PCHR

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

http://www.pchrgaza.org

 

Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

No. 21/2010

20– 26 May 2010

 

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

 

·              Two Palestinian militants were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.

 

·              Israeli warplanes bombarded a number of civilian and paramilitary sites in the Gaza Strip.

-          30 Palestinians civilians, including 9 children and 6 women, were injured or shocked.

-          Dozens of civilian facilities were destroyed or damaged. 

 

·              IOF continued to use force against peaceful protest.

-          7 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were wounded by IOF

 

·              IOF continued to fire at Palestinian farmers and workers in border areas of the Gaza Strip.

-          5 Palestinian worker, including a child, were wounded by IOF.

 

·              IOF conducted 26 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 2 limited incursions into the Gaza Strip.

                                                                                                                                       

-          IOF arrested 49 civilians, including 11 children, 11 international and Israeli human rights defenders, in the West Bank.

-          14 of the detainees were arrested during the dispersion of peaceful protests.

-          IOF razed a 2-donum[1] area of agricultural land and demolished a house and a bird farm in Khan Yunis.

-          IOF ordered the deportation of a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council from Jerusalem. 

 

·              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 a military checkpoint in the West Bank arrested a Palestinian civilian.

 

·              IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

-          IOF ordered confiscation of land in Hebron.

-          Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in Kufor al-Labad village, east of Tulkarm. 

 

Summary

 

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law has continued in the OPT during the reporting period (20 – 26 May 2010):

 

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed two Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and wounded 12 civilians, including 5 children, one of whom is disabled, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  Additionally, 30 civilians, including 9 children, were injured or shocked when Israeli warplanes bombarded a target in the northern Gaza Strip.

 

On 22 May 2010, in the Gaza Strip, two Palestinian militants were killed during an exchange of fire with Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, to the east of Khan Yunis. 

 

During the reporting period, 5 Palestinian workers, including a child, who were collecting bricks and construction aggregate were wounded by Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

 

During the reporting period, Israeli warplanes bombarded civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.  A number of civilian facilities were destroyed or damaged and 30 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children and 6 women, were injured or shocked. 

 

Israeli gunboats also fired at Palestinian fishing boats sailing along the beach in the Gaza Strip.  No casualties were reported.

 

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 26 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 35 Palestinian civilians, including 11 children.  They also arrested 14 civilians, including 11 international and Israeli human rights defenders, during peaceful demonstrations against the construction of the Annexation Wall and settlement activities.   

 

During the reporting period, IOF ordered the expulsion of Sheikh Mohammed Abu Tair, Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, from Jerusalem by 19 June 2010. 

 

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted two incursions into Palestinian areas, during which they razed a 2-donum area of agricultural land and demolished a house and a bird farm.

 

Restrictions on Movement: IOF have 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 two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed siege of Gaza, 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 the Nahal Oz crossing permanently and to allow the entry of fuels through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, southeast of Rafah, citing 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 primary concern of the population of the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

 

·         Israel has continuously prevented the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for over two and a half years.

 

·         Israel has not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding marginal amounts of cooking gas and industrial fuel for Gaza Power Plant, since 10 December 2008.

 

·         The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a limited number of days for a small number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

 

·         Israel has continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade, or social visits.

 

·         Israel has imposed additional restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to 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 as levels of poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.

 

·         At least 800 Palestinians prisoners from Gaza held in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than two years. 

 

·         IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza Strip coast.

 

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 the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

 

·         There are approximately permanent 630 roadblocks, manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are approximately 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 has 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 leads to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

 

·         There are around 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.

 

·         IOF continues to harass Palestinian civilians in Jerusalem and throughout the West Bank, including regularly stopping and search Palestinian civilians in the street.

 

·         During the reporting period, Israeli troop stationed at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 8 Palestinian civilians, including a child and a woman.

 

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

 

On 24 May 2010, IOF issued a military order confiscating large areas of Palestinian agricultural land in Hebron to establish "a secure road for settlers" linking the "Kiryat Arba" settlement and the Ibrahimi Mosque.  The road is expected to be at least 1,300 meters long.  The order gave those adversely affected one week to appeal against it. 

 

·         At approximately 09:00 on Friday, 21 May 2010, at least 200 Israeli settlers from the "Avni Hefetz" settlement, to the east of Kufor al-Labad village, and from the "Ennab" settlement to the west of the village, east of Tulkarm, stormed 'Izbat al-Hafassi area near the village while Palestinian civilians were farming their lands.  The settlers expelled the Palestinian civilians from their lands and conducted religious rituals.  They also raised Israeli flags and uprooted a number of olive trees belonging to Sa'id Hussein Jab'eiti. 

 

 

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (20 – 26 May 2010)

 

The full report is available online at:

http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=6685:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-13--19-may-2010&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183

 

 

Public Document

For further information please visit our website (http://www.pchrgaza.org) or contact PCHR’s office in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email (pchr@pchrgaza.org) or telephone (+972 (0)8 2824776 – 2825893).

*Office Hours are between 08:00 – 16:00 hours ( 05:00 GMT – 13:00 GMT ) Sun – Thurs.