Ramallah, 30-05-07: The policy of extra-judicial executions practiced by the Israel military against Palestinians further reflects Israel’s use of the “law of the jungle” and its self-designated role as prosecutor, judge and executor, said Palestinian Information Minister Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi today.
He was referring to the execution of 22-year-old Omar Abu Dhaher by an Israeli undercover unit in the heart of Ramallah yesterday, by a bullet to the back of the head at close range as he lay injured on the ground.
Reports on the murder quoted an Israeli military spokeswoman as saying that the dead man was armed and had continued to move towards the Israeli forces after being shot, prompting them to shoot him again. Others said that he was killed in an ‘exchange of fire’ as Israeli special forces attempted to arrest him; that he was a ‘Fatah militant’ because of his role as a member of the Palestinian President’s official Security Forces.
Yet the execution was witnessed by tens of people, including Dr. Barghouthi himself, by numerous employees of two well-known non-governmental organisations (NGOs) located above the spot where Dhaher was executed, and by the many shoppers and passers-by present at the scene, in that the attack was carried out at 17:00 outside a popular restaurant on Ramallah’s busy Main Street.
Video footage of the aftermath can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6ELayoGFgg.
So let the facts be clear. Dhaher was not killed in a gunfight: he was summarily executed by Israeli special forces by a shot to the back of the head at point blank range. His blood and brain tissue was spread over a wide area, further indicating that he was shot at close range.
An affidavit taken by an internationally-respected Palestinian human rights NGO from a taxi driver who witnessed the murder confirmed that Dhaher was pursued by Israeli special forces when he tried to run from the scene. He was initially shot in the back of the leg, at which point he fell to the ground face down and was then executed. No attempt was made to arrest him during this time. [1] His body was riddled with 22 other bullets in his back, and in the back of his legs and arms, clearly indicating that he was shot from behind.
Furthermore, this man was a member of the Palestinian Authority‘s Presidential Guard, sanctioned under the Oslo Accords and by Israel to uphold public order and security in areas under Palestinian control (like Ramallah), and authorised to carry a weapon. In addition, Palestinian national police and security officers are also among the persons protected under Article 4 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the wilful killing of such protected persons is defined as a "grave breach" of international law.
At the time of execution, Dhaher not taking part in hostilities. Instead, he was executed in a deliberate attack by the Occupying Power with flagrant disregard for the non-derogable right to life and with complete disregard for the protection accorded to civilians under international humanitarian law.
Another Palestinian man was also executed by Israeli undercover troops in similar circumstances in Jenin yesterday.
Dr. Barghouthi stressed that such attacks represented a serious violation of human rights and international law, and that they were yet further efforts by Israel to undermine the already fragile ability of the Palestinian Authority to uphold the rule of law in Palestine. He added that together with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s refusal of an offer by the Palestinian National Unity Government for a comprehensive, reciprocal ceasefire, these attacks were another clear indication of Israel’s lack of commitment to seeking a peaceful, negotiated end to its occupation.
Note
[1] Al Haq. 30 May 2007. Israeli Forces Carry Out Targeted Assassination of Palestinian in Ramallah. http://www.alhaq.org/etemplate.php?id=316
Palestinian Ministry of Information
Tel: 02-2965588
Fax: 02-2965587
E-mail: pressoffice@minfo.gov.ps
Web: www.minfo.gov.ps/