March 2008
- Q & A on Hostilities between Israel and Hamas Q & A Dec 31, 2008 The following questions and answers address issues relating to international humanitarian law (the laws of war) governing the current conflict between Israel and Hamas to date in Gaza.
- Israel/Gaza: Civilians Must Not Be Targets Press release Dec 30, 2008 Israel and Hamas both must respect the prohibition under the laws of war against deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
- Israel: Reverse Expulsion of Human Rights Rapporteur Press release Dec 17, 2008 Israel should extend an open invitation to all United Nations human rights experts to visit the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and reverse the expulsion of Richard Falk.
- Letter President Abbas on Juvenile Executions Letter Dec 16, 2008 Human Rights Watch is deeply concerned about the widespread recourse that Palestinian courts have recently had to the death penalty. So far in 2008, Palestinian Authority courts have sentenced 11 people to death, including a defendant who was a child at the time of the alleged offense.
- Palestinian Authority: Death Sentences Surge in West Bank, Gaza Press release Dec 15, 2008 Palestinian officials should announce an immediate moratorium on the death penalty and eliminate its use in Palestinian law.
- Letter to Prime Minister Haniya Letter Dec 15, 2008 Human Rights Watch is deeply concerned about the widespread recourse that Palestinian courts have recently had to the death penalty both the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
- Letter to Olmert: Stop the Blockade of Gaza Letter Nov 20, 2008 We are writing to express our deep concern about Israel's continuing blockade of the Gaza Strip, a measure that is depriving its population of food, fuel, and basic services, and constitutes a form of collective punishment.
- Letter to Hamas to Stop Rocket Attacks Letter Nov 20, 2008 We are writing to you to express our deep concern about the resumption of deliberate and indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israeli civilians by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups operating in Gaza.
- Egypt/Israel: Egypt Should End ‘Shoot to Stop’ Practice at Sinai Border Crossings Press release Nov 12, 2008 Since June 2007, Egyptian border guards have killed at least 32 African migrants trying to cross into Israel, and Israel has forcibly returned at least 139 border crossers to Egypt.
- Israel: Don’t Destroy Homes Press release Aug 9, 2008 The Israeli government should reject plans to resume the demolition or confiscation of the homes of alleged terrorists, Human Rights Watch said today. These measures would violate international legal prohibitions against collective punishment, as they affect the owners or inhabitants of the homes who have no involvement in terrorism.
- Israel: Stop Plans for New West Bank Settlement Press release Aug 5, 2008 The Israeli government’s plan to back a settlement in the occupied West Bank violates international humanitarian law and should be stopped, Human Rights Watch said today. Israeli restrictions on the Palestinian population caused by the Israeli-only settlements and infrastructure also seriously infringe on the right to freedom of movement and other basic rights of Palestinians in the West Bank.
- Occupied Palestinian Territories: New Arrests Highlight Abuses by Hamas, Fatah Press release Jul 29, 2008 Hamas forces in Gaza and Fatah forces in the West Bank have carried out a wave of unlawful arrests against opponents in recent days, Human Rights Watch said today. In Gaza, Hamas forces physically abused some of the people they apprehended and closed roughly 100 organizations they consider allied with Fatah.
- US: Obama Should Highlight Human Rights on Mideast Trip Press release Jul 20, 2008 US Senator Barack Obama should put respect for human rights at the center of his forthcoming tour of the Middle East, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to him released today. Obama will visit the region on Monday after traveling to Afghanistan this weekend.
- Human Rights Watch Letter to Senator Obama Letter Jul 9, 2008 Your upcoming visit to Israel and Jordan is an opportunity to reaffirm America’s commitment to basic principles of human rights and freedom while promoting security and extending a helping hand of friendship to the Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian people.
- Occupied Palestinian Territories: Donors Should Press Security Forces to End Abuse Press release Jun 22, 2008 Donors to Palestinian security forces in the West Bank should condition their aid on concrete efforts to end serious abuses by all forces, Human Rights Watch said today. When providing security aid and training, donors should require the Ramallah authorities to build law enforcement institutions that are transparent, accountable and in compliance with international human rights standards.
- US: Challenge Israel’s Restrictions on Gaza Students Press release Jun 2, 2008 The United States should promptly call on Israel to end its blanket ban preventing hundreds of Palestinian students from leaving the Gaza Strip to study abroad, Human Rights Watch and two North American scholarly organizations said today.
- Letter to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on Gazan Students Letter Jun 1, 2008 We are writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch, the Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, and the Committee for Human Rights of the American Anthropological Association to welcome the State Department's decision to reinstate the Fulbright grants that had been awarded for the coming academic year to Palestinian students living in the Gaza Strip. We appreciated in particular your own objection to the department’s earlier decision to “redirect” the awards because of Israel’s blanket refusal to allow students in Gaza to travel abroad, or to the West Bank, to continue their education.
- Gaza: Investigate Abduction, Torture by Islamic Jihad Press release May 29, 2008 Hamas authorities in Gaza should investigate the recent abduction and apparent torture of three men by the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should hold accountable any individuals responsible for serious abuses.
- Letter to Defense Minister Ehud Barak on travel ban on Shawan Jabarin Letter May 27, 2008 We are writing to request that the Ministry of Defense remove without delay the travel ban that the Israel Defense Forces has placed on Mr. Shawan Jabarin, general director of the Ramallah-based human rights organization, Al Haq
- US/Israel: Bush Should Press for End to Gaza Closure Press release May 12, 2008 President George W. Bush should urge Israel to reverse its strict closure policy towards the Gaza Strip, three human rights groups said in a letter to the US president today (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/05/12/isrlpa18808.htm). Human Rights Watch and two Israeli human rights groups, Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, called on Bush to dissociate the United States from the closure policy, which is causing grave harm to Gaza’s civilian population.
- Joint Letter to President Bush on the Situation in Gaza Letter May 11, 2008 We are writing to you on the occasion of your forthcoming visit to Israel to urge you to exercise your influence to reverse Israel’s closure policy towards the Gaza Strip and to disassociate the United States from that policy. Israel’s comprehensive restrictions on the movement of goods and people, including fuel and other civilian necessities, have produced a devastated economy and a severe humanitarian crisis there. These restrictions constitute collective punishment against the civilian population, a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
- Israel: Independent Probe Needed in Gaza Killings Press release May 1, 2008 The Israeli government should go beyond a military “field investigation” and conduct an impartial and thorough probe into the tank shelling that killed a Reuters cameraman and three other civilians in Gaza on April 16, Human Rights Watch said today.
- Letter to IDF JAG on Investigation into Deaths of Four Civilians Letter Apr 30, 2008 We are writing to request information about the status of the investigation that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced it is conducting into the deaths of four civilians, including a Reuters cameraman and two teenage boys, in Gaza on April 16, 2008.
- Israel: Investigate Death of Gaza Civilians Press release Apr 18, 2008 The Israeli government should conduct an immediate and independent investigation into the deaths of four civilians, including a Reuters cameraman and two teenage boys, in Gaza on April 16, 2008, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch’s investigations at the site found evidence suggesting that an Israeli tank crew fired recklessly or deliberately at the journalist’s team.
- Palestinian Authority: Punish Imam’s Death in Custody Press release Apr 3, 2008 The Palestinian Authority should promptly implement the recommendations of the Palestinian Legislative Council’s investigation into the recent torture and death in custody of Majid al-Barghuti, Human Rights Watch said today. The Palestinian Authority should hold accountable members of the security services who violated Palestinian or international law in his death.
- Israel: End Systematic Bias Against Bedouin Press release Mar 30, 2008 Israel should declare an immediate moratorium on demolitions of Bedouin homes and create an independent commission to investigate pervasive land and housing discrimination against its Bedouin citizens in the Negev, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.
- Equal Citizens? Press release Mar 30, 2008 We sat on the dusty ground outside a makeshift tent in the Bedouin village of Um Mitnan in April 2006, talking to some women whose homes had recently been destroyed by the government. One stared at the rubble and asked, “Why would they demolish such basic structures? You can hardly call them homes. We didn’t even have electricity. It’s not that we built palaces, it’s just cement blocks on the sides and a tin roof.”
- Organisation of the Islamic Conference: Improve and Strengthen the 1999 OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism Letter Mar 11, 2008 Human Rights Watch writes to urge Dr. Ihsanoglu to use his position as Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to support measures at the upcoming Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in Dakar, Senegal on March 13-14 that would improve and strengthen the 1999 OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism.
- Gaza Strip/Israel: Civilians Bear Brunt of Attacks Press release Feb 28, 2008 Indiscriminate rocket attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas against civilian areas in Israel, including one that killed an Israeli man on February 27, are serious violations of international humanitarian law, Human Rights Watch said.
- Israel’s Use of Cluster Bombs Shows Need for Global Ban Press release Feb 17, 2008 The human devastation inflicted on Lebanon by Israel’s illegal use of cluster munitions highlights the urgent need for an international treaty banning the weapon, Human Rights Watch said in releasing a report today. At a conference this week, more than 100 states will discuss a treaty to ban cluster munitions, a process prompted in part by Israel’s cluster attacks on Lebanon in 2006.
- Gaza: Israel’s Energy Cuts Violate Laws of War Press release Feb 6, 2008 Israel’s cuts of fuel and electricity to Gaza, set to escalate today, amount to collective punishment of the civilian population, and violate Israel’s obligations under the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said today.
- 2008 Report: Democracy Charade Undermines Rights Press release Jan 30, 2008 The established democracies are accepting flawed and unfair elections for political expediency, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its World Report 2008. By allowing autocrats to pose as democrats, without demanding they uphold the civil and political rights that make democracy meaningful, the United States, the European Union and other influential democracies risk undermining human rights worldwide.
- Israel/Gaza: Israeli Blockade Unlawful Despite Gaza Border Breach Press release Jan 25, 2008 This week’s Gaza-Egypt border breach temporarily eased the humanitarian impact of Israel’s blockade, but Israel as the occupying power remains responsible for the well-being of Gaza’s 1.4 million residents, Human Rights Watch said today. Gazans remain almost completely dependent on Israel for fuel, electricity, medicine, food, and other essential commodities.
- Human Rights Watch oral statement on Gaza to the UN Human Rights Council Oral statement Jan 23, 2008
- Israel/Gaza: Blockade Unlawful Response to Rocket Attacks Press release Jan 22, 2008 The United Nations Human Rights Council should use today’s special session on the Occupied Palestinian Territories to help end serious international law violations by all parties to the conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. Of particular concern is Israel’s economic blockade of Gaza, which under the current occupation amounts to collective punishment against civilians.
- Human Rights Watch written statement on Gaza to the UN Human Rights Council. Written statement Jan 21, 2008
