed what ammunition was being used, and how the clash progressed chronologically. This is virtually unheard of in reporting but when you consider that these clashes are the main focus of international media reporting at present, it is clear that we need to know what is actually happening at them.
CNN has the capacity to empower its viewers to be able to make up their minds from an investigative foundation, and not just from the claims of either side, which are unverifiable unless we were there.
Amnesty International recently sent two delegations to the area. The first included a riot policing specialist, Dr Stephen Males. Hearing someone who knows what they are talking about offer their eyewitness account of how these riots are responded to by Israel would be extremely valuable.
"We are seeing footage of these events almost daily, but no one who has any experience in the type of equipment used and the international standards that govern their use is helping us understand why the death toll is so high." |
We are seeing footage of these events almost daily, but no one who has any experience in the type of equipment used and the international standards that govern their use is helping us understand why the death toll is so high.
As would be apparent from my own previous experience, I don't accept Israeli assertion that it's because Palestinian children are being used as sheilds and I don't accept Israeli claims that their response is 'proportional' conforms to the reality of what is taking place on the ground.
I would be happy to provide some suggestions for questions that could be asked of Stephen Males. For example, with regard to rubber and plastic-coated munitions, someone at the UN in Gaza in 1989 told me that the international standard for RCMB and PCMB use was from a distance of 25 meters, preferably bounced off a wall or road. It would be useful to learn if this were indeed accurate, and what Males thinks of Israeli RCMB use from what he observed during his time there.
Similarly, I would like to know what Males observed of the proportions of Palestinian live weapon use, the average distance of stone throwers who were shot dead, and all those other questions that the relentless footage of clashes throw up.
I have included both Amnesty International releases below. The first gives an account of the Stephen Males delegation's findings, and shockingly notes that *neither* Israeli nor Palestinian sides are investigating deaths at clashes.
The second report includes what Amnesty delegates witnessed at specific clashes.
Please consider an interview with Stephen Males, and an investigative report into the Israeli and Palestinian claims about clashes.
With best wishes,
Nigel Parry
As the crisis in Israel and the Occupied Territories deepens, Amnesty International renews its appeals to the Israeli authorities to end the use of excessive force by the Israeli security forces, which has resulted in unlawful killings of Palestinians. Both Israeli settlers and armed Palestinian groups have fired on civilian targets.
Since 29 September more than 130 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli security forces, nearly 40 of them children, during riots and demonstrations in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Among them were medical personnel carrying out their duties. More than 4,000 have been injured. The Israeli security forces have persistently used excessive force, including lethal force, in response to the riots. There have also been instances of medical personnel being impeded as they tried to provide assistance.
Amnesty International sent two delegations to the area. The first included a riot policing specialist, Dr Stephen Males. Most protests involved demonstrators throwing stones at Israeli security forces or guardhouses. In the Occupied Territories, including areas under the Palestinian Authority, demonstrators also used Molotov cocktails and firearms on several occasions. However, Amnesty International has concluded that the security forces' response - which included the widespread use of high-velocity rounds and rubber-coated metal bullets, which can be lethal - was not consistent with Israeli guidelines and international standards on the use of force. These allow law enforcement officers to use lethal force only as a last resort when life is in imminent danger. Demonstrators including young children have been killed when they posed no such threat.
"Israeli Defence Force (IDF) spokespeople told Amnesty International delegates in Israel this week that although Israeli guidelines on the use of force have not changed, the situation had moved beyond law enforcement and close to armed conflict. As a consequence, the IDF, as a matter of policy, was no longer carrying out investigations into killings by the security forces. The Palestinian Authority also told delegates that they were not carrying out investigations into killings of Palestinians by the Israeli security services." |
Israeli Defence Force (IDF) spokespeople told Amnesty International delegates in Israel this week that although Israeli guidelines on the use of force have not changed, the situation had moved beyond law enforcement and close to armed conflict. As a consequence, the IDF, as a matter of policy, was no longer carrying out investigations into killings by the security forces. The Palestinian Authority also told delegates that they were not carrying out investigations into killings of Palestinians by the Israeli security services.
There have also been reports of apparent random firing at Palestinian villages from Israeli settlements and vice-versa.
- expressing your fears for the safety of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians;
- reminding them that the security forces have a duty to protect and respect life, particularly the lives of children;
- urging the Israeli government to take immediate action to ensure that the Israeli security forces comply with international standards governing the use of force and firearms, which require that lethal force may only be used as a last resort and only if life is in imminent danger;
- reminding the Israeli government of their responsibility to investigate every killing, to bring to justice anyone suspected of unlawful killings, and to try them in accordance with international standards;
- urging them to prevent any attacks on civilians from Israeli settlements, to investigate any such attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice;
- asking the Israeli government to initiate a review of its guidelines on policing of riots and demonstrations without delay, to ensure that its security forces comply with international human rights standards.
- urging him to investigate immediately the incidents in which the security forces have opened fire on medical personnel, resulting in the killing of an ambulance driver in the Gaza strip, and to do everything in his power to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice;
- urging him to make sure that medical personnel are not delayed or hindered in carrying out their duties by the Israeli security forces or by any one else;
- expressing your fears for the safety of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians;
- reminding the authorities that the security forces have a duty to protect and respect life, particularly the lives of children.
- urging them to prevent any attacks on civilians from the territories under their jurisdiction, to investigate any such attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.
[protest details deleted to avoid out-of-date protest. See Amnesty's website for current information.]
Organization: Amnesty International, Australia
Email "Andrew Beswick"
Sent: Monday, 23 October 2000 17:01
Subj: Israel/ Occupied Territories - Concern: Children at risk
Since late September, Amnesty International has consistently condemned the excessive and extensive use of lethal force in Israel and the Occupied Territories, in situations where lives were not at imminent risk, and which has resulted in the deaths of about 120 people. This action is based on the first research mission conducted by Amnesty International delegates.
Approximately 120 people - including more than 20 children - have died since clashes began on 29 September 2000. Most of those killed were Palestinians from the Occupied Territories and Israel.
"On 10 October 2000, Amnesty International delegates witnessed the aftermath of a stone throwing demonstration in Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip. Sami Fathi Abu Jazzar, aged 11, was declared brain dead after being wounded in the head when Israeli soldiers shot at a crowd of some 400 people, mostly young elementary schoolchildren, throwing stones at an Israeli military post. Six others were injured. The delegates concluded that the lives of Israeli soldiers, whose position was heavily fortified and located far away behind two wire fences, were in no imminent danger from the stone throwers." |
On 10 October 2000, Amnesty International delegates witnessed the aftermath of a stone throwing demonstration in Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip. Sami Fathi Abu Jazzar, aged 11, was declared brain dead after being wounded in the head when Israeli soldiers shot at a crowd of some 400 people, mostly young elementary schoolchildren, throwing stones at an Israeli military post. Six others were injured. The delegates concluded that the lives of Israeli soldiers, whose position was heavily fortified and located far away behind two wire fences, were in no imminent danger from the stone throwers.
On 7 October 2000, the delegates visited the family of Samer Samir Tabanjeh, aged 12; who live in Nablus in the West Bank, high on the side of a rocky hillside overlooking the city. On Sunday 1 October Samer Tabanjeh was sitting outside his home with his uncle and others watching the riots about 500 metres below. An Israeli military helicopter circled overhead and Israeli troops were deployed on the hill opposite, about 700 metres away. His uncle went inside the house, followed by the boy. He suddenly felt Samer Tabanjeh clutch his waist; he had been shot in the abdomen. Bleeding heavily, Samer Tabanjeh was rushed to hospital, but could not be saved.
On 6 October 2000, the delegates visited Arabah in northern Israel and saw the site of a demonstration where two youths, including Asil Hussan. Asleh, aged 17, had been killed on 3 October. The demonstration had taken place amongst olive groves near a rubbish dump, far from houses. One of the demonstrators reported that the Israeli police, border police and army waited en masse on the hillside for the demonstrators, who numbered about 200. The security forces threw tear gas canisters; then they charged the demonstrators, shooting rubber-coated metal bullets and live ammunition as they scattered. Witnesses say they saw Asil Asleh beaten to the ground; he was shot in the neck at close range. His grieving father said: "In normal circumstances, the police serve the people; they do not kill them."
Amnesty International's delegates received many reports of Israeli security forces impeding the delivery of medical care to injured persons. Such conduct contravenes international human rights standards, which require law enforcement officials to render medical assistance to the injured "at the earliest possible moment". Regarding Asil Asleh's case, witnesses told Amnesty International delegates that an ambulance was called after he was shot, but did not arrive due to the restrictions on movement imposed by police and soldiers. Asil Asleh was taken by private car to the Haifa Medical Centre in Sakhnin to receive emergency first aid. He was then transferred to another hospital in Nahariya, less than an hour away, but the ambulance in which he was being transported was delayed at several checkpoints. Upon arrival at Nahariya hospital, doctors immediately tried to operate on Asil Asleh, but he could not be saved.
At the same time, Amnesty International has strongly condemned the torture and killings of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah/al-Bireh on 14 October 2000. Vadim Norzhich and Yosef Avrahami were tortured and killed by an angry mob in a police station in Ramullah after having been arrested by police from the Palestinian Authority.
Amnesty International is calling on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to ensure that all the killings to date are promptly and thoroughly investigated and that the perpetrators are brought to justice in trials which meet international standards.
According to internationally adopted principles, law enforcement officials shall only use firearms, if other means remain ineffective or without any promise of achieving the intended result. Firearms may be used against people, after appropriate warnings are given, only to prevent death or serious injury where less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives. The standards underscore that law enforcement officials may resort to the intentional lethal use of firearms only when strictly unavoidable to protect life.
Amnesty International is concerned that since 29 September 2000, Israeli security forces have frequently used excessive force on demonstrators when lives were not in immediate danger. In many cases the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the Israel Police and the Border Police have apparently breached their own internal regulations on the use of force, as well as international human rights standards on the use of force and firearms.
On 19 October 2000, the UN Commission on Human Rights (CHR) adopted a resolution condemning "grave and massive violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people by Israel" and establishing a "human rights inquiry commission".
Amnesty International has repeatedly stressed that there can be no durable peace without justice which is based on a firm foundation of protecting the human rights for all, and that there should be no impunity for those who have committed serious human rights violations since 29 September. The organisation supports the CHR inquiry, while regretting the fact that its mandate does not extend to any abuses in the territories under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
The CHR has also requested as many as eight of the Commission's special mechanisms to visit the area. Of these, Amnesty International considers the contribution by the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions is the most important.
A separate fact finding committee had earlier been established at the meeting at Sharm al-Sheikh to be developed by the United States, in consultation with the UN Secretary-General, in order to investigate the events of the past several weeks and how to prevent their recurrence. Amnesty International recommends that the findings of the human rights inquiry commission established by the CHR, and any conclusions or recommendations by its relevant special mechanisms be immediately submitted to the UN Secretary-General so that he can ensure that authoritative measures for the protection of human rights are properly reflected in the recommendations to be formulated by the fact finding committee on how the tragic events of the last few weeks can be prevented in future.
[protest details deleted to avoid out-of-date protest. See Amnesty's website for current information.]