URGENT APPEAL
Four Years Old Palestinian Girl Loses Eye and is Seriously Injured by the Israeli Shelling

April 11, 2001

On Monday April 2, 2001, four years old Jessica Aboud Safar was seriously injured when Israeli tanks stationed on the outskirts of Bethlehem began shelling the Paradise Hotel, Aida Refugee Camp and the town of Beit Jala. Jessica and her uncle had been traveling by car to her father’s work, when they neared the Paradise Hotel at the start of the shelling. According to reports, Israeli forces shelled the area for about two hours causing severe damage and injuring three other Palestinians.

Seeking some safety from the shelling, Safar’s uncle drove away from the hotel towards Aida Refugee Camp but it too came under heavy fire. Shrapnel hit Jessica in her right eye, abdomen and side. Her Uncle sustained injuries to his face and neck and Jessica has lost her eye and remains in the hospital. She is currently being treated at St. Johns Ophthalmologic Hospital in East Jerusalem.

Jessica and her Uncle are just two out of thousands Palestinians that have been injured by Israeli forces in the last six months of the Intifada. Israel’s excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against Palestinians has resulted in the injury of over 14,500 and the death of 427, of whom 89% were civilians and 33% were under 18.  Out of the 14,500 injured, an estimated 2,500 civilians will live their lives with a permanent disability.

We therefore call on international parties to uphold their international legal obligation and force Israel to comply with international law. We also call on the international community to establish an international observer force to protect the Palestinian population, as it is clear that Israel has no intention of abiding by the guidelines set forth in the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Please contact Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Israeli Minister of Defense at sar@mod.gov.il and Shimon Peres, Israeli Foreign Minister at sar@mofa.gov.il to demand an end to attacks on Palestinian civilians.