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Post-election violence increases in Zimbabwe

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:07:29 +0100

Zimbabweans had little to celebrate on Friday 18 April, the 28th anniversary of their country's independence. Since the country went to the polls on 29 March 2008, nearly three weeks ago, the results of the presidential vote have still not been announced and violent attacks on opposition supporters are increasing in number.

Amnesty International has received confirmed reports of one death and over 240 people injured as a result of state-sponsored human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Of those 240 people, 18 are currently in hospital with severe injuries.

The number of casualties has risen sharply since the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called a general strike on Tuesday 15 April. Forty-two recorded cases were treated by doctors on 17 April alone.

At least 150 people have been arrested since 14 April and on the morning of 18 April were detained in Harare Central police station alone.

Violence appears to be targeted at active supporters of the MDC and their families, particularly those in rural areas and low income suburbs where the MDC appears to have gained more votes than the ruling the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party. Mashonaland East and West provinces have been particularly badly affected and numbers of reported incidents of violence are on the increase in Harare.

Victims report receiving death threats unless they vote "correctly" in a second round of voting should it be found that there was no outright winner of the presidential vote.

Many of the casualties have seen their homes, food reserves and livestock destroyed and are now displaced. Hundreds of homesteads are reported to have been burnt in Manicaland and Mashonaland East.

Perpetrators of the violence include so-called “war veterans” and supporters of the ruling party, as well as police officers and soldiers. State actors are accused of working hand-in-hand with ZANU-PF supporters. Individuals have been abducted from their homes by members of the military, in uniform and in plain clothes, as well as by ZANU-PF supporters.

An MDC activist in Mashonaland West province was stabbed to death on 13 April by ZANU-PF supporters outside his house, according to local reports. His brother, a 58-year-old man, also an MDC member from Mashonaland West, reported that three groups of about 60 ZANU-PF supporters came to the MDC activist’s house and started throwing stones asking him to come out because they wanted to "sort him out".

Though nine other MDC members also gathered at his house and retaliated by throwing back the stones, they were out-numbered by the ZANU-PF supporters. The ZANU-PF supporters managed to reach his house and abduct his brother, the MDC activist.

The MDC activist was stabbed twice with a knife in the stomach and died at the scene. The brother of the deceased also suffered serious injuries and had to be hospitalised. The case was reported to the police who are reported to have said they were too afraid to intervene.
A 21-year-old woman in Harare, an MDC activist, was woken up during the night on 30 March 2008 by ZANU-PF supporters after she had been celebrating the victory of MDC councillors in the election. The ZANU-PF supporters took her from her house and assaulted her with clenched fists and sjamboks [whips].
A 30-year-old man from Mashonaland East province reported that, on 9 April, a group of "war veterans" burnt down three houses at about 11pm. The inhabitants had previously received a tip-off that this would happen and had fled to the bush.
On another occasion, nine people from a residential area in Harare were detained, while they were attending a funeral, by members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Support Unit and other people suspected to be members of the Zimbabwe National Army who were dressed in plain clothes.
On 16 April, 22 people were abducted by soldiers and ZANU-PF supporters from their homes in a high density suburb outside Harare city centre during the early hours of the morning. Some of the people were assaulted with booted feet and slapped all over the body.

In some cases, doors were forced open to enable ZANU-PF supporters and members of the army to gain entry into the homes of the victims. Victims were not informed of the charges levelled against them either as they were arrested or after they had been taken to police stations.

In a statement published in newspapers in approximately seven Southern African countries on and around Zimbabwe’s Independence Day, Amnesty International’s Secretary General appeals to President Robert Mugabe in his capacity as head of state and as leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party to denounce and bring to an end all human rights abuses, including violent attacks by soldiers, police, “war veterans” and ZANU-PF supporters.

Irene Khan also appeals to the Commissioner-General of Police and the Zimbabwe National Army Commander as well as the chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association.

She urges Southern African leaders to redouble their diplomatic efforts to avoid further deterioration of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe and to acknowledge publicly and express concern at the human rights abuses being perpetrated by members of state security organizations, “war veterans”, and ZANU-PF supporters.

Zimbabwe opposition under attack

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:07:59 +0100

Opposition parties in Zimbabwe have complained of violence against people perceived to be their supporters. There have been allegations of police and army involvement in some of the incidents in the post-election period.

Amnesty International has received information about widespread incidents of post-election violence, suggesting the existence of coordinated retribution against known and suspected opposition supporters. Violence has been reported in Harare, Mashonaland East, Midlands, Matabeleland North and Manicaland provinces.

According to the reports, victims of political violence have been pulled from buses and assaulted at their homes in rural areas, townships and farms.

In Gweru, on or around Sunday, 6 April, soldiers were reported to have assaulted people in a bar at Mkoba 6 shopping centre. Victims told local human rights groups that the soldiers were accusing them of “not voting correctly”.

On and around Monday 7 April, soldiers also assaulted shoppers at Mkoba 14 shopping centre in Gweru. The soldiers were reported to be wearing anti-riot gear and assaulted people with sticks.

At around midnight on Sunday, about 10 soldiers and two people dressed in police uniform, went to the home of a known Movement for Democratic Change activist, in Mkoba 14 in Gweru and assaulted him and two of his friends. They were assaulted with baton sticks and kicked. The activist sustained injuries and required medical treatment. The matter was reported to the police, yet no-one has so far been arrested.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Amnesty International welcomed the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) announcement of an emergency meeting to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis to be held on 12 April in Lusaka. The organisation called on the SADC leaders to redouble their diplomatic efforts to avoid further deterioration of the human rights situation in the country.

“SADC leaders should come out and publicly acknowledge the human rights violations being perpetrated by security organisations, war veterans, and supporters of political parties – and insist on an end to the political violence,” said Simeon Mawanza, Amnesty International’s Zimbabwe researcher.

“SADC should also publicly acknowledge that one of the causes of the increasing tension in Zimbabwe is the delayed release of the presidential election results. They must urge the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to immediately release the results.

“Zimbabwe has been allowed to operate outside the African Union and United Nations human rights frameworks for too long – reinforcing a culture of impunity in the country.”

Gangs and police cripple Jamaica's inner cities

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:07:01 +0100

Poor inner city Jamaicans are left at the mercy of gangs and abusive police officers who are rarely, if ever, brought to justice for human rights abuses.

A new Amnesty International report exposes how the Jamaican authorities are wilfully neglecting the poorest communities by failing to tackle the violence - and its causes - that is shattering inner cities. This particularly includes abusive policing methods that lead to hundreds of fatal shootings and extrajudicial executions.

"Poor inner city Jamaicans are paying the price of this public security crisis with their lives. They are being held hostage in an endless confrontation between gangs and police officers who kill with impunity," said Kerrie Howard, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Americas programme.

Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates and police killings in the Americas with around 1,500 homicides and 272 police killings in 2007. Gang leaders use the vacuum left by the absence of the state to control huge aspects of inner city people's lives -- including the collection of "taxes", allocation of jobs, distribution of food and the punishment of those who transgress gang rules.

"Criminal gangs make up a small proportion of the community population but their actions are devastating: they keep thousands of people living in constant fear and provide an excuse for government officials and the society in general to label all community members as criminals," said Kerrie Howard.

Despite the violence, community members are reluctant to report abuses due to fear of reprisals by gang leaders, lack of confidence in the judicial system and mistrust of police officers working in their communities.

18-year-old Ravin Thompson was shot by police and soldiers in July 2007, while talking to his aunt at her house. The officers had been pursuing another young man who ran into the home.

Ravin's aunt insisted on accompanying him to the hospital in the officers' jeep but, while on route, she claims a soldier pushed her out. When she finally arrived, Ravin was dead. The autopsy later revealed that he had four gunshot wounds. Yet Ravin's aunt and others present at the shooting were certain he had only been injured in the arm and shoulder. They claim he was murdered in the jeep, before arriving at the hospital.

The police recorded the incident as a "shoot-out". They initiated investigations but, to Amnesty International’s knowledge, no officer has been charged in connection with Ravin’s death.

"There are many good serving police officers in Jamaica who risk their lives every day to help improve security for Jamaican citizens. However, until human rights abusers are brought to justice and corruption purged they won’t be able to make a change," said Kerrie Howard.

Amnesty International has called on the Jamaican authorities to take urgent and effective measures to tackle the underlying causes of this public security and human rights crisis – including the reduction of homicide rates in inner cities, the introduction of human rights-based policing and the reform of the judicial system to improve access to justice.

"The conversation that needs to take place in Jamaica is no longer about 'ifs' or 'hows' but about when will the urgent changes be made in order to stop the crisis taking any more lives - and the answer must be today," said Kerrie Howard.

Video: Gangs and police cripple Jamaica's inner cities

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:10:33 +0100

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Poor inner city Jamaicans are left at the mercy of gangs and abusive police officers who are rarely, if ever, brought to justice for human rights abuses. Watch Amnesty International's exclusive interviews and footage.

Unlawful homes for Israeli settlers, demolitions for Palestinians

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:42:53 +0100

Mobile homes for an illegal Israeli settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) got the go-ahead within a week of Israeli bulldozers demolishing Palestinian homes and property in the area. It emerged last Wednesday (26 March) that Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has approved the transfer of five mobile homes to the Israeli settlement of Teneh Omarim in the region.

Only the week before, Israeli army bulldozers demolished nine homes and two livestock enclosures in several Palestinian villages in the southern occupied West Bank. The demolitions were carried out on 19 March in the hamlets of Qawawis, Imneizil, al-Dairat and Umm Lasafa in the South Hebron Hills.

Those whose homes were demolished included families with children. In the villages of al-Dairat and Umm Lasafa, the Israeli army destroyed the homes of brothers Yasser and Jihad Mohammed al-'Adra, and Ismail al-'Adra. As a result, Yasser al-'Adra, his wife and six children, Jihad al-'Adra, his wife and their five children, and Ismail al-'Adra, his wife and their three children, were left homeless.

Expansion of Teneh Omarim and other illegal settlements in the OPT continues, in violation of international law that forbids an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into the territory that it occupies.

The Israeli settlements include neat, modern houses with electricity and water distribution systems. Palestinians have lived in the area for generations but none of their hamlets in the area are "recognized" by the Israeli authorities. This means they do not receive any services – light, water, sewage, education or health – and the homes and other structures may be demolished at any time.

Palestinian villagers are also prohibited for the most part from building new homes or building rain water harvesting cisterns to cater for a growing population or to assist development. No new structures can be built unless permits have first been obtained from the Israeli army, but such permits are invariably refused.

The South Hebron Hills, or Masafer Yatta as it is known to Palestinians, is an area in the southernmost area of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Apart from small stone-built villages in the west of the area, many of the people live in tents and large caves.

Most of the Palestinians in the area are shepherds, but, in recent years, the scarcity of rain water has reduced the availability of grazing land for their flocks and their ability to cultivate their land. In addition, the frequent attacks by Israeli settlers and the increased restrictions imposed by the Israeli army on their movements have further reduced their access to grazing land and their ability to cultivate their land.

Israeli settlers, in contrast, have been allowed to appropriate more and more land. Palestinians have lived in the area since long before the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, though some Palestinians moved to the area when they were forced to leave their lands further south in 1948.

When Palestinian homes are demolished, other means of livelihood such as animal pens are also destroyed. Currently, the mosque in the village of al-Tuwani is under a demolition order, as is a schoolroom in the remote village of Dqaiqa.

Palestinian villagers are frequently harassed by Israeli settlers and Palestinian shepherds fear to graze their flocks near Israeli settlements.

International volunteers from the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) and Operation Dove have had a presence in al-Tuwani, the largest village in the area, since 2004 in order to help protect the villagers and to record acts of violence and harassment against them. Israeli peace activists also visit frequently.

During March 2008, at least six attacks on Palestinian shepherds by Israeli settlers or police were reported, with violence and threats of arrest being used against the shepherds to force them to move them away from what they were told was a "closed military zone".

Following many settler attacks on Palestinian children going to school and their international escorts, the Israeli army now sends a military jeep to escort the schoolchildren. Sometimes, however, this escort arrives too late or fails to deter attacks.

On 19 March 2008, for example, two international observers were attacked by Israeli settlers while they were attempting to monitor the military escort of Palestinian schoolchildren. On 29 March, settlers were reported to have thrown stones at children making their way to school but the military escort failed to intervene.

Amnesty International is urging the Israeli authorities to cease demolishing Palestinian homes in the occupied Palestinian territories, cancel all demolition orders and take steps to prevent and punish settler attacks on Palestinians and on international observers seeking to protect them. The organisation is calling also for an immediate end to the construction or expansion of Israeli settlements in breach of international humanitarian law.

Tibet off the Human Rights Council's agenda

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:39:53 +0000

Discussion of the situation in Tibet was stifled at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on Tuesday.

Following repeated Chinese protests, the President told NGOs that they could not limit their remarks under the agenda item before the Council to the situation in only one country.

Amnesty International had prepared an oral statement focussing on serious shortcomings in China's commitment in the Vienna Declaration to ensure that persons belonging to the Tibetan minority can exercise fully and effectively all human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination.

It was forced to cut short its statement to the Council due to Chinese objections as it was being read out. Amnesty International's delegate to the Council, Patrizia Scannella, finished speaking by recalling that the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action affirm that "the promotion and protection of all human rights is a legitimate concern of the international community..."

A number of other non-governmental organizations were also frustrated in their efforts to discuss the situation in Tibet.

Amnesty International's statement to the Council expressed the deep concerned at human rights violations during recent events in the Autonomous Region of Tibet and neighbouring regions. The organisation had intended to call on the Council to address the situation.

"Although the restrictions that China imposed on today's debate were extremely disappointing, Amnesty International welcomes that, in its remarks today, the Chinese delegation accepted that the situation in Tibet could be properly be discussed under agenda item 4 ["Human rights situations that require the Council's attention"]," said Patrizia Scannella, Amnesty International's Deputy Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

Zimbabwe opposition suffer pre-election harassment

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:21:24 +0000

Opposition groups in Zimbabwe are suffering harassment, intimidation and discrimination in the run-up to national elections on 29 March.

Police in some parts of the country are clearly restricting the activities of opposition party members, while supporters of the ruling party enjoy total rights. Amnesty International has warned that the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly are being unnecessarily restricted in advance of the poll date.

“Although opposition parties appear to be enjoying a greater degree of access to previously ‘no go areas’ in rural areas compared with previous elections, we continue to receive reports of intimidation, harassment and violence against perceived supporters of opposition candidates – with many in rural regions fearful that there will be retribution after the elections,” said Simeon Mawanza, Amnesty International’s Zimbabwe researcher.

Three members of the Morgan Tsvangirai-led faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were ordered to pull down election posters by members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) on 7 March. The CIO operatives forced one member of the group to chew the posters and swallow them. A female member of the group was then forced to chew and swallow three-quarters of a poster.

Activists have also suffered harassment in the run-up to the vote. Eight members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were briefly held by police for putting up posters encouraging people to vote. Dr. Simba Makoni, an independent presidential candidate, had to intervene when five people operating a public address system at one of his rallies were detained.

Food is still being used as a political tool by the ruling party in many rural areas, with perceived opposition supporters denied access to cheap maize. Last month, an MDC councillor in Lupane district was prevented from collecting 235 bags of maize that had been bought by his community from the state-controlled Grain Marketing Board (GMB). A senior ruling party official was reported to have claimed that “GMB maize is not supposed to be distributed to MDC supporters.”

Amnesty International has urged Zimbabwean police to respect the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly of all candidates and civil society organisations.

“The police should ensure that all Zimbabweans are allowed to engage in peaceful protest before and during the elections, and must desist from using excessive force, torture or other inhuman and degrading treatment,” said Mawanza.

Amnesty International is also concerned at recent statements by leading security figures that they would not recognise an opposition candidate winning the election.

“Security chiefs should operate in a non-partisan manner and protect the rights of all citizens,” said Mawanza. “The conduct of the state security organisations -- irrespective of the outcome of the election -- will be crucial in safeguarding the rights of all Zimbabweans in the post-election period.”

South Africa: Rural women the losers in HIV response

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:15:34 +0000

Rural women living with HIV in circumstances of poverty in South Africa face discrimination in relationships and in communities because of their gender, HIV status and economic marginalization.

A new Amnesty International report based on interviews with rural women, the majority of them living with HIV, exposes the overwhelming challenges they face in the midst of the severe HIV epidemic affecting the country.

"Rural women in South Africa are disproportionately affected by poverty and unemployment," said Mary Rayner, Amnesty International's South Africa researcher.

"They continue to experience discriminatory attitudes and practices -- particularly from male partners – and live in an environment rife with high levels of sexual and other gender-based violence."

Despite gradual improvements in the government's response to the HIV epidemic and the adoption of a widely-welcomed five-year plan, five and a half million South Africans are HIV-infected – one of the highest numbers in any country in the world. Fifty-five percent of them are women. South African women under 25 are between three and four times more likely to be HIV-infected than men in the same age group.

Many women interviewed by Amnesty International said that they were often unable to protect themselves against HIV infection because they felt at risk of violence when they suggested condom use.

One woman told Amnesty International that her husband, a truck driver, spent much of his time on the road. On his days off, he would visit her, but he refused to use condoms when she asked him. After he abandoned the family, she became sick and discovered at the local clinic that she was infected with HIV. She has no knowledge of her husband's health since he left the family.

Several other women interviewed by Amnesty International described being beaten and forced to have sex by husbands who actively refused to use condoms.

"Rural South African women's lives are scarred by persistent violence in their families, homes and in under-policed, unsafe communities," said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Director of AI's Africa Programme.

"The co-existence of epidemics of both HIV and violence against women has raised the costs of violence for South African women and girls – both physically and psychologically," said Kagari.

The majority of rural women interviewed by Amnesty International said that their male partners were reluctant to test for HIV or refused to be tested -- even when there were strong indications they might be HIV-infected. Many of the women faced abuse from their partners when they tried to access health services for HIV-related treatment and care.

Effective treatment for HIV and AIDS requires regular visits to hospitals and clinics and adequate daily food with which to take medication. Rural women living with HIV in poverty and unemployment face constant challenges in having regular access to food and often cannot afford transportation to health facilities accredited to provide treatment.

"Lack of physical access to treatment centres is tantamount to a denial of access to health care services, and the government must take more responsibility in ensuring this access," said Michelle Kagari.

Amnesty International's report offers specific recommendations to national and provincial authorities on how to tackle the challenges facing rural women living with HIV. It also makes recommendations to donor countries and institutions that support health initiatives in South Africa.

Crackdown on activists and minorities in China

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:05:25 +0000

The Chinese authorities have engaged in a number of troubling crackdowns on activists and minority groups in the past week. On Tuesday, eyewitnesses reported that Chinese police used teargas and electric prods to disperse 500 demonstrators in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.

The demonstrators were seeking the release of fellow monks held after the previous day's protests.

It was also reported that 11 protesters, including nine monks, were severely beaten and detained outside Tsuklakhang cathedral in central Lhasa on Monday. They had been demonstrating to mark the 49th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's flight from Tibet after the failed rebellion against Chinese rule. Some 50 monks have also been detained across the capital.

The authorities had previously targeted the Uighur population of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). They claimed on Sunday to have thwarted a "terrorist" plot to attack the Olympics, which they linked to alleged Uighur separatists.

This was based on a raid conducted on a so-called "terrorist gang" in the XUAR in January 2008 in which, according to official sources, Chinese police killed two members of the gang and arrested 15 others.

They provided no concrete evidence to support these assertions, and it is unclear why the authorities only disclosed the alleged plans for an attack on the Olympics three months later. These charges also contradict the original claim made the authorities that the “terrorist gang” in Xinjiang had been planning an incident on February 5, the Gulja Massacre, when the Chinese authorities brutally cracked down on peaceful demonstrators, with several hundred estimated to have been killed.

The authorities also claimed on Sunday to have thwarted a plot to crash a Chinese airplane flying from Urumqi, the capital of the XUAR, to Beijing.

The claims came just days after Amnesty International warned of an ongoing crackdown against human rights lawyers and other activists in Beijing linked to China’s hosting of the Olympic Games. The Chinese authorities’ references to “terrorism” and threats to state security, especially in the context of preparations for the Olympics, are seen as a justification for a broad crackdown not only on ethnic minorities critical of China’s rule, but human rights defenders as well.

"Intensified censorship and attacks and abductions of peaceful activists by suspected security officials in Beijing make a mockery of official promises to improve human rights in the run-up to the Olympics," said Tim Parritt, Deputy Program Director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Program, on Friday.

Amnesty International revealed that Teng Biao – a lawyer, academic and human rights activist – went missing after eyewitnesses saw him being bundled into a vehicle just after he arrived home at around 8.30pm on Thursday, 6 March. While he has subsequently released, he was apparently warned not to speak to foreign journalists about his abduction.

In a separate case on Friday morning, human rights lawyer Li Heping’s car was rammed by a police car while he was driving his son to school in Beijing. He and his son were jolted by the crash, but are not thought to have suffered serious injuries. The police car had been following him from his home and apparently accelerated before the crash.

Li Heping recognized the three officers in the car as being from his police district. He said that the driver of the car ignored him when he confronted him about the crash and traffic police refused to take up the case when he reported the incident to them later in the day.

In September 2007, Li Heping was abducted by unidentified men, beaten with electro-shock batons and told he should leave Bejing or risk further attacks.

"The intensification of the targeting of two human rights lawyers suggests that the stranglehold on activists in Beijing is tightening in the run up to the Olympics,” said Tim Paritt.. The authorities must conduct a full, impartial investigation into the abduction of Teng Biao and the incident involving Li Heping.

Palestinian homes demolished without warning

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:46:11 +0000

The Israeli army demolished more homes in Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday morning. The homes and property of Palestinian families in the villages of Hadidiya, Jiftlik and Furush Beit Dajan, in the Jordan Valley area of the occupied West Bank, were demolished.

Amnesty International's researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories witnessed the demolitions. Donatella Rovera described the scene:

"In all the places, most of the people are children. These homes mostly have three generations – the grandparents, parents and children. In Hadidiya, there were four families, in Furush Beit Dajan, five families.

"All of the people have had homes demolished before, but this time they had no warning. The people were very, very upset. They were running to get their things out of their homes, but the bulldozer just went on demolishing."

Soldiers of the Israeli army arrived early in the morning in jeeps accompanied by a bulldozer and then demolished the buildings where the four families were living. The destroyed properties belonged to Mohammed Fahed Bani Odeh, Mohammed Ali Shaikh Bani Odeh, Ali Shaikh Musleh Bani Odeh and Omar 'Arif Mohammed Bisharat and their families – at least 34 people, including some 26 children.

After destroying these homes, the soldiers moved on to destroy homes and livelihoods in Jiftlik and Furush Beit Dajan, where homes have previously been demolished in recent months.

"In Jiftlik, they are destroying a farm – it is one of the rare farms here and there is otherwise not much livelihood for the people. They first bulldozed the vegetable area a couple of months ago; then they bulldozed the home last month," said Donatella Rovera.

"The family of Mahmud Mat'ab Da'ish, his wife and seven children were given a tent by the Red Cross and they started planting vegetables again. Today, the army has been bulldozing the green plants.

"In all three locations the soldiers haven't allowed us to get near, I don't even know if they have a military order to destroy everything - we asked them but they didn't show us anything."

The families in Hadidiya have lived in the same area for generations, herding sheep and goats and cultivating land on the Jordan hills. They have come under increasing pressure from the Israeli army to leave the area. The same four families had their homes destroyed in February this year and other homes were demolished several times by the Israeli army in 2007.

The demolitions are part of intensified efforts by the Israeli army to expel Palestinians from the area of the Jordan Valley. Much of the Jordan Valley, including the Hadidiya area, has been designated by the Israeli authorities as a "closed military area" and the army has been exerting increased pressure on local Palestinian villagers to force them to out of the area.

For years, the Israeli authorities have pursued a policy of discriminatory house demolition, on the one hand allowing scores of Israeli settlements to be built on occupied Palestinian land, in breach of international law, while simultaneously confiscating Palestinian lands, refusing building permits for Palestinians and destroying their homes. The land vacated has often been used to build illegal Israeli settlements. International law forbids occupying powers from settling their own citizens in the territories they occupy.

The demolitions come one day after the Israeli government came under international criticism for approving the construction of hundreds of new houses for Israelis in the Givat Ze'ev settlement north of Jerusalem. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the government to "halt settlement expansion" in the West Bank. Javier Solana, the European Union (EU)'s foreign policy chief, said the EU opposed the move to expand the settlement.