JURIST

Some senior Israeli politicians are calling for Israeli soldiers and police to kill Palestinians who they suspect of harming Israelis, even if the suspects are not currently dangerous, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy site] reported [advocacy site report] Monday. The organization documented numerous statements since October 2015 which encouraged soldiers to use deadly force. "The Israeli government should issue clear directives to use force only in accordance with international law," said Sari Bashi [official bio], the Israel/Palestine advocacy director at HRW. According to the United Nations [official website], deadly force [official guidelines] should only be used when another's life is in danger, and there is no other alternative. According to HRW, 150 Palestinians suspected of attacking Israelis were killed by Israeli security forces since October 2015. Palestinians have killed 33 Israelis during this time.

Recent conflicts between Israel and Palestine over settlements in the occupied West Bank have raised concerns over possible human rights violations. In December, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, expressed concern [JURIST report] over proposed legislation in Israel that would retroactively legalize the Israeli outposts constructed on privately-owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. In November the Israel High Court of Justice ruled that the controversial Amona settlement in the West Bank must be dismantled [JURIST report] by December 25. Earlier the same month Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation unanimously approved [JURIST report] the Formalization Bill to legalize the West Bank outposts, which was intended in part to stop the evacuation of Amona outpost. In March the spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern [JURIST report] over the apparent extra-judicial execution of a Palestinian man in the West Bank. In January Human Rights Watch urged [JURIST report] businesses to cease operations in Israel settlements. In August 2015 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged both sides of the conflict [JURIST report] to reconcile and move towards peace after an attack occurred in the West Bank village of Duma, where Jewish extremists allegedly set fire to a Palestinian home while a family slept inside.