Early Sunday morning, January 25, 2004 Israeli troops positioned at a watchtower and a gate near the Palestinian village of al Nabi Saleh raided the village and forced its 500 residents out of their homes and held them in cold weather for more than two hours. Al Nabi Saleh is 20 kilometers west of Ramallah; the gate near al Nabi Saleh is the only way out for al Nabi Saleh and a number of surrounding villages such as Beit Reema, Qarawa, Dir Ghasani, and Kufur Ain.
Eyewitness Mrs. Awatef al Tamimi, the principal of al Nabi Saleh School, told Law Society that Israeli military jeeps raided the village at 02:15 Sunday morning. Using megaphones, Israeli troops ordered the village’s residents to leave their homes and gather in the piazza of the village. The troops then searched the houses in order to ensure that every person in al Nabi Saleh, including women, children, and the elderly are out in the cold.
Mrs. al Tamimi, who lives near the piazza, added that her husband, children as well as herself were forced to evacuate their home. The troops then told females to go home. Then they wrote down the males names and photographed them and took their fingerprints. All the time people were insulted, humiliated, beaten, and forced to stand up.
Law Society strongly condemns the Israeli raid on al Nabi Saleh; Law demands the Israeli government to stop its crimes and collective punishment against Palestinian people; and demands an international investigation committee to be formed based on UN Security Council’s Resolution number 1322 to investigate the Israeli crimes in the Palestinian territories; Law also demands that Palestinian civilians be placed under international protection.
NB: Law Society er en palæstinensisk NGO med menneskerettigheder som hovedområde