Open-Fire Policy
Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories over the years, ostensibly acting in accordance with the limitations the military’s open-fire regulations and international humanitarian law impose on the use of gunfire. But this is no more than a semblance of legality. Gunfire is also used in many other cases, with backing from the government, the courts and the military. This policy reflects deep disregard for Palestinian lives and property and enables the continued use of lethal force, crucial to enabling Israel to retain its violent control over millions of Palestinians.
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A settler in military uniform shot and killed two Palestinian brothers as part of a settler attack on the village of Qaryut, Nablus District
Fahim Mu’amar. Photo courtesy of the family
On Monday, 2 March 2026, at around 12:00 P.M., several settlers and a settlement guard known to local Palestinian residents arrived with a backhoe at Qaryut farmland, and began working…
Unwilling and Unable
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Israel’s regime of apartheid and occupation is inextricably bound up in human rights violations. B’Tselem strives to end this regime, as that is the only way forward to a future in which human rights, democracy, liberty and equality are ensured to all people, both Palestinian and Israeli, living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, Israel has acted in a coordinated and deliberate manner to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip, committing genocide against its residents. In light of Israel’s actions in Gaza, the public statements made by Israeli decision-makers, and the international community’s failure to take effective action, there is a serious risk that the Israeli regime will expand the genocide to other areas under its control—first and foremost, the West Bank.
B’Tselem calls on the Israeli public and the international community to use every tool available under international law to bring an immediate end to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.