Press Release

New Intensive Settlement Attacks in the Gaza Strip

Date:11 October 1999

Ref: 101/99

As a part of the ongoing settlement attacks carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian territories and, within the context of its attempt to confiscate more of the Palestinian Territories in Gaza Strip, an Israeli bulldozer, on 30 September 1999 excavated about 70 dunnams of the land located at the border of Beat Sadah and Atsumanah settlements to the east of Rafah city in the area of Al Mawasi. About 300 meters of barbed wire which separated the two settlements from the surrounding land was removed. This land is considered governmental land planted and used by Abu Shaluf family. And The excavated activities carried out by the Israeli Occupation forces is considered primary step towards confiscating the land and annexing it to the settlements.

At another level, and within the context of its policy to worsen the conditions of Al Mawasi civilians, the Israeli Occupation Government, on 4 October 1999 ordered Mamo’on Al-la’ham to stop building a house for his family (which consists of ten people). Ala’ham had started to build the foundations of the house on an area of 110 square metres of Tabu land owned by him and connect Kfar Yam settlement (located at Khan Younis beach) and Neve Dekalim settlements.

In a subsequent step, on 10 October 1999, an official of the Israeli Governmental Properties Office, accompanied by an Israeli military vehicle, presented Sabri Al-Najar with notification to vacate an area of land of approximately 12 dunnams located in Tel Jenan land (in the Mawasi of Khan Younis to the west of Neve Dekalim settlements). The official arrived while Al-Najar was working on the land to prepare it for planting and told him to stopped working on the land and not to plant it, claiming it as governmental land subject to the Israeli jurisdiction. It is worth mentioning that on 7 October 1999, Israeli settlers built a road along the northern side of the above mentioned land with the aim of annexing it to the land already controlled by them, in this case an area of approximately 200 dunnams.

This intensive settlement escalation reflects the reality of the new Labour government in Israeli, which does not differ in essence from the previous government headed by Netanyahu.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights condemns the policy of settlement expansion pursued by the Israeli occupation forces, a policy which is contrary to, and which constitutes a grave breach of international laws and United Nation General Assembly resolutions which consider the existence of these settlements illegal and demands their elimination. PCHR repeats its request to the international community, and particularly the High Contracting Parties to the IVth Geneva Convention to take all necessary actions to fulfil their responsibilities regarding Israel’s grave violations of the Convention, and to bring and end to those violations.

 

For More Information Contact:

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

Tel/Fax: (+) 9727 2824776/2823725

E-mail: [email protected]