There are no statistics that can measure the pain and sorrow of their family members and friends of these victims of violence on both sides of this conflict. What follows is just a snapshot of the human rights violations in 2021, and suggestions for actions that we can take to help bring an end to the violence for the benefit of all people in the region.
Statistics from the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs for 2021 (OCHA oPt)
Palestinian deaths - West Bank 82 (including 15 children); Gaza 264 (including 67 children)
Palestinian injuries - 17,895
Israeli deaths - 16 (including 2 children)
Israeli injuries - 158
Source: https://www.ochaopt.org/data/casualties.
There were 902 demolished building in the West Bank that displaced 1,203 people. Additionally, OCHA oPt documented that demolition of buildings resulted in the loss of livelihood for another 13,258.
During the May 10 through 21 fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israel killed 232 Palestinians, including 54 minors and 38 women. At least 137 of them did not participate in hostilities, including 53 of the minors and all women. Three other Palestinians, including ‘Omar Abu a-Nil, 13, were killed during protests along the perimeter fence, and a fourth was killed while hunting birds several dozen meters from the fence. Palestinian armed groups launched over 4,360 rockets indiscriminately toward Israel (in contravention of international law), resulting in the deaths of 12 civilians in Israel, including 2 children, and a soldier, according to Israeli authorities. It is important to be aware that the hostilities were a direct and predictable response to the on-going and escalating ethnic cleansing Palestinians from East Jerusalem and provocative events around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam. The United Nations reported2,400 homes in Gaza were destroyed and over 50,000 housing units were damaged, and over 2,000 industrial trade, and service facilities were destroyed or partially damage.
In October 2021, Israel shocked the world by officially designating six outstanding, respected Palestinian organizations as "terrorists," making them vulnerable to all the legal ramifications of that label, including Israel's draconian 2016 Counter-Terrorism law. That outrageous action was just the latest assault in a long history of lawfare against those who defend Palestinian human rights: manipulating legislation, political labels, and Israel's judicial system to violate international law with impunity and hide the reality of Israeli apartheid and ethnic cleansing. These human rights organization, Al-Haq, Addameer, Bisan Center, Defense For Children International-Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, were accused of supporting the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) with, according to an investigation by +972 magazine,there is no credible evidence.
In December 2021, the Israeli army adopted a policy allowing its soldiers to directly open fire at Palestinian stone throwers in the West Bank even after they run away. The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned this decision saying that “the decision serves as a green light to commit more field executions against Palestinians, according to the whims, moods, and assessments of the Israeli soldier” and that it “represents a flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law and human rights principles.” Source.
Defense of Children International Palestine (DCI-Palestine) reports that each year approximately 500-700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12 years old, are detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system. The most common charge is stone throwing. In 2021, the average number of children in detention at the end of December 2021 was 267. Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank, like adults, face arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment under an Israeli military detention system that denies them basic rights. Israel has the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world that automatically and systematically prosecutes children in military courts that lack fundamental fair trial rights and protections. Ill-treatment of children in this military detention system has been well documented by UNICEF, including physical violence in 75% of cases, and 23% were detained in solitary confinement for interrogation purposes for a period of two or more days.
What we can do as U.S. citizens to help promote security and a just peace for all the people of Israel and Palestine:
1) Ask your U.S. Representative to cosponsor HR 2590 “Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act," or the Palestinian Children and Families Act, introduced by Representative Betty McCollum. H.R. 2590 seeks to promote justice, equality and human rights for Palestinian children and families by prohibiting Israeli authorities from using U.S. taxpayer funds to detain and torture Palestinian children, demolish, and seize Palestinian homes, and further annex Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. You can use this site to send your message.
2) Ask your U.S. Representative to cosponsor H.Res.751- Condemning the repressive designation by the Government of Israel of six prominent Palestinian human rights and civil society groups as terrorist organizations, and for other purposes, introduced by Betty McCollum. There are currently no cosponsors from Ohio. Read Betty McCollum’s press release here.
3) On Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 7:00 PM, join Jewish Voice for Peace Central Ohio’s webinar on Friends of Wadi Foquin with Reverend Michael Yoshii. Friends of Wadis Foquin operates to provide financial assistance to support the economic survival of this Palestinian village and the organizations advocacy work in the U.S. Congress to stop the threat to the village from settlement expansion. For more information, see https://www.friendsofwadifoquin.com/. Ohio. Register for the webinar here. Facebook Event.
4) Join the Palestinian-led movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. The BNC is currently targeting consumer boycotts of Israeli fruit and vegetables, Sabra Humus, HP, AXA insurance, Pillsbury, SodaStream, and Ahava cosmetics. Learn more about the movement for BDS here.
