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A LICENSE TO KILL Israeli Operations against "Wanted" and Masked Palestinians A Middle East Watch Report Human Rights Watch New York !!! Washington !!! Los Angeles !!! London Copyright 8 July 1993 by Human Rights Watch. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Card Catalog Number: 93-79007 ISBN: 1-56432-109-6 Middle East Watch Middle East Watch was founded in 1989 to establish and promote observance of internationally recognized human rights in the Middle East. The chair of Middle East Watch is Gary Sick and the vice chairs are Lisa Anderson and Bruce Rabb. Andrew Whitley is the executive director; Eric Goldstein is the research director; Virginia N. Sherry and Aziz Abu Hamad are associate directors; Suzanne Howard is the associate. HUMAHUMAHUMANHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Human Rights Watch conducts regular, systematic investigations of human rights abuses in some sixty countries around the world. It addresses the human rights practices of governments of all political stripes, of all geopolitical alignments, and of all ethnic and religious persuasions. In internal wars it documents violations by both governments and rebel groups. Human Rights Watch defends freedom of thought and expression, due process of law and equal protection of the law; it documents and denounces murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, exile, censorship and other abuses of internationally recognized human rights. Human Rights Watch began in 1978 with the founding of Helsinki Watch by a group of publishers, lawyers and other activists and now maintains offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, London, Moscow, Belgrade, Zagreb and Hong Kong. Today, it includes Africa Watch, Americas Watch, Asia Watch, Helsinki Watch, Middle East Watch, the Fund for Free Expression and three collaborative projects, the Arms Project, Prison Project and Women's Rights Project. Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations. It accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly. The executive committee includes Robert L. Bernstein, chair; Adrian W. DeWind, vice chair; Roland Algrant, Lisa Anderson, Peter D. Bell, Alice Brown, William Carmichael, Dorothy Cullman, Irene Diamond, Jonathan Fanton, Jack Greenberg, Alice H. Henkin, Stephen L. Kass, Marina Pinto Kaufman, Alexander MacGregor, Bruce Rabb, Orville Schell, Gary Sick, Malcolm Smith and Robert Wedgeworth. The staff includes Kenneth Roth, acting executive director; Holly J. Burkhalter, Washington director; Gara LaMarche, associate director; Susan Osnos, press director; Ellen Lutz, California director; Jemera Rone, counsel; Stephanie Steele, operations director; Michal Longfelder, development director; Allyson Collins, research associate; Joanna Weschler, Prison Project director; Kenneth Anderson, Arms Project director; and Dorothy Q. Thomas, Women's Rights Project director. The executive directors of the divisions of Human Rights Watch are Abdullahi An- Na'im, Africa Watch; Juan E. Méndez, Americas Watch; Sidney Jones, Asia Watch; Jeri Laber, Helsinki Watch; Andrew Whitley, Middle East Watch; and Gara LaMarche, the Fund for Free Expression. Addresses for Human Rights Watch 485 Fifth Avenue 1522 K Street, N.W., #910 New York, NY 10017-6104 Washington, DC 20005 Tel: (212) 972-8400 Tel: (202) 371-6592 Fax: (212) 972-0905 Fax: (202) 371-0124 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] 10951 West Pico Blvd., #203 90 Borough High Street Los Angeles, CA 90064 London, UK SE1 1LL Tel: (310) 475-3070 Tel: (071) 378-8008 Fax: (310) 475-5613 Fax: (071) 378-8029 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] TTTABLE OF CCCONTENTSONTENTSONTENTS AAACKNOWLEDGMENTS.....................................................................................................................................................xi GGGLOSSARYLOSSARYLOSSARY.....................................................................................................................................................................xiii AAABOUT THE SSSOLDIERS QQQUOTED IN THIS RRREPORTEPORTEPORT ..................................................................................................xix IIINTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................................1 Background .....................................................................................................................................................5 New Tactic: Military Assaults on Suspected Hideouts........................................................5 ...While the Pinpointed Missions Continue ..................................................................................7 A Pattern of Abuse........................................................................................................................................9 Shooting to Kill..................................................................................................................................12 Evidence of Premeditated Assassinations ....................................................................14 Executions in De Facto Custody .............................................................................................15 Shooting on Sight............................................................................................................................16 Shooting at Fleeing Suspects..................................................................................................16 Failure to Prevent and to Punish......................................................................................................17 The Methodology of This Report.......................................................................................................19 Site Examinations and Testimony........................................................................................19 Official Information and Limits on Access......................................................................19 Soldiers' Corroboration.............................................................................................................20 Data from Human Rights Groups..........................................................................................20 Targeted Persons.......................................................................................................................................21 The "Wanted" .....................................................................................................................................21 Masked Activists.............................................................................................................................22 Official Justifications of Special-Force Operations and Middle East Watch's Response...................................................................................23 Conclusions and Recommendations..........................................................................................28 Recommendations to the Government of Israel .......................................................30 Recommendations to the U.S. Government....................................................................31 CCCHAPTER OOONENENE: Applicable Legal Standards............................................................................................35Standards Israel's Obligations under International Law ........................................................................35 The Official Open-Fire Regulations for Soldiers in the Occupied Territories..............................................................................................................................42 Opening Fire in Situations of Mortal Danger................................................................45 Opening Fire as Part of the Procedure for Arresting a Suspect............................................................................................................................................48 Abbreviating the Three-Step Procedure for Apprehending Suspects ........................................................................................................................................................59 Pursuing Masked Activists.................................................................................................................60 CCCHAPTER TTTWOWOWO: Case Studies, Part One ------ Killings of Palestinians Who Were Neither Armed Nor "Wanted" ..........................................................................................63 Killing of Masked Activists .................................................................................................................64 Case 1: Basel Umar Jadallah and Ahed Muhammad Thiyab...............................64 Case 2: 'Issam al-Khatib.............................................................................................................68 Case 3: Abdullah Dibash Hamarshe....................................................................................74 Case 4: Nuri Sharif abd al-Qader al-Aqqad......................................................................78 Case 5: Rami Zakariya al-Mathloum..................................................................................83 Case 6: Sa'd Khalil abd al-Karim Miqdad........................................................................88 Killings of Palestinians