Ref: 134/2011

Date: 11 December 2011

Time: 11:00 GMT

IOF Use Excessive Lethal Force and Kill Palestinian Civilian in al-Nabi Saleh Weekly Peaceful Protests

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the crime of killing a Palestinian who was peacefully demonstrating in al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). PCHR notes that IOF have intentionally used excessive lethal force against weekly peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders against the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate action in order to put an end to IOF’s crimes. PCHR calls also upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1 of the Convention which requires the Contracting Parties to respect and ensure respect for the Convention under all circumstances.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, following the Friday prayer on 09 December 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders gathered in the center of al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to start the weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The protesters walked towards the gate erected by IOF near the entrance of the village and leading to Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby "Halamish" settlement are trying to seize. Israeli soldiers who had been extensively deployed in the area and near all the entrances of the village since the morning, began to confront the protesters who wanted to walk towards the affected lands. Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters. A result, Mustafa Abdul Razzaq al-Tamimi, 27, was hit by a tear gas canister to the right side of his face. Al-Tamimi fell down and he was evacuated in a Palestinian taxi which drove towards Ramallah. IOF stopped the taxi, took al-Tamimi, and transferred him to a hospital in Israel. At approximately 10:00 on Saturday, 10 December 2011, medical sources at Israeli hospital pronounced al-Tamimi dead. Al-Tamimi's body was transferred to Ramallah Public Hospital at around 19:00 on Saturday, 10 December. Eyewitnesses told a PCHR fieldworker that the tear gas canister was fired at al-Tamimi from an Israeli military jeep that was located approximately 10 meters from him.

PCHR renews its condemnation of this crime and:

1. Stresses that the use of extensive lethal force against peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians has become a systematic policy by IOF, which reflects disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians;

2. Holds IOF accountable for the deterioration of the situation in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip;

3. Believes that it is time to convene a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions in order to take immediate action to protect Palestinian civilians in the OPT, in view of the continued violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention by the State of Israel and IOF.

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