Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· A Palestinian boy was killed by IOF when he attempted to
infiltrate into Israel to search for a job.
· The Israeli police beat a Palestinian to death in occupied
East Jerusalem.
· 15 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, and an
Israeli solidarity activist were wounded by IOF gunfire.
· 12 of these civilians were wounded in Bal’ein village, west
of Ramallah.
· IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 63 Palestinians, including 7 children.
·
· IOF raided offices of Afaq Television and used staff
members as human shields.
·
· IOF stormed an elementary school in Ethna village, west of
Hebron, and beat a number of school children.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
· IOF have operated Erez crossing as an international
crossing point.
·
· IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank
arrested 12 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and a girl.
·
· A Palestinian civilian died at Rafah International Crossing
Point due to rushing and congestion.
·
· The Gaza Strip has suffered from shortages in fuels and
basic goods.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank.
· Two houses were demolished by IOF in Sour Baher village,
southwest of Jerusalem.
· IOF confiscated 17 donums[1] of agricultural land in Qalqilya.
· Israeli settlers launched more attacks on Palestinian
civilians and property.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (8 – 14 March 2007):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF
killed a Palestinian boy in the Gaza Strip, and wounded 15 Palestinian civilians,
including 3 children, and an Israeli solidarity activist in the opt. The
Israeli police also beat a Palestinian civilian to death in occupied East
Jerusalem.
On 9 March 2007, IOF
shot dead a Palestinian boy and arrested another one in the Gaza Strip when the
two boys attempted to infiltrate into Israel to search for jobs, due to the
economic crisis in the Gaza Strip. IOF gunboats also wounded 3 Palestinian
fishermen in Rafah.
In the West Bank, a Palestinian civilian died as he was violently
beaten by the Israeli police in occupied East Jerusalem. An Israeli police
spokesman claimed that “a young man from al-Tour neighborhood was driving a
car, in which a woman from Jordan ,whose entry into Israel is prohibited, was
traveling. Policemen requested him to go the police station. As he was mounting
stairs, he felt acute pains in the chest. An ambulance was brought, but he
died.” According to the victim’s family, his health was good and he was not
suffering from any disease. Also during
the reporting period, 12 Palestinian civilians, including two children, and an
Israeli solidarity activist were wounded when IOF used force against a peaceful
demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall
in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, on 9 March 2007. On 11 March, IOF
soldiers fired at a Palestinian civilian in Abu Dis village, southeast of
Jerusalem, wounding him seriously.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. During those incursions, IOF arrested 63 Palestinians in the West
Bank and one in the Gaza Strip. Thus, the number of Palestinians arrested by
IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has mounted to 745. IOF
further stormed offices of Afaq Television in Nabus. They used staff members as
human shields while searching the offices. IOF also stormed an elementary
school in Ethna village, west of Hebron, and beat a number of school children.
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
imposed a strict siege on the Gaza Strip. They have closed its border crossings
as a form of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.
IOF have
closed Rafah International Crossing Point since 25 June 2006, even though they
do not directly control it. During the reporting period, the crossing point was
reopened on 8, 9, 12 and March 2007, and hundreds of Palestinians were able to
travel through it. It was also supposed to be reopened on 3 March 2007, but IOF
prevented EU observers from reaching the crossing point to operate it. On 8
March
Palestinian civilian died from a heart attack and 5 others, including 3 women,
were injured at Rafah International Crossing Point due to congestion and
rushing.
During
the reporting period, IOF partially reopened the crossing point for two hours
on 2 March 2007 and for 6 hours on 6 March 2007. IOF have
partially reopened commercial crossings, especially al-Mentar (Karni) crossing,
but many goods and medical supplies have been lacked in markets in the Gaza
Strip. IOF have also continued to close Erez crossing in the northern Gaza
Strip. Hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have been prevented from
traveling through this crossing. IOF have allowed international workers to
pass through the crossing. With this closure, only few Palestinian
patients have been able to travel to hospitals in Israel and the West
Bank. On Friday, 16
February 2007, IOF opened the new Erez International Crossing Point under new
procedures. Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have to obtain
permits from the IOF Civil Administration as it was the case before. However,
Palestinians living in East Jerusalem have to hand their identity cards the
Israeli Ministry of Interior to get travel documents. In the past, they had to
hand identity cards to IOF at Erez crossing. This includes 800-1000 women from
East Jerusalem married to men in the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinians who
traveled through the new crossing point, IOF imposed the same restrictions on
their movement as in the past. In addition, IOF have continued to
prevent Palestinian fishermen from fishing for more than 9 months. During the
reporting period, 3 Palestinian fishermen were wounded when IOF gunboats fired
at their boat.
West Bank
IOF have tightened the
siege imposed on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have
isolated Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. Contrary to Israeli claims, IOF
positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. During the
reporting period, IOF soldiers positioned at various checkpoints in the West
Bank arrested at least 12 Palestinians, including 3 children and a girl.
Settlement Activities: During the reporting period, Israeli settlers living in
the West Bank in violation of international law continued their systematic
attacks on Palestinian civilians and property, and IOF continued settlement
expansion activities. IOF demolished two houses in Sour Baher village,
southwest of Jerusalem, claiming that they were built without licenses. IOF
also confiscated 17 donums of Palestinian agricultural land in Qalqilya.
Additionally, Israeli settlers living in settlement outposts inside Hebron
launched a series of attacks on Palestinian civilians and property.
Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (8 – 14 March 2007)
The full report is available PDF format.
