PCHR documented 4 separate attacks over the past 3 days in Nablus and Tulkarm
over the past three days. The attacks targeted an office for the Prisoners’
Club, a merchant’s house in Tulkarm, Emad Barabra’s house, and the Zakat
Hospital. These attacks are part of the security chaos plaguing the OPT.
The
Center’s preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 12:00 on
Monday, 10 September 2007, gunmen from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (the armed wing
of Fatah) closed the office of the Prisoners’ Club in the 4th floor
of Anwar Building in Sufian Street in Nablus. The Director of the Club, Ra’ed
Amer, stated that about 20 gunmen stormed the office and ordered it closed. He
added that the gunmen informed him that the closure is a message to the PNA and
other parties neglecting their duties towards prisoners.
At
approximately 20:45 on Sunday, 9 September 2007, four masked gunmen wearing Al-Aqsa
Martyrs Brigades T-shirts intercepted Abd El-Fattah Fayez Sa’id (43) who is a
merchant. The incident took place near his house in the southern quarter in
Tulkarm. The gunmen took him to a nearby field, threw him on the ground, and
started interrogating him about his relationship with Hamas. Sa’id was beaten
with sticks and gun butts during the interrogation. The gunmen left Sa’id after
confiscating his ID and taking his house keys and some money he was carrying. He
informed PCHR’s fieldworker that the same group ambushed him the day before, but
left him because his name in the ID is different from his common name.
At
approximately 2:00 on Sunday, 9 September 2007, unknown gunmen set fire to the
house belonging to Emad Sodqi Barabra (50), a preacher from the town of Bal’a
east of Tulkarm. The fire caused extensive damage to the house and its
furniture. In addition, it caused a cut off in the power supply. Barabra found a
message signed by “True Promise Organization in Palestine” near his house. The
message threatened him with death if did not comply with 7 conditions in
preaching in mosques or outside them.
At
approximately 23:45 on Friday, 7 September 2007, an explosion occurred near the
entrance of the emergency ward in the Zakat Hospital in Tulkarm. A physician and
a nurse went out to see what was going on. They saw two masked persons in the
area, and saw fire engulfing one of the two hospital ambulances. One of the
masked men screamed at them to go back inside the hospital. After the masked men
left, the hospital staff saw that one of the ambulances was totally destroyed
when a firebomb was thrown inside it after breaking the window. The other
ambulance suffered damages. It is noted that the hospital received a threat on
Thursday, 6 September 2007, delivered by 2 gunmen ordering the hospital to fire
any person hired by the Hamas government.
PCHR is concerned over these attacks that are a continuation of the security
chaos in the OPT. The Centre calls upon the PNA, represented by the
Attorney-General, to investigate these crimes and prosecute the perpetrators.
