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

No. 30/2010

22- 28 July 2010

 

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

 

 

·               IOF shot and killed a Palestinian worker in the northern West Bank.

 

·               IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.

-          Four international human rights defenders and one Palestinian photojournalist were injured.

-          IOF arrested twenty-one civilians, including twelve international human rights defenders, one of whom is Luisa Morgantini.

 

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

-          One Palestinian civilian was seriously wounded in the northern Gaza Strip.

 

·               IOF bombarded tunnels and civilian property in the Gaza Strip.

-          IOF destroyed a plastic and iron pipe store in the central Gaza Strip.

 

·               IOF conducted twenty-five incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and five limited incursions into the Gaza Strip.

-          IOF arrested thirteen Palestinian civilians.

 

·               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 nine Palestinian civilians, including six children and one woman.

 

·               Israel has continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem.

-          The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem has continued to chase and confiscate goods of Palestinian street vendors. 

 

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

-          IOF ordered the halt of construction works n six houses in Ethna village near Hebron.

-          Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians.

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (22 – 28 July 2010):

 

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed a Palestinian worker and wounded three international human rights defenders, including one from Israel, and a Palestinian photojournalist in the West Bank.  They also seriously wounded a Palestinian civilian in the Gaza Strip. 

 

In the West Bank, on 22 July 2010, IOF killed a Palestinian worker from Qalqilya, near "Burkan" settlement, west of Salfit.  Israeli military sources claimed that "a military unit observed two Palestinians, one of whom was armed, when they attempted to cross the settlement's fence.  When the two Palestinians did not obey orders to stop, the soldiers fired at them, killing the unarmed one and wounding the armed one, who was able to escape."  Investigations conducted by PCHR refute this claim and confirm that none of the targeted persons were armed and that the two men were looking for jobs.

 

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.  As a result, three international human rights defenders, including one from Israel, and a Palestinian photojournalist were injured.  IOF also violently beat a number of demonstrators. IOF also arrested twelve Israeli and international human rights defenders, including Luisa Morgantini, Former Deputy Speaker of the European Parliament, four photojournalists and five Palestinian civilians, including a woman.

 

In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian civilian was shot and seriously wounded by IOF while on a tract of land belonging to his grandfather.

 

On Monday morning, 26 July 2010, Israeli warplanes bombarded tunnels along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah.  They also bombarded and destroyed a plastic and iron pipe store in the central Gaza Strip.  No casualties were reported.

 

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least twenty-five military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested thirteen Palestinian civilians.

 

Restrictions on Movement: Israel has 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 approximately three 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, Israeli forces decided to close Nahal Ouz crossing permanently and to divert 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 the right to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

 

·       The principle concern of the population of the Gaza Strip is to obtain basic necessities: food, medicine, water and electricity supplies.

 

·       Israel has continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than two and a half years.

 

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

 

·       The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened on only 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 restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. Israel has 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 mounted sharply.

 

·       At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than two and a half years. 

 

·       Israeli forces have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the coast of the Gaza Strip.

 

West Bank

 

Israel has 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.

 

·       Israeli forces 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, 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 Israeli forces 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 eighteen Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by Israeli forces (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 Israeli forces; these permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

 

·       Israeli forces continue to harass and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.

 

·       Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by Israeli forces in Jerusalem and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by Israeli forces.

 

Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem:  IOF have continued to take measures at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.  During the reporting period, officials of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem, accompanied by officials of the Property Tax Department, waged a wide-scale campaign against Palestinian stores in Shu'fat village, northeast of Jerusalem. They searched stores and verified their licenses and documents, creating significant tension in the area.  Also during the reporting period, officials of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem waged a campaign against Palestinian street vendors.  Dozens of officials, accompanied by the Israeli police, were deployed in the streets and they attacked streets vendors and confiscated their goods.  It is worth noting that the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem wages repeated campaigns against streets vendors in an attempt to exert economic pressure on Palestinian civilians in the city. 

 

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 26 July 2010, IOF moved into Ethna village, northwest of Hebron.  They handed written notices issued by the Higher Organization Council of the Israeli Civil Administration to Palestinian civilians ordering a halt on construction works for six houses and an agricultural barrack. 

 

On the same day, dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, moved into the east of Nablus.  They conducted Jewish rituals in Joseph Tomb.  They left the area at approximately 05:00.

 

Also on 26 July 2010, dozens of Israeli settlers from "Brakha" settlement, south of Nablus, attacked Palestinian houses in the northwest of Bourin village, south of the city.  They threw stones at houses and set fire to the area surrounding the homes.  A group of olive trees were burnt and windows of a number of houses were broken. 

 

Also on the same day, dozens of Israeli settlers from "Yits'har" settlement, south of Nablus, attacked Palestinian houses in the west of Hawara village, south of Nablus and threw stones at the houses.  No injuries were reported.

 

 

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (22 – 28 July 2010)

The full report is available online at:

http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=6862:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-22-28-july-2010-&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183

 

 

 

Public Document

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