Israeli troops kill Palestinian teenager

29 July 2002 - LAW

Yesterday evening, Israeli forces raided the village of al-Mizra'a al-Sharkiya in the Ramallah district, killing 18-years old Mamon al Zibin and wounding 17-years old Ahmad Abu Alia. Mamon al-Zibin was shot in his back.

Eyewitnesses told LAW that two Israeli soldiers in two military jeeps raided the villages at 8 o'clock in the evening. They assaulted Palestinian civilians with stun and teargas grenades. Then they opened automatic machinegun (M16) fire, wounding Mamon al-Zibin in his back with a dumdum bullet, shot from close range. They held him for more than thirty minutes before allowing him to be evacuated. He died on arrival at the village's medical center. Doctors managed to save Abu Alia and he was taken to Ramallah hospital where he currently receives medical treatment. Eyewitnesses told LAW that Israeli soldiers shot Al-Zibin after they held him and he fell on the ground.

Dumdum bullets burst into many small fragments in the body. The use of dumdum bullets, which shatter within the body, are banned by international law. This killing resulted from a wanton disregard for human life and principles regarding the use of lethal force. LAW believes that the use of lethal force was unnecessary and disproportionate to the situation and could have been prevented. Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention classifies such killing as a 'grave breach'.

This killing was intentional and unlawful. LAW believes that the abuse of lethal force by the Israeli occupation forces against unarmed Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories reveals a cynical and contemptuous disregard for human life. More than a flagrant violation of international law, it constitutes a policy of lawless disregard for the most fundamental human rights, the right to life.


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LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the
Environment is a non-governmental organization dedicated to preserving
human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is affiliate to the
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the International Federation
for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organization Against Torture
(OMCT).

LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the
Environment, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem, tel. +972-2-5833530, fax. +972-2-
5833317, email: law (at) lawsociety.org, web: www.lawsociety.org