Ruthless killing of Palestinian youths in al-Khalil (Hebron)
Hebron, occupied Palestine – Today, Israeli forces and Israeli
settlers in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) murdered two Palestinian youth
within three hours.
In the morning, Israeli settlers from the illegal settlements within
al-Khalil, walked past the 18-year old Palestinian youth Fadel
al-Qawasmeh in segregated Shuhada street, cursing him as an ‘Arab’ and
then pulled a gun shooting him from point blank range. The settler fired
four shots at the Palestinian youth with his pistol, one shot directly
in the head. This execution was entirely unprovoked. Israeli soldiers
rushed to the scene, but prevented a Palestinian ambulance from treating
the critically injured Palestinian youth who was lying on the ground
bleeding. Whereas the area around the execution was immediately closed
for Palestinians and international observers by the Israeli forces,
settlers at all times were allowed to freely stroll alongside the scene
of the murder, with soldiers taking pictures with their private phones.
Israeli settlers standing right next to the scene of the execution
Later on, Israeli forces blocked all entrances to a Palestinian house
nearby where activists where trying to document [events]. In the
meantime, settlers from the nearby illegal settlement of Beit Hadassah,
watching from down on the street close by a checkpoint were enjoying tea
and biscuits, brought from the settlement, with the soldiers and the
police. After Israeli forces washed off the blood from the street, they
broke into the house where Palestinians had been filming, with 11
children, the youngest only a year old, present. Heavily armed Israeli
soldiers searched the house and confiscated all phones and cameras. Once
they left the house, they checked all the photos and videos taken after
the execution of Fadel, and showed them to the settlers nearby.
Israeli settlers and soldiers sharing tea at the scene of the execution of Fadel al-Qawasmeh
Israeli soldiers having tea brought by settlers
Palestinians and international human rights observers trying to
document this violent attack on a family home were repeatedly forced by
Israeli forces to move away from the incident, whereas the settlers were
allowed to freely walk around and curse and hurl insults at them, even
threatening them that they will be the next to be killed. One
Palestinian man was forced by Israeli soldiers to pass through a
checkpoint even though soldiers were throwing stun grenades right
outside the checkpoint. 23-year old Abed al-Salaymeh was detained in Tel
Rumeida for one and a half hours, after soldiers prevented him from
going back to his home in segregated Shuhada Street. Different soldiers
repeatedly ordered him and internationals to either move up the hill
from the checkpoint, or when further up to move back down, all the time
prohibiting him from going back to his house. Once up the hill, he was
detained for one and a half hours, with soldiers freely admitting that
this is because he ‘annoyed’ them before. Settlers passing by were
threatening him and internationals that ‘tomorrow they would be the ones
to be killed’.
Israeli forces blocking the entrances to a Palestinian house
Only three hours later, Israeli forces shot and killed 16-year old
Palestinian teenager Bayan Eiseleh at the Ibrahimi mosque. Her parents,
rushing to the scene of her killing, were brutally attacked and beaten
by Israeli forces. International human rights observers trying to
document this senseless killing were detained by Israeli forces and then
one of them was arrested for ‘taking pictures and posting them online’.
She is still being held at the police station in the illegal settlement
of Kiryat Arba.
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