JERUSALEM, September 17, 2015
(WAFA) – Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has approved the use of
sniper fire against Palestinian “stone-throwers” who protest against Israel’s
growing dominance over al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, Israeli media
reported on Thursday.
This came a day after Israeli Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared what he described as a “war” on
rock-throwing protesting Palestinians in Jerusalem, following three days of
clashes in and around al-Aqsa mosque as police allowed the entry of Jews into
the holy site.
Israel have been enforcing a unilateral
temporal division on the mosque; banning Palestinians from entering the compound
during specific hours, while settlers are provided with a police escort into
the Islamic holy site.
During an emergency meeting
with Israeli security officials and ministers, Netanyahu said that, “'It
has been decided to toughen the measures in many areas; a modification of the
rules of engagement will be examined as well as the establishment of a minimum
penalty for those who throw stones and significant fines for minors -- and for
their parents -- who commit these offences.'
Along with Netanyahu, “Defense”
Minister Moshe Yaalon and Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan also favored
the proposed change, reported Israeli media outlets.
Shortly after the decision was approved, witnesses said that Israeli police used live ammunition for the first time against Palestinian protesters during clashes at al-Issawiya, al-Tour, and Silwan neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Dozens of injuries caused by use of firearms and rubber-coated steel bullets by Israeli police were reported.
Though firearms have been
widely used by the Israeli army against Palestinians in the West Bank, Israeli
police in Jerusalem ‘are not able to do so under their own current rules of
engagement’ and has so far been allowed to use non-lethal protest control measures,
such as rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades and tear gas.
Today’s move will allow the
police to introduce for the first time lethal weapons in their crackdown
against a seemingly growing uprising by Jerusalem’s local Palestinians.
The Israeli decision came after
violence clashes renewed in the city’s al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the past
week, prompted by provocative visits by Jewish fanatics, who entered the site
to perform rituals marking the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah.
The Palestinian government
slammed the Israeli decision, and said such a decision consolidates the Israeli
“growing tide” of murdering Palestinians in blatant violations of all
international treaties, and without being held accountable.
In a report published by
Amnesty International in February 2014, between 2011 and 2014 at least 261
Palestinians, including 67 children, have been seriously injured by live
ammunition fired by Israeli forces in the West Bank.
Article 3 of the Code of
Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials specifies that the use of firearms should
be exceptional and is considered an extreme measure, which in all circumstances
need to be necessary and proportional.
“Israeli forces should refrain
from using live ammunition against civilians and resort to less lethal
methods,” urged the center.
As an Occupying Power, Israel
is obliged to protect the occupied population and safeguard their lives.
The right to life is affirmed
under international human rights law, including Article 6 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Article 6 of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) also recognizes that every child
has an inherent right to life and the necessity of protecting this right.
M.N./T.R.
