From: aaldoubo@copper.denver.colorado.edu (Anisa Alnoor Aldoubosh)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast,soc.culture.arabic
Subject: Little Changes
Date: 11 Oct 92 03:53:28 GMT
Followup-To: talk.politics.mideast
Organization: University of Colorado at Denver


Here is another article I came across regarding human rights
violations and deaths as a result of the Occupation in the
Territories:

		Little Changes
		Daoud Kuttab

East Jerusalem

"The expected improvement of the human rights situation in the occupied
territories under the Rabin government has failed to materialise, despite
the political rhetoric that accompanied the Israeli elections.  Not that the
Rabin government has not been trying, but it seems that if there indeed is a
change of policy at the top, it has yet to filter down to the soldiers and
theiir commanders.

"The Israeli army's 'special units' which 'take care' of wanted Palestinians
still operate despite increasing criticism within Israeli society.  The
'special units' continue to be more successful in killing Palestinians than
in arresting them alive.  This carefree attitude towards Palestinian life was
vividly illustrated on 29 July when a Palestinian stabbed two Israeli policemen
in Jerusalem.  An Israeli civilian shot the Palestinian in the leg.  According
to this civilian, an Israeli member of the border police came up to the fallen
Palestinian and shot him in the head.  The report of the incident, including
the statement of the Israeli civilian, was broadcast on Israel radio and an
investigation is now taking place.

"In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army announced that it was removing three
soldiers from duty pending another investigation.  The soldiers are accused of
killing a four-year old child.  They had shot at the child's parents' car,
mistaking it for another which was supposed to be carrying 'wanted
Palestinians'.

"Rabin also ordered his commander to apologise to the Palestinian negotiator,
Zakaria al-Agha, whose Gaza house was raided last week by the army.  In the
West Bank Israeli soldiers prevented settlers from trying to erect a settle-
ment of mobile homes near the city of Ramallah.

"The settlements continue to be the hottest issue.  The Rabin government is
insisting that settlements in 'the vicinity of Jerusalem' are vital to the
security of the state of Israel and will not stop.  This includes the
settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim on the Jerusalem-Jericho road and those in the
Gush Etzion block.  The housing ministry is also going ahead with plans for
a major highway, which includes bridges and tunnels and will cost about $20m,
to skirt populated Palestinian areas, especially Dahaysha refugee camp on the
Jerusalem-Hebron road.

"Palestinians have other reasons to be unhappy with the new government.  The
11 Palestinians awaiting deportation have refused an Israeli offer that they
could leave voluntarily for three years.  Rabin, who in opposition said that
he no longer believed deportations useful, is now in the difficult position
of deciding what to do.  The deportees' case, which was due to be heard in
the Israeli high court at the end of July, has once again been postponed.

"The Israeli army is under pressure to ease its policy of searching every
Palestinian who crosses the bridge over the River Jordan and to extend its
opening hours.  Some 70,000 Palestinians are stranded on the Jordanian side
with Israel only allowing 3,500 a day to cross over.  The problem occurred
because of the decision to close the Damiya bridge and to force travellers to
use the Allenby bridge.

"While the settlement issue is bound to continue to dominate the coming round
of bilateral talks due to be held in Washington on 24 August, Palestinian
leaders are busy preparing a wide range of issues for the coming talks.
Palestinian technical teams, which were established under the leadership of
Sari Nuseibeh, have been increasingly active.  Faisal Husseini said while he
was in Jordan that Palestinians are training with Jordanians to run a future
Palestinians police force."


		Middle East International	7 August 1992


Anisa

	 
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