Ref: 65/2014
Date: 19 June 2014
Time: 10:00 GMT

For the seventh consecutive day, Israeli forces have continued to practice a collective punishment policy against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank in violation of international humanitarian and human rights laws. Following their declaration of the disappearance of 3 Israeli settlers in Hebron in the south of the West Bank since Thursday evening, 12 June 2014, Israeli forces carried out a large-scale military campaign in Palestinian communities in the West Bank and night raids of houses using tracker dogs and maltreating the house residents by expelling them outside their houses or detaining them in single rooms. Moreover, Israeli forces turned many houses into military sites and deliberately damaged those houses. The campaign has mainly targeted Hebron, but it has extended to all others areas in the West Bank. The raids targeted charities, health centers, media offices, schools, universities, and currency exchange bureaus. Israeli forces confiscated their contents as well as dozens of surveillance cameras. They also intensified their presence at the temporary and permanent military checkpoints across the West Bank and imposed severe restrictions on Palestinian civilians’ movement. Israeli forces also imposed a tightened closure on Hebron and its surroundings.

According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Israeli forces conducted at least 180 incursions throughout the West Bank and arrested 245 Palestinians, including the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Dr Aziz Duweik, and 6 of its members: Abul Rahaman Zidan, Hassan Yusif; Dr Ibrahim Abu Salem; Muhammad Totah, Azzam Salhab; and Dr Ayman Daraghmah; and two ministers of the 10th Palestinian government: Wasfi Qabha, former Minster of Priosners’ Affairs; and Khaled Abu Arafah, former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs. The arrests included dozens of Palestinian ex-prisoners who were released in Gilad Shalit prisoner swap deal.

During the campaign, Israeli forces raided several charities and health centers, confiscated their contents, and closed many of them. On 16 June 2014, Israeli forces raided the office of al-Baraa Society for Muslim Girls and Islamic Relief for Orphans in Jenin. On 19 June 2014, they raided the Orphans Society in Beit Amr village and the Islamic Philanthropist Society in Bani Naim village in Hebron. Israeli forces destroyed the furniture of the aforementioned offices and confiscated their computers.

On 17 June 2014, Israeli forces raided al-Sadaqa health center in Bethlehem after breaking all its doors. They messed with its contents, and confiscated its computers and medical files.

In the context of raiding media offices, on 18 June 2014, Israeli forces raided Trans Media Company’s office in al-Bireh and Hebron and confiscated all its contents, including computers, cameras and broadcasting devices. The aforementioned company provides media, photography and broadcasting services for over 24 local and international satellite channels. The private media company’s losses were estimated at more than US$ 800 thousand.

On Thursday morning, 19 June 2014, Israeli forces raided the campus of Bir Zeit University, north of Ramallah, and the office of the Islamic Bloc (the Hamas student wing) and confiscated its contents.

It should be noted that Israeli forces have prevented 13 thousand Palestinian workers from Hebron who have work permits from entering Israel. They have also prevented all civilians under 50 from leaving the county and prevented Hebron residents from leaving the city by establishing dozens of checkpoints and closing main roads with cement blocks.

PCHR stresses that the measures taken by the Israeli forces in the oPt are part of the collective punishment policy and reprisals against Palestinian civilians in violation of Article 33 of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to Protection of Civilians in Times of War which provides that: “No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.” PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions and reiterates its call for the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances. PCHR also calls upon the international community to fulfill their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions.