Human Rights Watch researcher shot by Israeli army

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sunday released a statement saying that the use of live ammunition against protesters, unless in self-defence, was unlawful, reported Anadolu Agency.

The group made the assertion after one of its researchers was struck by a rubber bullet during a protest in the West Bank.

“Indiscriminate or deliberate firing on observers and demonstrators who pose no imminent threat violates the international standards to which the Israeli security forces are bound,” the watchdog’s Executive Director Kenneth Roth said.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian Liberation Organization official, accused Israel on Sunday of inciting violence against Palestinians, citing recent calls by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat for all Jewish Israelis to carry licensed firearms.

“Israel is provoking violence in Jerusalem and creating a situation of instability as cover to exercise control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque, transform the character of Jerusalem, annex more Palestinian land and step up its illegal settlement-building activities,” Ashrawi said.