Ramallah, 14-08-07: Parliamentarian and PNI leader Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi today condemned the killing of 4 Palestinians, including 2 civilians, by Israel in 3 separate attacks on Abasan, East of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip early this morning. He added that coming after last week‘s meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, hailed by Israel and the international community as a ‘step towards peace‘, the killings further demonstrated Israel‘s lack of commitment to ending its occupation.
Omar Al Qarra and his 70-year-old mother, Sabha Al Qarra, were killed when Israeli soldiers fired on their home during a ground invasion, 40-year-old Ibrahim al-Shami was also shot to death by Israeli troops when he went out onto the roof of his house. Some 20 other people were wounded during this attack, the majority of whom were civilians.
In a separate attack, 24-year-old Muhammad Abu Sameh was assassinated in a missile strike by an Israeli drone. Such killings are a form of extra-judicial execution and are illegal under Article 3 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Furthermore, assassinations are wilful killings and thus constitute a war crime under Article 147 of the Convention.
Dr. Barghouthi pointed out that if Israel has credible evidence that certain individuals are involved in criminal activity, it may arrest, charge and submit them to a fair trial. He added that through such assassinations, the Israeli military makes of itself, "prosecutor, judge and executioner."
The policy of targeted assassinations has become an integral part of Israeli military culture. In July 2001, the Israeli security cabinet gave the military permission to kill anyone on Israel‘s "wanted" list. After a brief suspension in 2005, Israel resumed its policy of targeted assassinations and now carries out such extrajudicial killings with great regularity and complete impunity.
Israel‘s extrajudicial killings have become symbolic of its disregard for international law. Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) states that "Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life." Under Article 4 of ICCPR, the right to life cannot be derogated from even "[i]n time of public emergency which threatens the life of the nation." [1]
Targeted assassinations have repeatedly resulted in the death and injury of civilian bystanders who happen to be in the vicinity at the moment of the attack. Since September 2000, more than 400 Palestinians have been murdered in extrajudicial executions, more than half of whom were civilians and at least 44 of whom were children.
Photo: A Palestinian woman reacts after Israeli troops killed four Palestinians in the southern Gaza strip August 14, 2007. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA)
References
[1] Al Haq. November 2006. Extrajudicial Killings: Al-Haq‘s Background Brief on Israel‘s Extrajudicial Killings in the OPT. http://www.alhaq.org/pdfs/Extra-judicial%20killings%20briefing%20by%20Al-Haq.pdf.