[E-rundbrief] Info 300 - Abriegelung des Gaza-Streifens, Appell
Matthias Reichl
mareichl at ping.at
Mo Okt 10 11:17:26 CEST 2005
E-Rundbrief - Info 300: Amnesty International: Israel/Occupied Territories:
High court ban on army's use of "human shields" is a welcome development;
High court ban on army's use of "human shields" is a welcome development;
Frauen in Schwarz (Wien): Appell zur sofortigen Aufhebung der Abriegelung
des Gaza-Streifens an die Bundesministerin für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten
(Musterbrief); Urgent Appeal: End Closures of the Gaza Strip.
Bad Ischl, 10.10.2005
Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
www.begegnungszentrum.at
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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Public Statement
AI Index: MDE 15/051/2005 (Public)
News Service No: 269
7 October 2005
Israel/Occupied Territories: High court ban on army's use of "human
shields" is a welcome development
Amnesty International welcomes the banning, by Israel's High Court, of the
use of Palestinians as "human shields" by the Israeli army. The
long-awaited High Court ruling of 6 October 2005 came in response to a
petition filed in May 2002 by several Israeli and Palestinian human rights
organizations seeking a ban of the practice, which endangered the lives of
the Palestinians who were used as "human shields" and violated
international law, notably Article 51 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
In recent years, Amnesty International investigated tens of cases where the
Israeli army used Palestinians, children as well as adults, as "human
shields" during military operations in towns and refugee camps throughout
the Occupied Territories. Palestinian civilians were forced to walk in
front of Israeli soldiers who, at times, fired their weapons while
shielding themselves behind the civilians. As well, Palestinian civilians
were made to enter houses ahead of Israeli soldiers to check for explosives
or gunmen hiding inside, to inspect suspicious objects, to stay in their
houses when Israeli soldiers took them over to use as sniper positions, or
to enter the houses of wanted, possibly armed, Palestinians to tell them to
surrender to Israeli forces.
The High Court failed to rule on the issue for three and a half years after
receiving the petition calling for the practice to be outlawed. During this
time, the Israeli army continued to use Palestinians as "human shields"
and, in response to the petition, claimed that Palestinians were used only
to perform tasks to which they agreed and which the military commander
deemed safe. The army initially referred to the practice as "neighbourhood
procedure" and subsequently as "prior warning procedure".
In August 2002, the High Court issued a temporary injunction banning the
use of Palestinians as "human shields" after a 19-year-old Palestinian was
killed while being used in this way by Israeli soldiers, but several months
later, in January 2003, the court reduced the scope of the injunction to
enable the army to use its so-called "prior warning procedure".
In practice, however, as Amnesty International and other human rights
organizations made clear, Palestinians in the Occupied Territories who
Israeli soldiers ordered or asked to carry out certain tasks in support of
their military operations were not in a position where they could freely
give their informed consent for fear that any refusal would result in
punishment or other reprisals. In the meantime, the Israeli army continued
to use Palestinian as "human shields", putting their lives in danger, under
the cover of the "prior warning procedure".
The ban on the use of Palestinians as "human shields" issued by the High
Court includes a ban on the use of the so-called "prior warning procedure",
recognizing that the use of civilians in military operations against their
will violates international law.
Amnesty International considers the ban a positive development and urges
the High Court to now also consider other petitions concerning fundamental
human rights, that have been pending for years. These include petitions
asking the High Court to outlaw the extrajudicial executions of wanted
Palestinians by Israeli forces and a discriminatory law that bars family
unification for Israeli citizens who marry Palestinians from the Occupied
Territories.
Quelle:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde150512005
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Public Statement
AI Index: MDE 15/050/2005 (Public)
News Service No: 269
7 October 2005
Israel/Occupied Territories: High court ban on army's use of "human
shields" is a welcome development
Amnesty International welcomes the banning, by Israel's High Court, of the
use of Palestinians as "human shields" by the Israeli army. The
long-awaited High Court ruling of 6 October 2005 came in response to a
petition filed in May 2002 by several Israeli and Palestinian human rights
organizations seeking a ban of the practice, which endangered the lives of
the Palestinians who were used as "human shields" and violated
international law, notably Article 51 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
In recent years, Amnesty International investigated tens of cases where the
Israeli army used Palestinians, children as well as adults, as "human
shields" during military operations in towns and refugee camps throughout
the Occupied Territories. Palestinian civilians were forced to walk in
front of Israeli soldiers who, at times, fired their weapons while
shielding themselves behind the civilians. As well, Palestinian civilians
were made to enter houses ahead of Israeli soldiers to check for explosives
or gunmen hiding inside, to inspect suspicious objects, to stay in their
houses when Israeli soldiers took them over to use as sniper positions, or
to enter the houses of wanted, possibly armed, Palestinians to tell them to
surrender to Israeli forces.
The High Court failed to rule on the issue for three and a half years after
receiving the petition calling for the practice to be outlawed. During this
time, the Israeli army continued to use Palestinians as "human shields"
and, in response to the petition, claimed that Palestinians were used only
to perform tasks to which they agreed and which the military commander
deemed safe. The army initially referred to the practice as "neighbourhood
procedure" and subsequently as "prior warning procedure".
In August 2002, the High Court issued a temporary injunction banning the
use of Palestinians as "human shields" after a 19-year-old Palestinian was
killed while being used in this way by Israeli soldiers, but several months
later, in January 2003, the court reduced the scope of the injunction to
enable the army to use its so-called "prior warning procedure".
In practice, however, as Amnesty International and other human rights
organizations made clear, Palestinians in the Occupied Territories who
Israeli soldiers ordered or asked to carry out certain tasks in support of
their military operations were not in a position where they could freely
give their informed consent for fear that any refusal would result in
punishment or other reprisals. In the meantime, the Israeli army continued
to use Palestinian as "human shields", putting their lives in danger, under
the cover of the "prior warning procedure".
The ban on the use of Palestinians as "human shields" issued by the High
Court includes a ban on the use of the so-called "prior warning procedure",
recognizing that the use of civilians in military operations against their
will violates international law.
Amnesty International considers the ban a positive development and urges
the High Court to now also consider other petitions concerning fundamental
human rights, that have been pending for years. These include petitions
asking the High Court to outlaw the extrajudicial executions of wanted
Palestinians by Israeli forces and a discriminatory law that bars family
unification for Israeli citizens who marry Palestinians from the Occupied
Territories.
Quelle:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE150502005?open&of=ENG-ISR
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frauen in Schwarz (Wien)
Musterbrief
Appell zur sofortigen Aufhebung der Abriegelung des Gaza-Streifens an die
Bundesministerin für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten
Nachdem sich Israel nach 38-jähriger Besatzung einseitig aus dem
Gaza-Streifen zurückge-zogen hat, sehen sich 1,4 Millionen
PalästinenserInnen neuerlichen völkerrechtswidrigen Maßnahmen ausgesetzt,
da Israel sämtliche Grenzübergänge des Gaza-Streifens hermetisch
abgeriegelt und das Territorium somit in ein riesiges Gefängnis verwandelt
hat. Tausende PalästinenserInnen sitzen seit Wochen an den Grenzübergängen
fest.
Laut dem palästinensischen Gesundheitsministerium hat diese Maßnahme
bereits zu einer drastischen Unterversorgung der Bevölkerung mit
Medikamenten geführt und gefährdet insbesondere die Gesundheit von
Diabetes-, Bluthochdruck-, Herz-, Krebs- und chronisch Kranken.
Hunderte PalästinenserInnen, darunter Frauen, Kinder, ältere Menschen,
sowie von einer Behandlung aus dem Ausland zurückgekehrte PatientInnen
sitzen seit Wochen auf der ägyptischen Seite des Grenzüberganges Rafah
unter menschenunwürdigen Bedingungen fest.
Wir fordern die österreichische Außenministerin auf, alles in ihrer Macht
Stehende zu unternehmen, um Israel zur sofortigen Beendigung der
Abriegelung des Gaza-Streifens zu veranlassen, die Einhaltung des in der
Vierten Genfer Konvention verbrieften Rechts auf Bewegungsfreiheit von
Israel einzumahnen, und somit den Ausbruch einer humanitären Katastrophe im
Gaza-Streifen zu verhindern.
Name und Adresse Unterschrift
----------------------------------
u.a. an:
Frau Bundesministerin
Dr. Ursula Plassnik
BM für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten
Minoritenplatz 8
1014 Wien
Fax: 0501159-201
E-mail: kabbm at bmaa.gv.at
------------------------------------------------------
October 6, 2005
Urgent Appeal
End Closures of the Gaza Strip
After the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip, a new situation
emerged, where the fate of the Rafah crossing and other major Palestinian
ports of entry and exit are in the hands of the Israeli forces. The Israeli
forces imposed a strict and comprehensive closure on all of its borders
with the Gaza Strip, putting 1.4 million Palestinians under complete siege
for indefinite period. This situation is converting the Strip into a closed
prison, where no access to the outside world is allowed. Thousands of
patients, students, and other traveling citizens are stranded at the border
for weeks.
According to Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH) the closure has resulted
in a huge shortage in medical supplies, mainly drugs used for treatment of
(Diabetes Mellitus) D.M., hypertension, cardiac & cancer diseases, as well
as drugs used for treatment of elevated triglycerides. Such situation is
created by poor infrastructure in the medical field accumulated from being
under Israeli occupation for many years.
In addition, hundreds of Palestinian citizens are withheld at the Egyptian
side of Rafah crossing and forced to sleep for weeks at the border denied
of their basic human needs. What make it worse are the bad conditions and
insufficient facilities to accommodate such big crowd of citizens in the
Egyptian side. As a result, hundreds of women, children, and elderly, who
are prevented from passing, are left to live in intolerable conditions.
These unjustified measures do not spare patients coming back to Gaza after
treatment abroad and being held for days, which in turn result in more
suffering and deterioration of their health conditions.
All such Israeli measures are a clear violation of international law which
treats Israel as an occupying force - Israel insist to continue to be,
despite the disengagement from Gaza.
We urge all governments, UN agencies, the European Union, the Quartet
committee, and international human rights organizations to act urgently by
putting pressure on Israel to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and
allowing free movement of Palestinians. We appeal to all of you to help in
enforcing the international law of the freedom of movement to Palestinian
citizens as set by the 4th Geneva conventions.
We all must demand that Israeli government refrain from such practices and
measures and immediately permit the Palestinian citizens to pass through
the crossings as well as allowing medical supplies to enter Gaza in order
to ward off a humanitarian disaster resulting from deteriorating health
conditions.
For more Information please contact:
Gaza Community Mental Health Program:
Husam El-Nounou, 972-8-2825700, 059-9862595
Physicians for Human Rights- Israel:
Ibrahim Habib, 972-3-6873718, 054-7577696
FRAUEN IN SCHWARZ (WIEN)
E-mail: WomenInBlack at gmx.at
www.fraueninschwarz.at
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