Israeli Occupation Forces Continue Systematic
Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Blockade of the Gaza Strip
· 6 Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli forces in
the West Bank.
· 5 of these civilians were wounded when Israeli forces used
force against peaceful demonstrations organized to protest the construction of
the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
· Israeli forces conducted 28 incursions into Palestinian communities
in the West Bank, and one into the Gaza Strip.
· Israeli forces arrested 40 Palestinian civilians, including 12
children.
· Israeli naval troops continued to attack Palestinian
fishermen and boats 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.
· Israeli troops positioned at military checkpoints and border
crossings in the West Bank arrested 8 Palestinian civilians.
· Israel has continued measures aimed at creating a Jewish
majority in Jerusalem.
· Israeli forces issued evacuation and demolition orders against
15 houses in the Silwan quarter.
· Israel has continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· Two Palestinian children were injured as a result of attacks
by settlers.
Summary
Israeli violations of international
law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (05 –
11 November 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, 6
Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli forces in the West Bank.
During the reporting period, 5
Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli forces used force to disperse
peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians to protest the
construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
On 07 November 2009, a Palestinian
civilian was seriously wounded in Hebron, when Israeli troops intentionally
fired at his car.
During the reporting period, Israeli
troops violently beat two journalists and fired a tear gas canister at a car
belonging to a third one, while they were covering clashes between Palestinian
civilians and Israeli settlers in Iraq Bourin village near Nablus.
Incursions: During the reporting period, Israeli
forces conducted at least 28 military incursions into Palestinian communities
in the West Bank. IOF arrested 40 Palestinian
civilians, including 12 children.
Restrictions on Movement: Israeli forces 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
Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings
to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The illegal Israeli blockade 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.
· 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
1.5 million people living in 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 two years.
· Israel has not allowed
fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding few amounts of cooking gas, 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 has 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.
· Poverty and
unemployment rates stand at approximately 80% and 60% respectively in the Gaza
Strip.
· Israel has continued
to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage systems. Losses
incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.
· 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 are among the highest in the world.
· At least 900
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied family visitation rights
for more than two years.
· Israeli forces have
continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza Strip coast.
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 the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
· There are approximately permanent 630 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 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 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 the 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 Majority in
Jerusalem
During the reporting period, the Israeli Municipality of
Jerusalem issued orders to demolish more houses in Jerusalem and surrounding suburbs. At approximately 09:00 on Sunday, 09 November
2009, Israeli forces, accompanied by officials from the Israeli Municipality of
Jerusalem, stormed al-Bsutan, ‘Ein al-Louza and Yemen quarters in the south of
the old town of Jerusalem. They stuck
copies of demolition orders on the walls of 15 houses. These orders referred exclusively to house
numbers without mentioning the names of the owners. The orders gave the owners 20 days to appeal,
however, the orders were issued 18 days earlier. It is worth noting that these families had
already received demolition orders in the context of a plan for the Israeli
Municipality of Jerusalem to demolish 88 houses in order to establish a park.
Settlement Activities: Israel has continued settlement
activities in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law and Israeli
settlers living have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 07 November 2009, a number of Israeli
settlers form “Brakha” settlement, escorted by Israeli forces, broke
into Iraq Bourin village, south of Nablus. Dozens of Palestinian civilians gathered at the entrances of the village
and threw stones at the settlers to stop the raid. Immediately, Israeli troops fired bullets and
tear gas canisters at these civilians and chased them. On the same day, Israeli settlers organized a
provocative march from “Beit Hadasa” settlement outpost in the center
of Hebron towards “Kiryat Arba” settlement. During the march, dozens of settlers attacked
Palestinian houses in Wad al-Hussain and Jaber quarter in the southeast of the
town using stones. Israeli forces escorted
the settlers and did not intervene to stop such attacks. On 10 November 2009,
Israeli settlers from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron,
attacked Palestinian civilians and houses in Wad al-Nassara neighborhood, using
stones and empty bottles. Israeli troops
were present in the area, but did not intervene to stop the attacks. On the same day, two Palestinian children
sustained bruises when they were beaten by 3 Israeli settlers who live in
“Ramat Yishai” settlement outpost in Tal al-Rumaida neighborhood in
the center of Hebron.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting
Period (05 – 11 November 2009)
The full report is available PDF format.
