July/August 1993, Page 66

Human Rights

By Andrea W. Lorenz

Amnesty International Calls Palestinian Children's Deaths Unjustifiable, Israel Responds

In a May 27 statement, Amnesty International expressed deep concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in the Gaza Strip. Amnesty is one of several human rights organizations worldwide to criticize Israel recently for the growing number of children killed by its security forces in the occupied territories. In its statement, Amnesty calls the killing of Palestinians, particularly children, who posed no threat to the Israeli soldiers who fired on them "absolutely unjustifiable."

Israel's Government Press Office released a May 31 response to the Amnesty statement from the Israel Defense Force (IDF) saying that "accidents" happen because Palestinian children are in or near the scene of riots. The IDF, it states, "deeply regrets the presence of children at violent disturbances and the consequent casualties among them."

In separate reports condemning Israel for human rights abuses, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both cite the ground-breaking work of an Israeli human rights organization, B'Tselem. Founded in 1989, B'Tselem has become a central source of information, both in Israel and internationally, on human rights abuses in the occupied territories. In a report issued this spring, B'Tselem reveals that the level of abuses committed in the occupied territories by the Israeli government during the first six months of the Rabin administration is significantly higher than during the last six months of the Shamir administration. This includes a 120 percent rise in the deaths of children under the age of 16.

In addition, B'Tselem says that 22 percent of the people killed by Israeli forces under the Rabin administration were children, compared with 10 percent of the total killed under Shamir. Since the beginning of the intifada, 221 Palestinian children under 16 years old have been killed. Of them, 65 were under age 12.

Even more damning is B'Tselem's conclusion that in 66 percent of the fatal shootings under Rabin, the lives of the soldiers responsible were not in danger—double the percentage under the Shamir administration.

In March, Yizhar Beter, B'Tselem's director, told the Israeli magazine Challenge that one of the reasons for the deteriorating situation in the occupied territories is that Shamir's government felt it had to demonstrate to the outside world some tolerance and respect for human rights, while Rabin's government is more concerned with proving "that it is not soft on the issue of a Palestinian state." Be'er believes that the result is that the Rabin government excuses more IDF excesses than its predecessor. "There is a general atmosphere of lenience with regard to open-fire regulations, bolstered by statements from the prime minister," he said.

The Thorough Work of B'Tselem

B'Tselem has been praised for its thorough work, which includes sending field workers to the site of a killing and interviewing as many eyewitnesses as possible. The field worker makes a sketch of the place which includes the location of the victim, the army, and any witnesses. After examining the material, B'Tselem sends a letter, which includes eyewitness testimony, to the military and requests an investigation. "The problem is that it takes the army a very long time to give us an answer,' Be'er said.

Describing B'Tselem as a "watchdog" organization, Be'er told Challenge, "Today, every soldier is aware that if he violates the law, a watchdog exists that can make a fuss and take him to court. In Gaza, several soldiers are now being tried as a result of testimony that our field workers collected. "

The Palestine Human Rights Information Center published the accompanying list of Palestinian children aged 16 or younger, killed by Israeli occupation forces in 1993.