Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
- Two Palestinian civilians were injured.
- IOF arrested 8 civilians, including 3 human rights defenders.
· IOF continued to fire at Palestinian farmers and workers in the Gaza Strip’s border areas.
· IOF conducted 9 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
- IOF arrested 54 Palestinian civilians, including 45 in Jalboun village near Jenin.
· Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
- Israeli troops stationed at military checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank arrested 4 Palestinian children.
· Israel has continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem.
- The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem destroyed dozens of graves in Ma'man Allah Cemetery in Jerusalem.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
- IOF dismantled 6 tents in the Northern Jordan Valley.
- Israeli settlers attacked a woman in Hebron.
- A Palestinian civilian was injured and 3 cars were damaged in the east of Hebron.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (05 – 11 August 2010):
Shooting: During the reporting period, 2 Palestinian civilian were wounded by IOF in the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians in protest to the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, two Palestinian civilians were injured. IOF also violently beat a number of demonstrators.
On 06 August 2010, a Palestinian civilian was injured and a child fainted when IOF intervened to provide protection to Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinian civilian vehicles in the northeast of Hebron.
In the Gaza Strip, on 09 August 2010, Israeli gunboats fired at Palestinian fishing boats in the northern Gaza Strip. No casualties or damages were reported.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 9 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 54 Palestinian civilians. The widest arrest campaign took place in Jalboun village, northeast of Jenin, when IOF arrested 45 Palestinian civilians, 41 of whom were later released. IOF also arrested two Palestinian civilians, including a human rights defender, in Hebron when IOF intervened to protect Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinian civilian vehicles.
Restrictions on Movement: Israel had continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.
· On Friday, 01 January 2010, IOF decided to close Nahal Ouz crossing permanently, and to allow the entry of fuels only through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, southeast of Rafah, claiming security reasons.
· 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.
· The main concern of the population of the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.
· Israel has continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than three years.
· Israel has not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas and energy fuel for Gaza Power Plant, since 10 December 2008.
· The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.
· Israel had continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.
· Israel has imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.
· Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment have mounted sharply.
· At least 800 Gazan prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than three years.
· IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the coast of the Gaza Strip.
West Bank
IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.
· IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
· There are approximately 630 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some 60 - 80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by IOF every week.
· When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.
· At least 65% of the main roads that lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).
· There are approximately 500 kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit issued by the IOF. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.
· IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.
· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.
Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem: IOF have continued to take measures at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.
On 05 August 2010, a bulldozer of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem started to destroy dozens of graves in Ma'man Allah Islamic Cemetery. The Al-Aqsa Association for Islamic Heritage had filed a petition at the Israeli District Court demanding that the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem’s plan to destroy graves in Ma'man Allah Cemetery be stopped. On Monday noon, the court issued a ruling allowing the municipality to raze a part of the cemetery to establish an Israeli court compound. Following the court session, an official from the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem attacked photojournalist Sharaf Ahmed, 35. Al-Aqsa Association for Islamic Heritage revealed such Israeli plans when it presented a short film, which showed an Israeli official explaining the plans and the beginning of their implementation, which started with marking at least 100 graves with red signs in order to be demolished. The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem claimed that the graves that it would demolish were new graves that are not related to the historic cemetery. However, the lawyers of al-Aqsa Association proved with documents and photos that those graves had exited before 1948, and only the grave stones were renewed. On 10 August 2010, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem demolished gravestones of at least 70 graves in Ma'man Allah Cemetery. Press crews were not allowed to get close to the cemetery. The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem has so far demolished 90% of the graves marked for demolition.
Settlement Activities: Israel has continued its settlement activities in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law, and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
On 09 August 2010, IOF moved into 'Ein al-Hilwa area in the Northern Jordan Valley in the northeast of the West Bank. They dismantled 6 tents belonging to Mohammed Ahmed Nawaj'a and Ahmed Isma'il Nawaj'a, claiming that the tents were set up in a closed military zone.
On 05 August 2010, dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, arrived at Joseph Tomb in the east of Nablus. They conducted religious rituals in the area until 05:00, when they left the area.
On 05 August 2010, a number of Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian woman while she was traveling in her car in Hebron.
On 06 August 2010, at least 20 Israeli settlers from "Kharsina" settlement, northeast of Hebron, attacked Palestinian civilian vehicles parked in al-Bwaira area, using stones and iron bars. Palestinian civilians got out of their houses in an attempt to drive the settlers away from the area. IOF arrived at the area, and instead of expelling the settlers from the area, they attacked Palestinian civilians and forced them to go back to their homes. IOF arrested two Palestinian civilians, including a human rights defender.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (05 – 11 August 2010)
The full report is available online at:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=6911:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-05-11-august-2010&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183
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