directly at protestors or bystanders with the intention to hit,90 stun grenades,
rubber-coated bullets fired at short distances in which they might be lethal,
and live ammunition which frequently results in the killing and injury of
civilians.91 Moreover, the Israeli army often uses 0.22 caliber bullets as a nonlethal weapon for crowd dispersion.92 The Ruger sniper rifle that is usually
used to shoot these 0.22 bullets, popularly known as ‘tutu’ bullets, has
recently been authorized to be used for riot dispersal by the Israeli occupying
forces in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.93
The resulting ongoing violence is made possible through the implementation
of policies of oppression of resistance through excessive and often lethal use
of force, and the impunity enjoyed by the Israeli occupying forces. This reality
has a severe impact on Palestinians as it directly violates fundamental rights
such as the freedom of assembly, expression, and even the right to resist that
is enshrined in UNGA Resolution 3070.94
The Case of Aida Refugee Camp
Aida is a Palestinian refugee camp located in the north of Bethlehem in the
West Bank. In 2016, around 3,100 refugees live in the camp. An Israeli military
base located approximately 150 meters away from the refugee camp has
created friction in the area in the last decades. This has resulted in ongoing
protests by refugees in Aida and it is against this base that refugees from Aida
protest most often.
The 2012 war on the Gaza Strip sparked a strong reaction from the residents
of the camp against the Israeli occupying forces, which was met with brutal
oppression. Between November 2012 and August 2016 clashes were very
common occurrences in the camp, as were night incursions by the Israeli
army, the shooting of tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition, the
invasion of homes and buildings, and threats.
Extrajudicial killings: During this period of time three Palestinians were killed
by the Israeli forces in Aida, and all three cases constituted extrajudicial killings.
Saleh Ammarin was shot in the head by a dum dum bullet on 18 January 2013
90 B’Tselem, Crowd Control: Israel’s Use of Crowd Control Weapons in the West Bank, January 2013.
Available at: http://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/201212_crowd_control
91 Al-Haq, A Demonstration of Power: Israel’s Excessive Use of Force Resulting in the Killing of NonViolent Palestinian Protestors and Demonstrators during 2014 and 2015, May 2016. Available at:
http://www.alhaq.org/publications/papers/Excessive.Use.of.Force.pdf
92 B’Tselem, Crowd Control: Israel’s Use of Crowd Control Weapons in the West Bank, op. cit., January
2013
93 Times of Israel, IDF says Palestinian boy was killed by mistake, 6 October 2015. Available at: http://
www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-palestinian-boy-was-killed-by-mistake/
94 UNGA, Resolution 3070 (XXVIII), A/RES/30/70, 30 November 1973, operative para. 2
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