Israel: Jewish Settler shoots Palestinian Man

Case ISR 110598

The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your intervention in
the following situation in Israel.

Brief description of the situation :

The International Secretariat has received information from reliable
sources that has raised grave concern over the death of Mr Amad Alan,
22 years old, from Qariout village.

According to information received, on 6 May, Mr Amad Alan was shot
dead by a settler from the Jewish settlement of Eli, near Ramallah.
The settler alleged that Mr Amad Alan had assaulted him with a knife
through the window of his car. He got out of the car and repeatedly
shot him. 

The Israeli media has alleged that the  shooting in was in
self-defence, and further that Mr Amad Alan had a history of mental
instability.

However, an investigation into the case has revealed disturbing
contradictions in this account of the story. Israeli soldiers took
Zaki Amer, 22 years old from Qariout village and who works in Shilo
settlement, to identify the body. In an affidavit to LAW, Mr. Amer
said that: "The body was found some distance from the main road that
leads into the village. The victim was lying on his back, and his head
was covered with blood. He was naked. I noticed a bullet in his right
leg, and three bullets in his left leg. I could not tell if he had
been shot in the head, as there was too much blood." Mr Amer said that
there was no knife or sharp tool near the body. The body was found
several kilometres away from the entrance of Eli settlement, and only
100 meters away from the house on the eastern outskirts of Qariout
village. The settlement lies on the lands of the western part of the
village.

Hamed Alan, the brother of the victim, said that his brother had lost
a sheep on 5 May and had left home at about 7:00 in the morning to
look for it, and was shot around 12:30 in the afternoon. Villagers say
they know the settler, and that he is known to drive a red Volkswagen.
Mr Amer confirmed that Israeli soldiers had examined a red car, and
had taken fingerprints.

Action requested :
Please write to the Israeli authorities urging them to :

i.	open a full and impartial investigation into the circumstances of
Mr Amad Alan's death, identify those responsible and bring them to
trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions
provided by legislation;

ii.	ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms in accordance with national laws and
international standards.

Addresses:

Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Office of the Prime Minister, 3 Kaplan Street,
Hakirya, Jerusalem 91007, State of Israel. Telex : 25279 mpres il. Fax
: + 972 3 691 7915 or + 972 2 566 48 38 

Minister of Justice, Ministry
of Justice, 29 Salah al-Din Street, Jerusalem 91029, State of Israel.
Fax : + 972 2 52 85 438 

Mr. Yitzhak Mordechai, Minister of Defense,
Ministry of Defense, 7 "A" Street, Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Fax:(+972-3)697 62 18 

Minister of Police, Ministry of Police, PO Box
18182, 3 Sheikh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala, Jerusalem 91181, State of
Israel. Fax : + 972 2 5826 769

Geneva, 11 May 1998

The Human Rights Action Network, a part of Derechos Human Rights, distributes appeals on behalf of victims of human rights violations. You are invited to join the network. Please check the date of the present action and do not write if it's over a month old.