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

 

– IOF continued
to fire at Palestinian workers, farmers and fishermen in border areas in the Gaza Strip.

– Two  Palestinian workers were wounded

 

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

– An Israeli
human rights defender was wounded.

 

– IOF conducted 34
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 4 limited ones
into the Gaza
Strip.  

– IOF arrested 18
Palestinian civilians, including 6  children.

– IOF arrested
Secretary of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

– IOF waged a
campaign of arrests in Jerusalem and its suburbs.

 

– Israeli
warplanes attacked a number of civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.

 

– Israel has
continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the
outside world.

– IOF arrested two
 Palestinian civilians.

 

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

– The construction of 1,000 housing units in
“Har Homa” settlement in Jerusalem was approved.

– 800 housing units are being built in
“Ariel” settlement in the northern West Bank.

– IOF razed areas of Palestinian land near
“Elli” settlement in the northern West Bank.

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (04 – 10 November 2010):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, IOF wounded
two Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip, and an Israeli human rights defender
in the West Bank. 

 

During the reporting period, IOF
fired at Palestinian workers who were collecting raw construction materials
near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. As a result, two workers were wounded. 

 

On 06 November 2010, Israeli
warplanes bombarded and destroyed a tunnel at the Egyptian border near Yibna
refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. 

 

On 10 November 2010, Israeli warplanes
fired at Gaza International Airport, southeast of Rafah, targeting a number of
Palestinian workers who were collecting raw construction materials. 

 

During the reporting period, IOF
used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest
to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation
wall. As a result, an Israeli human
rights defender was wounded, and dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation or
sustained bruises. 

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 34 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank,
during which they arrested 18 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and
the Secretary of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Mahmoud al-Ramahi.  

 

In
the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 4 limited incursions into Palestinian communities
in the central and northern Gaza Strip, during which they leveled areas of
Palestinian land, which they had already razed.  

 

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. 

 

· The illegal closure has caused not only a
humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights and human dignity for the
population of the Gaza Strip. Measures declared recently to ease the
blockade are vague, purely cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of
the crisis, which can only be addressed by an immediate and complete lifting of
the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out of the Gaza Strip
and the ban on exports. PCHR is concerned that the new Israeli policy is simply
shifting Gaza
to another form of illegal blockade, one that may become internationally
accepted and institutionalized. Palestinians in Gaza may no longer suffer from the same
shortage of goods, but they will remain economically dependent and unable to
care for themselves, and socially, culturally and academically isolated from
the rest of the world.

 

· Expanding the list of items allowed into Gaza does not change the illegality of this policy, which
is inconsistent with Israel’s
legal obligations both as an Occupying Power and under international human
rights treaties to which it is party, such as the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights. 

 

· Facts on the
ground refute Israeli claims with
respect to the easing of the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip and the
reduction of restrictions imposed on the entry of goods.

 

· Israeli
declaration of allowing new goods to be entered into the Gaza Strip constitutes
an attempt to delude the international community, as such goods do not meet the
minimal needs of the Gaza Strip. 

 

· IOF have
continued to ban the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip. 

 

· IOF have
imposed a ban on all exports from 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.

 

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 585 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints
across the West Bank.

 

· 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.

 

· 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.

 

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 04 November
2010, dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, stormed the area of Joseph
Tomb in the east of Nablus. They
bothered Palestinian civilians in the area. They left the area a few hours later.

 

On the same day,
IOF razed areas of Palestinian land to the northwest of “Elli”
settlement, which stands on lands of the villages of Qaryout, al-Lubban
al-Sharqi and al-Sawia, south of Nablus, in order to expand the settlement.

 

During the
reporting period, the Israeli district committee of organization and
construction in Jerusalem declared a plan to construct 1,000 housing units in
“Har Homa” settlement, which stands on Abu Ghunaim Mount between
Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Another plan to
construct 320 housing unit in “Ramot” settlement neighborhood was
also published. 

 

In the same
context, IOF approved the construction of 800 housing units in
“Ariel” settlement, north of Salfit. The mayor of “Ariel” settlement, Ron Nahman, revealed that 195
housing units are currently being built by a private contractor, 100 ones are
being built for settlers evacuated from settlements in the Gaza Strip and
factories are being built in the industrial zone.

 

On 09 November
2010, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem ordered 3 Palestinian civilians in
Silwan village to the south of the old town of Jerusalem to demolish their
houses in 10 days.

 

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (04 – 10 November 2010)

 

1. Incursions into
Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the West
Bank and the Gaza
Strip

 

Thursday, 04
November 2010

 

· At
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Wadi al-Hariya neighborhood in Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
Younis Hussein ‘Amru, and arrested his two sons: Eyad, 20; and Marwan, 22.

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Yatta village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Ussama
Mohammed Ed’ais, 22; and

2. Ahmed
Rateb Mughnem, 25.

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Waleed Fat’hi Sabarna, 17, and arrested him.

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Dura village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
‘Abdul Rahman Abu Ras, but no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Nabi Saleh village, northwest of
Ramallah. They raided and searched a
number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 11:00, IOF moved into al-Hafira village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 17:00, IOF moved into Bourqin village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 18:30, IOF moved into Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

·  At approximately 23:20, IOF moved into Beit
Liqya village, west of Ramallah. They
patrolled in the streets. A number of
Palestinian boys gathered and threw stones at Israeli military vehicles. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the
boys. A number of Palestinian civilian
suffered from tear gas inhalation. IOF
withdrew from the village later and no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 23:30, IOF moved into Zeita village, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

Friday, 05
November  2010

 

· At
approximately 07:30, IOF moved into al-Swaitat neighborhood in the east of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time and withdrew later. No arrests
were reported.

 

Saturday, 06
November 2010

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 14:30, IOF moved into Maithaloun village, southeast of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time and withdrew later. No arrests
were reported.

 

· At
approximately 16:45, IOF moved into Hijja village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 22:15, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a tunnel on the
Egyptian border near Yibna refugee camp in the south of the southern Gaza
Strip. The tunnel was destroyed, but no
casualties were reported.

 

Sunday, 07
November 2010

 

· At
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into al-Doha village, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to
Ashraf Zaghari, but no arrests were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into al-Duhaisha refugee camp, south of
Bethlehem. They raided and searched a
house belonging to the family of Isma’il ‘Aadel Malash, and summoned him for
interrogation. 

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Wadi al-Hariya neighborhood in Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
Younis Hussein ‘Amru, 50, and arrested him.

 

· Also at
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Ayman Hassan
al-Sabbah, 20, and arrested him.

 

· At
approximately 05:05, IOF moved into Jeet village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 06:15, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation towers near Beit Hanoun (Erez)
crossing in the northern Gaza Strip fired at a number of Palestinian workers
who were collecting raw construction materials from the debris of Erez industrial
zone. As a result, Karam Talal al-Adham,
19, from Beit Lahia town,was wounded by a bullet to the left leg.

 

· At
approximately 10:00, IOF moved nearly 250 meters into the east of Gaza Valley
village in the central Gaza Strip. They
searched and leveled areas of Palestinian land.

 

· At approximately
10:30, IOF moved into ‘Arrana village, northeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a 3-storey house
belonging to Rajeh Fahed al-Khaldi. The
confiscated letters sent by al-Khaldi’s son, 23-year-old Mohammed, who serves a
life imprisonment sentence in Israeli jails.

 

· At
approximately 15:30, IOF moved into ‘Arraba village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 15:30, IOF moved into Kufor Ra’ei village, southwest of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time and withdrew later. No arrests
were reported.

 

· At
approximately 16:30, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They raided and searched a two-storey house
belonging to Saber Mujahed Radwan, 51, while he and his wife were not at
home. During the house search, Israeli
soldiers violently beat the owner’s son, 27-year-old Mujahed. Israeli soldiers then planted explosives in
the first floor of the house, which serves as a store, and blew them up. The structure was heavily damaged. Before leaving the house, IOF arrested the
son.

 

Monday, 08
November 2010

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Beit Reema village, northwest of
Ramallah. They raided and searched two
houses in the village and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Mohammed
Mubtassem al-Ruhaimi, 37; and

2. Muntasser
Ahmed al-Ruhaimi, 19.

 

· At
approximately 10:40, IOF moved into Zeita village, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported. 

 

· At
approximately 21:00, IOF moved into Beit Liqya village, west of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets. A number of Palestinian boys gathered and
threw stones at Israeli military vehicles. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound
bombs and tear gas canisters at the boys. A number of Palestinian civilians suffered from tear gas
inhalation. IOF withdrew from the
village later and no arrests were reported.

 

Tuesday,
09 November 2010

 

· At approximately
04:00, IOF moved into Silwan village to the south of the old town of
Jerusalem. They raided and searched two
houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Majdi
‘Ouda, 24; and

2. Rami
‘Aamer Maragha, 19.

 

· At
approximately 08:00, IOF moved nearly 200 meters into the northwest of the
northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia. They leveled areas of Palestinian land, which they had already
razed. IOF withdrew from the area at
approximately 09:15 and no casualties were reported.

 

· At
approximately 09:00, IOF moved nearly 250 meters into the northeast of
al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. They leveled areas of Palestinian land near
the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.  

 

· In the evening,
IOF moved into al-‘Eissawiya village in Jerusalem. They raided and searched a number of houses
and patrolled in the streets. They
arrested 4 Palestinian children:

 

1. Ameer
Muhaisen, 13;

2. Ashraf
‘Olayan, 12;

3. Ibrahim
Abu al-Hummos, 16; and

4. Ahmed
Sameeh ‘Olayan, 16.

 

· At approximately 23:00, IOF moved into Kour
village, south of Tulkarm. They raided
and searched a house belonging to Bilal Hassib al-Jayoussi, 56, but no arrests
were reported. It is worth noting that
IOF had arrested al-Jayoussi’s four sons on 03 November 2010.

 

Wednesday,
10 November 2010

 

· At
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mazen ‘Eid
Abu Rajab, 23, and arrested him.

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of
Hebron. They raided and searched a house
belonging to the family of Ahmed Jaber Jawabra, 16, and arrested him.

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Sa’ir village, northeast of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Mohammed ‘Abdul Qader al-Mutawar, 22, and arrested him.

 

· At
approximately 03:25, IOF moved into al-Bireh. They raided a two-storey house belonging to Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed al-Ramahi,
47, Secretary of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and arrested him.

 

· In the morning,
IOF established a checkpoint at the northern entrance of al-‘Eissawiya village
near Jerusalem. They also closed the
southern entrance of the village and prohibited the movement of Palestinian
civilians to and from the village. These
measures came in the context of a series of steps declared by IOF “to stop
riots and violations of public order.”  

 

· At
approximately 07:45, Israeli soldiers positioned on observation towers near
Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the northern Gaza Strip fired at a number of
Palestinian workers who were collecting raw constriction materials from the
debris of destroyed buildings in Erez industrial zone. As a result, Ibrahim Yousef Ghaben, 28, from
Beit Lahia town, was wounded by a bullet to the right leg, when he was nearly
200 meters away from the border.

 

· At
approximately 08:15, Israeli helicopter gunships opened fire at Gaza
International Airport, southeast of Rafah. The gunfire, which lasted for 45 minutes sporadically, targeted a number
of Palestinian workers who were collecting raw construction materials. No casualties were reported.

 

· At
approximately 10:45, IOF moved nearly 300 meters into the east of the northern
Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun. They then
moved nearly 1,200 meters southwards to Abu Safiya area in the east of Jabalya
town. During this incursion, IOF leveled
areas of Palestinian land. They withdrew
from the area at approximately 13:10.

 

2. Use of
Excessive Force against Peaceful Demonstrations Protesting Settlement
Activities and the Construction of the Annexation Wall

 

During
the reporting period, IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized
by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders
in protest to the construction of the Wall and settlement activities in the
West Bank. As a result, an Israeli human
rights defender was hit by a tear gas canister. Dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders also suffered
from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.  

   

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 05 November 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil’ein
village, west of Ramallah. They moved
towards the annexation wall. Israeli
soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs
and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation
and others sustained bruises as they were beaten by Israeli soldiers.  

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 05 November 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in
Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest against the construction of the
Annexation Wall. They clashed with
Israeli troops positioned near the Wall. Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear
gas canisters at demonstrators. As a
result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others
sustained bruises.

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 05 November 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, in protest against
land confiscations in the Wad al-Raya area between the villages of Nabi Saleh
and Deir Nizam. When the demonstrators
attempted to reach areas of land seized by Israeli settlers near
“Halmish” settlement, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal
bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, Ellison Ramir, 23, an Israeli
human rights defender, was hit by a tear gas canister to the left foot. Several
demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises,
including Bilal ‘Abdul Salam Tamimi, 44, a photographer of the Israeli B’Tselem. 

 

3. Continued
Closure of the OPT

 

Israel has
continued to impose a tightened closure of 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. 

 

Movement
at Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

 

At
approximately 13:00 on Tuesday, 01 June 2010, the Egyptian authorities decided
to open Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border in both
directions without specifying a date for its closure. The Egyptian decisions came following the
Israeli attack on the Gaza-aid flotilla in international water. On the following morning, the crossing point
was effectively opened and restricted categories of Palestinian civilians were
allowed to travel through it.

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

03 –
09 November 2010

 

 

Note: The Egyptian
authorities declared that Rafah International Crossing Point would be closed
from 15 to 20 November 2010 for the Islamic Greater Eid holidays.

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem
(Kerem Shalom) Crossing

03
-9 November 2010

 

 

Al-Mentar (Karni) Crossing: During the
reporting period, IOF partially opened the crossing on Wednesday, 03 November
2010, and allowed the entry of 90 tons of construction aggregate for Mas’oud
‘Ali Company, and 873 tons of aggregate for UNRWA. They opened it again on Monday, 08 November
2010, and allowed the entry of 2,730 tons of wheat, and 1,170 tons of fodders.  

 

Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing: Israel has
continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for the movement of Palestinian
civilians. IOF have allowed only diplomats, a number of international
journalists, employees of international agencies and a limited number of
patients who suffer from serious diseases to pass through the crossing. They
have continued to prevent Palestinian civilians from visiting their relatives
who are detained in Israeli jails. The small number of patients permitted to
pass through the crossing is only able to do so under severe restrictions that
include prolonged checking.

 

Movement
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

03 –
09 November 2010

 

 

The West Bank

 

Israel has
imposed a tightened closure on the West Bank.
During the reporting period, IOF imposed additional restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians.

 

· Jerusalem: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians to and from the city. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied access to
the city. IOF have established many checkpoints around and inside the city.
Restrictions of the movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate on
Fridays, preventing Muslim Palestinians from praying at al-Aqsa Mosque.  On Friday morning, 05 November 2010, IOF
imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians inside
the city. They reinforced their presence
in the old town and at the gates of the al-Aqsa Mosque. They stopped and checked Palestinian
civilians.  On Monday morning, 08
November 2010, an Israeli bulldozer, escorted by IOF, closed the western
entrance of al-‘Eissawiya village near Jerusalem with cement blocks. IOF also established a checkpoint at the
eastern entrance of the village. They
stopped and checked Palestinian civilians. 

 

· Bethlehem: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have maintained their presence at 41
checkpoints around the town. The town
has been also impacted by the construction of the annexation wall to the north
and west, and large areas of Palestinian land have been isolated by the
wall. During the reporting period,
Israeli troops stationed at the 300 checkpoint (Rachel Toms), north of Bethlehem, continued to impose severe restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to Jerusalem. Palestinian civilians are forced to wait in queues on two routes outside
the checkpoint. They are then checked by
Israeli soldiers using electronic checking machines. Such checking is often prolonged and
humiliating. During the reporting
period, only Palestinians who have permits were allowed to travel to Jerusalem.    

 

· Ramallah: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of the Palestinian
civilians in Ramallah. IOF troops
positioned at the Jaba’ and Qalandiya checkpoints, southeast of Ramallah, have
imposed additional restrictions on movement and conducted prolonged checks of
Palestinian civilians. During the
reporting period, IOF erected a number of temporary checkpoints, and stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At approximately 11:50 on Thursday, 04 November 2010, IOF established a
checkpoint at Rafat intersection, south of Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian
vehicles. At approximately 16:45, IOF
established a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Liqya village, west of
Ramallah. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. At
approximately 16:10 on Friday, 15 November 2010, IOF re-established their
presence at ‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
20:15 on Sunday, 07 November 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance
of ‘Ein Yabroud village, northeast of Ramallah. At approximately 20:30 on the same day, IOF established a checkpoint at
the entrance of Dura al-Qare’ village. Israeli soldiers positioned at these checkpoints stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. At
approximately 21:00 on Monday, 08 November 2010, IOF established a checkpoint
at the entrance of Sinjel village, north of Ramallah. At approximately 20:30 on the same day, IOF
established a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Liqya village, west of
Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. 

 

· Qalqilya: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Thursday, 04 November 2010, IOF
established 6 checkpoints around Qalqilya. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At approximately 18:00 on Friday, 05 November
2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the eastern entrance of Qalqilya. At approximately 22:00 on the same day, IOF
established a checkpoint at the southern entrance of the town. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
08:30 on Saturday, 06 November 2010, IOF established a checkpoint on bypass
road #55, which links between Nablus and Qalqilya. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
21:00 on the same day, IOF established a checkpoint at the eastern entrance of
Qalqilya. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. On
Sunday, 07 November 2010, IOF established 6 checkpoints around Qalqilya. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. On Monday, 08
November 2010, IOF established 3 checkpoints around the town. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. On Monday, 08
November 2010, IOF established 3 checkpoints around the town. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. On Tuesday, 09
November 2010, IOF established 8 checkpoints around the town. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles.

 

· Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 12:00 on Saturday, 06
November 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at Beit Leed intersection, east of
Tulkarm. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. In the
evening, Israeli soldiers positioned at Ennab checkpoint, east of Tulkarm,
imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
09:00 on Sunday, 06 November 2010, IOF established a checkpoint on
Tulkarm-Qalqilya road near the entrance of Far’oun village. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
11:30 on the same day, IOF established a checkpoint in al-Kafriyat area at
Tulkarm-Qalqilya road. They stopped and
searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.  At
approximately 17:30 on Monday, 08 November 2010, IOF established a checkpoint
in al-Kafriyat area at Tulkarm-Qalqilya road. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. On Tuesday, 09 November 2010, Israeli
soldiers positioned at Ennab checkpoint, east of Tulkarm, imposed additional
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
15:30 on the same day, IOF established a checkpoint on Tulkarm-Qalqilya
road. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. They
established the checkpoint again at approximately 10:30 on Wednesday, 10 November
2010.

 

· Jenin: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. At approximately 15:00 on
Saturday, 05 November 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the intersection of
the Arab American University, southeast of Jenin. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles.

 

· Salfit: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have continued to close the northern
entrance of Salfit with cement blocks and sand barriers since 2000. They have also continued to close two roads
linking Marda village with agricultural land belonging to it.   

 

· Jericho: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 18:00 on Thursday, 04
November 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of ‘Ein al-Dyouk
village, north of Jericho. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
17:30 on Monday, 08 November 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance
of Fassayel village, north of Jericho. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.

 

Arrests at Military Checkpoints

        

· On Monday evening, 08 November 2010, Israeli
soldiers positioned at Beit ‘Awa intersection, southwest of Hebron, arrested
‘Anan Ibrahim ‘Amru, 20, from al-Majd village southwest of Hebron.

 

· At approximately 16:30 on Tuesday, 09 November
2010, Israeli soldiers stationed at al-Karama International Crossing Point on
the Jordanian border arrested Fadi Nabil Khaled, 23, from Jayous village
northeast of Qalqilya, while he was on his way back to the West Bank.

 

4. Settlement
Activities and Attacks by Settlers against Palestinian Civilians and Property

 

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.

 

· At approximately 00:30 on Thursday, 04 November
2010, dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, stormed the area of Joseph
Tomb in the east of Nablus. They
bothered Palestinian civilians in the area. They left the area a few hours later.

 

· On Thursday morning, 04 November 2010, IOF
razed areas of Palestinian land to the northwest of “Elli”
settlement, which stands on lands of the villages of Qaryout, al-Lubban
al-Sharqi and al-Sawia, south of Nablus, in order to expand the settlement.

 

· During the reporting period, the Israeli
district committee of organization and construction in Jerusalem declared a
plan to construct 1,000 housing units in “Har Homa” settlement, which
stands on Abu Ghunaim Mount between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Another plan to construct 320 housing unit in
“Ramot” settlement neighborhood was also published.  

 

· In the same context, IOF approved the
construction of 800 housing units in “Ariel” settlement, north of
Salfit. The mayor of “Ariel”
settlement, Ron Nahman, revealed that 195 housing units are currently being
built by a private contractor, 100 ones are being built for settlers evacuated
from settlements in the Gaza Strip and factories are being built in the industrial
zone.

 

· On Tuesday morning, 09 November 2010, the
Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem ordered 3 Palestinian civilians in Silwan
village to the south of the old town of Jerusalem to demolish their houses in
10 days: ‘Abdul Karim Abu Snaina; Ahmed
Abu Snaina; and Khalil Nember al-‘Abbas.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Recommendations to the International
Community

 

 

1. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their
legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure Israel’s respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. PCHR believes that the conspiracy of silence
practiced by the international community has encouraged Israel to act as if it
is above the law and encourages Israel continue to violate international human
rights and humanitarian law.

 

2. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to convene a
conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel’s respect of the Convention
in the OPT and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians.

 

3. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to comply with
their legal obligations detailed in Article 146 of the Convention to search for
and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war crimes.

 

4. PCHR calls for
the immediate implementation of the Advisory Opinion issued by the
International Court of Justice, which considers the construction of the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank illegal.

 

5. PCHR recommends
that international civil society organizations, including human rights
organizations, bar associations and NGOs, participate in the process of
exposing those accused of grave breaches of international law and urge their governments to bring the
perpetrators to justice.

 

6. PCHR calls upon
the European Union to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association
Agreement, which provides that Israel
must respect human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between
the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to
prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the OPT.

 

7. PCHR calls on
the international community to recognize the Gaza disengagement plan, which was
implemented in September 2005, for what it is – not an end to occupation but a
compounding of the occupation and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza
Strip. 

 

8. In recognition
of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the
ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the
facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

 

9. PCHR
appreciates the efforts of international civil society, including human rights
organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and urges them to continue
their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel’s respect for human
rights in the OPT and to demand Israel end its attacks on Palestinian
civilians.

 

10. PCHR calls upon the international community to pressure Israel
to lift the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its
occupation forces on access for international organizations to the OPT.

 

11. PCHR reiterates that any political settlement not based on
international human rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful
and just solution of the Palestinian question. Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and
instability in the region. Any peace
process or agreement must be based on respect for international law, including
international human rights and humanitarian law.

 

 

 

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Public Document

For further information please visit
our website (www.pchrgaza.org) or contact
PCHR’s office in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email (pchr@pchrgaza.org) or telephone (+972 (0)8
282 4776 – 282 5893).