16 jan 2012
Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan and his young son
Report reveals the step-by-step procedure behind the killing of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan as he was on his way to the Natanz uranium enrichment.
A Sunday Times report revealed Monday that Mossad agents were behind last week’s assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist.
According to the report, the assassination of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan was similar to that seen in “espionage films” - planned over a period of many months, and including extensive surveillance and intelligence gathering. The Sunday Times quoted an unnamed Israeli sources who claimed that the killing was a precursor to a military strike, which would make rebuilding nuclear facilities more difficult for Iran, should they be bombed.
The report further claimed that small groups of Israeli Mossad agents had carefully observed key areas in Tehran deemed relevant to the Roshan’ assassination.
"There is zero tolerance for mistakes. By nature, every failure not only risks the neck of the agents but also risks turning into an international scandal,” said the Israeli source.
According to the Sunday Times, Roshan, 32, was monitored from a makeshift control room in a safe house nearby as he was preparing to leave for work. Israeli agents were also watching the entrance to Iranian intelligence headquarters in the city center, when they noticed a number of cars and people running, followed by police rushing into the nearby streets. Another agent monitoring radio traffic between the Tehran police and security forces confirmed unusual activity, said the paper.
The report states that as Roshan’s bodyguard was driving him to Natanz uranium enrichment site, where he served as director, a masked person on a motorbike weaved through traffic, planting a bomb on the car shaped to deliver its full force at the passenger.
The Sunday Times report stated that hundreds of regime supporters swore revenge at Roshan’s funeral on Friday. "Two targets were always in Mustafa's mind," Reza Najafi, a friend, said. "To fight Israel and to become a shaheed (martyr). He achieved both his targets."
The United States ruled out any connection with the assassination. "We were not involved in any way with regards to the assassination that took place there," said Secretarty of Defense Leon Panetta, although he did hint that he had "some idea" of who was.
According to the report, the British Foreign Office also said Britain had "no involvement whatsoever" in the attack.
Report reveals the step-by-step procedure behind the killing of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan as he was on his way to the Natanz uranium enrichment.
A Sunday Times report revealed Monday that Mossad agents were behind last week’s assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist.
According to the report, the assassination of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan was similar to that seen in “espionage films” - planned over a period of many months, and including extensive surveillance and intelligence gathering. The Sunday Times quoted an unnamed Israeli sources who claimed that the killing was a precursor to a military strike, which would make rebuilding nuclear facilities more difficult for Iran, should they be bombed.
The report further claimed that small groups of Israeli Mossad agents had carefully observed key areas in Tehran deemed relevant to the Roshan’ assassination.
"There is zero tolerance for mistakes. By nature, every failure not only risks the neck of the agents but also risks turning into an international scandal,” said the Israeli source.
According to the Sunday Times, Roshan, 32, was monitored from a makeshift control room in a safe house nearby as he was preparing to leave for work. Israeli agents were also watching the entrance to Iranian intelligence headquarters in the city center, when they noticed a number of cars and people running, followed by police rushing into the nearby streets. Another agent monitoring radio traffic between the Tehran police and security forces confirmed unusual activity, said the paper.
The report states that as Roshan’s bodyguard was driving him to Natanz uranium enrichment site, where he served as director, a masked person on a motorbike weaved through traffic, planting a bomb on the car shaped to deliver its full force at the passenger.
The Sunday Times report stated that hundreds of regime supporters swore revenge at Roshan’s funeral on Friday. "Two targets were always in Mustafa's mind," Reza Najafi, a friend, said. "To fight Israel and to become a shaheed (martyr). He achieved both his targets."
The United States ruled out any connection with the assassination. "We were not involved in any way with regards to the assassination that took place there," said Secretarty of Defense Leon Panetta, although he did hint that he had "some idea" of who was.
According to the report, the British Foreign Office also said Britain had "no involvement whatsoever" in the attack.
14 jan 2012
Iranian state television said on Saturday Tehran had evidence Washington was behind the latest assassination of one of its nuclear scientists.
In the fifth attack of its kind in two years, a magnetic bomb was attached to the door of 32-year-old Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan's car during the Wednesday morning rush-hour in the capital. His driver was also killed.
The United States has denied involvement in the killing and condemned it. Israel has declined to comment.
"We have reliable documents and evidence that this terrorist act was planned, guided and supported by the CIA," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a letter handed to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, state TV reported.
"The documents clearly show that this terrorist act was carried out with the direct involvement of CIA-linked agents."
The Swiss Embassy has represented US interests in Iran since Tehran and Washington cut diplomatic ties shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
State TV said a "letter of condemnation" had also been sent to the British government, saying the killing of Iranian nuclear scientists had "started exactly after the British official John Sawers declared the beginning of intelligence operations against Iran."
In 2010, chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service Sawers said one of the agency's roles was to investigate efforts by states to build nuclear weapons in violation of their international legal obligations and identify ways to slow down their access to vital materials and technology.
Tehran has urged the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to condemn the latest killing, which Tehran says is aimed at undermining its nuclear work, which the West and Israel say is aimed at building bombs. Tehran says its nuclear program is purely civilian.
Tension has mounted between Iran and the West as the United States and European Union prepare measures aimed at imposing sanctions on the Iran's oil exports, its economic lifeblood.
The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the nuclear dispute.
In the fifth attack of its kind in two years, a magnetic bomb was attached to the door of 32-year-old Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan's car during the Wednesday morning rush-hour in the capital. His driver was also killed.
The United States has denied involvement in the killing and condemned it. Israel has declined to comment.
"We have reliable documents and evidence that this terrorist act was planned, guided and supported by the CIA," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a letter handed to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, state TV reported.
"The documents clearly show that this terrorist act was carried out with the direct involvement of CIA-linked agents."
The Swiss Embassy has represented US interests in Iran since Tehran and Washington cut diplomatic ties shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
State TV said a "letter of condemnation" had also been sent to the British government, saying the killing of Iranian nuclear scientists had "started exactly after the British official John Sawers declared the beginning of intelligence operations against Iran."
In 2010, chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service Sawers said one of the agency's roles was to investigate efforts by states to build nuclear weapons in violation of their international legal obligations and identify ways to slow down their access to vital materials and technology.
Tehran has urged the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to condemn the latest killing, which Tehran says is aimed at undermining its nuclear work, which the West and Israel say is aimed at building bombs. Tehran says its nuclear program is purely civilian.
Tension has mounted between Iran and the West as the United States and European Union prepare measures aimed at imposing sanctions on the Iran's oil exports, its economic lifeblood.
The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the nuclear dispute.
12 jan 2012
Firas Qasqas, 32
Four years after an Israeli soldier used his sniper rifle to kill a Palestinian civilian from Bethlehem district visiting family in the Ramallah district; an Israeli court acquitted the soldier and claimed that there is not enough evidence to convict the soldier, adding that no charges were filed against the shooter, the Arabs48 News Agency reported.
Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem, issued a report stating that it filed an appeal to the Israeli High Court, on August 08, 2011, and was informed that the officer who shot and killed Firas Qasqas, 32, will be sent to court. But the prosecution never revealed what charges will be filed against the soldier.
Qasqas was killed on December, 02, 2007, when an Israeli soldier used his sniper rifle to kill him despite the fact that he was hundreds of meters away, was not armed and did not pose any threat.
The incident took place in At-Teera village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah; Qasqas, from Batteer village near Bethlehem, and his family, were visiting relatives in At-Teera.
In February last year, B’Tselem filed an appeal demanding the Military Prosecutor’s Office to act against the soldier.
According to B’Tselem’s investigation, at noon hours on December 2nd, Qasqas and two of his relatives were walking in an open area near the houses of At-Teera village, and then a number of Israeli soldiers, 500 meters away, opened fire at them without any prior warning.
The three were unarmed, and did not act in any way that might look suspicious. Qasqas was shot in the back, and the bullet exited from his chest. His two relatives rushed him to a local hospital in Ramallah but he died of his wounds.
After the fatal shooting, B’Tselem repeatedly contacted the Israeli Military Prosecution, asking it to open an investigation into the shooting, and two months later, the Military Prosecutor ordered an investigation and B’Tselem helped in collecting the testimonies of the two witnesses, and provided the investigators all related documentation.
On August 18, 2011, the Prosecution announced that the Central Command of the Israeli Military had concluded all investigations, and decided that the issue of filing charges against the officer should be considered, and that a hearing will be conducted in order to listen to the testimony of the commander who ordered the soldier to open fire.
The Defense attorney of the officer (Morr) claimed that “there is no way to prove that the cause of death was that bullet”, and that “there is no proof that anybody was killed in the incident in question”.
He also claimed that the medical reports are incomplete, and do not include the autopsy report that indicated the exact cause of death.
The court then decided to close the file of Qasqas without any indictment against any soldier, and claimed that “despite the fact the soldiers opened fire in violation to the open-fire regulations in the area, yet, the soldiers act in a practical manner as they opened fire when they felt that they were in danger”.
It also said that “despite the fact that the decision to open fire was wrong, the act is not a crime and does not even constitute negligence”.
Israeli court acquits Israeli soldier of murdering Palestinian
The human rights group B'Tselem said an Israeli court acquitted an Israeli officer of killing in cold blood a Palestinian citizen called Firas Qasqas four years ago.
This court decision came four years after a senior Israeli officer killed Qasqas who was hundreds of meters away and unarmed, and constituted no threat to anyone.
This court exoneration was issued after B'Tselem filed a petition with the higher court last February demanding the military prosecutor to take action against the officer.
Four years after an Israeli soldier used his sniper rifle to kill a Palestinian civilian from Bethlehem district visiting family in the Ramallah district; an Israeli court acquitted the soldier and claimed that there is not enough evidence to convict the soldier, adding that no charges were filed against the shooter, the Arabs48 News Agency reported.
Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem, issued a report stating that it filed an appeal to the Israeli High Court, on August 08, 2011, and was informed that the officer who shot and killed Firas Qasqas, 32, will be sent to court. But the prosecution never revealed what charges will be filed against the soldier.
Qasqas was killed on December, 02, 2007, when an Israeli soldier used his sniper rifle to kill him despite the fact that he was hundreds of meters away, was not armed and did not pose any threat.
The incident took place in At-Teera village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah; Qasqas, from Batteer village near Bethlehem, and his family, were visiting relatives in At-Teera.
In February last year, B’Tselem filed an appeal demanding the Military Prosecutor’s Office to act against the soldier.
According to B’Tselem’s investigation, at noon hours on December 2nd, Qasqas and two of his relatives were walking in an open area near the houses of At-Teera village, and then a number of Israeli soldiers, 500 meters away, opened fire at them without any prior warning.
The three were unarmed, and did not act in any way that might look suspicious. Qasqas was shot in the back, and the bullet exited from his chest. His two relatives rushed him to a local hospital in Ramallah but he died of his wounds.
After the fatal shooting, B’Tselem repeatedly contacted the Israeli Military Prosecution, asking it to open an investigation into the shooting, and two months later, the Military Prosecutor ordered an investigation and B’Tselem helped in collecting the testimonies of the two witnesses, and provided the investigators all related documentation.
On August 18, 2011, the Prosecution announced that the Central Command of the Israeli Military had concluded all investigations, and decided that the issue of filing charges against the officer should be considered, and that a hearing will be conducted in order to listen to the testimony of the commander who ordered the soldier to open fire.
The Defense attorney of the officer (Morr) claimed that “there is no way to prove that the cause of death was that bullet”, and that “there is no proof that anybody was killed in the incident in question”.
He also claimed that the medical reports are incomplete, and do not include the autopsy report that indicated the exact cause of death.
The court then decided to close the file of Qasqas without any indictment against any soldier, and claimed that “despite the fact the soldiers opened fire in violation to the open-fire regulations in the area, yet, the soldiers act in a practical manner as they opened fire when they felt that they were in danger”.
It also said that “despite the fact that the decision to open fire was wrong, the act is not a crime and does not even constitute negligence”.
Israeli court acquits Israeli soldier of murdering Palestinian
The human rights group B'Tselem said an Israeli court acquitted an Israeli officer of killing in cold blood a Palestinian citizen called Firas Qasqas four years ago.
This court decision came four years after a senior Israeli officer killed Qasqas who was hundreds of meters away and unarmed, and constituted no threat to anyone.
This court exoneration was issued after B'Tselem filed a petition with the higher court last February demanding the military prosecutor to take action against the officer.
The Israeli judicial system is partial and biased against Palestinian. It often imposes procedural barriers, and other times, impose more financial burdens, Thursday said a press release published on the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) website.
It said the policies of the Israeli government further imposes physical barriers on effective access of Palestinian victims to the Israeli courts, thus depriving Palestinian victims in general, and victims of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip (27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009), codenamed “Operation Cast Lead,” in particular of remedy and redress according to international human rights instruments.
In spite of all such barriers, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights PCHR will continue its serious efforts to ensure remedy for victims, as it is the legal representative in 100 cases on behalf of 626 Palestinian victims affected by Operation Cast Lead.
Strongly believing in the universality of human rights, PCHR will continue it work to face injustice, assist the victims and confront the barriers imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities.
In the context of their effort to deny the victims their right to justice and remedy, Israeli courts of various degrees considering cases filed on behalf of victims of Operation Cast Lead issued a series of decisions limiting access of Palestinian victims to justice.
The most significant decision in this regard was the one compelling each claimant in a civil case to pay a court insurance fee or bank guaranty of 20,000 NIS before the court will allow the case to proceed. If the money is not paid within 60-120 days, the claim will be dismissed.
The insurance fee means that the claimant or his/her representative must pay it to the court’s fund directly, while the bank guaranty is a financial guaranty signed by the claimant or his/her representative to a bank, and the bank deposits such signed guaranty in the court’s fund.
This decision has been issued in regard to 14 of the cases followed up by PCHR before Israeli courts. PCHR filed a number of petitions at the Israeli High Court in Jerusalem, demanding canceling these decisions or decreasing the amount of the guaranty. PCHR established its claim on a number of points, including, inter alia:
1. Determining the Ministry of Defense’s responsibilities for the incidents and the resulting damage.
2. Depositing a guaranty aims at blocking the way for claimants to file compensation claims for the damage incurred to them, as they have the right to know the reasons of killing their family members and it is not a form of fraud on the state.
3. Article 8 of the Basic Law relating to respect for the individuals and their freedom, which is applicable in the Israeli courts, establishes that the rule is that a guaranty must not be obligatory, and the exception is compelling payment of such guaranty.
4. The request to deposit guaranties followed the deposition of the prosecution’s response and before the prosecution explained its narrative of the incidents individually.
5. The amounts of guaranties are too high, especially as the economic conditions of the Gaza Strip’s population is extremely deteriorated.
6. The expenses for the prosecution, when opening an investigation in each case, are less than the amounts required to be deposited.
In its response to PCHR’s petition, the Israeli prosecution claimed that the filed cases relate to incidents that occurred in the context of a clear military operation (Operation Cast Lead), which the Israeli military was forced to launch according to decisions taken by the government of Israel (a military operation, according to the Israeli Civil Torts - Liability of the State – Law of 1952, provides complete impunity against damage claims).
The prosecution further claimed that the claims that are instituted are relating to compensation with dozens of millions of NIS, and due to the high number of claimants and incidents, it is expected that the prosecution is likely to endure high expenses to make a single checking for each incident, its circumstance and the alleged injury.
Additionally, it claimed that the claimants are non-citizens or non-residents of the State of Israel, and they cannot prove that they have property in territory of the State of Israel (the claimants are out of the jurisdiction).
For this reason, according to the prosecution’s claim, it is difficult to endure the expenses if the claim is rejected, and the guaranty compels the claimant to be serious in his/her claim.
In turn, the Israeli High Court rejected PCHR’s petitions and upheld the prosecution’s claims, which confirms the Israeli judiciary’s collusion, its surrender to the government’s dictations and its provision of a legal cover for the government’s illegal actions.
PCHR reiterates that the decisions taken by the Israeli courts with regard to guaranties constitute a large monetary barrier, which deprives the victims of their fundamental right to have an effective judicial remedy, including compensation, in violation of fundamental human rights ensured under the international law.
The right to get compensation is very essential for victims to rebuild their lives partially, although such compensation is worthless in comparison to their loss.
Accordingly, PCHR believes that under the current situation, and in light of such decisions by the Israeli courts and the Israeli judiciary’s bias against Palestinian victims, compensation is one of the remaining little hopes to achieve some form of justice.
It should be noted that the decisions relating to guaranties are part of a series of decisions and measures that have been taken by Israeli occupation authorities over years in order to prevent Palestinians from claiming for compensation before Israeli courts for violations they are subjected to.
On July 27, 2005, the Israeli Knesset approved an amendment to the Civil Torts Law (Liability of the State) of 1952, preventing Palestinians from claiming for compensation for the State of Israel.
In response, 9 human rights organizations, including PCHR, filed a petition at the Israeli High Court challenging the law, and were able to obtain a decision allowing Palestinians to institute individual compensation claims before Israeli courts, and the judge would have the power of appreciation to adjust or reject it, and estimate the amount of the guaranty.
The Civil Torts (Liability of the State) Law had previously been amended to decrease the statute of limitations with respect to a compensation claim from 7 to 2 years, and requiring that a written notice be sent to the Israeli Defense Ministry within 60 days of the incident otherwise the right to judicial remedy will be terminated.
Other monetary barriers include also that Israeli courts often require claimants to pay insurance fees before initiating the judicial procedures. Such fees are left for estimations of courts. Concerning claims related to damages incurred to property, the fees are proportions of the values of property.
In claims related to killings and injuries, there is no specific range for fees. Due to such monetary burdens, PCHR was forced to return several files to the victims.
In addition, there are also physical barriers facing the victims. Since 2007, in spite of decisions by courts summoning victims or eyewitnesses, IOF have prevented them from traveling outside the Gaza Strip. As a result, the Israeli courts dismissed many claims under the pretext of the non-presence of eyewitnesses, and even imposed fines on them.
These barriers are part of a series of systematic restrictions imposed by Israel to limit the ability of Palestinian to claim for compensation before Israeli courts for damage caused to them by Israeli occupation forces. Such restrictions make achieving justice and judicial remedy for Palestinians impossible, so the resort must be to international justice mechanism.
PCHR will continue to use all available means to ensure victims’ fundamental human rights, including the right to reparation. Recently, a compensation of 500,000NIS was secured on behalf of the family of Rayah Salama Abu Hajjaj, 64, and Majeda ‘Abdul Karim Abu Hajjaj, 37.
These two women were killed by Israeli forces near Juhor al-Dik village during Operation Cast Lead. The compensation was awarded in an out of court settlement.
It said the policies of the Israeli government further imposes physical barriers on effective access of Palestinian victims to the Israeli courts, thus depriving Palestinian victims in general, and victims of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip (27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009), codenamed “Operation Cast Lead,” in particular of remedy and redress according to international human rights instruments.
In spite of all such barriers, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights PCHR will continue its serious efforts to ensure remedy for victims, as it is the legal representative in 100 cases on behalf of 626 Palestinian victims affected by Operation Cast Lead.
Strongly believing in the universality of human rights, PCHR will continue it work to face injustice, assist the victims and confront the barriers imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities.
In the context of their effort to deny the victims their right to justice and remedy, Israeli courts of various degrees considering cases filed on behalf of victims of Operation Cast Lead issued a series of decisions limiting access of Palestinian victims to justice.
The most significant decision in this regard was the one compelling each claimant in a civil case to pay a court insurance fee or bank guaranty of 20,000 NIS before the court will allow the case to proceed. If the money is not paid within 60-120 days, the claim will be dismissed.
The insurance fee means that the claimant or his/her representative must pay it to the court’s fund directly, while the bank guaranty is a financial guaranty signed by the claimant or his/her representative to a bank, and the bank deposits such signed guaranty in the court’s fund.
This decision has been issued in regard to 14 of the cases followed up by PCHR before Israeli courts. PCHR filed a number of petitions at the Israeli High Court in Jerusalem, demanding canceling these decisions or decreasing the amount of the guaranty. PCHR established its claim on a number of points, including, inter alia:
1. Determining the Ministry of Defense’s responsibilities for the incidents and the resulting damage.
2. Depositing a guaranty aims at blocking the way for claimants to file compensation claims for the damage incurred to them, as they have the right to know the reasons of killing their family members and it is not a form of fraud on the state.
3. Article 8 of the Basic Law relating to respect for the individuals and their freedom, which is applicable in the Israeli courts, establishes that the rule is that a guaranty must not be obligatory, and the exception is compelling payment of such guaranty.
4. The request to deposit guaranties followed the deposition of the prosecution’s response and before the prosecution explained its narrative of the incidents individually.
5. The amounts of guaranties are too high, especially as the economic conditions of the Gaza Strip’s population is extremely deteriorated.
6. The expenses for the prosecution, when opening an investigation in each case, are less than the amounts required to be deposited.
In its response to PCHR’s petition, the Israeli prosecution claimed that the filed cases relate to incidents that occurred in the context of a clear military operation (Operation Cast Lead), which the Israeli military was forced to launch according to decisions taken by the government of Israel (a military operation, according to the Israeli Civil Torts - Liability of the State – Law of 1952, provides complete impunity against damage claims).
The prosecution further claimed that the claims that are instituted are relating to compensation with dozens of millions of NIS, and due to the high number of claimants and incidents, it is expected that the prosecution is likely to endure high expenses to make a single checking for each incident, its circumstance and the alleged injury.
Additionally, it claimed that the claimants are non-citizens or non-residents of the State of Israel, and they cannot prove that they have property in territory of the State of Israel (the claimants are out of the jurisdiction).
For this reason, according to the prosecution’s claim, it is difficult to endure the expenses if the claim is rejected, and the guaranty compels the claimant to be serious in his/her claim.
In turn, the Israeli High Court rejected PCHR’s petitions and upheld the prosecution’s claims, which confirms the Israeli judiciary’s collusion, its surrender to the government’s dictations and its provision of a legal cover for the government’s illegal actions.
PCHR reiterates that the decisions taken by the Israeli courts with regard to guaranties constitute a large monetary barrier, which deprives the victims of their fundamental right to have an effective judicial remedy, including compensation, in violation of fundamental human rights ensured under the international law.
The right to get compensation is very essential for victims to rebuild their lives partially, although such compensation is worthless in comparison to their loss.
Accordingly, PCHR believes that under the current situation, and in light of such decisions by the Israeli courts and the Israeli judiciary’s bias against Palestinian victims, compensation is one of the remaining little hopes to achieve some form of justice.
It should be noted that the decisions relating to guaranties are part of a series of decisions and measures that have been taken by Israeli occupation authorities over years in order to prevent Palestinians from claiming for compensation before Israeli courts for violations they are subjected to.
On July 27, 2005, the Israeli Knesset approved an amendment to the Civil Torts Law (Liability of the State) of 1952, preventing Palestinians from claiming for compensation for the State of Israel.
In response, 9 human rights organizations, including PCHR, filed a petition at the Israeli High Court challenging the law, and were able to obtain a decision allowing Palestinians to institute individual compensation claims before Israeli courts, and the judge would have the power of appreciation to adjust or reject it, and estimate the amount of the guaranty.
The Civil Torts (Liability of the State) Law had previously been amended to decrease the statute of limitations with respect to a compensation claim from 7 to 2 years, and requiring that a written notice be sent to the Israeli Defense Ministry within 60 days of the incident otherwise the right to judicial remedy will be terminated.
Other monetary barriers include also that Israeli courts often require claimants to pay insurance fees before initiating the judicial procedures. Such fees are left for estimations of courts. Concerning claims related to damages incurred to property, the fees are proportions of the values of property.
In claims related to killings and injuries, there is no specific range for fees. Due to such monetary burdens, PCHR was forced to return several files to the victims.
In addition, there are also physical barriers facing the victims. Since 2007, in spite of decisions by courts summoning victims or eyewitnesses, IOF have prevented them from traveling outside the Gaza Strip. As a result, the Israeli courts dismissed many claims under the pretext of the non-presence of eyewitnesses, and even imposed fines on them.
These barriers are part of a series of systematic restrictions imposed by Israel to limit the ability of Palestinian to claim for compensation before Israeli courts for damage caused to them by Israeli occupation forces. Such restrictions make achieving justice and judicial remedy for Palestinians impossible, so the resort must be to international justice mechanism.
PCHR will continue to use all available means to ensure victims’ fundamental human rights, including the right to reparation. Recently, a compensation of 500,000NIS was secured on behalf of the family of Rayah Salama Abu Hajjaj, 64, and Majeda ‘Abdul Karim Abu Hajjaj, 37.
These two women were killed by Israeli forces near Juhor al-Dik village during Operation Cast Lead. The compensation was awarded in an out of court settlement.
11 jan 2012
Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan and his young son
An Iranian university professor was killed by a bomb placed on his car by a motorcyclist in Tehran on Wednesday, a city official told the Fars news agency, blaming Israel for an attack he said was similar to ones targeting nuclear scientists a year ago.
"The bomb was a magnetic one and the same as the ones previously used for the assassination of the scientists, and is the work of the Zionists (Israelis)" Fars quoted Deputy Governor Safarali Baratloo as saying.
Witnesses told Reuters they saw two people on the motorbike stick the bomb to the car. As well as the person killed in the car, a pedestrian was also killed by the blast. Another person in the car was gravely injured, they said.
Israel uses risky 'hits' in deadly shadow war
By Dan Williams
If Mossad assassins were behind the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist on Wednesday, it would be the latest chapter in a long history of Israeli covert action against foes best not confronted with full force.
As always, Israeli officials declined any comment on the death of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, who was blown up in his car, while Iran itself immediately pinned the blame on Israel.
Cold-eyed calculus guides what Israeli officials call "precision thwarting," a euphemism that strives to focus blame on those marked for death while conveying reluctance to escalate the shadow war.
Critics condemn all such attacks on moral grounds, and also question the long-term efficiency of targeted killings, but Israeli officials, drawing on years of experience in the murky practice, believe they play a vital role in defending the state.
When it comes to Iran, whose uranium enrichment and ballistic missile projects have suffered a surge of spectacular and often bloody mishaps in recent months, Israel measures the gains in terms of the delays they cause.
"They are not keeping to the schedules they would like to keep to," former Mossad spymaster Meir Dagan said in a recent television interview, smilingly crediting the apparent sabotage spree to "God, who controls everything".
The daylight killings of atomic technicians such as Ahmadi-Roshan -- who, like others before him, fell victim to an explosive device attached to his car by a passing motorcyclist -- obviously deplete Iran's pool of nuclear experts.
It also provokes panic in surviving colleagues, said an Israel official, generating a phenomenon that Mossad veterans dub "virtual defection".
"It's not that we've been seeing mass resignations, but rather a sense of spreading paranoia given the degree to which their security has been compromised," the official, who has extensive Iran expertise, told Reuters.
"It means they have to take more precautions, including, perhaps, being a little less keen to stand out for excellence in their nuclear work. That slows things down."
History of hits
The activation this week of an Iranian enrichment plant deep in a mountain drew condemnation from world powers which, along with many Gulf Arabs, see bomb-making potential in a nuclear program that Tehran insists is for peaceful energy needs.
Ahmadi-Roshan was at least the third expert linked to Iran's nuclear program to be killed in the last two years.
"I don't know who settled the score with the Iranian scientist, but I am definitely not shedding any tears," Israel's army spokesman Yoav Mordechai said on his Facebook page.
Happy to deflect the blame, Israeli officials say many people have an interest in sabotaging Iranian operations.
"I think several players, not only Israel, are active (in Iran)," former Mossad deputy director Ilan Mizrahi said on Wednesday. "It's not only countries, it is movements. You have the Iranian opposition, which is very strong. They have their own capabilities inside Iran."
Yet Israel has an admitted history of state-sponsored assassination and intimidation, from letter-bombs it sent German scientists serving Egypt's missile program in the 1960s to the Mossad hunt, using guns and booby-traps, for Palestinians involved in killing 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics.
More recently, Israeli air-launched missiles and special forces picked off Palestinian uprising leaders. In 1995, motorbike-borne gunmen killed Islamic Jihad chief Fathi Shiqaqi in Malta, and another suspected Mossad team smothered Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in his Dubai hotel in 2010.
Proponents of such tactics say they stave off more ruinous open war and few voices are raised in Israel in condemnation. Mabhouh had helped smuggle rockets to Palestinians, a threat Israel cited in justifying its 2008-2009 offensive on the Gaza Strip, amid international outcry at the high civilian toll.
"When you are fighting terror, targeting the heads of terror organizations is positive," Mizrahi said, justifying killings.
Back fire
Against Iran's nuclear program, Israel - like the United States - has hinted it could resort to military force.
But neither is keen to further destabilize the region by opening a new Muslim front, and military experts say Israel alone does not have the firepower to kill off Iran's nuclear program in a single swoop.
Assassinations carry their own incalculable risks, as the Mossad learned in 1997 when the men it sent to poison Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal in Amman bungled the job and were caught.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then in his first term, had ordered the hit under pressure to retaliate for Hamas suicide bombings. He ended up having to repair ties with Jordan by freeing Hamas's spiritual mentor, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, from prison -- an unexpected boon for Hamas.
Despite widespread speculation, Iran denied Israeli sabotage was to blame for a blast last November that killed a Revolutionary Guards general. On Wednesday it was swift not only to blame Israel, but also to publish the sensitive nature of the victim's work at the uranium enrichment facility of Natanz.
"The Iranians are exposing this in order, ultimately, to provide a large degree of rationale and justification, both domestically and abroad, for what they will eventually consider as a reprisal," said Uzi Rabi, a Middle East expert at Tel Aviv University.
He predicted an "unavoidable showdown", most likely in the Gulf, where Iran has threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with a possible spillover in the form of Israeli and Western air strikes on Iran.
An Iranian university professor was killed by a bomb placed on his car by a motorcyclist in Tehran on Wednesday, a city official told the Fars news agency, blaming Israel for an attack he said was similar to ones targeting nuclear scientists a year ago.
"The bomb was a magnetic one and the same as the ones previously used for the assassination of the scientists, and is the work of the Zionists (Israelis)" Fars quoted Deputy Governor Safarali Baratloo as saying.
Witnesses told Reuters they saw two people on the motorbike stick the bomb to the car. As well as the person killed in the car, a pedestrian was also killed by the blast. Another person in the car was gravely injured, they said.
Israel uses risky 'hits' in deadly shadow war
By Dan Williams
If Mossad assassins were behind the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist on Wednesday, it would be the latest chapter in a long history of Israeli covert action against foes best not confronted with full force.
As always, Israeli officials declined any comment on the death of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, who was blown up in his car, while Iran itself immediately pinned the blame on Israel.
Cold-eyed calculus guides what Israeli officials call "precision thwarting," a euphemism that strives to focus blame on those marked for death while conveying reluctance to escalate the shadow war.
Critics condemn all such attacks on moral grounds, and also question the long-term efficiency of targeted killings, but Israeli officials, drawing on years of experience in the murky practice, believe they play a vital role in defending the state.
When it comes to Iran, whose uranium enrichment and ballistic missile projects have suffered a surge of spectacular and often bloody mishaps in recent months, Israel measures the gains in terms of the delays they cause.
"They are not keeping to the schedules they would like to keep to," former Mossad spymaster Meir Dagan said in a recent television interview, smilingly crediting the apparent sabotage spree to "God, who controls everything".
The daylight killings of atomic technicians such as Ahmadi-Roshan -- who, like others before him, fell victim to an explosive device attached to his car by a passing motorcyclist -- obviously deplete Iran's pool of nuclear experts.
It also provokes panic in surviving colleagues, said an Israel official, generating a phenomenon that Mossad veterans dub "virtual defection".
"It's not that we've been seeing mass resignations, but rather a sense of spreading paranoia given the degree to which their security has been compromised," the official, who has extensive Iran expertise, told Reuters.
"It means they have to take more precautions, including, perhaps, being a little less keen to stand out for excellence in their nuclear work. That slows things down."
History of hits
The activation this week of an Iranian enrichment plant deep in a mountain drew condemnation from world powers which, along with many Gulf Arabs, see bomb-making potential in a nuclear program that Tehran insists is for peaceful energy needs.
Ahmadi-Roshan was at least the third expert linked to Iran's nuclear program to be killed in the last two years.
"I don't know who settled the score with the Iranian scientist, but I am definitely not shedding any tears," Israel's army spokesman Yoav Mordechai said on his Facebook page.
Happy to deflect the blame, Israeli officials say many people have an interest in sabotaging Iranian operations.
"I think several players, not only Israel, are active (in Iran)," former Mossad deputy director Ilan Mizrahi said on Wednesday. "It's not only countries, it is movements. You have the Iranian opposition, which is very strong. They have their own capabilities inside Iran."
Yet Israel has an admitted history of state-sponsored assassination and intimidation, from letter-bombs it sent German scientists serving Egypt's missile program in the 1960s to the Mossad hunt, using guns and booby-traps, for Palestinians involved in killing 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics.
More recently, Israeli air-launched missiles and special forces picked off Palestinian uprising leaders. In 1995, motorbike-borne gunmen killed Islamic Jihad chief Fathi Shiqaqi in Malta, and another suspected Mossad team smothered Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in his Dubai hotel in 2010.
Proponents of such tactics say they stave off more ruinous open war and few voices are raised in Israel in condemnation. Mabhouh had helped smuggle rockets to Palestinians, a threat Israel cited in justifying its 2008-2009 offensive on the Gaza Strip, amid international outcry at the high civilian toll.
"When you are fighting terror, targeting the heads of terror organizations is positive," Mizrahi said, justifying killings.
Back fire
Against Iran's nuclear program, Israel - like the United States - has hinted it could resort to military force.
But neither is keen to further destabilize the region by opening a new Muslim front, and military experts say Israel alone does not have the firepower to kill off Iran's nuclear program in a single swoop.
Assassinations carry their own incalculable risks, as the Mossad learned in 1997 when the men it sent to poison Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal in Amman bungled the job and were caught.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then in his first term, had ordered the hit under pressure to retaliate for Hamas suicide bombings. He ended up having to repair ties with Jordan by freeing Hamas's spiritual mentor, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, from prison -- an unexpected boon for Hamas.
Despite widespread speculation, Iran denied Israeli sabotage was to blame for a blast last November that killed a Revolutionary Guards general. On Wednesday it was swift not only to blame Israel, but also to publish the sensitive nature of the victim's work at the uranium enrichment facility of Natanz.
"The Iranians are exposing this in order, ultimately, to provide a large degree of rationale and justification, both domestically and abroad, for what they will eventually consider as a reprisal," said Uzi Rabi, a Middle East expert at Tel Aviv University.
He predicted an "unavoidable showdown", most likely in the Gulf, where Iran has threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with a possible spillover in the form of Israeli and Western air strikes on Iran.
7 jan 2012
Victims of Eilaboun
Palestine on Saturday marked the 47th Martyrs' Day, a national day declared by late President Yasser Arafat in 1965.
Muhammad Nahhal, an official in a Gaza-based association to help martyrs' families, says the day is an occasion to remember late leaders including Arafat, Hamas founder Ahmad Yassin, PFLP Secretary-General Abu Ali Mustafa and Fathi Shiqaqi, the founder of Islamic Jihad in Palestine.
"Speaking about martyrs means speaking about Palestinian identity, Jerusalem, the Palestinian national project and about the most noble people who lit our path to freedom," Nahhal said.
Arafat declared the national day after Ahmed Mousa was killed in 1965 in an operation in Eilaboun, a Christian village in the Galilee. The mission was Fatah's first military operation in Palestine, launched days after the movement was founded.
In October 1948, Palestinians were massacred in Eilaboun when Israeli forces raided the village during fighting to create the state of Israel.
Palestine on Saturday marked the 47th Martyrs' Day, a national day declared by late President Yasser Arafat in 1965.
Muhammad Nahhal, an official in a Gaza-based association to help martyrs' families, says the day is an occasion to remember late leaders including Arafat, Hamas founder Ahmad Yassin, PFLP Secretary-General Abu Ali Mustafa and Fathi Shiqaqi, the founder of Islamic Jihad in Palestine.
"Speaking about martyrs means speaking about Palestinian identity, Jerusalem, the Palestinian national project and about the most noble people who lit our path to freedom," Nahhal said.
Arafat declared the national day after Ahmed Mousa was killed in 1965 in an operation in Eilaboun, a Christian village in the Galilee. The mission was Fatah's first military operation in Palestine, launched days after the movement was founded.
In October 1948, Palestinians were massacred in Eilaboun when Israeli forces raided the village during fighting to create the state of Israel.
5 jan 2012
The trial of Bassem Tamimi, a resident of Nabi Saleh village, near Ramallah, and a known civil protester will resume Sunday, according to local activists.
In the trial, Ofer military court near Ramallah will hear the testimony of an Israeli police inspector who took part in the interrogation of a Palestinian minor in order to incriminate Tamimi, arrested in March, said the sources.
Inspector Jalal Aweida was one of the key interrogators of 14 year-old Islam Dar Ayyoub who claimed that Tamimi organized groups of youth into 'brigades' assigned with different responsibilities during the demonstrations including stone-throwing and blocking roads.
Activists said Dar Ayyoub was interrogated under duress the morning of his arrest after he was denied sleep and that he was denied legal counsel or presence of a parent during the questioning.
They said Aweida used threatening and sexual gestures to intimidate the minor, who burst into tears halfway through the interrogation and had almost collapsed.
The Israeli authorities are trying to use the testimony of Dar Ayyoub in order to incriminate Tamimi, a father of four and an activist in the civil protest movements in the West Bank against Israeli takeover of Palestinian land to build settlements and a wall on village lands.
Nabi Saleh started the protest movement two years ago when Israeli settlements in the area attempted to expand their borders to incorporate more of the village land and to take over water springs vital for the survival of the village residents.
Tamimi was arrested 11 times by the Israeli army since the early 1990s, but was never convicted of any charge. Rather, he was held in administrative detention for around three years.
In the trial, Ofer military court near Ramallah will hear the testimony of an Israeli police inspector who took part in the interrogation of a Palestinian minor in order to incriminate Tamimi, arrested in March, said the sources.
Inspector Jalal Aweida was one of the key interrogators of 14 year-old Islam Dar Ayyoub who claimed that Tamimi organized groups of youth into 'brigades' assigned with different responsibilities during the demonstrations including stone-throwing and blocking roads.
Activists said Dar Ayyoub was interrogated under duress the morning of his arrest after he was denied sleep and that he was denied legal counsel or presence of a parent during the questioning.
They said Aweida used threatening and sexual gestures to intimidate the minor, who burst into tears halfway through the interrogation and had almost collapsed.
The Israeli authorities are trying to use the testimony of Dar Ayyoub in order to incriminate Tamimi, a father of four and an activist in the civil protest movements in the West Bank against Israeli takeover of Palestinian land to build settlements and a wall on village lands.
Nabi Saleh started the protest movement two years ago when Israeli settlements in the area attempted to expand their borders to incorporate more of the village land and to take over water springs vital for the survival of the village residents.
Tamimi was arrested 11 times by the Israeli army since the early 1990s, but was never convicted of any charge. Rather, he was held in administrative detention for around three years.
3 jan 2012
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Zakaria Daoud Issa 43
Football sensation and former detainee Zakaria Daoud Issa died in the West Bank aged 43 on Monday evening. Daoud was released from Israeli jail on Aug. 22 after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He had been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment in February 2003, charged with activism for Hamas. Prior to his nine years in prison, Zakaria was known as one of Palestine's top football strikers, and played for the national team. He began his sporting career with his hometown side in al-Khader, near Bethlehem, where his son Ahmad is now one of the team's best players. Daoud leaves behind daughters Wisal, 20, Malak, 14, Dalal, 13, and son Ahmad, 19. Former Detainee Dies Of Health Condition Suffered While In prison 
Zakaria Issa in coma 1 jan 2012
Zakariyya Daoud, a former Palestinian political prisoner, who got seriously ill while in Israeli prisons, and was only released on August 22, 2011, died of cancer on Monday, he was diagnosed in prison Israeli prisons and was deprived of the needed and specialized medical attention. Israel released Daoud, 43, after he spent nine years out of a 16-year sentence due to the ongoing decline in his health condition. He is a father of four children; Ahmad, 19, Wisal, 20, Malak, 14, and Dalal, 13, the Maan News Agency reported. He was kidnapped and imprisoned by Israel on February 10th, 2003, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) reported. The PPS said that Zakariyya had cancer that spread in his body due to the lack of specialized medical treatment in Israeli prisons. |
22 aug 2011 Zakaria Issa during transport in an ambulance to the hospital.
He used to be a member of the Palestinian Soccer Team, and a member of the soccer team in his town, Al-Khader, near Bethlehem.
His brother is also a soccer player, in addition to his son, who currently plays with the same team his father once played on.
He used to be a member of the Palestinian Soccer Team, and a member of the soccer team in his town, Al-Khader, near Bethlehem.
His brother is also a soccer player, in addition to his son, who currently plays with the same team his father once played on.
After his release from Israeli prisons, Palestinian athletes and soccer fans, held a massive ceremony to honor him at the Al-Khader soccer field on August 28, just before a match was held there. The PPS issued a press release stating that with the death of Zakariyya, the number of Palestinian detainees who died in prison arrives to 204, while the vast majority of them died due to torture, the lack of adequate medical attention, and due to being shot or continuously beaten after or during their arrest.
The PPS called on the international community to ensure that all ill detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities receive all needed medical help and attention.
The PPS called on the international community to ensure that all ill detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities receive all needed medical help and attention.
