Urgent Appeal - (DCI Palestine) - Settler Violence

Since January 2008, DCI-Palestine has documented 126 cases of children affected by settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including four fatalities. Yet, impunity is pervasive. According to Israeli organisation Yesh Din, over 90 percent of police investigations arising out of complaints filed by Palestinians against Israeli settlers end in failure. Please send urgent appeals.

Urgent Appeal - (UA - 3/11) - Settler Violence (pdf)

Recommended action

 

 

Please send Urgent Appeals requesting that:

 

 

1.  The Israeli army, police and security forces in the West Bank, including EastJerusalem, provide appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population against attacks by settlers; and

 

 

2.  All  incidents  of  settler  violence  against  Palestinians  be  promptly,  diligently and  independently investigated in  accordance with international standards, and allperpetrators be brought promptly to justice.

 

 

Appeals to:

 

 

·     Your elected representatives

 

UK http://www.writetothem.com/ 

 

Europe http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/search.html and

 

·           The Israeli embassy in your country [list of Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide].

Nature of incidents 

Since January 2008, DCI-Palestine has documented 126 cases of childrenaffected by settler violence in the West Bank  and  East Jerusalem, including fourfatalities. Each of the cases occurred near Palestinian neighbourhoods, villagesor roads located close to Israeli settlements. The nature of the violence reported by the children includes being shot at, beaten, pelted with stones and sprayedwith gas. According to the Israeli organisation,  Yesh Din, “acts of violence arebeing committed by Israeli civilians in the West Bank on a daily basis, manifestingin many forms of attacks against people and destruction of their property. Theseacts of violence are not isolated incidents, nor are they simply acts of  hate oranger. Rather this brand of violence is part of a sophisticated, wider strategydesigned to assert territorial domination over Palestinians in the West Bank.”

Background information 

There are now approximately 500,000 Israeli settlers living in  200 settlements inthe West Bank, including East  Jerusalem.  The presence of settlers in occupiedterritory is a constant source of friction which sometimes  leads  to  violence. These   settlements  are  permanent  civilian  communities  established  in occupied territory and are  illegal under international law. The illegality of thesettlements has also been confirmed on a number of occasions by the UNSecurity Council and the  International Court of Justice. According to the Israeliorganisation, B‟tselem,  these  settlements  now control around  42 percent of the land area of the West Bank, on what is supposed to be the site of a futurePalestinian state.

Under the  law of occupation, Israel does not acquire sovereignty over the territory it occupies and there is a presumption that the occupation is temporary.Further, the law aims to ensure that Israel, as the occupying power, protectsPalestinian civilians living in the occupied territories from violence. In spite of thislegal

obligation  to  provide  protection,  settler  attacks  against  Palestinians  and  their property,  mosques  and farmland have increased by almost 150 percent since 2009 according to the UN.

The  UN attributes increasing settler violence to lax law enforcement measures.This view is supported by the Israeli organisation, Yesh Din, which found that over90 percent of police investigations arising out of complaints filed on behalf of Palestinians in the West Bank, end in failure.

Please note that the cases presented in this Urgent Appeal do not represent anexhaustive list of all cases involving settler violence against Palestinian children.

Related links 

·     EU Statement on the increasing number of settler attacks against Palestinian civilians.

·     The Guardian: Jewish settler attacks on Palestinians listed as 'terrorist incidents'by US.

·     Haaretz video: Israeli settler shoots at Palestinians while army stands by.

 

·     Leaked EU report on Settler Violence

 

·     UN: The Humanitarian Impact of Israeli Settlement Policies Fact Sheet.

 

·           B‟ tselem: Settler violence against Palestinians and Palestinian property.