HRW criticize "Israel” over civilian casualties... "Most of “Israel’s” investigations of civilian casualties have been
source: Aljazeera.net, 22-6-2005.
summary: The Palestinian Authority has welcomed a report by Human Rights Watch that accuses the "Israeli" occupation army of failing to prosecute soldiers involved in killing and wounding innocent Palestinians.
"Israel" has dismissed the report as baseless.
The 126-page report said "Israeli" troops killed or maimed thousands of Palestinians who were not taking part in the Palestinian Intifada (uprising) against "Israeli" occupation.
It is widely thought that "Israeli" troops and paramilitary Jewish militants have killed as many as 4000 Palestinians, a fourth of them children and minors, since the outbreak of the uprising nearly five years ago.
The latest findings are supported by similar research conducted by prominent human rights groups as the London-based Amnesty International and "Israel's" B`tselem organization, which monitors "Israeli" army behavior in the occupied territories.
The HRW report, released on Wednesday at the American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem (Al-Quds), accused "Israel" of investigating less than 5% of fatal shootings to determine whether soldiers opened fire lawfully.
Inadequate
The report said that the few inquiries that were launched didn`t meet internationally-accepted standards.
"Most of "Israel's" investigations of civilian casualties have been a sham," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW. "The government`s failure to investigate the deaths of innocent civilians has created an atmosphere that encourages soldiers to think they can literally get away with murder."
"Israel's" military said it had investigated more than 130 cases of soldiers opening fire against regulations. Twenty-eight indictments have been handed up, including one indictment on a manslaughter charge, it said.
Six soldiers have been convicted, and one has been acquitted. The rest of the cases are being processed, the military said.
Last year, an "Israeli" soldier, dubbed "Captain R" was acquitted of killing a nine-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl, Iman al Hams, whose body was riddled with more than 20 bullets.
Discrepancies
HRW said the crux of the problem was a military justice system that relied on the questioning of soldiers to determine whether a military police investigation is warranted.
These questioning sessions don`t seek or consider testimony from victims or non-military witnesses, and don`t try to reconcile discrepancies between soldiers` accounts, and video, medical or witness evidence, the group said.
It urged the military to set up an independent body to investigate allegations of serious human rights abuses by "Israeli" security forces.
The "Israeli" military said there was no basis to the charges. "All allegations claiming that innocents or (so-called) terrorists had been killed as a result of the (military) opening fire in violation of official rules of engagement are thoroughly and seriously examined," the military said in a statement responding to the report.
Officials at the "Israeli" Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the report, saying they needed more time to study it.
PA response
The Palestinian Authority has lauded the report, calling it a "belated but welcomed condemnation of "Israeli" crimes".
"We hope the entire world and the various human and civil human rights organizations around the world will study and internalize this report," said Ahmed Subh, director-general of the Palestinian Ministry of Information.
Subh accused "Israel" of "committing every conceivable crime against our people under the false rubric of fighting (so-called) terror and suicide bombings".
"We call upon the international community to pressure "Israel" to respect the international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of the occupied by the occupier."
