Collective punishment is a policy used by the Israeli occupation forces systematically. Recently, after an attack on one of the illegal settlements in Northern West Bank, the Israeli occupation forces is utilizing such a policy on a number of Palestinian towns, and their residents, in search of the person accused of carrying out the attack, Ashraf Na’alweh.

Since the day of the attack, 7 October 2018, the Family, relatives, neighbors, and friends of Ashraf are being punished on daily basis through the utilization of different mechanisms. Whether through newly instituted checkpoints, the use of force, several raids on the towns of Shewekeh and Bait Leed, demolition orders on the family house, and arrests and interrogations sessions these punishment mechanisms are a violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. According to Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Article 50 of the Huge Regulations the punishment of any individual for a crime he/she did not commit is prohibited, and a violation of this article amounts to a war crime

On 7 October 2017, Israeli occupation forces raided Ashraf’s town, Shewekeh, and arrested his brother Amjad and his friend. Hours later, in the early hours of 8 October 2018, occupation forces arrested his sister Dr. Fayrouz from Nablus. She was interrogated for several hours and then released later on the same day. The following day, occupation forces arrested Ashraf’s father, mother and two other sisters from their house in Shewekeh. They were all released after several hours of interrogations. Such arrests are ongoing, with raids on the two towns being carried out daily. Ashraf’s father was re-arrested on 13 October 2018 and again on 17 October 2018. Additionally, his uncle and several of his cousins were arrested as well.

Ashraf’s sister, Dr. Fayrouz was re-arrested on 11 October 2018 and was transferred to al-Jalame interrogation center on the same day. Addameer’s lawyer visited Fayrouz on 15 October 2018. During the visit, the lawyer documented several violations carried out against Fayrouz. She is currently still being held in an interrogation center. Fayrouz has an appeal session later today, 17 October 2018.

With all of these punishments being dealt out against the family, relatives and neighbors of Ashraf, Addameer calls on forming investigative mechanisms specifically for the crime of collective punishment. This crime is widely utilized in a systematic fashion against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory. We call for the international community to act immediately to hold Israel accountable through the instating of sanctions against them, specifically in regard to the sale of arms.