Sunday, B'Tselem released a report describing a series of cases of severe abuse by IDF soldiers over the past week at the Sarra checkpoint, next to Nablus.
B'Tselem's checkpoint monitors took testimonies from ten Palestinians who were assaulted between December 27-31 by soldiers serving at the checkpoint. The abuse included a mock execution, severe beatings and tying up the victims. The abuse occurred on a regular basis.
After documenting the first case on December 28, B’Tselem sent urgent appeals to various IDF officials to stop the abuse, remove the soldiers from the checkpoint and initiate investigations. In spite of these appeals, the abuse continued all week.
The IDF's siege policy, now in force for over three years, has resulted in severe human rights violations at IDF checkpoints. The IDF has failed to prevent grave incidents such as those documented in this report. The report argues that these cases are the direct and unpreventable result of the IDF's sweeping and destructive siege policy, manifested in hundreds of physical obstacles and dozens of staffed checkpoints preventing movement within the West Bank.
B'Tselem therefore calls for the removal of checkpoints inside the West Bank.
Until they are removed, B'Tselem calls upon the IDF:
· To immediately remove the soldiers serving at the Sarra checkpoint;
· To open Military Police Investigations and bring to justice all those responsible for the incidents described in the report;
· To open Military Police Investigations into all cases in which soldiers harm Palestinian civilians.
Download the report: http://www.btselem.org/Download/Sarra_Checkpoint_eng.doc
For further information on Israel's Siege: Policyhttp://www.btselem.org/English/Freedom_of_Movement/Siege/Index.asp
B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories; http://www.btselem.org/ and in our Links section
Please continue for a report on Budrus and an appeal from the
International Solidarity Movement ...
B'Tselem's checkpoint monitors took testimonies from ten Palestinians who were assaulted between December 27-31 by soldiers serving at the checkpoint. The abuse included a mock execution, severe beatings and tying up the victims. The abuse occurred on a regular basis.
After documenting the first case on December 28, B’Tselem sent urgent appeals to various IDF officials to stop the abuse, remove the soldiers from the checkpoint and initiate investigations. In spite of these appeals, the abuse continued all week.
The IDF's siege policy, now in force for over three years, has resulted in severe human rights violations at IDF checkpoints. The IDF has failed to prevent grave incidents such as those documented in this report. The report argues that these cases are the direct and unpreventable result of the IDF's sweeping and destructive siege policy, manifested in hundreds of physical obstacles and dozens of staffed checkpoints preventing movement within the West Bank.
B'Tselem therefore calls for the removal of checkpoints inside the West Bank.
Until they are removed, B'Tselem calls upon the IDF:
· To immediately remove the soldiers serving at the Sarra checkpoint;
· To open Military Police Investigations and bring to justice all those responsible for the incidents described in the report;
· To open Military Police Investigations into all cases in which soldiers harm Palestinian civilians.
Download the report: http://www.btselem.org/Download/Sarra_Checkpoint_eng.doc
For further information on Israel's Siege: Policyhttp://www.btselem.org/English/Freedom_of_Movement/Siege/Index.asp
B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories; http://www.btselem.org/ and in our Links section
Please continue for a report on Budrus and an appeal from the
International Solidarity Movement ...