Israel: Failure to Probe Civilian Casualties Fuels Impunity
(Jerusalem, June 22, 2005) — The Israeli military has fostered a climate of impunity in its ranks by failing to thoroughly investigate whether soldiers have killed and injured Palestinian civilians unlawfully or failed to protect them from harm, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Since the current Palestinian uprising began in 2000, Israeli forces have killed or seriously injured thousands of Palestinians who were not taking part in the hostilities. However, the Israeli authorities have investigated fewer than five percent of the fatal incidents to determine whether soldiers were responsible for using force unlawfully. The investigations they did conduct fell far short of international standards for independent and impartial inquiries.
The 126-page report, "Promoting Impunity: The Israeli Military's Failure to Investigate Wrongdoing," documents how Israel has failed in its legal obligation to investigate civilian deaths and injuries that result from the use of lethal force in policing and law enforcement contexts, such as controlling demonstrations or enforcing curfews, and in combat situations when there is prima facie evidence or credible allegations that soldiers deliberately harmed civilians or failed to take all feasible precautions to protect them from harm.
The report examines in detail more than a dozen cases of civilian deaths and serious injury caused to Palestinians and foreigners by Israel Defense Forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, most of which clearly occurred in law enforcement rather than armed conflict situations. "Most of Israel's investigations of civilian casualties have been a sham," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The government's failure to investigate the deaths of innocent civilians has created an atmosphere that encourages soldiers to think they can literally get away with murder."
In its most recent communication to Human Rights Watch on the subject, in May 2004, the Israel Defense Forces said they had conducted Military Police investigations into 74 alleged cases of unlawful use of lethal force, fewer than five percent of the civilian deaths recorded at the time. As of May 22, the Israeli military had initiated 108 investigations resulting in 19 indictments and six convictions, according to Israeli human rights organizations. Two soldiers were convicted for manslaughter, two for causing grave harm, and 2 for illegal use of a weapon.
The longest prison sentence in these cases, handed down on May 18 for causing grave harm, was for 20 months. However, most of the convictions have drawn penalties less severe than those handed down for petty theft or to conscientious objectors. In the earlier Palestinian uprising of 1988-93, Israel's policy was to open investigations in all civilian deaths and injuries. The quality of those investigations also was often poor, however. Following the outbreak of clashes in September 2000, the Israeli military said it would no longer routinely investigate civilian deaths because the situation was "approaching armed conflict," and that investigations would be limited to "exceptional cases."
However, even in armed conflict situations, military authorities must investigate credible allegations or prima facie evidence of serious violations of international humanitarian law, Human Rights Watch said, and many of the deaths and injuries occurred in situations that clearly did not amount to armed conflict but were situations of law enforcement. "Even when Israeli soldiers have killed and maimed civilians in law enforcement situations, the military has failed to meet its obligation to investigate," Whitson said.
Human Rights Watch said that the heart of the problem was a military justice system that relies on the debriefing of soldiers—often misleadingly called "operational investigations"—to determine whether a Military Police investigation is warranted. These "investigations" do not seek or consider testimony from victims or non-military witnesses, and do not attempt to reconcile discrepancies between soldiers' accounts and video, medical or eyewitness evidence.
"While rapid ‘operational investigations' may serve a useful military purpose, the Israeli military should stop using them as a pretext to avoid serious and impartial inquiries," said Whitson. Under international humanitarian law, or the laws of war, armies are obliged to investigate, prosecute and appropriately punish those responsible for serious violations of the law. Israel's duty to investigate wrongdoing is reinforced by international human rights treaties that the government has ratified.
These obligations include the duty to investigate serious abuses and provide an effective remedy by bringing perpetrators to justice, providing fair and adequate compensation to victims and their relatives, and establishing the truth about what happened. "The Israeli army should investigate allegations of wrongdoing out of self-interest as well," said Whitson. "Holding soldiers accountable upholds the integrity of the armed forces."
Human Rights Watch called on the Israeli government to monitor civilian casualties throughout the occupied Palestinian territories and make such information publicly available. The Israeli military should end the practice of using "operational investigations" to determine whether to open a criminal investigation into possible unlawful use of force, and set up an independent body to receive and investigate complaints of serious human rights abuses by Israeli soldiers and other security forces.DM to organise three training courses this week
Dubai Municipality is organising three training courses this week as part of its ongoing internal training programme fro the year 2005. Ibrahim Moosa, Head of Human Resources Development Section in the Personnel Department said the courses come as part of Municipality’s efforts to equip its staff with advanced skills in their respective areas of service. Moosa said the courses this week include “Modern orientation for new supervisors,” “Modern Office Administration” and “MICROSTATION.” Moosa said the first course, “Modern orientation for new supervisors,” to be participated by a group of 22 employees from different sections and departments of the municipality, would be held at the Training Centre at the Municipality Staff Club from 8am to 2pm from 26 to 28 June.
Moosa said the participants would be familiarised with the modern administrative concepts, the fundamentals of the art of supervision and effective leadership, the skills of problem solving and decision-making, techniques of planning and methods of development, developing innovative thinking and follow up plans and ways of formulating successful working groups.
Moosa said the second course “Modern Office Administration” would be organised from 8am to 2pm from 26 to 28 June at the Training Centre at the Municipality Staff Club and would be participated by a group of 22 employees from different sections and departments of the municipality. Wafa Mustafa, Executive Secretary of the Dubai Rail Project will deliver lectures in the course.
Moosa said the third course “MICROSTATION” would be organised from 8am to 2pm from 26 to 29 June at the Knowledge Village and would be participated by a group of 15 employees from different sections and departments of the municipality
He said the course “MICROSTATION,” designed for heads of units, engineers, planners, inspectors, draftsmen, would enable the participants to master the basic concepts of GIS solutions with Microstation as an intermediate tool for designing and drafting road and cities management with the CAD/CAM technology.
Dubai to host ARABIANCOAST 2005 conference in November
Dubai Municipality will host the first international conference on Coastal Zone Management and Engineering in the Middle East (ARABIANCOAST 2005) at the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah from 27 to 29 November 2005. It was announced at a press conference on Wednesday by Eng. Rashad Bukhash, Director of General Projects Department at Dubai Municipality and chairman of the organizing committee for the event. “Worldwide, there has been a mass migration to the coastal zone, with now more than half of the world's population living within 60 km of a coastline,” said Bukhash. He said these densely populated world coastal regions are environmentally vulnerable, being subject to increasing pressures from sources such as industrial development, urban expansion and the exploitation of marine resources and tourism.
“This situation applies also to the Middle East, and most especially the Arabian Gulf, where the coastal zone has for centuries been the primary zone for trade, commerce and human settlement. In more recent years the construction of Ports and harbours has been a key element for economic growth in the region. Recreational amenities such as beaches and corniche developments are also important elements for development of tourism in the region,” Bukhash pointed out.
He said the opportunities for major real estate developments formed from land reclamation has been identified in recent years, with projects having a combined value exceeding Dhs100 billion presently under development in the Gulf region. “It is universally recognized that there is an urgent need to integrate the many uses made of coastal resources and to develop them in harmony with the environment,” Bukhash said. He said the Coastal Management Section at Dubai Municipality has initiated the ABIANCOAST Conference series in order to bring together regional and international scientists, environmentalists, engineers and coastal managers to discuss the latest chievements and developments of relevance to ensuring best practice in development and preservation of the regional coastal zone.
“This will be achieved through the presentation of technical papers that will be selected from submissions by an international technical experts committee chaired by the Municipality marine expert, Dr Gary Mocke,” said Bukhash. He said the meeting will also provide a platform for discussion on coastal impact problems and remedial solutions, including the presentation of case studies of relevance to the region.
Bukhash added that there will be particular emphasis on building collaborative linkages between stakeholders, agencies, programs and professionals working in the region to ensure universal adoption of best practice. An important feature of the Conference will be the presentation of extended key note lecturers by world experts on each of the main conference themes, he said.
“Presentations by experts from countries such as The Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, the United States, Spain, Australia, South Africa, Scotland and England will provide a truly international perspective. These presentations will give an introduction and overview of the theme, in addition to latest findings, making the conference suitable for attendance by experienced practitioners as well as non-specialist delegates such as coastal stakeholders and non-governmental organizations,” said Bukhash.
He said submissions of abstracts for technical papers to be presented at ARABIANCOAST 2005 are being accepted until the end of July, with submissions from over 20 different countries already received. A technical trade exhibition will be held along side the main conference, which will also include a site visit to coastal zone projects of interest in the region, said Bukhash.
Recognizing the importance of the Conference it has been endorsed and co-sponsored by the prestigious International Association of Hydraulic Research (IAHR) as well as a number of regional organization, he said. Bukhash said Dubai Municipality expects that this will be the first in a series of such conferences aimed at ensuring environmental and economic sustainability for the coastal zone of the Middles East and the Arabian Gulf. For any further information concerning the conference please contact Mr. Khalid Al Zahed, Head of the Coastal Management Section and vice chairman of the Organizing Committee.
Dubai to host ARABIANCOAST 2005 conference in November
Dubai Municipality will host the first international conference on Coastal Zone Management and Engineering in the Middle East (ARABIANCOAST 2005) at the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah from 27 to 29 November 2005. It was announced at a press conference on Wednesday by Eng. Rashad Bukhash, Director of General Projects Department at Dubai Municipality and chairman of the organizing committee for the event. “Worldwide, there has been a mass migration to the coastal zone, with now more than half of the world's population living within 60 km of a coastline,” said Bukhash. He said these densely populated world coastal regions are environmentally vulnerable, being subject to increasing pressures from sources such as industrial development, urban expansion and the exploitation of marine resources and tourism.
“This situation applies also to the Middle East, and most especially the Arabian Gulf, where the coastal zone has for centuries been the primary zone for trade, commerce and human settlement. In more recent years the construction of Ports and harbours has been a key element for economic growth in the region. Recreational amenities such as beaches and corniche developments are also important elements for development of tourism in the region,” Bukhash pointed out.
He said the opportunities for major real estate developments formed from land reclamation has been identified in recent years, with projects having a combined value exceeding Dhs100 billion presently under development in the Gulf region. “It is universally recognized that there is an urgent need to integrate the many uses made of coastal resources and to develop them in harmony with the environment,” Bukhash said.
He said the Coastal Management Section at Dubai Municipality has initiated the ARABIANCOAST Conference series in order to bring together regional and international scientists, environmentalists, engineers and coastal managers to discuss the latest achievements and developments of relevance to ensuring best practice in development and preservation of the regional coastal zone. “This will be achieved through the presentation of technical papers that will be selected from submissions by an international technical experts committee chaired by the Municipality marine expert, Dr Gary Mocke,” said Bukhash.
He said the meeting will also provide a platform for discussion on coastal impact problems and remedial solutions, including the presentation of case studies of relevance to the region. Bukhash added that there will be particular emphasis on building collaborative linkages between stakeholders, agencies, programs and professionals working in the region to ensure universal adoption of best practice.
An important feature of the Conference will be the presentation of extended key note lecturers by world experts on each of the main conference themes, he said. “Presentations by experts from countries such as The Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, the United States, Spain, Australia, South Africa, Scotland and England will provide a truly international perspective. These presentations will give an introduction and overview of the theme, in addition to latest findings, making the conference suitable for attendance by experienced practitioners as well as non-specialist delegates such as coastal stakeholders and non-governmental organizations,” said Bukhash.
He said submissions of abstracts for technical papers to be presented at ARABIANCOAST 2005 are being accepted until the end of July, with submissions from over 20 different countries already received. A technical trade exhibition will be held along side the main conference, which will also include a site visit to coastal zone projects of interest in the region, said Bukhash.
Recognizing the importance of the Conference it has been endorsed and co-sponsored by the prestigious International Association of Hydraulic Research (IAHR) as well as a number of regional organization, he said. Bukhash said Dubai Municipality expects that this will be the first in a series of such conferences aimed at ensuring environmental and economic sustainability for the coastal zone of the Middles East and the Arabian Gulf. For any further information concerning the conference please contact Mr. Khalid Al Zahed, Head of the Coastal Management Section and vice chairman of the Organizing Committee.
Oil and gas corporations bid for US$ 40 billion ‘Rebuild Iraq’ projects
OGS 2005 to provide a networking platform for lucrative contracts
June 22, 2005 A projected US$ 35-40 billion is up for grabs as contractors vie to participate in rebuilding the Iraqi oil sector. According to a BBC report, service and technology providers are expected to be the biggest beneficiaries of this exercise. OGS 2005, the premier Arab Oil and Gas Show which is to be held from November 7 to 9, 2005, at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, is expected to be an important link between cutting-edge technology providers and investors in Iraq’s resurgent Oil & Gas sector. In the 12th edition of its showing, OGS will provide companies with a platform to network and discuss business prospects, innovation and issues related to exploration, extraction, processing, storage, transportation and security in the oil and gas industry.
“With investment in Oil & Gas infrastructure growing exponentially all across the GCC region, investors are increasingly on the look-out for technologies and services that provide the optimum combination of high return on investment and competitive edge in a dynamic global market-place. OGS, as a forum, has created a niche where industry leaders can be assured of hands-on inspection of newly launched technologies and services,” said Anselm Godinho, Managing Director, International Conferences & Exhibitions (IC&E).
The show bears tremendous importance to the region as the Gulf’s economy is largely driven by reserves of oil and natural gas. Saudi Arabia, according to independent research, has one-fourth of the world’s proven oil reserves and has agreed to support OPEC’s ceiling hike by 500,000 barrels per day. Iran has ten percent of the world’s proven oil reserves and the second largest natural gas reserves after Russia, whilst Qatar has the third largest natural gas reserves. At crossroads between the East and West, the UAE has over 97 billion barrels of oil and is the ideal location for such an exhibition.
Iraq, on the other hand, is estimated to possess 115 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and an estimated 110 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which is ten percent of the world’s known reserves. As independent research has shown, one of the top oil rich countries, Iraq was producing 3.7 million barrels of oil per day in 1979 and 3.5 million barrels per day in 1999. These capacities declined abruptly to 1.5 million barrels per day in 2002 due to the recent political crisis.
By 2003, Iraq’s weekly oil production dropped by 75 percent as the NYMEX near month crude oil price rose by 6.5 percent. The circumstance required immediate action and companies jumped in to initiate the rebuild. Funds in excess of US$ 1 billion have been dispensed on reviving the oil sector in Iraq. The potential of the Iraq industry and the scale of projects to be implemented opens the door to companies in oil and gas related fields. At OGS 2005, Oil & Gas majors such as Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company) and IOEC (Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company) will be at hand to enhance the networking and business potential for exhibitors showcasing technology and services. The show will also see a dedicated section showcasing automation and instrumentation for the industry.