At approximately 10 p.m. on 6 April, over 200 women from the village of Awarta were arrested and held overnight by the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) at the Huwwara Detention Center. In the wake of the murder of five members of a settler family in Itamar settlement on 11 March, the village, located near the settlement, has been the target of a campaign of mass arrests, with 600-700 people detained so far. These arrests have taken place despite the fact that no evidence has been brought forth to indicate that the murders are related to Awarta, suggesting a campaign of collective punishment against the village.

 

While most villagers have been released within hours of their arrest, 55 still remain in detention without charges, including two children under the age of 18.

The arrest procedures also raised serious concerns, since information collected by Addameer on 9 April shows that the women arrested on 6 April included the elderly, sick and pregnant, unlikely candidates for the brutal murders. Furthermore, no female soldiers were present and no arrest warrants were presented during the arrest operation. A number of houses were searched by soldiers and dogs for up to 3 hours at a time and property was damaged and farming tools confiscated. A number of soldiers, particularly the commanders of the arresting forces, wore masks to cover their faces.

Similarly, the women’s treatment at the Huwwara Detention Center fell short of basic requirements of international law. The women, many of whom were arrested in their night gowns, were held in barracks that usually serve as IOF soldiers’ sleeping quarters. After waiting for up to two hours in the barracks, they were interrogated with the same basic questions regarding their knowledge of the events of 11 March. They were then asked to sign a 2-page statement in Hebrew, a language they do not understand, and threatened with prolonged detention if they chose not to sign it. After their interrogation, they were taken to other offices where they were finger- and palm-printed, sampled for DNA, and photographed before finally being released at approximately 4:30 a.m. Throughout this process, no lawyers were present and no translation or explanation of what was happening was provided.

On the morning of 10 April, 10 more villagers were arrested, and a strong IOF presence remains in the village, preventing the families from leaving their homes.

Addameer calls on representatives of the international community, including those of the European Union, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and international human rights organizations, to:

• Closely monitor the situation in Awarta, notably by visiting the village and establishing an active presence there
• Pressure Israel to immediately stop its campaign of collective punishment against the village and respect the villagers’ rights during arrest and detention

 

Addameer also calls on the media to report on what is happening in the village and expose the violations to which the villagers are being subjected.