|
Erased In A Moment: Suicide Bombing Attacks Against Israeli Civilians Printer-friendly version [pdf, 172 pages] Human Rights Watch
Copyright ©
October 2002 by Human Rights Watch.
Table of Contents
To President Arafat and the Palestinian Authority To the Government of Israel To the International Community
Previous Use of Suicide Attacks Against Civilians Stated Rationales for Suicide Bombing Attacks Victims Attacks Martyrdom, Public Officials, and the Role of the Media
Crimes Against Humanity War Crimes: The Prohibition Against Targeting Civilians Murder and Willful Killings Justifications Offered by Palestinian Armed Groups Wars Against Alien Occupation or in Exercise of the Right of Self-Determination Retaliation and Reprisals Who is a Civilian? Civilian Residents of Illegal Settlements as "Legitimate Targets" All Israelis are Reservists Imbalance of Means Individual and Command Responsibility for Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes The Participation of Children in Hostilities
Background Involvement in Suicide Bombings Structure Islamic Jihad Background Involvement in Suicide Bombings Structure The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Background Involvement in Suicide Bombings Structure Popular Front for the liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Background Involvement in Suicide Bombings Structure Recruitment and Use of Children
State Support for Suicide Attacks Against Civilians Iran Syria Iraq Other Forms of Funding or Support Payments to Family Members of Those Who Carry Out Attacks Against Civilians.
Failure to Bring to Justice those who Ordered, Planned, or Participated in Suicide Attacks on Civilians Palestinian Authority Payments to Armed Militants Requests for Palestinian Authority Financial Assistance from Armed Groups Participation of PA Security Officials in Suicide Bombings or Other Attacks on Civilians Security Officials' Protection of Individuals "Wanted" by Israel Conclusion
This report was researched and written by Joe Stork, Washington director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch. Miranda Sissons, researcher for the Middle East and North Africa division and Johanna Bjorken, a consultant, assisted in research and writing. Jessica Bonn, a consultant, conducted additional interviews. Hanny Megally, executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division, edited the report. Wilder Tayler, the legal and policy director, provided legal review. Research assistance was provided by Dalia Haj Omar and James Darrow, associates with the Middle East and North Africa division; Tahirih Sariban and Juan Valdivieso, interns; and Na'ameh Razon, a 2002 Everett Fellow. Dalia Haj Omar and Mohamed Abdel Dayem, an associate with the Middle East and North Africa division, assisted with Arabic translation. The report was prepared for publication by Jonathan Horowitz, program coordinator; Leila Hull, associate with the Middle East and North Africa division; Patrick Minges of the communications division, and Jessica Thorpe, a consultant. Human Rights Watch also thanks the many
individuals who agreed to speak with us in the course of this research,
as well as others who provided assistance in interpreting, locating information
referred to in the report, but who wished not to be acknowledged by name.
Human Rights Watch acknowledges the support of NOVIB, the Dutch Organization
for International Development Cooperation, Member of Eurostep and Oxfam
International, for its research in Israel, the Occupied West Bank and Gaza
Strip, and Palestinian Authority Territories.
ABOUT THIS REPORT
This report is based on field research, expert and witness interviews, and examination of public documents. Field research was carried out during two Human Rights Watch investigative missions to Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip in May-June 2002. During these visits, Human Rights Watch interviewed members of armed groups, victims, families of perpetrators, PA officials, current and former PA security officers, Israeli and Palestinian analysts and security experts, diplomats and other foreign officials, and Palestinian activists and militants. Documents consulted included those that Israel says were seized by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from Palestinian Authority offices in April-May 2002 and at other times, and made public on the websites of the IDF and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with extensive commentary by official Israeli analysts. In addition, Human Rights Watch asked Israeli government officials to provide any additional evidence or documentation to support the government's charges concerning Palestinian Authority complicity in suicide bombings against civilians. The information provided by the government in response to this request largely reproduced information already available. Human Rights Watch has assumed the authenticity of these documents, although we note that PA officials have dismissed the released documents in general terms as fabrications. Where Human Rights Watch has used these documents, it has done so based upon its own analysis and translation. Human Rights Watch notes that the documents have been released selectively, over time, and in various configurations, hampering any rigorous assessment of the significance and sequence of incidents described in them. Human Rights Watch also notes that the IDF official analysis and commentary concerning the documents made available frequently appears to be based on additional materials that, though mentioned in the IDF analysis and commentary, were themselves not publicly accessible at the time of writing.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
