Mideast - AFP
Amnesty accuses both Israel, Palestinian groups of "crimes" in intifada
Date: Wed, May 26, 2004
LONDON (AFP) - Amnesty International accused Israel of committing "war crimes" against the Palestinians and said the killings of Israeli civilians by Palestinian militants were "crimes against humanity."
"Certain abuses committed by the Israeli army constituted war crimes, including unlawful killings, obstruction of medical assistance and targeting of medical personnel, extensive and wanton destruction of property, torture and the use of 'human shields'," said Amnesty's annual report for 2003.
"The deliberate targeting of (Israeli) civilians by Palestinian armed groups constituted crimes against humanity," said the London-based rights watchdog.
The group said "the Israeli army killed around 600 Palestinians, including more than 100 children (in 2003). Most were killed unlawfully -- in reckless shooting, shelling and bombing in civilian residential areas, in extrajudicial executions and through excessive use of force."
Palestinian armed groups "killed around 200 Israelis, at least 130 of them civilians and including 21 children, in suicide bombings and other deliberate attacks" last year, it said Wednesday.
The group said "thousands of Palestinians were detained by the Israeli army. Most were released without charge, hundreds were charged with security offences against Israel and at least 1,500 were held in administrative detention without charge or trial."
Trials in military courts "did not meet international standards. Allegations of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees were widespread and Israeli soldiers used Palestinians as 'human shields' during military operations," it said.
The watchdog also condemned the Israeli army for the killing and injury of "several international activists with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), journalists and medical workers."
It regretted that "most Israeli soldiers and security force members continued to enjoy impunity. Investigations, prosecutions and convictions for human right violations were rare."
"In the overwhelming majority of the thousands of cases of unlawful killings and other grave human rights violations committed by Israeli soldiers since the intifada (uprising) began (in 2000), no investigations were known to have been carried out," it said.
It said Israeli settlers in occupied Palestinian territories "attacked Palestinians and their property ... (and) in most cases, attacks ...were not investigated and those responsible were not brought to justice."
Israel was also accused of holding "scores of Jewish Israelis who refused to perform military service or to serve in the occupied territories" as prisoners of conscience.
Amnesty criticised Israel's destruction of hundreds of Palestinian homes, commercial and public facilities as well as water, electricity and communication infrastructure "as a form of collective punishment."
Such punishment also included closures, military checkpoints and curfews that restricted the movement of Palestinians, hindering access to work, education, medical care, family visits and other activities of daily life.
"Restrictions on the movement of Palestinians were further increased by the construction by Israel of a fence/wall in the western part of the West Bank and around Jerusalem," it said.
"The restrictions were a major cause of the virtual collapse of the Palestinian economy, resulting in a dramatic increase in unemployment, which stood at close to 50 percent, and poverty, with two-thirds of the Palestinian population living below the poverty line and an increasing number suffering from malnutrition and other health problems."
The group accused Israel of the "illegal" expansion of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories in moves that "further deprive Palestinians of natural resources such as land and water".
Amnesty slammed the Israeli army for carrying out "forcible transfers" of at least 18 Palestinians from their native West Bank to the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) following administrative detention without charge or trial.
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