Adalah, Al Mezan remind Israeli military: Don't use deadly force against unarmed civilian protesters in Gaza
In anticipation of renewed popular protests in the Gaza Strip tomorrow, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights sent a reminder on Thursday afternoon, 12 April 2018, calling on the Israeli military to refrain from firing live ammunition at Palestinian civilians participating in legitimate protest actions.
The letter, addressed to Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and Chief Military Advocate General Sharon Afek, noted that the Israeli military's unlawful use of force on a weekly basis has resulted in an increase in casualties amongst Palestinian civilian protesters.
Adalah and Al Mezan again call on the Israeli military to refrain from employing snipers or any other variety of live ammunition against protesters or for crowd dispersal purposes.
If Adalah and Al Mezan do not receive a response within 24 hours, we will pursue court action.
Intentionally using lethal and other excessive force against protesters who do not pose an imminent threat to life or serious injury violates international human rights law and, in the context of occupation, may amount to a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
On 8 April 2018, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, pointed out that the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza may amount to a war crime.
On 30 March 2018, the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, several UN human rights experts, and the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Office, called for Israeli accountability through an independent and transparent investigation into the response of Israel's military.
