OPT: Weekly Press Release 11 - 17 Jan 2003

During this reporting period Israeli army actions continued to violate the First and Fourth Geneva Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through arbitrary searches, denying freedom of movement to PRCS ambulances and medical teams, and threatening and/or physically assaulting medics at gunpoint in Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, Hebron and Jericho.
Nablus 14 January 2003 (8:00 a.m.): At Howara checkpoint, Israeli soldiers blocked an ambulance for one hour. The ambulance was transporting a patient with an abdominal injury to Abu Raya Center in Ramallah.

Nablus 14 January 2003 (1:20 p.m.): At Masslakh checkpoint, Israeli soldiers stopped twice detained and searched a PRCS ambulance for 20 minutes without justification. The ambulance was on a routine dispatch to transport a patient to Beit Fourik checkpoint.

Nablus 13 January 2003 (3:20 p.m.): Israeli soldiers, positioned at Tel Street, blocked a PRCS ambulance while en route to transport a patient to hospital. The ambulance and its medics were searched and denied access to the patient. No justification for this refusal was provided.

Nablus 13 January 2003 (2:15 p.m.): At Za'tara checkpoint, Israeli soldiers obstructed passage of a PRCS ambulance for 2 hours while on its way to Ramallah. The soldiers searched the ambulance and checked the Identity Cards of volunteers inside the ambulance.

Nablus 13 January 2003 (1:10 a.m.): Israeli soldiers fired at a PRCS ambulance carrying a pregnant woman in labor. The soldiers refused to allow the ambulance to undertake its humanitarian duty.

Nablus 11 January 2003 (11:35 a.m.): At Howara checkpoint, Israeli soldiers blocked a PRCS ambulance transporting a patient suffering cardiac complications. The ambulance was searched and detained for 30 minutes under the pretext that the medics PRCS Identity Cards had expired.

Nablus 11 January 2003 (11:00 a.m.): In Al Quds Street, an Israeli tank obstructed the way of a PRCS ambulance on its way to take a patient from Howara Street to the hospital. The soldiers searched the ambulance, detained it for 40 minutes, and did not permit it to continue its way without justification.

Jenin 14 January 2003 (10:00 a.m.): Israeli soldiers, based at Hamra checkpoint, blocked an ambulance (for more than 1 hour) while transporting 4 patients from Jericho to Ramallah. The soldiers ordered the medics and patients out of the ambulance and verbally assaulted them. The soldiers damaged several items in the ambulance.

Jenin 14 January 2003 (12:00 a.m.): A number of Israeli military vehicles blocked an ambulance en route to the Industrial Region to rescue children stuck in the midst of Israeli gun fire. The soldiers refused to allow access of the ambulance to the area and ordered the medics to turn back.

Jenin 13 January 2003 (03:50 p.m.): At Za'tara (Tafouh) checkpoint, Israeli soldiers stopped a PRCS ambulance and detained it for 1 hour. The soldiers ordered the patients to leave the ambulance, threatened them at gunpoint, and engaged in verbal attacks and assaults. The ambulance was then searched without any justification.

Bethlehem 11 January 2003 (8:10 a.m.): At Gilo checkpoint, Israeli soldiers obstructed the way of an ambulance belonging to PRCS General Administration in Al Bireh. The ambulance was on its way back from Bethlehem after transporting a patient. The soldiers confiscated the Identity Cards of the medic, detained them for 1 hour eventually returning the ID cards.

Jericho 14 January 2003 (9:50 p.m.): At the DCO checkpoint, Israeli soldiers stopped an ambulance carrying a patient from Al Oja region. The ambulance was searched and detained for 40 minutes without reason.

Hebron 12 January 2003 (1:25 p.m.): An Israeli army Jeep blocked an ambulance carrying patients at the entrance of Tel Biot / Train Station while on its way back from Ramallah. The soldiers pointed their guns at the patients and medics and ordered them to leave the ambulance. The soldiers then ordered them to remove their upper clothes and threw them on the ground. The ambulance was searched and detained for 50 minutes without justification.

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