APAwire - APAwire CLIENTS ONLY, Ramallah - 16 July 2021. Palestinian protesters take part in a protest calling for the return of bodies of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army, in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
STORYLINE
Bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces kept in Israeli graves are identified by numbers and Human Rights Watch says they’re being used as “bargaining chips”.
According to the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), Israel held the bodies of 67 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces between 2015 and 2020. With the additional killings that took place this year, that number is likely to be higher. For their families, not being able to bury their dead means having no closure and often leads to years-long court battles.
In the past, Israel agreed to return the bodies of some slain Palestinians, when Tel Aviv was attempting to revive peace talks. The release of 90 Palestinian bodies in 2012 and 27 more in the following two years were some of the rare exceptions to the rule. Categorised by number, identifying the bodies of Palestinians is another struggle even when steps have been taken to return them.
By international law, every family has the right to receive the bodies of their loved ones regardless of if a slain Palestinian is guilty of what they’ve been accused of.
Footage by/APAwire
RESTRICTION SUMMARY: APAwire CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: APAwire - APAwire CLIENTS ONLY, Ramallah - 16 July 2021. Palestinian protesters take part in a protest calling for the return of bodies of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. 0.1 SOUNDBITE (in Arabic) Rohi Hamaad STORYLINE Bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces kept in Israeli graves are identified by numbers and Human Rights Watch says they’re being used as “bargaining chips”. According to the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), Israel held the bodies of 67 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces between 2015 and 2020. With the additional killings that took place this year, that number is likely to be higher. For their families, not being able to bury their dead means having no closure and often leads to years-long court battles. In the past, Israel agreed to return the bodies of some slain Palestinians, when Tel Aviv was attempting to revive peace talks. The release of 90 Palestinian bodies in 2012 and 27 more in the following two years were some of the rare exceptions to the rule. Categorised by number, identifying the bodies of Palestinians is another struggle even when steps have been taken to return them. By international law, every family has the right to receive the bodies of their loved ones regardless of if a slain Palestinian is guilty of what they’ve been accused of. Footage by/APAwire
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