The Palestinian Minister of Information, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, presented in a press conference in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, a video tape showing Israeli soldiers releasing their dogs on a Palestinian woman at a checkpoint near Bethlehem, and another tape showing Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian man at a Nablus checkpoint. The Palestinian Minister of Information, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, presented in a press conference in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, a video tape showing Israeli soldiers releasing their dogs on a Palestinian woman at a checkpoint near Bethlehem, and another tape showing Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian man at a Nablus checkpoint. Dr. Barghouthi stated that these videos are only small samples of the illegal and ugly Israeli practices against unarmed Palestinian civilians.
During the press conference at the Ministry of Information in Ramallah, Dr. Barghouthi said that these tapes are only a small example of the daily abuse carried out by the soldiers, and added that “what the camera caught on tape, showing soldiers releasing their wild dogs to attack a Palestinian woman, identified as Yosra Rabay’a, and the severe punching, clubbing and abuse against resident Mohammad Jabali, shows a systematic pattern of abuse carried out by the soldiers on a daily basis”.
Rabay’a was attacked by the soldiers in Al Obiydiyya village, near Bethlehem, and Mohammad Jabali was attacked at the Huwwara Israeli military checkpoint, near Nablus.
Dr. Barghouthi added that these crimes against humanity are reflective of crimes carried out by every soldier and every leader in Israel, including the Israeli prime minister.
“The soldiers know that they can get away with their illegal practices and attacks, they are encouraged by the green light given to them by their leadership”, Barghouthi added, “These attacks show racial discrimination against people living under occupation”.
He also said that the former US president Jimmy Carter described the Israeli occupation as a regime which is worse than the racist regime that dominated South Africa.
Moreover, Barghouthi stated that there are 528 permanent Israeli roadblocks, and 455 portable ones in the occupied West Bank.
61 Palestinian women have been forced to give birth at these checkpoints after they were not allowed to pass while in labor, and 36 ill children have died at these checkpoints after they were obstructed from reaching medical facilities for treatment.
These practices and illegal measures do not have anything to do with security, the checkpoints isolate the Palestinians from each other”, Barghouthi said.
Moreover, Barghouthi called on the international community to put pressure on Israel in order to force it comply with the international laws and the principles of human rights, especially since Israel refuses to recognize the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Barghouthi ended the press conference by thanking resident Ayid Moharib, who filmed the soldiers abusing resident Jabali, and thanked Pal Media for helping the ministry of information in obtaining the video tape documenting the attack against Rabay’a.
