HRW: 'Israel' executes Palestinians in West Bank unlawfully
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According to Richard Weir, senior crisis and conflict researcher at HWR, the murders are occurring "at a level without recent precedent" since the IOF do not fear being held accountable by their government.
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Mourners gather around the body of Mutasim Abu Abed, 13, during his funeral in Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin, Saturday, March 30, 2024 (AP)
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have unlawfully used lethal force in assaults on Palestinians in the West Bank, murdering Palestinians who posed no obvious security danger, confirmed a report by Human Rights Watch.
According to evidence of multiple occurrences dating back to 2022, Human Rights Watch reported that "unlawfully used lethal force in fatal shootings of Palestinians in the West Bank."
Richard Weir, senior crisis and conflict researcher at HWR, said the murders are occurring "at a level without recent precedent" since the IOF have no fears their government will hold them accountable.
“Israeli security forces are not just unlawfully killing Palestinians in Gaza, but have been killing Palestinians without a legal basis in the West Bank, including deliberately executing Palestinians who posed no apparent threat,” Weir added.
According to the organization, the research that reached this conclusion was conducted based on an investigation into eight murders in four events between July 2022 and October 2023.
Yet another Israeli war crime, eight-year-old killed in West Bank in 2023
Several experts have accused "Israel" of perpetrating yet another war crime by shooting innocent children playing in the streets of the West Bank last year.
On November 29, 2023, Adam, eight, and Basil, 15, were killed while playing in the road. Footage showed an Israeli occupation convoy passing by Adam, standing in the street with his elder brother, Baha, 14, and nine other minors.
CCTV cameras, which offered a nearly 360-degree picture of what transpired next, caught the moment when gunfire broke out, with 11 rounds fired, striking automobiles and neighboring buildings. Tragically, two shots struck Basil in the chest, and one wounded Adam as he tried to leave the scene.
Unsurprisingly, the IOF, which has killed thousands of children, maintains that Basil was killed for carrying an explosive.
A committee of specialists has unanimously called for a probe into the event, with some alleging obvious violations of international law.
The evidence has prompted the UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Ben Saul, to express reservations about the legality of using lethal force in Basil's case, claiming that Adam's killing appears to be a "war crime."
Another legal expert, Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, condemned the IOF's use of lethal force as "indiscriminate".
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, this is not a unique incidence, as such attacks have occurred "systemically".
Last month, Palestinian teenager Yazan Shtayyeh was martyred after being shot by Israeli occupation forces raiding Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
US walks back on sanctioning Israeli occupation forces unit
The Biden administration, after reportedly finding three battalions within the Israeli occupation forces to be violating human rights and taking the decision to sanction it, decided not to proceed with the punitive measures.
The three battalions, found to be committing "gross human rights violations" against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, will walk away scott-free as no sanctions will be imposed on them, ABC News reported.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed US House Speaker Mike Johnson of the decision in a Friday letter, wherein he reportedly said the fact that they were found to be violating human rights would not impede or delay the delivery of any assistance to the Israeli occupation.
Blinken underlined that the Israeli occupation forces would receive the full amount of arms and funds appropriated by Congress.
It is not at all surprising that the Biden administration did not go forward with the sanctions, as Israeli lobbying is known to be fully effective, and Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged to fight tooth and nail against the sanctions.
Netanyahu had declared his staunch opposition to any potential sanctions imposed on Israeli military units over rights violations.
In a statement, Netanyahu asserted, "If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the [Israeli forces] – I will fight it with all my strength."
