Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Siege on
the Gaza Strip
· IOF killed two activists of the Palestinian resistance in
the Gaza Strip and one civilian in the West Bank.
· 16 Palestinian civilians, including two children and two
journalists, were wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.
· 9 of these civilians were wounded by IOF and Israeli
settlers in Kherbat Safa area, north of Hebron.
· IOF conducted 26 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 52 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children,
in the West Bank and 10 fishers in the Gaza Strip.
· IOF conducted a wide scale incursion into Kherbat Safa area,
north of Hebron.
· IOF occupied 8 Palestinian houses, and reclassified them as
military sites.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West
Bank arrested 9 Palestinian civilians.
· IOF have continued measures aimed at the creating of a
majority Jewish demographic in East Jerusalem.
· IOF demolished two Palestinian houses in Jerusalem.
· A Palestinian house in the old town of Jerusalem was seized.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· IOF ordered the demolition of a number of houses in Hebron.
· Israeli settlers seized 4 shops in the old town of Hebron.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting
period (02 – 08 April 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed
two activists of the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip and one civilian
in the West Bank. They also wounded 16 Palestinian civilians, including two
children and two journalists, in the West Bank. Three of these civilians were
wounded by Israeli settlers in a joint attack with IOF.
In the Gaza Strip, on
04 April 2009, IOF killed two members of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the
armed wing of Hamas) near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. IOF
also fired artillery shells at the ambulance that attempted to evacuate the
bodies from the area.
In the West Bank, on 07 April 2009,
IOF shot dead a Palestinian civilian in Sour Baher village, south of Jerusalem,
claiming that he ran down three Israeli soldiers.
On 04 April 2009, a Palestinian
child was wounded by IOF during an incursion into Qalqilya.
On 06 April 2009, IOF wounded a
Palestinian child in Qabalan village, south of Nablus.
On 08 April 2009, dozens of Israeli
settlers, escorted by IOF, attacked Palestinian civilians in Kherbat Safa area,
north of Hebron. As a result, nine Palestinian civilians were wounded by
gunshots, including three who were shot by settlers; 26 others suffered from
tear gas inhalation.
During the reporting period, five Palestinian
civilians, including two journalists, were wounded when IOF used force against
peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the
Annexation Wall.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 26 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank and two incursions into the Gaza Strip. IOF arrested 52 Palestinian
civilians, including eight children.
Following the death of one Israeli settler, and the injury of another,
in the “Beit Ain” settlement (northwest of Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron),
IOF moved into the Kherbat Safa area. This operation was allegedly conducted in
order to search for a Palestinian worker suspected of killing the Israeli
settler. The military operation continued for a number of days, during which
time IOF occupied eight Palestinian houses, transforming them into military
sites.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF arrested 10 Palestinian fishers off the coast of
the northern Gaza Strip.
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
IOF have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza
Strip for more than two years. The IOF 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.
· 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.
· IOF have continued to
prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more
than two years.
· IOF have not allowed
fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip – excluding limited 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.
· IOF have continued to
close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian civilians wishing to travel
to the West Bank and Israel for medical treatment, trade or social visits. In
the past two months, five patients, including two children, died due to the
denial of access to medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip.
· IOF have imposed
additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and
humanitarian workers attempting to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented
representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from
entering the Gaza Strip.
· The Palestinian
civilian population’s living conditions have seriously deteriorated; levels of
poverty and unemployment have sharply increased.
· At least 900
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied family visitation for
more than 17 months.
· At least 10% of the
population of the Gaza Strip is deprived of electricity supplies.
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 630 permanent roadblocks, and manned
and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, approximately 60-80
‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints are 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.
· IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold
peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.
· At least 65% of the main roads leading to 18 Palestinian
communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of
72 roads).
· There are approximately 500 kilometers of restricted roads
across the West Bank. Access to these roads is restricted to those vehicles
with Israeli license plates. 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.
· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in
Jerusalem, and across the West Bank. This harassment includes regular spot
checks and searches by IOF; these are often carried out in the street.
· During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at
military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested nine Palestinian civilians.
Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank territory. IOF started to establish an
iron fence on the northern edge of ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya, which –
when finished – will be 3.5 kilometers long and 2.5 meters high. It will extend
from ‘Izbat al-Tabeeb area to the intersection of “Ma’ale Shomron”
settlement. The fence will separate ‘Azzoun village from its northern lands. A
week earlier, IOF had closed the main entrance to the village, and a month
earlier, they closed its northern entrance, claiming that stones were thrown at
Israeli vehicles traveling in the area. According to sources in the local
council of the village, at least 200 donums[1] of
land belonging to the village will be seized for the purpose of the establishment
of the fence. The establishment of the fence is part of the construction of the
Annexation Wall near Qalqilya, which has been conducted in four stages, the
fourth of which is the current one. According to the local council, there are
concerns that a fifth stage may be implemented to the south of the village. At
least 8,000 Palestinians live in ‘Azzoun village, in an area estimated at
approximately 9,000 donums. The construction of the Wall in the area has
restricted access of Palestinian civilians to their lands.
The establishment of
a majority Jewish demographic in Jerusalem: IOF have escalated arbitrary measures against
Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem in order to force them to leave the
city. On 03 April 2009, a number of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF police,
stormed a house belonging to Nasser ‘Ali Jaber, 30, in al-Sa’diya quarter in
the old town of Jerusalem. They removed the door of the house and seized the
house, claiming that it belongings to an extremist Jewish association. It is worth
noting that Jaber was repairing and maintaining the house, in which he has
lived together with his family for more than 20 years. On 06 April 2009, IOF
demolished a 100-square-meter house belonging to ‘Abdul Rahman al-Fakhouri, 24,
in the al-Luqluq quarter of the old town of Jerusalem. The IOF Municipality of
Jerusalem had informed the family on Thursday, 02 April 2009, that the house
would be demolished, claiming that it was built without a license. On the same
day, the Israeli High Court gave permission to IOF to evacuate two houses,
belonging to the al-Ghawi and al-Jarrah families in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood
in East Jerusalem, in favor of Jewish groups. The court rejected a petition
filed by the families against the evacuation, although the families submitted
documents that support their ownership of the house.
Settlement
Activities: IOF
have continued settlement activities in the OPT in violation of international
humanitarian law. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property. On 02 April 2009, at least 20 Israeli settlers blew up
the doors of four shops in the second-hand clothes market near “Abraham
Avino” settlement outpost in the south of Hebron. They then removed the
rubble and started to rehabilitate the four shops in order to seize them. On 06
April 2009, IOF informed five Palestinian civilians in Deir Sa’da area to the
south of al-Zahiriya village, south of Hebron, that their houses would be
demolished. IOF claim that these houses were built without licenses. These
civilians filed petitions against the demolition orders.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (02 – 08 April
2009)
The full report is available PDF format.
