"Palestinians
living in the West Bank are blocked at every turn. This is not simply an
inconvenience -- it can be a matter of life or death. It is unacceptable that
women in labour, sick children, or victims of accidents on their way to hospital
should be forced to take long detours and face delays which can cost them their
lives," said Malcolm Smart, Director for Amnesty International's Middle
East and North Africa Programme.
"International
action is urgently needed to address the widespread human rights abuses being
committed under the occupation, and which are fuelling resentment and despair
among a predominantly young and increasingly radicalized Palestinian
population," said Malcolm Smart.
"For forty
years, the international community has failed adequately to address the
Israeli-Palestinian problem; it cannot, must not, wait another forty years to do
so."
Amnesty
International is calling for the urgent deployment of an effective international
human rights monitoring mechanism to monitor compliance by both parties, Israeli
and Palestinian, with their obligations under international law.
This must be
backed up with a commitment to investigate and prosecute, through the exercise
of universal jurisdiction, those who commit war crimes or other crimes under
international law.
"We do not
underestimate the difficulties of establishing such an independent monitoring
system, whether by the UN or another appropriate body, but it is vital that the
international community should become more engaged in finding a solution, and in
holding the parties to their obligations under international law," said
Malcolm Smart.
In its report,
Amnesty International acknowledges Israel’s legitimate security concerns and
the government’s obligation to protect the population within its borders, but
says this does not justify blatant violations of international law, such as
construction of much of the fence/wall inside the West Bank on Palestinian land.
"If the
intention was simply to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers from entering
Israel, the barrier would be located on the Green Line, the border between
Israel and the West Bank," said Malcolm Smart.
"Yet, the
reality is that most of it is being built on Palestinian land, in defiance of
the International Court of Justice, and is separating Palestinian towns and
villages in the West Bank."
In addition to
the fence/wall, the movement of Palestinians is several constrained by a host of
other restrictions, including over 500 checkpoints and blockades, and a network
of roads for Israeli settlers to use and off-limits to Palestinians.
The barrier,
together with these roads and roadblocks, benefit continuously expanding but
unlawful Israeli settlements and make them territorially contiguous with Israel.
"Harsh
Israeli restrictions have caused the virtual collapse of the Palestinian economy
and are exacerbating the increasingly fragile conditions in which Palestinians
live and work -- resulting in levels of despair, poverty and food insecurity
never before seen in the Occupied Palestinian Territories," said Malcolm
Smart.
"Most
Palestinians are now relying on aid for subsistence, with families reducing the
quality and quantity of the food they consume and selling assets essential for
their livelihoods."
Amnesty
International is calling on the Israeli authorities to:
* lift the regime
of blockades and restrictions on Palestinians in the OPT, which constitute
collective punishment, and ensure that restrictions imposed in response to
specific security threats only target the individuals concerned -- not entire
communities.
* halt the
construction of the fence/wall inside the West Bank, and remove the sections
already built there;
* cease the
construction or expansion of Israeli settlements and related infrastructure in
the OPT as a first step towards removing Israeli settlements and
"outposts";
* cancel all
demolition orders on homes in the OPT, and provide reparation to Palestinians
whose homes and properties have already been destroyed.
The organization
is also reiterating its call on Palestinian armed groups to end immediately
attacks on civilians and on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take effective
action to stop and prevent such attacks and bring to justice those responsible.
To see a full
copy of the report, please go to
