By Palestine Chronicle Staff
In a new report, B’Tselem -The Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, has revealed that the Israeli army has killed 101 Palestinians in 2016, 90 of them were killed in the West Bank, while 10 were killed in Gaza.
The report also noted, “Israeli security forces also killed two foreign nationals,” adding, “Six more Palestinians, four of them minors, were killed by Israeli civilians.” During the same period, the report stressed, 11 Israelis will killed by Palestinians, as well as a foreign national.
“As detailed below, B’Tselem’s investigation and analysis indicates that these incidents were made possible by an open-fire policy that permits both shooting to kill in instances defined as “incidents of assault” and a trigger-happy approach to demonstrations or stone-throwing. This policy, which is broadly supported by senior officials, conveys profound disregard for the lives of Palestinians,” B’Tselem added.
From trigger-happy to shoot-to-kill: Israeli security forces killed 101 Palestinians, incl. 31 minors in 2016 https://t.co/nZMNtJV60E pic.twitter.com/8ou3CT5dCx
— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) April 20, 2017
The organization noted that the killing of ‘Abd al-Fatah a-Sharif by soldier Elor Azaria in Hebron has gained popularity due to the media coverage of the incident, yet similar incidents have taken place in the West Bank. “These, however, did not garner public attention in Israel, and were certainly not subjected to real legal examination,” B’Tselem stated.
“Other Palestinians were killed in 2016 when security forces shot them although they posed no danger, either because they were lying injured after having been shot or because they were far enough away to be stopped without lethal injury,” the organization revealed.
B’Tselem concluded that the lack of accountability for Israelis killing Palestinians has been a policy that would not change. “Based on past experience, there are slim chances of anyone being held accountable for security forces killing Palestinians under circumstances that did not justify use of lethal means.” The Israeli society, as explained by the organization, have “almost no public discussion – and rarely, legal examination – of these matters.”
(PalestineChronicle.com)
