Posted on 8-1-2004
Israeli
invasion of Nablus continues
The West bank city of Nablus has now been under constant attack
for 20
days. On Saturday, four Palestinians were killed and a fifth
left
brain-dead after being shot in the head with live ammunition.
This
brings the number of Palestinians killed in Nablus during this
offensive
to 14 and counting. Israeli soldiers have attacked peaceful
demonstrations and even a funeral.
The old city in Nablus has repeatedly been subjected to a total
curfew.
Many families have forced to leave their homes by occupying
forces,
while those that remain are frequently confined to their houses
for days
at a time by a military closure that is enforced with reckless
violence
and a casual disregard for human life.
With the local population trapped in their homes, Israeli troops
have
set about destroying significant sections of the city's architectural
heart. In the last two days, soldiers have begun dynamiting
sections of
the old city claiming they were searching for Palestinian militants
hiding in tunnels beneath these buildings. In the process they
have
systematically destroyed a number a buildings of great architectural
and
historical value, although not a single militant was found in
the old
city during the search.
These demolitions prompted locals to form a peaceful demonstration
in
protest. However, Israeli soldiers opened fire on the demonstrators,
killing the three men. There have been four recorded incidents
of
occupying troops preventing medical relief from reaching the
wounded.
Two days ago, ten Palestinians were also wounded in Nablus
when Israeli
soldiers fired on demonstrators who were throwing stones.
Throughout this offensive, Nablus has also been subjected to
an
information blackout that has allowed the Israeli troops to
wreak
violence across the city with impunity. All aspects of daily
life are
abused and it is imperative that the international community
is alerted
to the realities of the Israeli siege in the city, and to the
gross
violations of human rights taking place there on a daily basis.
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