The Massacre Continues: 159 killed and thousands wounded, destruction of property and collective punishments against the Palestinian civilians

Time:10:30 GMT Today, 5/11/2000 at about 12:00 noon, the belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces opened fire at Palestinian demonstrators.
As a result 16-year old Palestinian child, Mahir Mohammad Assaeedi, resident of Albureij refugee camp was killed after being shot in the head.
Till now, the Israelis have killed at least 159 Palestinians and injured thousands others.
In this context, the belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces continued their use of excessive and lethal forces against the Palestinian civilians.
On the other hand, the belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces continued to shell the Palestinian civilians and their properties in all the areas throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Tanks and missiles have been used to shell Rafah, Khan-Younis, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Beit Jala.
As a result many houses and greenhouses have been damaged.
Moreover, the belligerent Israeli Occupation Forces continued imposing collective punishments against the Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
In this context, the Israelis continue to besiege the Palestinian Territories as a whole, separating them from the rest of the world, on one hand.
On the other hand, they continue to besiege the Palestinian cities, separating them from each other.
This situation absolutely prevents the freedom of movement of individuals.
The (Special UN Coordinator) office in Gaza estimates the daily Palestinian loss resulting from the Israeli closure by $US 9 million.
The Israelis have been closing the international airport of Gaza since 31/10/2000.
This is the third time the Israelis close this airport since the beginning of Alaqsa intifadhah /uprising.
The closure of the airport prevents the arrival of humanitarian aid sent to the Palestinian Territories and hinders the transfer of the injured to hospitals abroad.
Additional Palestinian losses resulted from the destruction of properties and industrial premises.
Based on the data available to the field- work unit of AL-MEZAN Center for human rights, 197.
5 Donums owned by Palestinian civilians in Gaza strip have been cleared since 29/9/2000.
Besides, 129 houses in Gaza Strip have been, either totally or partially, damaged during the same period.
Moreover 14 mosques and one temple for the Samiri cult have been attacked in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the same period.
The Israeli continuation to commit anti humanitarian and war crimes against the Palestinian civilians, protected by the 4th Geneva Convention, ascertains more than any earlier time, the need to provide protection for the civilian Palestinians.
This is a legal request that should not submit to or be influenced by political considerations.
AL-MEZAN Center for Human Rights welcomes Mrs.
Mary Robinson, the high UN commissioner on human rights, who will visit the Palestinian Territories next week.
In this context AL-MEZAN hopes that she will; as has always demonstrated, make every effort to support the Palestinian victims.
We hope that she will make use of the respect, appreciation and position she enjoys among the international community to provide protection for the Palestinian civilians, and urge the international community to chase the Israeli war criminals and bring them to trial.
Previous experiences during the last few years the human rights were sacrificed under the pressure of political considerations.
As a result, Palestinians were killed and their properties destroyed.
In the light of this, we at AL-MEZAN hope that this visit will be the starting point of a special UN position/ role that does not submit to political considerations.
END