25 April - 1 May 2002
Issue No.583
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 25 April - 1 May 2002 Issue No.583 |
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The outside world is watching
While more international peace activists joined colleagues at Arafat's besieged headquarters in Ramallah, Amnesty International issued a report accusing Israel of committing war crimes in Jenin, reports Khaled Dawoud
Israel's continuing siege of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah did not prevent 12 new international peace activists from forcing their way past lines of Israeli soldiers to get to his office. They joined nearly 40 others, who have been acting as human shields to protect the Palestinian leader since the reoccupation of the city on March 29.
On Sunday, these "internationals" -- part of an organisation named Grassroots International Protection for Palestinians -- demonstrated in front of Arafat's headquarters, the Muqataa. Twelve foreign nationals, from Denmark, the United States, Australia, France and Britain, defied Israeli orders to stay away. As they approached, Israeli tanks and soldiers surrounding the Muqataa used stun grenades and fired warning shots in the air. The activists simply ignored them.
The newcomers replaced 10 others, who had been in the compound for the past three weeks. The 10 were arrested as soon as they left the building where Arafat has been trapped with a few aides. Eight of them were deported.
Neta Golan, an Israeli who is also one of the peace activists, has been in the compound since March 31. She wrote a joint article about the current situation with an American journalist, Ian Urbina. The thing that most surprised the international peace observers currently holed up in the Muqataa was not Israel's actions, they wrote, but rather "it is the inaction of the international community that most shocks us."
They added that "inside the pock-marked building surrounded by Israeli tanks and snipers, there is one question on everyone's minds: how many international laws does Israel need to break before the UN demands a full and immediate withdrawal?"
According to Golan and Urbina, "Israel is making a mockery of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the founding legal document of international human rights law; and by its tacit acceptance, the UN is severely eroding its credibility in the region and beyond."
They added that "those of us inside the presidential compound need help desperately. But not half as much as those on the outside who are facing the full brunt of the mass round-ups and house-to-house raids. The situation cannot deteriorate much further. Medical supplies have run out. Food is scarce."
On Monday, Israeli authorities at Ben Gurion Airport barred the entry of six doctors from Italy and two humanitarian relief workers from Sweden. The doctors, who intended to participate in the international medical brigade which is helping provide medical care in different areas of the West Bank and Gaza, were questioned and eventually deported back to Italy.
A group of 26 members of the European Parliament also arrived in Palestine on Tuesday. The group, which is composed of parliamentarians from a variety of European countries and political parties, visited Jenin refugee camp and other areas destroyed in Israel's latest aggression. They declared after seeing the devastation that the Israeli actions in Jenin definitely mounted to war crimes.
Meanwhile, London-based Amnesty International released the preliminary findings of its delegates' visit to Jenin on Monday. Jenin suffered most under Israel's latest attack.
"The evidence compiled indicates that serious breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law were committed, including war crimes, but only an independent international commission of inquiry can establish the full facts and the scale of these violations," said Javier Zuniga, director of regional strategy of the organisation's international secretariat, in a news conference.
In a statement to the press, Amnesty said the delegation received credible evidence of serious violations of international law by Israel, including:
- Failure to give civilians warning or time to evacuate Jenin refugee camp before Apache helicopters launched their first attacks.
- Failure by the Israeli Defence Forces to protect the people of the refugee camp, who are "protected people" under the Fourth Geneva Convention relating to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.
- Alleged extra-judicial executions.
- Failure, for 13 days, to allow humanitarian assistance to the people in the camp who were trapped in the rubble of demolished houses or running out of food and water.
- Denial of medical assistance to the wounded in the refugee camp and the deliberate targeting of ambulances.
- Excessive use of lethal force and the use of civilians as a "human shield."
- Ill-treatment, including beatings and degrading treatment, of Palestinian detainees.
- Extensive damage to property with no apparent military necessity.
Commenting on his preliminary findings following autopsies that he carried out in Jenin Hospital, Professor Derrick Pounder said: "What was striking is what was absent. There were very few bodies in the hospital. There were also none who were seriously injured, only the 'walking wounded.' So we have to ask: where are the bodies and where are the seriously injured?"
Amnesty said it believed that the UN fact- finding mission, which is currently being set up, was an important first step towards establishing the truth. "However, an independent international commission of inquiry should follow without delay. This should have the means and the expertise necessary to carry out a serious and thorough investigation," said the Amnesty statement. "The report of this investigation must be made public and those found responsible must be brought to justice," it added.
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