Statement by Bianca Jagger on her mission to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the occupied Palestinian territory
7/6/2002

I was invited by the United Nations Population Fund to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians living in the West Bank. My visit lasted a week, ending Sunday 28th of April.

I joined humanitarian convoys organised by UN agencies to deliver basic supplies of food, medicines, pregnant womens’ kits, blankets and temporary shelter for people under siege in the Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus and Jenin refugee camps.

I witnessed Israeli military forces preventing the delivery of vital aid to those in need by relief workers. I can confirm that UN aid providers are kept waiting long hours at checkpoints before being allowed access to the needy, or before being turned away and denied entry by Israeli soldiers. This occurs despite the efforts of UN officials to co-ordinate access hours in advance with Israeli authorities. The same lengthy and life-threatening delays have been reported by The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and other aid organisations and ambulance services. Medical personnel, or those who try to help the injured, are fired on while the wounded bleed to death. From the beginning of the incursion until the end of April there were 123 incidences reported of ambulances that have been fired upon by the Israeli forces.

I am deeply concerned by the recent military activities in the occupied Palestinian territory. The imposition of curfews and the reoccupation of Palestinian towns and villages has created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis for the civilian population. I can confirm that ordinary Palestinian men, women and children are arbitrarily denied entry and exit between Israel and Palestinian areas as well as between towns and villages within the West Bank.

The Government of Israel must allow full freedom of movement to the Palestinian population and free access to relief workers to provide humanitarian assistance to the thousands of Palestinians living in abysmal and deplorable conditions. Israel must halt collective punishment against an entire nation.

I met with His Excellency, Mr. Shimon Peres, Israeli military officials and Israeli civilians. I would like to express my deepest sympathy and compassion for those Israeli citizens who have suffered from the escalating violence. I condemn unequivocally the use of suicide bombers against Israeli civilian as morally abhorrent. I also condemn, however, the disproportionate use of lethal military force by the IDF against the Palestinian civilian populations.

Self-defence does not relieve Israel from its obligations under international humanitarian law. The Palestinian people are living under occupation, and Israel, as the occupying power, has obligations set out in the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilians in Time of War (1949). Israel is also obliged to respect and protect human rights treaties which it has ratified. These include, among others, the UN Convenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel and Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

According to Amnesty International, “Israeli security forces and armed Israeli groups and individuals have killed more than 1,200. In the six weeks up to 11 April 2002 more than 600 Palestinians may have been killed and more than 3,000 injured.

Since 29 September 2000, Amnesty International has documented numerous human rights violations committed by Israeli security forces, including the use of excess, lethal, and disproportionate force, without regard for civilian lives. Few members of Israel’s security services have been held accountable for such violations, allowing a culture of impunity to flourish. The Israeli security and police forces and judiciary regularly subject Palestinians - including minors - to arbitrary arrest, prolonged and incommunicado detention administrative detention without charge, trial or right to appeal, ill-treatment and torture, and unfair trials. The government of Israel has publicly admitted to circumventing the legal system by conducting extra-judicial executions and it has conducted house demolitions and broad closures of Palestinian areas, in violation of international treaties to which Israel is a state party.

I am appalled by the degree of human suffering and destruction I have witnessed. The international community must call upon the Government of Israel to ensure full respect of humanitarian principles and international law.

I was horrified by the wanton destruction in the Jenin refugee camp and in Nablus. The destruction more closely resembled an earthquake than a war zone. I received credible evidence that civilians were not given enough warning or time to evacuate Jenin camp and the town of Nablus. The UN, ICRC, PRCS and other humanitarian aid workers were prevented from entering Jenin refugee camp to provide assistance to those trapped in the rubble of demolished houses. Some refugees were wounded and without food, water or access to medical care for 13 days. According to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, IDF soldiers in Jenin engaged in the practise of human shielding, forcing Palestine civilians to serve as ‘shields’ to protect them from Palestine militants. The practise of human shielding is specifically outlawed by international humanitarian law. The inappropriate use of civilians for other military purposes was also widespread during the IDF operations in Jenin. I visited houses that had been fired upon by a Cobra helicopter gunship with Tow missiles. I saw many exploded Tow missiles in Jenin refugee camp. About 30% of the camp was destroyed. Some 4,000 refugees lost their homes. 54 bodies have been recovered in Jenin; the latest was an infant found with the umbilical cord still attached. The mother has not yet been found. A similar situation was endured in Nablus: there, 76 people were killed. Among them were seven children and eight women. The number is expected to rise.

There is a need for an international investigation to establish what happened in the Jenin refugee camp. There is strong evidence that The IDF committed war crimes and violated humanitarian law. I urge the Israeli Government to allow a Commission of Inquiry to examine violations of international humanitarian law in Jenin and other areas of the occupied territories since 27 February. The Government of Israel must ensure that the fact-finding team be given complete and secure access to the relevant places and people, as well as all the necessary resources and equipment to complete its work.

During my visit to Israel, I was particularly moved by the generosity of spirit of an Israeli mother whose son, a soldier in the Israeli Defence Forces, was killed by a Palestinian sniper at a checkpoint in the West Bank. During our conversation, she told me that she does not hate the Palestinian people for the death of her son. She said all mothers feel the same pain when they lose a child, whether Palestinian or Israeli. She also said to me, “We have to understand that when we say peace, that means we have to make compromises. In order to put an end to the loss of life on both sides, Palestinians and Israelis must work together to end the violence through compromise and reconciliation.”

I met peace-loving people, both Palestinian and Israeli, throughout my stay. It is my hope that the voices of reason who advocate for a peaceful settlement will prevail. I call upon the State of Israel to end the occupation without further delay. This first step is a prerequisite to a peaceful solution to the conflict. Violence is not a solution.

The Israeli Government must stop the use of US weapons to commit human rights violations. According to the Foreign Assistance Appropriation Bill (“Leahy Amendment”) security assistance to a foreign country is prohibited if there is credible evidence that such a country has engaged in gross violations of human rights. The State Department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001, released on March 4, states, “Israeli security forces committed numerous, serious human rights abuses during the year.” The Arms Export Control Act prohibits the use of American weapons supplied to its allies for any purpose other than “legitimate self-defense.” The United States Government must make Israel adhere to the bilateral defense agreements and US laws.

Accordingly, Israel must refrain from excessive use of lethal force, indiscriminate attacks on civilians, and extrajudicial executions. The use of helicopters, fighter aircraft, anti-tank missiles and anti personal weapons violate bilateral defense agreements and US law. US military assistance should be suspended immediately until Israel is in compliance with international law and with the terms of bilateral agreements.