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Samir ‘Awad 16, jan 15 2013 |
20 apr 2015
Samir ‘Awad being evacuated from the scene after being shot.
Israeli State Attorney: 'Awad's killing merely “reckless and negligent”
On the 5th of January, 2013, sixteen-year-old Samir ‘Awad was killed by Israeli soldiers near the apartheid wall in the occupied West Bank village of Budrus.
According to Israeli-based human rights group, B'Tselem, Samir was shot three times, although he posed no danger to anyone.
That morning, following his last examination before school’s mid-year break, Samir went with a few friends to the walled area south-west of Budrus, about 300 meters from the school. B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad gathered testimony from several of the teenagers, one of whom watched from a distance. According to their testimonies, the boys planned to throw stones at military patrols along the fence, as teenagers in the area often do. They said that when they approached the wall, they saw that one of its gates was open. They thought that, because of this, soldiers must be nearby and tried to find them.
The wall is made up of a primary fence, with secondary rows of barbed wire around it. The barbed wire is meant to prevent access to the primary fence, but, near Budrus, there are several openings in the wire. One boy went through a makeshift opening in the first fence, saw nothing, and came back out. Samir then went through the opening alone, and continued on to the primary fence.
Military sources told the media that Israeli soldiers of the 71st Armored Corps Battalion were concealed in a nearby ambush. B’Tselem’s inquiry showed that the soldiers were on the side of the wall area facing Budrus. According to B’Tselem, when Samir was between the barbed-wire fence and the main fence, four soldiers appeared and the other teenagers fled the scene.
At this point, Samir tried to run away, apparently, but was caught between the two fences. The soldiers called for him to stop and fired in the air. Then they shot at his leg while he was trying to flee. He was wounded and fell to the ground, but, when he tried to continue running, the soldiers shot him again. He was wounded by a bullet in the back and a bullet to the head.
According to Hebrew media reports, the initial investigation by the Israeli military found that ‘Awad was shot in contravention of open-fire regulations, which permit soldiers to use live ammunition only in cases of real and immediate mortal danger.
The reports also stated that there were contradictions among the soldiers’ stories.
The Military Police Investigations Unit has long since completed all aspects of the investigation into the incident, yet, although more than two years have now passed since then, only recently was a decision reached in regard to the case.
On Tuesday, April 14, the Israeli State Attorney’s Office notified the High Court of Justice (HCJ) that, in the case of Palestinian youth Samir ‘Awad, it had decided (“subject to a hearing and to the end of privilege proceedings”) to file an indictment for the minor offense of committing “a reckless and negligent act using a firearm”.
Furthermore, the state’s response did not note which of the soldiers involved was to stand trial.
This is a new low in Israeli authorities’ disregard for the lives of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, B'Tselem further reports. The State Attorney’s Office has sent security forces in the Occupied Territories a clear message: if you kill an unarmed Palestinian who poses no threat, we will do everything to cover it up and ensure impunity. Killing a wounded, fleeing youth who posed no threat by shooting him in the back is not a “reckless and negligent act”.
The disparity between the grave action and the minor offense is incomprehensible and outrageous.
It is also not clear why it took two years and a petition to the HCJ for the authorities to decide to serve this indictment. B'Tselem asks: Had the petition not been filed, would the Military Advocate General’s (MAG’s) Corps have continued to drag its feet? When, exactly, were the authorities planning to end this sorry affair?
Israeli State Attorney: 'Awad's killing merely “reckless and negligent”
On the 5th of January, 2013, sixteen-year-old Samir ‘Awad was killed by Israeli soldiers near the apartheid wall in the occupied West Bank village of Budrus.
According to Israeli-based human rights group, B'Tselem, Samir was shot three times, although he posed no danger to anyone.
That morning, following his last examination before school’s mid-year break, Samir went with a few friends to the walled area south-west of Budrus, about 300 meters from the school. B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad gathered testimony from several of the teenagers, one of whom watched from a distance. According to their testimonies, the boys planned to throw stones at military patrols along the fence, as teenagers in the area often do. They said that when they approached the wall, they saw that one of its gates was open. They thought that, because of this, soldiers must be nearby and tried to find them.
The wall is made up of a primary fence, with secondary rows of barbed wire around it. The barbed wire is meant to prevent access to the primary fence, but, near Budrus, there are several openings in the wire. One boy went through a makeshift opening in the first fence, saw nothing, and came back out. Samir then went through the opening alone, and continued on to the primary fence.
Military sources told the media that Israeli soldiers of the 71st Armored Corps Battalion were concealed in a nearby ambush. B’Tselem’s inquiry showed that the soldiers were on the side of the wall area facing Budrus. According to B’Tselem, when Samir was between the barbed-wire fence and the main fence, four soldiers appeared and the other teenagers fled the scene.
At this point, Samir tried to run away, apparently, but was caught between the two fences. The soldiers called for him to stop and fired in the air. Then they shot at his leg while he was trying to flee. He was wounded and fell to the ground, but, when he tried to continue running, the soldiers shot him again. He was wounded by a bullet in the back and a bullet to the head.
According to Hebrew media reports, the initial investigation by the Israeli military found that ‘Awad was shot in contravention of open-fire regulations, which permit soldiers to use live ammunition only in cases of real and immediate mortal danger.
The reports also stated that there were contradictions among the soldiers’ stories.
The Military Police Investigations Unit has long since completed all aspects of the investigation into the incident, yet, although more than two years have now passed since then, only recently was a decision reached in regard to the case.
On Tuesday, April 14, the Israeli State Attorney’s Office notified the High Court of Justice (HCJ) that, in the case of Palestinian youth Samir ‘Awad, it had decided (“subject to a hearing and to the end of privilege proceedings”) to file an indictment for the minor offense of committing “a reckless and negligent act using a firearm”.
Furthermore, the state’s response did not note which of the soldiers involved was to stand trial.
This is a new low in Israeli authorities’ disregard for the lives of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, B'Tselem further reports. The State Attorney’s Office has sent security forces in the Occupied Territories a clear message: if you kill an unarmed Palestinian who poses no threat, we will do everything to cover it up and ensure impunity. Killing a wounded, fleeing youth who posed no threat by shooting him in the back is not a “reckless and negligent act”.
The disparity between the grave action and the minor offense is incomprehensible and outrageous.
It is also not clear why it took two years and a petition to the HCJ for the authorities to decide to serve this indictment. B'Tselem asks: Had the petition not been filed, would the Military Advocate General’s (MAG’s) Corps have continued to drag its feet? When, exactly, were the authorities planning to end this sorry affair?
15 apr 2015
Why trust the military to investigate itself when soldiers who kill unarmed Palestinians are let off the hook time and time again?
In January 2013, an Israeli soldier shot a 16-year-old Palestinian who posed absolutely no threat in his back. Samir Awad, from the village Budrus, didn’t survive the valiant military operation, and was killed. Last December, the High Court of Justice harshly criticized the Military Advocate General’s (MAG) handling of the case calling on it to finish its investigation.
On Tuesday, the State announced that it would charge the soldier reckless and negligent use of a firearm. Had the incident not ended with the death of a teenager, it could have come off as no more than a silly act of mischief.
Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, which accompanied the Awad family throughout the legal process, called the decision a “new low in Israeli authorities’ disregard for the lives of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. The State Attorney’s Office has sent security forces in the Occupied Territories a clear message: if you kill an unarmed Palestinian who poses no threat, we will do everything to cover it up and ensure impunity.”
According to Yesh Din, an Israeli organization that provides legal assistance to Palestinians in the occupied territories that has researched this issue in the past few years, 97.8 percent of the Criminal Investigation Division’s (CID) investigations vis-a-vis harm caused to Palestinians have ended without indictments.
This situation persists even when incidents are documented from every possible angle, as was the case when Bassem Abu Rahmah was shot and killed during a nonviolent demonstration in Bil’in almost exactly five years ago. Abu Rahme’s case was also closed for lack of evidence.
So perhaps those who still put their faith in a military court system will be happy about the decision regarding Samir Awad, even if the decision to indict the soldier for “reckless and negligent use of a firearm,” borders on grotesque cynicism—a desecration of the honor of the deceased and his family.
A different, necessary conclusion could go as follows: the CID and the MAG have nothing to do with justice or good faith. Both Palestinian deaths and lives are entirely forsaken under Israel’s military rule. Even if they are children who pose no threat. Perhaps the time has come to stop relying on the internal mechanisms of the occupation army, stop cooperating with their charade and begin thinking about alternative mechanisms. The kind that will be able to say, unabashedly, that the Israeli army murdered Samir Awad.
Alma Biblash is a feminist and human rights activist based in Jaffa and blogger on +972′s Hebrew-language sister site, Local Call, where this article was first published.
In January 2013, an Israeli soldier shot a 16-year-old Palestinian who posed absolutely no threat in his back. Samir Awad, from the village Budrus, didn’t survive the valiant military operation, and was killed. Last December, the High Court of Justice harshly criticized the Military Advocate General’s (MAG) handling of the case calling on it to finish its investigation.
On Tuesday, the State announced that it would charge the soldier reckless and negligent use of a firearm. Had the incident not ended with the death of a teenager, it could have come off as no more than a silly act of mischief.
Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, which accompanied the Awad family throughout the legal process, called the decision a “new low in Israeli authorities’ disregard for the lives of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. The State Attorney’s Office has sent security forces in the Occupied Territories a clear message: if you kill an unarmed Palestinian who poses no threat, we will do everything to cover it up and ensure impunity.”
According to Yesh Din, an Israeli organization that provides legal assistance to Palestinians in the occupied territories that has researched this issue in the past few years, 97.8 percent of the Criminal Investigation Division’s (CID) investigations vis-a-vis harm caused to Palestinians have ended without indictments.
This situation persists even when incidents are documented from every possible angle, as was the case when Bassem Abu Rahmah was shot and killed during a nonviolent demonstration in Bil’in almost exactly five years ago. Abu Rahme’s case was also closed for lack of evidence.
So perhaps those who still put their faith in a military court system will be happy about the decision regarding Samir Awad, even if the decision to indict the soldier for “reckless and negligent use of a firearm,” borders on grotesque cynicism—a desecration of the honor of the deceased and his family.
A different, necessary conclusion could go as follows: the CID and the MAG have nothing to do with justice or good faith. Both Palestinian deaths and lives are entirely forsaken under Israel’s military rule. Even if they are children who pose no threat. Perhaps the time has come to stop relying on the internal mechanisms of the occupation army, stop cooperating with their charade and begin thinking about alternative mechanisms. The kind that will be able to say, unabashedly, that the Israeli army murdered Samir Awad.
Alma Biblash is a feminist and human rights activist based in Jaffa and blogger on +972′s Hebrew-language sister site, Local Call, where this article was first published.
14 apr 2015
Samir ‘Awad 16
B’Tselem: new low in Israeli authorities’ disregard for lives of Palestinians in Occupied Territories
Today Israel’s State Attorney’s Office notified the High Court of Justice [PDF] (HCJ) that in the case of Palestinian youth Samir ‘Awad it had decided, “subject to a hearing and to the end of privilege proceedings”, to file an indictment for the minor offense of committing “a reckless and negligent act using a firearm”. The State’s response did not note which of the soldiers involved was to stand trial.
This is a new low in Israeli authorities’ disregard for the lives of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. The State Attorney’s Office has sent security forces in the Occupied Territories a clear message: if you kill an unarmed Palestinian who poses no threat, we will do everything to cover it up and ensure impunity.
Killing a wounded, fleeing youth who posed no threat by shooting him in the back is not a “reckless and negligent act”. The disparity between the grave action and the minor offense is incomprehensible and outrageous.
It is also not clear why it took two years and a petition to the HCJ for the authorities to decide to serve this indictment. Had the petition not been filed, would the Military Advocate General’s (MAG’s) Corps have continued to drag its feet? When, exactly, were the authorities planning to end this sorry affair?
Sixteen-year-old Samir ‘Awad was killed in January 2013 by soldiers close to the Separation Barrier in the West Bank village of Budrus. He was shot in the back although he posed no danger to anyone. The Military Police Investigations Unit (MPIU) has long since completed all aspects of the investigation into the incident, yet although more than two years have passed since then, no decision was reached until today.
The boy’s father, Ahmad ‘Awad, petitioned the HCJ together with B’Tselem a little over a year ago, in March 2014, to have the MAG decide whether to indict the soldiers who killed his son or close the case file.
B’Tselem: new low in Israeli authorities’ disregard for lives of Palestinians in Occupied Territories
Today Israel’s State Attorney’s Office notified the High Court of Justice [PDF] (HCJ) that in the case of Palestinian youth Samir ‘Awad it had decided, “subject to a hearing and to the end of privilege proceedings”, to file an indictment for the minor offense of committing “a reckless and negligent act using a firearm”. The State’s response did not note which of the soldiers involved was to stand trial.
This is a new low in Israeli authorities’ disregard for the lives of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. The State Attorney’s Office has sent security forces in the Occupied Territories a clear message: if you kill an unarmed Palestinian who poses no threat, we will do everything to cover it up and ensure impunity.
Killing a wounded, fleeing youth who posed no threat by shooting him in the back is not a “reckless and negligent act”. The disparity between the grave action and the minor offense is incomprehensible and outrageous.
It is also not clear why it took two years and a petition to the HCJ for the authorities to decide to serve this indictment. Had the petition not been filed, would the Military Advocate General’s (MAG’s) Corps have continued to drag its feet? When, exactly, were the authorities planning to end this sorry affair?
Sixteen-year-old Samir ‘Awad was killed in January 2013 by soldiers close to the Separation Barrier in the West Bank village of Budrus. He was shot in the back although he posed no danger to anyone. The Military Police Investigations Unit (MPIU) has long since completed all aspects of the investigation into the incident, yet although more than two years have passed since then, no decision was reached until today.
The boy’s father, Ahmad ‘Awad, petitioned the HCJ together with B’Tselem a little over a year ago, in March 2014, to have the MAG decide whether to indict the soldiers who killed his son or close the case file.
4 mar 2014
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Amnesty International on Monday released a video documenting the 2013 killing of a Palestinian teenager by Israeli forces in the Ramallah village of Budrus.
Samir Awad, 16, was shot three times in the back of the head, leg and shoulder as he fled Israeli soldiers in January 2013. Amnesty said Samir's killing may amount to an extrajudicial execution, or willful killing, which is considered a war crime under international law. The video was released to accompany a report published last week which documented the routine use "unnecessary, arbitrary and brutal force" by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. |
27 feb 2014
Israeli forces have displayed a callous disregard for human life by killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, including children, in the occupied West Bank over the past three years with near total impunity, said Amnesty International in a report published today.
The report, Trigger-happy: Israel’s use of excessive force in the West Bank, describes mounting bloodshed and human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) as a result of the Israeli forces’ use of unnecessary, arbitrary and brutal force against Palestinians since January 2011.
In all cases examined by Amnesty International, Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers did not appear to be posing a direct and immediate threat to life. In some, there is evidence that they were victims of wilful killings, which would amount to war crimes.
“The report presents a body of evidence that shows a harrowing pattern of unlawful killings and unwarranted injuries of Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces in the West Bank,” said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International.
“The frequency and persistence of arbitrary and abusive force against peaceful protesters in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers and police officers – and the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators – suggests that it is carried out as a matter of policy.”
Deaths and injuries
Amnesty International has documented the killings of 22 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank last year, at least 14 of which were in the context of protests. Most were young adults under the age of 25. At least four were children.
According to UN figures, more West Bank Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in 2013 than the total number killed in 2011 and 2012 combined. Forty-five were killed in the past three years.
Peaceful protesters, civilian bystanders, human rights activists and journalists are among those who have been killed or injured.
In the last three years at least 261 Palestinians, including 67 children, have been seriously injured by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces in the West Bank.
An astonishing number of Palestinians in the West Bank - more than 8,000, including 1,500 children – have been wounded by other means, including rubber-coated metal bullets and the reckless use of tear gas, since January 2011. In some cases documented, victims have also died as a result of their use.
“The staggering numbers of wounded provide a sobering reminder of the relentless daily danger faced by Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank,” said Philip Luther.
Several victims were shot in the back suggesting that they were targeted as they tried to flee and posed no genuine threat to the lives of members of Israeli forces or others. In several cases, well-armoured Israeli forces have resorted to lethal means to crack down on stone-throwing protestors causing needless loss of life.
Investigations
More than a year later, the findings of investigations by the Israeli authorities into a number of suspected unlawful killings have yet to be revealed.
“The current Israeli system has proved woefully inadequate. It is neither independent nor impartial and completely lacks transparency. The authorities must conduct prompt, thorough and independent investigations into all suspected instances of arbitrary and abusive use of force, especially when resulting in loss of life or serious injury,” said Philip Luther.
“A strong message must be sent to Israeli soldiers and police officers that abuses will not go unpunished. Unless those who commit violations are held to account unlawful killings and injuries are bound to continue.”
Protests
In recent years, the West Bank has seen continuing protests against the prolonged Israeli occupation and a litany of related repressive policies and practices. These include the ever-expanding unlawful Israeli settlements, the 700km-long fence/wall, forcible house demolitions, forced evictions, Israeli military checkpoints, roads reserved for use by Israeli settlers from which Palestinians are excluded and other restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the OPT.
Protests are also held against the detention of thousands of Palestinians and in response to Israeli military strikes in Gaza and the killing or injury of Palestinians in protests or during arrest raids.
Arms transfers
Amnesty International is calling on the Israeli authorities to instruct their forces to refrain from lethal force, including the use of live fire and rubber-coated bullets, except when strictly necessary to protect lives. They must also respect the right of Palestinians to peaceful assembly.
It urges the USA, the European Union and the rest of the international community to suspend all transfers of munitions, weapons and other equipment to Israel.
“Without pressure from the international community the situation is unlikely to change any time soon,” said Philip Luther.
“Too much civilian blood has been spilled. This long-standing pattern of abuse must be broken. If the Israeli authorities wish to prove to the world they are committed to democratic principles and international human rights standards, unlawful killings and unnecessary use of force must stop now.”
Case study: A child killed for protesting
In the West Bank, the tragic consequences of Israel’s policy of supressing Palestinian protest have become a familiar story.
Samir Awad, a 16-year-old boy from Bodrus, near Ramallah, was shot dead near his school in January 2013 while attempting to stage a protest with friends against Israel’s 700km-long fence/wall, which cuts through their village. Three bullets struck him in the back of the head, the leg, and shoulder as he fled Israeli soldiers who ambushed his group. Witnesses said the boy was directly targeted as he ran away.
Malik Murar, 16, Samir’s friend who witnessed his killing, told Amnesty International:“They shot him first in the leg, yet he managed to run away… how far can an injured child run? They could have easily arrested him… instead they shot him in the back with live ammunition.”
Amnesty International believes Samir’s killing may amount to extrajudicial execution or a wilful killing, which is considered a war crime under international law.
“It’s hard to believe that an unarmed child could be perceived as posing imminent danger to a well-equipped soldier. Israeli forces appear in this and other cases to have recklessly fired bullets at the slightest appearance of a threat,” said Philip Luther.
Under international law, the police and soldiers enforcing the law must always exercise restraint and never use arbitrary force. Security forces may only resort to the use of lethal force if there is an imminent risk to their lives or the lives of others. Israel has repeatedly refused to make public the rules and regulations governing the use of force by army and police in the OPT.
Israeli soldiers have a long history of using excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators in the West Bank extending back to at least the first Intifada in 1987.
The report, Trigger-happy: Israel’s use of excessive force in the West Bank, describes mounting bloodshed and human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) as a result of the Israeli forces’ use of unnecessary, arbitrary and brutal force against Palestinians since January 2011.
In all cases examined by Amnesty International, Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers did not appear to be posing a direct and immediate threat to life. In some, there is evidence that they were victims of wilful killings, which would amount to war crimes.
“The report presents a body of evidence that shows a harrowing pattern of unlawful killings and unwarranted injuries of Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces in the West Bank,” said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International.
“The frequency and persistence of arbitrary and abusive force against peaceful protesters in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers and police officers – and the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators – suggests that it is carried out as a matter of policy.”
Deaths and injuries
Amnesty International has documented the killings of 22 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank last year, at least 14 of which were in the context of protests. Most were young adults under the age of 25. At least four were children.
According to UN figures, more West Bank Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in 2013 than the total number killed in 2011 and 2012 combined. Forty-five were killed in the past three years.
Peaceful protesters, civilian bystanders, human rights activists and journalists are among those who have been killed or injured.
In the last three years at least 261 Palestinians, including 67 children, have been seriously injured by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces in the West Bank.
An astonishing number of Palestinians in the West Bank - more than 8,000, including 1,500 children – have been wounded by other means, including rubber-coated metal bullets and the reckless use of tear gas, since January 2011. In some cases documented, victims have also died as a result of their use.
“The staggering numbers of wounded provide a sobering reminder of the relentless daily danger faced by Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank,” said Philip Luther.
Several victims were shot in the back suggesting that they were targeted as they tried to flee and posed no genuine threat to the lives of members of Israeli forces or others. In several cases, well-armoured Israeli forces have resorted to lethal means to crack down on stone-throwing protestors causing needless loss of life.
Investigations
More than a year later, the findings of investigations by the Israeli authorities into a number of suspected unlawful killings have yet to be revealed.
“The current Israeli system has proved woefully inadequate. It is neither independent nor impartial and completely lacks transparency. The authorities must conduct prompt, thorough and independent investigations into all suspected instances of arbitrary and abusive use of force, especially when resulting in loss of life or serious injury,” said Philip Luther.
“A strong message must be sent to Israeli soldiers and police officers that abuses will not go unpunished. Unless those who commit violations are held to account unlawful killings and injuries are bound to continue.”
Protests
In recent years, the West Bank has seen continuing protests against the prolonged Israeli occupation and a litany of related repressive policies and practices. These include the ever-expanding unlawful Israeli settlements, the 700km-long fence/wall, forcible house demolitions, forced evictions, Israeli military checkpoints, roads reserved for use by Israeli settlers from which Palestinians are excluded and other restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the OPT.
Protests are also held against the detention of thousands of Palestinians and in response to Israeli military strikes in Gaza and the killing or injury of Palestinians in protests or during arrest raids.
Arms transfers
Amnesty International is calling on the Israeli authorities to instruct their forces to refrain from lethal force, including the use of live fire and rubber-coated bullets, except when strictly necessary to protect lives. They must also respect the right of Palestinians to peaceful assembly.
It urges the USA, the European Union and the rest of the international community to suspend all transfers of munitions, weapons and other equipment to Israel.
“Without pressure from the international community the situation is unlikely to change any time soon,” said Philip Luther.
“Too much civilian blood has been spilled. This long-standing pattern of abuse must be broken. If the Israeli authorities wish to prove to the world they are committed to democratic principles and international human rights standards, unlawful killings and unnecessary use of force must stop now.”
Case study: A child killed for protesting
In the West Bank, the tragic consequences of Israel’s policy of supressing Palestinian protest have become a familiar story.
Samir Awad, a 16-year-old boy from Bodrus, near Ramallah, was shot dead near his school in January 2013 while attempting to stage a protest with friends against Israel’s 700km-long fence/wall, which cuts through their village. Three bullets struck him in the back of the head, the leg, and shoulder as he fled Israeli soldiers who ambushed his group. Witnesses said the boy was directly targeted as he ran away.
Malik Murar, 16, Samir’s friend who witnessed his killing, told Amnesty International:“They shot him first in the leg, yet he managed to run away… how far can an injured child run? They could have easily arrested him… instead they shot him in the back with live ammunition.”
Amnesty International believes Samir’s killing may amount to extrajudicial execution or a wilful killing, which is considered a war crime under international law.
“It’s hard to believe that an unarmed child could be perceived as posing imminent danger to a well-equipped soldier. Israeli forces appear in this and other cases to have recklessly fired bullets at the slightest appearance of a threat,” said Philip Luther.
Under international law, the police and soldiers enforcing the law must always exercise restraint and never use arbitrary force. Security forces may only resort to the use of lethal force if there is an imminent risk to their lives or the lives of others. Israel has repeatedly refused to make public the rules and regulations governing the use of force by army and police in the OPT.
Israeli soldiers have a long history of using excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators in the West Bank extending back to at least the first Intifada in 1987.
15 jan 2013
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Warning the footage is extremely graphic.
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A Palestinian teenager was shot repeatedly and killed by the Israeli military this morning near the West Bank village of Budrus.
The details are still a little fuzzy; some new outlets are reporting Awad was shot four times, others three. There is also a discrepancy over his age as either 16 or 17. The Popular Struggle Coordination Committee (PSCC) said in a press release that Awad was shot while walking near clashes between Palestinians and the military. From the PSCC: Army Shoots Dead 16 Year Old Palestinian in Budrus. Sameer Awwad (16) was shot today with 3 live bullets at the West Bank village of Budrus, west of Ramallah. |
Awwad is the fourth to be killed near the Barrier in five days.
This morning, while children were clearing out of their classes in the village of Budrus, Israeli soldiers who convened by the Barrier near the school shot and killed 16 year-old Sameer Awwad.
According to eyewitnesses, Sameer was walking away from light clashes that had erupted by the Barrier when he was shot from the back with three bullets, from a distance of about 100 meters. One bullet hit his leg, another at the back of his neck and exited near his eyebrow, and the third entered his rib cage and exited from his chest.
Yet the Jewish Press reported the IDF Spokesperson said there were no clashes and that soldiers killed the youth while he was attempting to enter Israel outside of a military crossing:
Initial reports incorrectly stated that there was a physical confrontation between Palestinians and the IDF soldiers in the village of Burdos, near the security fence.
The IDF spokesman finally released a statement that an IDF unit protecting the security fence, saw an attempt to breach the security fence near Burdos, and the unit attempted to stop the infiltrator, and shot him.
Shortly after shots were fired Wattan News was on site and filmed an emergency medical team trying to resuscitate Awad in a hospital in Ramallah, reporting he was shot three times: in the head, chest and leg.
The Jerusalem Post also picked up the story, indicating just a few days ago another Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces while crossing the 1967 border in order to go to work:
The IDF opened fire on a Palestinian youth who it said attempted to cross into Israel from the West Bank on Tuesday morning. The youth later died at a Ramallah hospital.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office said the man had tried to breach the security fence at Budrus, which is northwest of Ramallah, adding that the man ignored orders from soldiers to stop and warning shots fired in the air.
Palestinian sources reported that 16-year-old Samir Awad of Budrus was killed after being shot four times by IDF troops.
On Saturday, IDF troops opened fire at and killed a Palestinian man the army said was attempting to enter Israel from the southern West Bank in the south Hebron hills.
Awad’s funeral will take place this afternoon in Budrus at 3 p.m. Jerusalem time.
This morning, while children were clearing out of their classes in the village of Budrus, Israeli soldiers who convened by the Barrier near the school shot and killed 16 year-old Sameer Awwad.
According to eyewitnesses, Sameer was walking away from light clashes that had erupted by the Barrier when he was shot from the back with three bullets, from a distance of about 100 meters. One bullet hit his leg, another at the back of his neck and exited near his eyebrow, and the third entered his rib cage and exited from his chest.
Yet the Jewish Press reported the IDF Spokesperson said there were no clashes and that soldiers killed the youth while he was attempting to enter Israel outside of a military crossing:
Initial reports incorrectly stated that there was a physical confrontation between Palestinians and the IDF soldiers in the village of Burdos, near the security fence.
The IDF spokesman finally released a statement that an IDF unit protecting the security fence, saw an attempt to breach the security fence near Burdos, and the unit attempted to stop the infiltrator, and shot him.
Shortly after shots were fired Wattan News was on site and filmed an emergency medical team trying to resuscitate Awad in a hospital in Ramallah, reporting he was shot three times: in the head, chest and leg.
The Jerusalem Post also picked up the story, indicating just a few days ago another Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces while crossing the 1967 border in order to go to work:
The IDF opened fire on a Palestinian youth who it said attempted to cross into Israel from the West Bank on Tuesday morning. The youth later died at a Ramallah hospital.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office said the man had tried to breach the security fence at Budrus, which is northwest of Ramallah, adding that the man ignored orders from soldiers to stop and warning shots fired in the air.
Palestinian sources reported that 16-year-old Samir Awad of Budrus was killed after being shot four times by IDF troops.
On Saturday, IDF troops opened fire at and killed a Palestinian man the army said was attempting to enter Israel from the southern West Bank in the south Hebron hills.
Awad’s funeral will take place this afternoon in Budrus at 3 p.m. Jerusalem time.
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