Introduction

 

This report covers Israeli violations of human rights in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPT) from August 2-8, 2001. According to PCHR’s investigations during this
week, Israeli occupation forces escalated their attacks against Palestinian
civilians and property. They continued
to use excessive force against Palestinian civilians who were protesting
peacefully against the occupation. In
more than one incident, Israeli occupation forces willfully shot at Palestinian
civilian cars, injuring a number of people.

 

Despite increasing
international criticism, Israeli occupation forces continued to carry out a
policy of liquidating those whom the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon
considers “activists of the Intifada.” This week witnessed two new extra-judicial killings that resulted in the
death of a Palestinian and the injury of 5, one of whom was in serious
condition. Investigations also indicate
that Israeli occupation forces killed a Palestinian after he was wounded and
arrested.

 

On Saturday, August 4,
2001, Israeli occupation forces fired rockets at a convoy of cars accompanying
Marwan Bargouthi, Secretary of Fatah Movement in the West Bank and Member of
the Palestinian Legislative Council. Muhannad Munib Sa’id Abu El-Halawa, 23, miraculously survived after he
had been injured. A bystander, ‘Omar
Saleh ‘Eissa, 70, was also injured in the right hand and the feet.

 

On Sunday afternoon, August 5, 2001, the Israeli occupation forces
assassinated ‘Aamer Mansour El-Hudeiri, 22, from Tulkarm. An Israeli combat helicopter fired a rocket
at his car, when he was travelling from the north to the center of
Tulkarm. El-Hudeiri died instantly and
three passing civilians were injured.

 

In the
evening, Israeli occupation soldiers shot dead Mahdi Mohammed ‘Abdel-Fattah
Mizyed, 26, from ‘Anabta village near Tulkarm, with live bullets in the chest
and the right leg. According to medical
sources at Tulkram Hospital, Mizyed was beaten and tortured after he had been wounded. There were injuries in his chest, the thighs
and the legs; his skull was broken and his brain was also exposed. X-rays showed shrapnel in his right leg, but
no signs of live bullets or shrapnel in the head. All these details raise suspicions that
Mizyed might have been beaten and tortured before he died. On August 7, 2001, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz
carried a report from Reuters press agency that eyewitnesses saw four
Israeli soldiers chasing Mizyed. They
caught him and severely beat him on the head until he was subdued.

 

In a similar incident, a
videotape telecast by Abu Dhabi satellite channel on Sunday and Monday, August
5 and 6, 2001 showed ‘Ali Ibrahim El-Joulani, from Qalandya refugee camp north
of Jerusalem, who carried out an attack near the Israeli Ministry of Defense,
lying on his back, still alive, and raising his left arm. Then, two Israeli policemen stepped on his
arms and handcuffed him before moving him into an ambulance. The videotape raises suspicions that Israeli
occupation soldiers might have killed El-Joulani intentionally after he had
been arrested.

 

The cases of Mizyed and El-Joulani recall the killing
of Subhi and Majdi Abu Jame’ on April 12, 1984, after they had been arrested by
Israeli security agents for their engagement in hijacking an Israeli bus and
forcing it to move into the Gaza Strip. On July 26, 1996, the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot published an
interview with Ehud Yatom, a former security man and a close aide to Ariel
Sharon, in which he confessed his direct involvement in killing Subhi and Mjdi
Abu Jame’.

 

On Thursday, August 2,
2001, Israeli occupation forces shot dead Firas Salim Helmi ‘Abdel-Haq, 23,
from Nablus, with two live bullets in the chest and the right leg. PCHR learnt that ‘Abdel-Haq was with some
young men in Beit Eiba village near a bypass road near Nablus, when they were
fired at by Israeli occupation soldiers.

 

On three occasions this week, Israeli occupation
forces continued to penetrate into areas under full control of the Palestinian
National Authority and to shell Palestinian residential areas. They also continued to restrict movement of Palestinians, placing
roadblocks on main and branch roads and at the entrances of Palestinian cities
in the OPT. They also prohibited
movement between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.[1] Israeli occupation forces arrested some
Palestinians at military roadblocks and/or from their houses.

 

 

1. Continued Assassinations
and Extra-Judicial Killings

 

Despite increasing
international criticism, Israeli occupation forces continued to carry out a
policy of liquidating those whom the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon
considers “activists of the Intifada.” This week witnessed two new extra-judicial killings that resulted in the
death of a Palestinian and the injury of 5, one of whom was in serious condition.

 

On Saturday, August 4,
2001, Israeli occupation forces fired two rockets at a convoy of cars
accompanying Marwan Bargouthi, Secretary of Fatah Movement in the West Bank and
Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. A rocket hit one car, injuring its driver with a first-degree burn in
the face and the chest and a bystander. These civilian cars were moving from the headquarters of the High
Committee of Fatah Movement in Al-Bireh. As soon as they were approximately 150m away from the headquarters, a
rocket was fired at one car, driven by Muhannad Munib Sa’id Abu El-Halawa,
23. The rocket missed its target and Abu
El-Halawa jumped out of the car before it was hit. The car was completely destroyed, while Abu
El-Halawa was injured. A bystander, ‘Omar
Saleh ‘Eissa, 70, was also injured in the right hand and the feet.

 

Information about the
source of fire varied. While media
sources said that Israeli combat helicopters fired the two rockets at Abu
El-Halawa’s car, the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and
the Environment (LAW) asserted that the rockets were fired from “Psagot”
settlement east of Al-Bireh, approximately 1km away from the headquarters of
Fatah Movement.

 

Later, Israeli occupation
forces claimed that they did not target El-Bargouthi, but instead were aiming
for Abu El-Halawa, an officer of Force 17 (the Palestinian President’s Guard)
and a Fatah activist in Ramallah and Al-Bireh. They claimed that Abu El-Halawa was responsible for a number of attacks
against settlers.

 

On Sunday afternoon,
August 5, 2001, Israeli occupation forces assassinated ‘Aamer Mansour
El-Hudeiri, 22, from Tulkarm. At
approximately 16:45 local time, an Israeli combat helicopter fired a rocket at
a Palestinian civilian car, a white Suzuki, which was travelling from the north
to the center of Tulkarm. The rocket
exploded directly in front of the car. Due to the heaviness of the explosion, the car turned back. Then, another rocket hit the car and fire
broke out. No one was able to get close
to the car to put out fire. The driver,
El-Hudeiri, instantly died. El-Hudeiri
was a Hamas activist and a junior student at Al-Quds Open University. Three passing civilians were also injured
throughout the body; they are:

1) ‘Abdel-Jabbar Adib Taher,
21;

2) Firas Khashan, 25, and

3) Rashad ‘Abdel-Raziq
El-Mutawar, 27.

 

2. Shooting at Palestinian
Civilians

 

Thursday,
August 2, 2001

 

At
approximately 16:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces shot dead Firas Salim
Helmi ‘Abdel-Haq, 23, from Nablus, with two live bullets in the chest and the
right leg. PCHR learnt that ‘Abdel-Haq
was with some young men in Beit Eiba village near a bypass road linking between
“Shavi Shomron” settlement, northwest of Nablus, and a military site of the
Israeli occupation forces on ‘Eibal Mount, north of Nablus, when they were
fired at by Israeli soldiers. Later, the
Israeli occupation forces claimed that ‘Abdel-Haq was a member of an armed
group that was about to attack a military site at the aforementioned bypass
road.

 

It is
worth mentioning that Firas was the second member of his family to be killed in
the Intifada. His brother Hammam was
killed on Saturday, May 19, 2001 during clashes between Palestinian
demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces at the southern entrance to Nablus.

 

In the
evening, Israeli occupation soldiers shot dead Mahdi Mohammed ‘Abdel-Fattah
Mizyed, 26, from ‘Anabta village near Tulkarm, a member of the Palestinian
Military Intelligence Service, with live bullets in the chest and the right
leg. According to available information,
Israeli occupation soldiers might have killed Mizyed after he was wounded and
incapacitated. At approximately 19:20
local time, Israeli occupation soldiers in military vehicles on the Nablus-Tulkarm
road, near Ramin village southeast of Tulkram, fired at Mizyed. He was near an Israeli military roadblock at
the entrance to Ramin village. The
Israeli occupation forces claimed that their soldiers fired at Mezyed during an
exchange of fire with a number of Palestinian militants.

 

On August
7, 2001, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz carried a report by Reuters press
agency that eyewitnesses saw four Israeli soldiers chasing Mizyed. They caught him and severely beat him on the
head until he lost consciousness. 

 

Israeli
occupation forces prevented an ambulance from the Palestine Red Crescent
Society from evacuating Mizyed from the area. Medical personnel saw Israeli occupation soldiers removing the victim’s
body from the area before withdrawing. They kept his body until the following day.

 

According
to medical sources at Tulkram Hospital, Mizyed was beaten and tortured after he
had been wounded. in the chest and the right leg. His skull was broken and his brain
exposed. There were injuries in his
chest, thighs, and legs. X-rays showed
shrapnel in the right leg, but no signs of live bullets or shrapnel in the
head. All these details raise suspicions
that Mizyed might have been beaten and tortured before he died.

 

At
approximately 20:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces, positioned at Salah
El-Din Gate on the Egyptian border south of Rafah, opened fire on Palestinian
civilians who were near their houses, approximately 300m away. Hassan Samih Musleh, 16, was seriously
wounded by a live bullet in the head. He
was evacuated to Martyr Abu Yousef El-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, and from there
to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City. PCHR’s
field officer in Rafah reported that Musleh was near a grocery store at ‘Omar
Ben El-Khattab Street opposite to the gate, and that the shooting came after a
hand grenade had been thrown at the aforementioned military location.

 

Friday,
August 3, 2001

 

At noon, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at
the settlement road between Al-Shuhada’ junction and Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet,
east of Gaza City, fired at a number of Palestinian civilians who were
demonstrating approximately 200m away. Three of these civilians were wounded as follows:

1) Lu’ai Mahmoud Dhib Hamattu, 18, from Sheikh Radwan
neighborhood in Gaza City, was wounded by a live bullet in the right side;

2) Sa’id Sami El-Nazli, 15, from Sheikh Radwan
neighborhood in Gaza City, was wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh; and

3) Mohammed Rashad ‘Obeid, 18, from Al-Shoja’eya
neighborhood in Gaza City, was wounded by a live bullet in the left thigh.

 

At approximately 13:30 local time, a number of
Palestinian civilians demonstrated near Tariq Ben Ziad School and Al-Sahla and
Qaytoun Street, and at Al-Karantina and Al-Shallala Streets in Hebron. Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned
inside settlements and along demarcation lines, fired live ammunition and
rubber-coated metal bullets at them, wounding eight as follows:

1) Khaldoun Fathi El-‘Ajlouni, 8, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the abdomen;

2) Wajih Fathi El-‘Ajlouni, 5, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the left leg;

3) ‘Arafat Samih El-‘Ajlouni, 17, wounded by a live
bullet in the right foot;

4) ‘Aamer Haron Edris, 23, wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the left shoulder;

5) Tarif ‘Abdel-Salam El-Zaru, 35, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the abdomen;

6) Na’im Sharif El-Rujbi, 19, wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the right shoulder;

7) Jihad Ismail Taha, 19, wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the abdomen; and

8) Walid Mohammed El-Tarwa, 24, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the back.

 

At approximately 14:00 local time, Israeli occupation
soldiers, positioned at the main entrance to Al-Sammou’ village south of
Hebron, fired live ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets at Palestinian
civilians unjustifiably and without any prior warning. Manar ‘Eissa El-Daghamin, 20, was wounded by
a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head.

 

At approximately 14:30 local time, clashes erupted
between a number of Palestinian children who were demonstrating at the southern
entrance to Qalqilya and Israeli occupation forces positioned there. The Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated
metal bullets and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. A 13-year-old child, Ahmed Ibrahim El-Aqra’, was wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the head and many demonstrators suffered from tear gas
inhalation.

 

At approximately 15:00 local time, Israeli occupation
soldiers, positioned at the northern entrance to Al-Bireh, fired live
ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets at a number of Palestinian civilians
who were demonstrating approximately 300m away. Three demonstrators were wounded as follows:

1) ‘Abdel-Jaber Ahmed Mohammed El-Atarash, 22, from
Ramallah, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head;

2) Hani Anwar ‘Awad, from Deir El-Balah in the Gaza
Strip, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, wounded by a live
bullet in the left leg; and

3) Mousa Mohammed El-‘Amouri, 18, from Jalazoun refugee
camp, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the abdomen.

 

At approximately 15:00 local time, Israeli occupation
soldiers, positioned at the entrance of “Halmish” settlement, north of Nablus,
opened fire indiscriminately at a number of Palestinian civilians from Seilat
Al-Zhaher village south of Jenin, approximately 150m away. Two civilians were injured as follows:

1) Yousef Ra’ed Mus’ad, 16, seriously injured by a live
bullet in the abdomen; and

2) Kamela ‘Awadh Khalil Sukkar, 28, injured by shrapnel
from live bullets in the face and the chest.

 

At approximately 20:30 local time, Israeli occupation
soldiers, positioned at a roadblock east of Nour Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm,
opened fire on a Palestinian civilian car, wounding the driver and a 5-year-old
child. PCHR was informed that Jamil
Qassem Sahrour, 48, from ‘Anabta village near Tulkaram, was traveling from his
village to Tulkarm in his private car. His grandson Majd Amjad El-Jallad, 5, was traveling with him. When they arrived at a roadblock at the
entrance to Nour Shams refugee camp, he was surprised by a tank positioned in
the middle of the road, surrounded by 5 Israeli soldiers. Shahrour immediately stopped his car and was
not able to move back. Then, Israeli
occupation soldiers fired at the car from a distance of approximately 20m. Two live bullets hit the car, one of which
penetrated the front window, wounding Shahrour lightly in the left shoulder and
then wounding the child who was sitting in the back seat in the left
forearm. The other live bullet wounded
the child in the abdomen. Shahrour
traveled in his car to a clinic in ‘Anabta village, where an ambulance was
called. The child was moved by taxi to
the roadblock where he was wounded, and from there he was transferred to the
ambulance, which took him to Tulkarm Hospital. According to medical sources at the hospital, the first live bullet cut
the sinews and broke the bones of the child’s forearm, while the other live
bullet cut the spleen and the intestines and injured the pancreas, causing
internal hemorrhage. The following
morning, the child was transferred to an Israeli hospital, in serious
condition. 

 

Saturday, August 4, 2001

 

At approximately 11:00
local time, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at a military roadblock on
settlement road (70) near “Bakout” settlement in the Jordan Valley, fired at a
Palestinian civilian car that was traveling to Ramallah, wounding its two
occupants. PCHR was informed that
Israeli occupation soldiers at the aforementioned roadblock opened fire
suddenly and indiscriminately on a Palestinian car, in which Akram Dhib
Sammour, 23, from Nablus, and Samer Mohammed ‘Alloush, 23, from ‘Askar refugee
camp, were traveling from Nablus to Ramallah. Sammour was wounded by three live bullets in the right shoulder and the
back, and ‘Alloush was wounded by a live bullet in the right arm. Additionally, windows of the car were broken
and its tires were damaged. The two
civilians were evacuated to Jenin Hospital and from there they were transferred
to Rafidya Hospital in Nablus.

 

At approximately 16:00
local time, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at Dabouya Street in
Hebron, fired a live bullet from a very short distance at Faraj Mohammed
Farhoud Abu Sneineh, 27, wounding him in the right leg. PCHR was informed that Abu Sneineh is
mentally handicapped. He was passing
near Israeli occupation soldiers who beat him and also detained him for some
time. As soon as they released him,
soldiers fired a live bullet at him, wounding him in the right leg.

 

At approximately 17:30
local time, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at the southern entrance to
Seilat Al-Zhaher village south of Jenin, opened fire on Palestinian houses in
the village, wounding a 14-year-old child, ‘Abdullah Saber El-Hantouli, with a
live bullet in the back. According to an
eyewitness, the child was wounded when he was on the roof of his family’s
house, and Israeli occupation soldiers opened fire unjustifiably.

 

Sunday, August 5, 2001

 

In the morning, ‘Ali
Ibrahim El-Joulani, 30, from Qalandya refugee camp north of Jerusalem, was
killed by Israeli occupation soldiers, after carrying out an attack against
some Israeli soldiers near the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel-Aviv. A videotape telecast by Abu Dhabi satellite
channel on Sunday and Monday, August 5 and 6, 2001, showed El-Joulani lying on
his back, still alive, and raising his left arm. Then, two Israeli policemen stepped on his
arms and handcuffed him before moving him into an ambulance. The videotape raises suspicions that Israeli
occupation soldiers might have killed El-Joulani intentionally after he had
been arrested.

 

At approximately 20:15
local time, Israeli occupation forces, positioned at the border east of Beit
Hanoun, opened fire on Palestinian houses, approximately 700m away from the
border. Kayed Salameh El-Shalalfa, 23, from
Al-Moghraqa area south of Gaza City, was wounded by a live bullet in the left
thigh. According to El-Shalalfa, he was
visiting a friend in the area. They were
sitting near the friend’s house drinking tea when he was wounded.

 

Monday, August 6, 2001

 

In the afternoon, after
the funeral procession of ‘Aamer El-Hdeiri, clashes erupted between a number of
Palestinian civilians and Israeli occupation forces, positioned in the
headquarters of the Israeli military liaison west of Tulkarm. Israeli occupation soldiers fired at
demonstrators, wounding three, as well as a female passerby:

1) Khairia Ahmed Yousef
El-Hayek, 40, from ‘Anabta village, wounded by a live bullet in the pelvis;

2) Mohammed Khaled Mohammed
Yousef, 18, from Tulkarm, wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh;

3) Haitham Fakhri Ahmed
Sabti, 42, from Tulkarm, wounded by a live bullet in the right knee; and

4) ‘Ali Hassan Abu Shanab,
20, from Tulkarm, wounded by a live bullet in the left thigh.

 

Tuesday, August 7, 2001

 

At approximately 12:30
local time, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at the Egyptian border
south of Rafah, opened fire on Palestinian civilians in Rafah refugee
camp. Four civilians were injured by
shrapnel from live bullets while trying to escape from to avoid injuries. They are:

1) Ahmed Subhi Abu Toyour, 10,
injured by shrapnel in the face and the head;

2) Ibrahim ‘Abdel-Salam
Matar, 13, injured by shrapnel in the face and the head;

3) Ashraf Hamed Abu Ammouna,
28, mentally handicapped, injured by shrapnel in the left shoulder; and

4) Ahmed Mohammed Matar, 40,
injured by shrapnel in the face and the head.

 

3. Shelling of Residential
Areas

 

Thursday, August 2, 2001

 

At approximately 21:10 local time, Israeli occupation
forces, positioned in “Ramat Yishai” settlement and military observation points
at demarcation lines in Hebron, fired artillery shells and heavy and medium
caliber bullets at Palestinian houses in Al-Sheikh, Beir Al-Hummos and Bab
Al-Zawia neighborhoods. The shelling
continued sporadically until 00:30 local time. A civilian car owned by Hamdi Mohammed Ahmiro was destroyed, a cemetery
in Al-Sheikh neighborhood was severely damaged, and a number of windows and
doors of some houses were broken.

 

Friday, August 3, 2001

 

At approximately 17:25 local time, Israeli occupation
forces, positioned north of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, fired heavy
and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian farms in Al-Sayafa area for half an
hour. A Palestinian civilian car, owned
by Ziad Mousa El-Ghoul, was severely damaged. El-Ghoul told PCHR’s fieldworker in the northern Gaza strip that he left
his car approximately 100m away from the gate of Al-Sayafa area between “Dogit”
and “Elli Sinai” settlements, which had been under a strict siege imposed by
the Israeli occupation forces.

 

At approximately 19:10 local time, Israeli occupation
forces, positioned in military sites and settlements inside Hebron, fired
artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses and
civilian facilities in the city. An
electric transmitter, facades of a restaurant, some shops, and the third floor
of the Hebron Chamber of Commerce were destroyed.

 

At approximately 21:30 local time, Israeli occupation
forces, positioned on Na’im Mount in the east of Bitounia near Ramallah, fired
artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses in
the town, approximately 2km away. The
shelling continued sporadically up to 03:00 local time on the following
day. Elias Yousef, 78, was injured by
shrapnel in the head and four houses were severely damaged.

 

Saturday, August 4, 2001

 

At approximately 18:05
local time, Israeli occupation forces, positioned in “Rmat Yishai,” “Avraham
Avino” and “Hgai” settlements and military sites in Tal Al-Rumeida neighborhood
and on Johar Mount, fired artillery shells and heavy caliber bullets at
Palestinian houses and shops in Bab Al-Zawia, Al-Sheikh, Abu Sneineh and
Al-Takrouri neighborhoods, at Faisal and Wadi Al-Tuffah Streets, the vicinity
of ‘Aalia Hospital and the eastern part of Doura village in Hebron. The shelling continued sporadically until
midnight. A blacksmith shop owned by
Hazem Salim Siouri was destroyed and a pharmacy owned by Mahdi El-Natsheh and
three buildings were severely damaged. The
buildings include some clinics, medical laboratories, engineering offices, the
headquarters of Physicians without Borders, the headquarters of Human Land
Society and a Palestine Red Crescent physiotherapy center. Besides, an electric transmitter was
destroyed. Two civilians were also
injured as follows:

1) Meriam Hashem Abu Daoud,
20, injured by shrapnel in the right leg; and

2) Nawaf ‘Aashour
El-‘Ajlouni, 50, injured by shrapnel in the left foot.

 

In Doura village, a
roadblock of the Palestinian National Security Forces at the southern entrance
to the village was destroyed, and a number of Palestinian houses were damaged.

 

Sunday, August 5, 2001

 

At approximately 04:50
local time, Israeli combat helicopters shelled a site of the Palestinian
National Security Forces in Rafah. According to PCHR’s investigation, three Israeli combat helicopters
fired five rockets at the headquarters of the Palestinian National Security
Forces in the east of Rafah and nearby houses in Al-Nasser village,
approximately 500m away from the headquarters. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that three rockets hit the room
of commander, completely destroying it and some windows in the location. The other two rockets exploded approximately
50m away from the house of Fayeq ‘Abed-Rabbu Abu El-Hussein, destroying its windows
and water tanks. Abu El-Hussein was also
injured by shrapnel in the right arm.

 

At approximately 23:30
local time, Israeli tanks positioned on a hill east of Qalqilya fired artillery
shells at a military site for joint patrols in Al-Razzaza area east of the
city. The site was destroyed and a taxi
owned by Ahmed Dhiab was damaged.

 

At the same time, Israeli
occupation forces, positioned at the southern entrance to Qalqilya, fired
artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at a site of the
Palestinian Military Intelligence Service south of the city. The site was hit by five shells and
completely destroyed. A nearby well was
also destroyed. The Israeli occupation
forces also fire three shells at a site of PMIS in Al-Tabbal area south of the
city, completely destroying it. Moreover,
the electricity network in the area was damaged. No casualties were reported.

 

Wednesday, August 8, 2001

 

At approximately 16:00
local time, two Israeli combat helicopters fired five rockets at a roadblock of
Force 17 (the Palestinian Presidential Guard) at the northern entrance to
Nablus. Four rockets hit the roadblock,
destroying it. The fifth rocket hit a
building still under construction, damaging it. No casualties were reported.

 

4. Continued Encroachments,
Land Leveling and Civilian Facilities Demolition

 

Thursday, August 2, 2001

 

At approximately 19:30
local time, two tanks and a number of military jeeps of the Israeli occupation
forces broke into the border area east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza
Strip. PCHR’s field officer in the
northern Gaza Strip reported that the Israeli forces penetrated approximately
600m into the area while firing their weapons. He added that they withdrew on the following morning.

 

At approximately 20:30
local time, two Israeli tanks moved from “Kfar Darom” settlement into a
Palestinian residential area in Deir El-Balah north of the settlement. Palestinian civilians were terrified and fled
their houses and shops. The two tanks
stopped near Abu Salim Mosque, only 10m away from a Palestinian police station
at the center of the town, which is under the full control of the Palestinian
National Authority. This incursion
coincided with the passage of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat through the
town, coming from Egypt. President
Arafat was forced to change his route. PCHR’s field officer in the middle area of the Gaza Strip reported that
the Israeli forces fired in the air to terrify Palestinians before they
withdrew to the settlement.

 

At approximately 22:00
local time, two Israeli tanks moved from “Morag” settlement to Musabbeh
neighborhood north of Rafah. They raided
a Palestinian police station, approximately 500m away from the settlement. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that the
Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the area at approximately 04:00 local
time on the following day after they had pulled down two tents, which the
Palestinian National Security Forces pitched after their site had been
destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces on July 24, 2001.

 

At approximately 23:30
local time, two Israeli tanks moved from “Dogit” settlement north of Beit Lahia
in the northern Gaza Strip, and penetrated approximately 1,500m into
Palestinian agricultural land east of the settlement, passing by a roadblock
and a site of the Palestinian National Security Forces. PCHR’s field officer in the northern Gaza
Strip reported that bulldozers accompanying the tanks razed more areas of
Palestinian agricultural land:

1) They razed a 3-donum area
of agricultural land planted with vegetables and destroyed an irrigation network,
owned by Sa’di Khalil Mohammed El-‘Attar; and

2) They razed a 2-donum area
of agricultural land planted with lemons and figs and destroyed its fence,
owned by ‘Ali Khader Khudeir.

 

Friday, August 3, 2001

 

At approximately 11:00
local time, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks, penetrated 250m
into the east of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. PCHR’s field officer in the northern Gaza
Strip reported that they opened fire intensively before withdrawing 3 hours
later.

 

Saturday, August 4, 2001

 

At approximately 02:00
local time, three bulldozers and two tanks of the Israeli occupation forces
penetrated approximately 300m into Palestinian areas north of “Kfar Darom”
settlement. They destroyed a
500-square-meter site of Palestinian police at the entrance to Deir El-Balah,
including a two-story building.

 

5. Arrests by the Israeli
Occupation Forces

 

This week, Israeli
occupation forces arrested 16 Palestinians. These arrests took place in the following ways:

1) Arrests at international
border crossings, which are under control of Israeli occupation forces.

2) Arrests at military
roadblocks on main and branch roads and at the entrances to Palestinian cities
and villages.

3) Arrests in Palestinian
towns and villages, often during house raids.

 

The following table lists
significant arrests that took place this week:

 

 

****

 

PCHR calls upon the international community:

 

1) To provide immediate and independent international
protection for the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories;

2) To ensure that the ICRC enhances its presence,
expands its activities, and intensifies its field observations throughout the
Occupied Palestinian Territories;

3) To ensure that the High Contracting Parties to the
Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 reconvene in order to take effective measures
to protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in
accordance with their obligations under article 1 to ensure the respect of the
Convention;

4) To investigate and prosecute those believed to have
committed war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories before
international courts;

5) To ensure that the European Union activates Article 2
of the Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must
respect human rights;

6) To ensure that the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights visits the Occupied Palestinian Territories and that the Resolution
adopted by the UN High Commission on Human Rights in April 2001 be implemented;

7) To provide humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian
people, whose living conditions are increasingly deteriorating as a result of
the continued siege imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the entire
Occupied Palestinian Territories.