Civilian Deaths | The American Task Force on Palestine

Israel to re-investigate shooting of American activist
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel's District Attorney ordered an investigation into the incident that left an American protester in a persistent coma, now in its 15th month. US activist Tristan Anderson was shot in the head with a high-velocity tear-gas canister as he supported Palestinian protesters in the village of Ni'lin on 13 March 2009. A court found the investigation into the incident was wrought with "grave negligence" during an appeal session on Wednesday.

'Mother shouted, then they shot her too'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - June 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Youssef Abu Hajaj will never forget the day he lost his mother and sister. In the early hours of January 4, 2009, his family's home near Gaza City was shelled. "My 13-year-old niece was injured so we rushed through the trees and bushes to the Safadi family's home. We were looking for a hiding place a little further from the tanks," he told Ynet. Then came the incident over which an Israel Defense Forces soldier is slated to stand trial for Operation Cast Lead's most severe violation, and is likely to face charges of manslaughter.

Family of Palestinian driver killed by police demands investigation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) June 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel on Monday was facing another demand for an investigation into its military's actions, this time from the Palestinian Authority and the family of a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem, who was shot and killed Friday. Ziad Joulani, 41, a shopkeeper and father of three with no criminal or history of political activism, was killed when police opened fire as he got out of his car, witnesses said. [For the record: An earlier version said Joulani was a father of four; he has three daughters.]

Palestinian killed in tunnel collapse in Rafah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 15, 2010 - 12:00am

A Palestinian worker was killed Tuesday in a tunnel cave-in beneath Gaza's southern borders with Egypt, witnesses said. Witnesses in the scene said a 22-year-old smuggler was buried alive in a tunnel collapse accident. His body was dug out a few hours later. On Sunday, a 17-year-old smuggler died instantly in a power shock while working in one of the tunnels that snake under the Gaza-Egypt borderline. Palestinian rights groups say at least 150 Palestinians have been killed in tunnel cave-ins and sporadic tunnel accidents.

B'Tselem: 83 Palestinians, Israeli Arabs killed in Gaza, West Bank since Cast Lead
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - June 14, 2010 - 12:00am

Eighty-three Palestinians and seven Israeli Arabs have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since Operation Cast Lead in the winter of 2008-2009, according to the annual report of the B'Tselem human rights group, which was released Sunday. Of the dead, 31 did not participate in hostilities, nine were killed by Palestinian security forces and two were executed for allegedly collaborating with Israel, the report said. Two-thirds of those killed lived in the Gaza Strip.

A shared strategy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Ephraim Sneh - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

The cumulative evidence – the Mavi Marmara’s own closed circuit TV coverage and video photos from the actual naval operation – all strengthen the conclusion that the Gaza flotilla was a well-planned provocation. What angers me as an Israeli is that the government walked right into this trap.

Challenger I passengers: Commandos shot first
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Mya Guarnieri - June 8, 2010 - 12:00am

Alex Harrison, a British activist who participated in the Freedom Flotilla, was on the neighboring Challenger I when the Israeli army overtook the Mavi Marmara, leaving at least nine activists dead and dozens injured. An eyewitness to the takeover, Harrison told Ma'an what she saw in the moments before the Israeli army boarded the Mavi Marmara. "I was on the Challenger I, on the upper deck," Harrison said. "We were very close to the Marmara. We actually thought [the Israeli navy] was coming for us first."

Two Palestinians shot by Jewish settler in Hebron
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 3, 2010 - 12:00am

A Jewish settler shot and injured two Palestinians in the West Bank town of Hebron Thursday, witnesses said. According to witnesses, a settler deliberately opened fire at two students near al-Aroub refugee camp, north of the town, injuring one in the back and the other in the thigh. Hospital officials said the one who was injured in the back had suffered sever bleeding, describing his condition as critical. Israeli troops hurried to the scene of the accident and prevented people from approaching the area, witnesses said.

Operation Make the World Hate Us
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New Republic
by Leon Wieseltier - June 3, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel does not need enemies: it has itself. Or more precisely: it has its government. The Netanyahu-Barak government has somehow found a way to lose the moral high ground, the all-important war for symbols and meanings, to Hamas. That is quite an accomplishment. Operation Make the World Hate Us, it might have been called.

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