Israel's 'brave' IDF attack children

[outsider]

In Israeli occupied Palestine:

Case ISR 080708 / Case ISR 080708.CC

Physical and psychological ill-treatment and torture of a 10 year-old boy/ Threats and excessive use of force when interrogating the family/ Destruction of property

The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by Defence for Children-Palestine section, member organisation of OMCT SOS-Torture network, about the physical and psychological abuse amounting to torture of Ezzat Hajli, aged 10 years, by Israeli soldiers on 11 June 2008 in the village of Sanniriya, Occupied Palestinian Territories. Seeking information on the location of a handgun, the soldiers repeatedly beat Ezzat in various parts of his body in his father’s shop and then in the family house, used excessive force when interrogating Ezzat’s family including younger siblings and destroyed family belongings.

According to the information received, on 11 June 2008, at around 10:30am, Ezzat, his brother Makkawi (7 years old) and sister Lara (8 years old) were in their father’s shop in the village of Sanniriya, near the West Bank city of Qalqiliya. The children were suddenly startled to see two Israeli soldiers harshly entered the shop. One soldier wearing a black T-shirt started shouting in a loud, menacing voice in Arabic, “your father sent us to you to collect his gun”. Terrified, Ezzat responded that his father does not own a gun. The soldier responded by slapping Ezzat hard across the right cheek and his brother Makawi across his face. The soldier then ordered Makkawi and Lara to leave the shop. Once the younger children had left the soldier demanded once again that Ezzat handed over his father’s gun. Although Ezzat repeated that his father did not own a gun the soldier ordered him to search for it in the shop. Ezzat kept insisting that there was no gun in the shop so the soldier slapped him once again, this time across his left cheek. Some Ezzat’s friends and local people tried to enter the shop but were prevented from doing so by a soldier at the door.

When the soldier in the black T-shirt asked the boy once again to produce the gun, Ezzat answered, “We do not have anything”. The soldier reportedly responded by punching him hard in the stomach causing Ezzat to fall over. Ezzat started screaming and crying out from pain and fear. The soldier in the black T-shirt started making fun of Ezzat and imitated him crying. Ezzat remained in the shop alone with the soldiers for a further 15 minutes when the soldier in black abruptly grabbed him by his T-shirt and dragged him out of the shop. Ezzat asked the soldier if he could lock up his father’s shop but the soldier said he wanted it to remain open so that it could be robbed. The soldier also threatened to put Ezzat in his jeep and take him away.

Once they were out of the shop, Ezzat was reportedly ordered to walk in front of the soldiers to his house, whilst a gun was pointed at his back. The soldiers hit him several times on the nape along the way. On approaching his house Ezzat saw many Israeli military officials surrounding the house and a number of green military vehicles parked outside. One of the olive coloured jeeps had the word “police” written on it.

After arriving at the family’s home the soldier in the black T-shirt allegedly stood Ezzat in the yard and ordered him to search the flower basin for the gun. Before Ezzat had a chance to respond the soldier slapped him so violently that Ezzat fell down face first into the basin. Without giving him the chance to stand up the soldier grabbed him by his T-shirt and lifted him up roughly. He was then instructed in Arabic by another soldier to head to the guestroom.

According to the same information received, on approaching the guestroom Ezzat could see his father standing by the door. The soldier slapped him on the neck and Ezzat fell to the ground. As Ezzat stood up the soldier slapped him a second time, which made him fall to the ground once again. All this happened in front of his father. He then grabbed Ezzat by his T-shirt and lifted him in to the air. The soldier told Ezzat’s father that he was going to take his son to prison. He also threatened to take Ezzat’s 19-year-old sister to prison. Ezzat was then pushed forcibly in to the guest room where his mother and four of his other siblings including his sisters Diana (19 years old), Raghda (18 years old), Aya (15 years-old) and brother Jihad (3 years old), were being held. His mother was crying. Ezzat was also crying and when asked by his mother why he was crying, he said it was because he had been hit by the soldiers. His mother asked the soldiers to stop beating her son and to beat her instead.

After several minutes Ezzat was taken out of the guestroom and slapped several times by the soldier in black, once so hard that he fell to the ground. After being moved to several locations in the house Ezzat was told to stay in the boys’ bedroom. The same soldier then left the room but returned every five minutes to slap Ezzat and also to punch him several times in the stomach. Each time this took place Ezzat shouted and screamed out in pain and started crying. The soldier then imitated him and made fun of him. The soldier hit him around six times.

A short time later, five soldiers entered the room and proceeded to destroy the family’s property using hammers. In all, the soldiers destroyed wooden ventilation panels in the attic, a small refrigerator in the bedroom and its contents, damage to the kitchen, a fan and the fireplace.

Ezzat reportedly spent one hour in the bedroom alone with the soldiers. In that hour he was ordered by the same soldier to stand on one foot for half an hour, with his back against the wall and with both his hands lifted up in the air. Ezzat was exhausted but was too scared to put his foot down on the ground. Eventually he was told by one of the other soldiers that he could put his foot down. He was then asked to sit down in a squat position. He managed to remain in this position for two minutes and then had to stand up. A female soldier then walked into the room and asked him to sit on the refrigerator box.

According to the information received based on Ezzat’s testimony, shortly after the soldier in the black T-shirt returned accompanied by Ezzat’s older sister Diana. The soldier asked again to tell him where the gun was hidden and that if he told him where it was he would not tell Ezzat’s father. The soldier left the room with Ezzat’s sister. He then returned to the room on his own and hit Ezzat all over his body. He left the room once again and after a while came back offering Ezzat 10 Shekels in return for telling him where the gun was. Ezzat responded that he did not care about money. This made the soldier extremely angry and he took off his helmet and started throwing it at Ezzat from two metres away. Ezzat was in extreme pain. The soldier continued to hit him with the helmet and then left the room once again returning to slap him across his face and on his stomach. This continued for some time with the soldier leaving the room and returning to hit Ezzat and to question him over the gun.

Ezzat then witnessed the soldier in the black T-shirt and the female soldier leading his sisters and mother to one of the rooms close to the boys’ bedroom. They closed the door of the room but Ezzat could hear the soldiers shouting at them. He overheard the soldier telling the female soldier to hit his mother because she was refusing to take her clothes off to be searched. After the incident was over Ezzat’s sister informed him that they were all strip searched by the female soldier, while the male soldier waited outside.

Meanwhile, a soldier wearing black sunglasses reportedly entered the bedroom in which Ezzat was being held. He walked in pointing a rifle, a few centimetres away from Ezzat’s head. Ezzat was so terrified that he began to shiver. The soldier laughed and made fun of him. He asked Ezzat to tell him where the gun was and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t. Ezzat continued to maintain that there was no weapon hidden away. The soldier, getting agitated shouted at Ezzat and saying: “For the last time, tell me where the gun is before I shoot you". Ezzat repeated that he did not have a gun. Hearing this, the soldier lowered his rifle and left the room. After about five minutes the soldier in the black T-shirt entered the room along with four other soldiers and said that they were leaving but would return.

The soldiers spent two and half hours in the house in total. After the incident Ezzat spent the night at his uncle’s house because he was too scared to sleep in his home. As a result of the physical assault Ezzat lost two of his molar teeth and is deeply shocked by the incident. He has received medical care. Until now Ezzat’s family did not lodge any complaint but wish doing it. In this regard, they are in contact with the lawyers of DCI-Palestine. They did not receive any compensation for the sufferings and the destruction of their belongings.

The International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its deep concern about the acts of torture and ill-treatment suffered by Ezzat Hajli and the excessive use of force against his family. OMCT would like to recall that Israel is a State party to the UN human rights treaties including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which prohibit torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment against children. In line with their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended Israel in its last Concluding Observations (CRC/C/15/Add.195) to “investigate effectively all cases of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by police officers or other government officials and bring the perpetrators to justice” and to “pay full attention to the victims of these violations and provide them with opportunities for adequate compensation, recovery and social reintegration”.



Action requested

Please write to the authorities in Israel urging them to:

i. Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical and psychological integrity of Ezzat and his family;

ii. Order a thorough and impartial investigation into these events, notably the acts of torture, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;

iii. Guarantee that adequate compensation is awarded to Ezzat and his family;

iv. Ensure the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.

Addresses

§ Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel, Office of the President, 3 Hanassi St., 92188, Jerusalem, Israel. Tel: +972 2 6707211. Fax: +972 2 5610033. Email: president@president.gov.il

§ Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Telephone: +972 2 6753277. Telephone2: +972 2 6753547. Email: eulmert@knesset.gov.il

§ Mr. Meir Sheetrit, Minister of Interior, Israeli Ministry of the Interior, 2 Kaplan Street, Qiryat Ben-Gurion, PO Box 6158, 91061 Jerusalem, Tel: +972 2 670 1411 / +972 2 629 4722, Fax: +972 2 670 1628, Email: sar@moin.gov.il

§ Ehud Barak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Ministry of Defence, 37 Kaplan Street, Hakirya, Tel Aviv 61909, Israel, Fax: +972 3 691 6940, +972 3 696 2757; +972 3 691 7915. Email: minister@mod.gov.il

Please also write to the embassies of Israel in your respective country.

Geneva, 8 July 2008

[outsider]

Just to help balance the thread, and to let posters know of one of the many good Jewish groups; here is IJAN's latest Anniversary Bulletin:

Anniversary Bulletin:

IJAN's First Year
Support the Gaza Freedom March
Demand Dayton to exit Palestine
Challenge Islamophobia in the U.S. judicial system
Tell IGLTA that Apartheid Israel is not for LGBT Leisure Tourism!


IJAN is a growing international network of Jews whose Jewish identities are not based on Zionism but on a plurality of histories and experiences. We share a commitment to participation in the legacy of struggles against colonization and imperialism. As such, we struggle against Zionism and its manifestation in the State of Israel’s historic and ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and the confiscation of their land.

www.ijsn.net


Anniversary Bulletin


This bulletin comes out on the eve of IJAN’s first anniversary. Please join us in welcoming in the new year with action that reflects our commitment to Palestinian liberation. In the bulletin below, are some words of reflection about the current state of affairs in which our work occurs. You will also find four suggestions for simple actions you can take this week to move the work forward in the coming year. Please participate in these efforts to: support an international campaign to end the siege on Gaza, remove US General Dayton from the West Bank, provide solidarity for a US citizen facing 60 years in prison for false charges by an Islamophobic state, and support activists in Israel attempting to keep Israel from being promoted as a travel destination. We look forward to another year of working together toward the liberation of Palestine and justice for all.





IJAN’s First Year


As we approach the first anniversary of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), we remember the anniversary of Sabra and Shatila and over 61 years of Palestinian struggle against ethnic cleansing. We are reminded that the latest siege and blockade of Gaza is part of this ongoing colonization of Palestine. Through our actions over this anniversary we intend to honor the second intifada, which reignited the international solidarity movement from which our network emerged…

Much has changed since the release of the founding Charter of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network on 29 September 2008. The Palestinian call for boycott of, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel (BDS) is gaining in presence and impact, both internationally and inside Israel. Israel’s barbaric assault on Gaza has inspired humanitarian efforts to break the siege, calls for prosecuting Israeli war criminals, and the breaking of diplomatic ties by Venezuela, Bolivia, and Mauritania.

Against the backdrop of this increased oppression, we are witnessing efforts to resume a negotiated ‘peace’ brokered by the United States. The alleged ‘peace plan’ picks up where the Oslo Accords left off. That project was successfully interrupted by second intifada, and it must not be permitted to reemerge in the form of a series of separate and caged Palestinian bantustans on 22 percent of historic Palestine….

The work ahead is to hold our own governments accountable for their support and funding of Israeli apartheid and colonization, and to mobilize public opinion to achieve this goal. To this end, the increasingly successful BDS campaign is our most powerful tool. In our second year, IJAN hopes to continue its work with those committed to the liberation of the Palestinian people as part of the broader struggle against racism, colonialism, and imperialism worldwide.

Click here to read the full statement, including IJAN’s accomplishments in our first year and our plans for the following year.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



Support the Gaza Freedom March

>> Cliquez sur ici pour lire notre rapport de support en FRANÇAIS.

The framework of the Gaza Freedom March to take place in January, 2010, was initially challenged by highly-respected Palestinian activists. Their criticisms led to a compromise that satisfied both the Palestinian critics and most of the initial organizers. This compromise was reflected in a "Statement of Context" that is now part of the call and locates the struggle to lift the siege on Gaza within the broader context of the 60 plus year history of colonization of Palestine and Palestinian resistance. Since then, there has been an outpouring of support for the March from Palestinian civil society. IJAN endorses the March and is partnering to make it a success. IJAN France is organizing a delegation.

Click here to read IJAN’s full statement of support on Electronic Intifada.

Click here to endorse or join the March.

If you are interested in organizing a delegation, please contact the organizers of the March at info@gazafreedommarch.org, and CC ijan@ijsn.net so that we can coordinate together.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Call for US IJAN Action:
Demand Dayton to Exit Palestine

IJAN endorsed the call of the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) to decry the U.S. and Israel exploitation of internal Palestinian divisions through the supplying, training, and supervising of Palestinian Authority security forces to quell Palestinian resistance in the West Bank. As the USPCN notes, liberation struggles throughout the world have been subject to these same imperialist tactics. And, like solidarity activists before us, our responsibility lies in attempting stop history from repeating itself.

Please join the US Palestinian Community Network in calling for a withdrawal of Dayton and an end to US-funded death squads in the West Bank.

Click here to read and sign the statement.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Call for US IJAN Action:
Challenge Islamophobia in the U.S. Judicial System

Help IJAN reach its goal of sending 250 letters to the sentencing Judge!


The US War on Terror uses Islamophobia to justify the targeting of Muslim, Arab, and South and West Asian individuals, communities and organizations. Many of those serving time have been targeted simply for their participation in organizations or religious institutions that are deemed a terrorist threat without any clear evidence of actual participation in anything remotely connected to harming civilian populations. This is the case with Ehsanul Sadequee (Shifa).

On April 17, 2006, 19 year old Ehsanul Sadequee (Shifa), an American born Muslim, was kidnapped from Bangladesh under the direction of the Bush administration and handed over to the US on alleged charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism and is currently awaiting trial. Shifa has served over three years in solidarity confinement without trial or having been convicted on an offense. He has been subjected to physical abuse, psychological torture, and health ailments have been ignored and exacerbated by federal prison staff. More information can be found at http://www.freeshifa.com/.

PLEASE TAKE 10 MINUTES TO SEND A LETTER TO REQUEST A REDUCTION OF THE SENTENCE SHIFA IS FACING—UP TO 60 YEARS IN PRISON FOR INVALID CHARGES OF TERRORISM.


Click here for a sample letter.

Tell IGLTA that Apartheid Israel is not for LGBT Leisure Tourism!

On October 10-16, 2009, the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) is planning to hold a tourism conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, aimed at boosting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) leisure tourism to Israel. The audience of this conference is expected to be made up mostly of travel agents who specialize in promoting LGBT tourism. With this conference IGLTA, in cooperation with an Israeli LGBT organization, the Aguda, will give its symbolic and financial support to a state that continually occupies, oppresses and dispossess millions of Palestinians and murders and imprisons many thousands of them. Queer activists and groups in Canada, Israel and the United States are calling on LGBTQI people and friends around the world to demand that IGLTA cancel its planned conference in Israel and cease any promotion of tourism to this country.

Please email International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, calling on it to cancel its planned conference in Israel and any promotion of tourism to this country.

Click here to read the full statement, and see a sample letter with a full list of addressees.

International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network

Canada :: Europe :: India :: Israel :: Latin America :: Morocco :: United Kingdom :: United States

ijan@ijsn.net :: www.ijsn.net
© International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network

[outsider]

Chance to support Gaza:

www.SupportGoldstone.org

CLICK HERE to tell the Israeli government, the media, US Congress and Richard Goldstone:
I SUPPORT THE GOLDSTONE REPORT

Frankly, I've had enough of the lies and distortions surrounding the UN Goldstone Report. I've had enough of the maneuvering by Israel, the US, and other countries in order to dismiss the report and its authors and bury it altogether.

If you are as dismayed as I am, sign at SupportGoldstone.org, and we'll let key Israeli officials, members of Congress, and Goldstone himself know how many of you support the report.


What we need, instead of the smear campaigns, is discussion of the report's substance: the use of phosphorus that literally burned people alive (I saw the terrible impact with my own eyes on a recent trip to Gaza); or the use of metal darts called flechettes that twist when they enter the body; or the long term impacts of contaminated land and water.

Early next week the report heads to the floor of the US Congress and the UN General Assembly, and we're expecting continued pressure to have this important document roundly dismissed.



The continued attacks on the Goldstone Report prevent accountability for the civilian victims before, during and after the attack on Gaza -- both Palestinians and Israelis -- and shred the rule of law.

That's why we are asking you to say: I support the Goldstone Report. Once you sign, we'll tell you how to easily and quickly lobby Congress and your UN Ambassador in the next few days.


The truth is that the Goldstone Report is a well-researched, fair-minded report. It accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the attack on Gaza, and it calls on Israel and Hamas to conduct credible, independent investigations or face the International Criminal Court.

I support the Goldstone Report.

Israel decided not to cooperate with the investigation and now claims that the report and its results are biased. Worse yet, Israel claims that the report negates its right to defend its population, when in reality, all the report does is insist that such a defense take place within the bounds of international law.


The United States and other countries are repeating the same lines, and have exerted great diplomatic pressure to kill the report.


The US Congress is getting ready to pass a resolution next week calling on President Obama to do everything he can to bury the Goldstone Report. The UN General Assembly will vote on it. Israel might launch its own investigation, if it is pressured enough to do so. And if it does, our task will be to ensure that the investigation is comprehensive, impartial, and aimed towards addressing, punishing and preventing future human rights abused - and not at changing the laws of war such that another blatant assault on civilian life and property as the Gaza war will ever become acceptable under international law.

Please join us in supporting the Goldstone Report now.


Thanks,

Cecilie Surasky
Jewish Voice for Peace


Would you like to be removed from the list? Click here to unsubscribe.

Subscribe to our blog Muzzlewatch through Feedburner or Twitter.

Inspired by what we're doing?

Please donate now. Every donation makes a difference.

Contact us directly at Jewish Voice for Peace. 1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 550. Oakland, CA 94612 510-465-1777 info@jvp.org