Report alleges Israeli abuse in West Bank

The Israeli army, while continuing to cause civilian deaths by bombing Gaza buildings, is being accused of "systematically" abusing Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron, according to a report published by Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.

The report, titled "Unleashed: Abuse of Palestinians by Israeli Soldiers in the Center of Hebron", is based on more than 20 testimonies from Palestinians alleging sexual abuse, violence, and humiliation collected between May and August.

Hebron is the second-largest Palestinian city in the West Bank. The report stated about 900 Israeli settlers live among tens of thousands of Palestinians.

More than 1,000 soldiers uphold the systems of separation and military control in the city, including the widely documented restriction of Palestinians' movement over the years.

The report said it appeared that Palestinian residents of Hebron may, at any moment, "fall victim to brutal violence", openly inflicted on them as they go about their daily affairs.

In the report, victims described severe physical and mental abuse, including punching and kicking; blows delivered with firearms, batons, or a chair; slamming their heads against a wall or their bodies against the floor; whipping with a belt; and, in one case, stabbing.

Three of the victims had their faces covered to the point of suffocation, the report said.

'Matter of routine'

B'Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak said people stepping out to go about their daily business are seized by soldiers "and beaten to the point of passing out as a matter of routine".

"The testimonies collected by B'Tselem field researchers paint a shocking picture of the violent behavioral norms of Israeli soldiers," Novak said in a statement.

The report also highlighted the creation of "kill zones" where anyone spotted is shot regardless of their involvement in the fighting. At least 44,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas attacked Israel last year, taking more than 200 captives and killing 1,200 Israelis and foreigners.

On Wednesday, an Israeli drone attack on a food distribution point and a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least five people, including four children, Al Jazeera reported. In northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya town, at least three medics were wounded in a drone attack on the Kamal Adwan Hospital, the fifth by Israel's military on the facility in recent weeks.

Arie Afriansyah, an associate professor at the Faculty of Law at Universitas Indonesia, told China Daily that such reports and evidence "should be considered by the International Criminal Court to be used in future legal proceedings against all Israeli war criminals".

On Nov 21, ICC judges issued warrants of arrest for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, along with Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.

jan@chinadailyapac.com