Ref:
136/2011

The
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns attacks launched by groups
of Israeli settlers in the early morning in two Palestinian villages to the
southeast of Nablus.  PCHR calls upon the
Israeli Occupation Forces to open investigations into these attacks and bring
perpetrators to justice.

According
to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 00:15 on Monday, 12
December 2011, more than 100 Israeli settlers from “Yizhar”
settlement which is established on Palestinian lands in the east of Southern Assira
village, south of Nablus, attacked Palestinian houses in Southern Assira
village.  The majority of settlers were
wearing black clothes and a number of them were wearing green clothes. As they
approached Palestinian houses, which are approximately 350 meters from
“Yizhar” settlement, they threw stones and empty bottles at houses.
Palestinian residents, especially children and women, were in intimidated and
panicked as a result of the attack. There are 62 people, including 46 children
and 7 women, living in the targeted houses. As a result of the said attack, the
windows of seven of the targeted houses were smashed. Similarly, the windows of
a taxi that was parked in front of one of the targeted houses were smashed.  Thirty minutes later, IOF military jeeps
arrived at the scene and the Israeli settlers withdrew.  IOF have not taken any measures against the
settlers who launched the attack.

The
attacked houses belong to:

1. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Abdul Rahman Ahmed.  Twelve individuals, including 8 children, live
in the house.  Israeli settlers also destroyed
the windows of a taxi owned by Ahmed.

2. Basem Mohammed Hassan Saleh Hammad.  Nine individuals, including 7 children, live
in the house.

3. Jamil Abdullah Hamdan Saleh.  Five individuals, including 3 children, live
in the house.

4. Khalil Mohammed Mahmoud Saleh.  Nine individuals, including 7 children, live
in the house.

5. Ibrahim Mohammed Suleiman Makhlouf.  Eight individuals, including 6 children, live
in the house.

6. Rasem Abdul Fattah Mohammed Abdul Rahman. Eleven individuals,
including 9 children, live in the house.

7. Abdul Baset Mohammed Abdul Rahman Ahmed.  Eight individuals, including 6 children, live
in the house.

At
approximately 01:15 on Monday, a group of Israeli settlers also from
“Yizhar” settlement threw Molotov cocktails at the house of Jamal
Abdullah Yousef Shehada in Orif village, southeast of Nablus.  One of the windows in the southern walls of
the house was set alight and smashed as a result.  Seven individuals, including 5 children, live
in Shehada’s house, which is located approximately one kilometer from
“Yizhar” settlement.

PCHR
condemns the above attacks and warns of escalation of attacks by settlers in
the few coming days and:

1. Calls for putting an end to protection provided by IOF to settlers
and to the immunity provided by IOF to settlers’ crimes against the Palestinian
civilians and their property, which encourages settlers to commit more crimes.

2. Calls upon the international community to exert pressure on the
government of the State of Israel in order to fulfill its obligations under
international law and put an end to all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT).

3. Reminds the international community that settlement is a war crime
in accordance to international law.  Thus,
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, individually or
collectively, must assume their legal and moral responsibilities and fulfill
their obligations relating to ensuring Israel’s respect for the Convention in
the OPT, as per Article 1 of the Convention.