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

· A
Palestinian child was killed and a member of the Islamic Jihad was
extra-judicially executed by IOF

· IOF
continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip.

· IOF
conducted 31 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and one
into the Gaza Strip.

· 58
Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, were arrested by IOF.

· 4
houses were demolished by IOF.

· 7
houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.

· IOF
have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; the Gaza Strip has suffered
from an economic crisis due to the closure of its border crossings; and IOF
arrested 22 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, at checkpoints in the
West Bank.

· IOF
have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF resumed
the construction of the Wall in Dahiat al-Barid area to the north of Jerusalem;
and IOF confiscated 766donums[1]
of agricultural land in Bethlehem and Hebron.

Summary

Israeli
violations of international law continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT) during the reporting period (16 – 22 March 2006):

Killing: On Friday, 17 March 2006, an IOF undercover
unit shot dead a Palestinian child in al-Yamoun village, west of Jenin. Israeli soldiers opened fire at a car in
which the child was traveling. Following
investigations into the killing, IOF admitted that the undercover unit violated
instructions of shooting. They claimed
that Israeli soldiers ordered the driver to stop, but he did not, so they fired
at the tires of the car, killing the child and injuring the driver. On Wednesday morning, 22 March 2006, IOF
extra-judicially executed a member of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing
of the Islamic Jihad, in ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, south of Jericho. During the reported period, 7 Palestinian
civilians, including 4 children, were wounded by the IOF gunfire.

Incursions:
IOF conducted 31 military incursions
into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and one into the Gaza Strip. During these incursions, IOF raided houses
and arrested 58 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children. In addition, IOF demolished 4 houses and transformed
7 others into military sites.  IOF used undercover
units and trained dogs during these incursions. 

Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a comprehensive siege
on the OPT, in violation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural
rights of Palestinian civilians. 

IOF have continued to impose a tightened
siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a large prison.  Rafah International Crossing Point on the
Egyptian border, the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world, has
been partially reopened. IOF have closed
all other border crossings of the Gaza Strip. Some basic foodstuffs have run out in the markets of the Gaza
Strip. “Kerem Shalom”
commercial crossing, southeast of Rafah, has not been operated. It was supposed to be opened on 21 March 2006
to allow the importation of some Egyptian goods, but IOF did not open it. Instead, IOF partially reopened al-Mentar
(Karni) commercial crossing, east of Gaza City, in response to international
pressure. PCHR called upon the international community, particularly the High
Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, UN agencies and
all international humanitarian organizations, to take effective measures to
force Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to allow the immediate flow of food, especially
flour and milk, into the Gaza Strip through al-Mentar (Karni) crossing. 

IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on
Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians in the West Bank as they imposed a total siege on the OPT. IOF extended the total closure imposed on the
OPT. IOF positioned at various
checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF positioned
at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 22 Palestinian civilians,
including 3 children and 3 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall
inside the West Bank.  During the reported period, IOF leveled areas of
Palestinian land in Dahiat al-Barid area, north of Jerusalem, to complete the
construction of a section of the Wall. On 19 March 2006, IOF issued military orders confiscating 766 donums of
agricultural land in Bethlehem and Hebron. IOF also used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in the
villages of Bal’ein and Beit Siera, west of Ramallah, in protest to the
construction of the Wall. Nine
Palestinian civilians were injured, and a number of other civilians suffered
from tear gas inhalation. IOF also
arrested an Israeli solidarity activist.

 

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (16 – 22 March 2006)

Download the full report
here.