Israeli Forces Continue to
Perpetrate Crimes in the OPTs
· 3
Palestinian civilians, including a 7-year-old child, were killed by Israeli
forces
· One
of the victims was killed in an extra-judicial assassination by Israeli forces
· Israeli
forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
· 14
houses were destroyed in the Gaza Strip
· Houses
were raided and a number of Palestinians were arrested
· Construction
of the “Annexation Wall” in the West Bank has continued and more areas of
Palestinian land seized
· Israeli
settlers continued their attacks on Palestinian civilians and properties and
more than 8000 donums of Palestinian land were confiscated for the purpose of
settlement expansion
· One
Palestinian house was destroyed by Israeli forces as part of the continuing
campaign of retaliation against the families of Palestinians accused of
involvement in attacks against Israeli targets
· Israeli
occupying forces have continued to impose a total siege on the OPTs
Introduction
This week, Israeli occupying forces have continued to
perpetrate violations of human rights against Palestinian civilians in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Human rights violations perpetrated
by Israeli occupying forces included willful and extra-judicial killing, incursions
into Palestinian areas, indiscriminate shelling and house demolitions. Israeli occupying forces have also continued
construction of the “Annexation Wall” inside the West Bank and continued to
impose a tight siege on the OPTs. This
week, 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed by Israeli
occupying forces.
In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces conducted
a series of military incursions into Palestinian areas and fired at Palestinian
demonstrations. This week, Israeli
forces killed a 7-year-old child in Balata refugee camp, and a young man in
Bethlehem. They also arrested dozens of
allegedly wanted Palestinian civilians. Israeli
forces took retaliatory measures against the families of Palestinians
Israel alleges have ordered, facilitated, or carried out attacks against
Israeli targets. In this context, they
destroyed one house in the West Bank. On
28 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces extra-judicially assassinated Jamil
Talab ‘Ouda al-Tal, 35, from al-Zahiriya village, south of Hebron.
Israeli settlers escalated their attacks against
Palestinian civilians and their properties. They seized more Palestinian land for the purpose of settlement
expansion and seized a number of houses after expelling Palestinian families.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces conducted
3 military incursions into Palestinian areas. They destroyed 13 houses in Khan Yunis refugee camp and a one in
Rafah. In addition, a number of
Palestinian civilians were injured by the Israeli shelling.
Israeli occupying forces have continued construction
of the “Annexation Wall” inside the West Bank, although the Israeli
High Court issued a temporary injunction stopping the construction of the wall in
some villages. This week, construction
was centered in the northern Jordan Valley. Israeli forces have also started to establish a fence around “Eitamar”
settlement, southeast of Nablus. For
this purpose, they delivered notices to about 30 families living in the area to
leave it. Israeli forces also uprooted
olive trees in Qatna villages, and used force against protests organized by
Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli peace activists.
This week, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPTs and imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including Jerusalem.
In the Gaza Strip, following the
assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on Monday morning, 22 March 2004, Israeli
occupying forces imposed a total siege on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
They closed all border crossings into the Gaza Strip, and divided it into 3
isolated zones. They also closed all entrances to Palestinian areas
located near Israeli settlements and prevented Palestinian civilians from
moving freely. Such restrictions on freedom of movement are in
contravention of international human rights law, to which Israel is a state
party, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights.
In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to impose a strict siege on Palestinian communities. They have also imposed severe restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have blocked a number of roads using
cement blocks, sand barriers, and trenches, and imposed curfews on a number of
villages.
The following is a summary of gross Israeli
violations of international law perpetrated against Palestinian civilians in March
2004:
§ 73
Palestinians (58 in the Gaza Strip and 15 in the West Bank) were killed by
Israeli forces, which puts the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces
since the beginning of the Intifada at 2527, including 2176 civilians.
§ 134
Palestinians were injured in the Gaza Strip, increasing the number of
Palestinians injured in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the current
Intifada to 6975.
§ 118
Palestinian homes were demolished in March, thus, the number of homes
demolished since the beginning of the Intifada has increased to 3367.
§ 120
donums were razed in the Gaza Strip, putting the total area of agricultural
land razed at 22616 donums.
Shelling of, and Encroachment into Palestinian Areas
and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property
Thursday, 25 March 2004
In the early morning, Israeli occupying forces
conducted a wide-scale incursion into Khan Yunis refugee camp, during which
they destroyed 13 Palestinian houses. Three Palestinian civilians were also injured by the Israeli
shelling.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 00:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced by heavy military vehicles,
including 3 bulldozers and 2 helicopters, moved approximately 200 meters into
Khan Yunis refugee camp. Under cover of
indiscriminate shelling, they started to demolish a number of houses and level
ruins of already demolished ones. At
approximately 01:20, an Israeli helicopter gunship launched a missile at an
inhabited house in the refugee camp. The
missile hit one of the rooms, but the 14 residents of the house survived and
were forced to vacate the house. A
member of the Palestinian National Security Force, Marwan Jamil ‘Awad, 40, was
injured by shrapnel from the Israeli shelling while he was on-duty. During this incursion, Israeli occupying
forces completely destroyed 3 houses and 10 others partially. As a result, 128 people (23 families) have
become homeless. At approximately 09:00,
while Israeli forces were withdrawing from the camp, hundreds of Palestinian
civilians gathered to check the destruction left by Israeli occupying
forces. A number of children threw
stones at Israeli military vehicles. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired at the children, wounding 2:
1. Zuhdi
Shaher al-Salmi, 8, wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh; and
2. Zakaria
Yahia ‘Awad, 17, seriously wounded by a live bullet that caused a cut in one of
the leg arteries.
Following are details of the houses that were
destroyed by Israeli occupying forces in Khan Yunis refugee camp:
1. They
completely destroyed a 200-square-meter, 3-storey house owned by Jaber and
Nabil ‘Ali Mahmoud Abu Shuqair, in which 16 people (2 families) lived. The house was initially partially destroyed
by Israeli forces on 15 December 2003.
2. They
completely destroyed a 120-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Ra’ed Sha’ban
Mohammed al-Tabash, in which 10 people lived. The house was initially partially destroyed by Israeli forces on 15
December 2003.
3. They
completely destroyed a 100-square-meter house owned by Mahmoud Sha’ban Mohammed
al-Tabash, in which 7 people lived. The
house was partially destroyed in the past.
4. They
partially destroyed a 150-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Khaled and
‘Abdul Rahman Ahmed Khalil Mousa, in which 14 people (3 families) live.
5. They
partially destroyed a 190-square-meter house owned by ‘Ali Mansour ‘Abdul
Rahman al-Ghamri, in which 14 people (3 families) live.
6. They
partially destroyed a 190-square-meter, 3-storey house owned by Na’im Sha’ban
Mohammed Tabash, in which 13 people (3 families) live.
7. They
partially destroyed a 220-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Mohammed
Khamis Mohammed ‘Elwan, in which 8 people live.
8. They
partially destroyed a 135-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Subhi Ramadan
Hussein Abu ‘Elwan, in which 7 people (2 families) live.
9. They
partially destroyed an 80-square-meter house owned by Ibrahim Mohammed Ibrahim
Abu Nemer, in which 3 people live.
10. They partially destroyed a
150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Ra’fat Hassan Mohammed
al-Tabash, in which 9 people (2 families) live.
11. They partially destroyed a
100-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Jamal Hamza ‘Abdul Rahman Abu
‘Arqoub, in which 2 people live.
12. They partially destroyed a
120-square-meter, 3-storey house owned by Mohammed Hussein Suleiman Burais, in
which 15 people (3 families) live.
13. They partially destroyed a
90-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Fawzi Mohammed Mo’ammar, in
which 10 people live.
At approximately 02:30, 7 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Kufor Qallil village, south of Nablus. Israeli soldiers raided and searched Suleiman
Sayel’s house and arrested his three sons: ‘Odai, 22; Tala’at, 31; and Bahjat,
37.
At approximately 03:00, 15 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Bethlehem and the neighboring ‘Aaida refugee camp. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number
of houses and arrested 3 Palestinians, including 2 children:
1. Ahmed
Lufi Yousef al-Dairani, 15;
2. Mohammed
Khalil Abu Shanab, 15; and
3. Wissam
Ibrahim Abu Basma, 21.
At approximately 03:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Ematin village, east of Qalqilya. They opened fire at houses and imposed a curfew. No casualties or arrests were reported.
At approximately 07:00, 7 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Rafidya neighborhood in Nablus. Israeli soldiers arrested 2 Palestinian schoolchildren:
1. Tha’er
Nayef Qandil, 15; and
2. Nasser
Mohammed al-‘Awartani, 15.
At the same time, a number of Israeli military
vehicles moved into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. Israeli soldiers arrested Hani Zaki ‘Ali
Khalil, 21.
At approximately 09:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Toura al-Gharbia village, west of Jenin, and imposed a curfew. They raided and searched a number of
houses. Even though no arrests were
reported, Israeli forces threatened to take tough measures against Palestinian
civilians if they continued to demonstrate against the construction of the “Annexation
Wall” in the area.
At approximately 12:00, 3 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Burqa village, northwest of Nablus. They opened fire at houses and imposed a curfew.
Friday, 26 March 2004
At approximately 03:00, 20 Israeli military vehicles
moved into Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin, opened fire at houses, then imposed
a curfew. Israeli soldiers raided and
searched a number of houses and 7 Palestinians:
1. Marwan
Mohammed Kuzaimia, 22;
2. Fathi
Mohammed Kuzaimia, 24;
3. Mahmoud
Mohammed Kuzaimia, 32;
4. ‘Abdul
Rahman Qassem al-Shalabi, 32;
5. Eyas
Hamza Hanaisha, 18;
6. Sa’id
Hamza Hanaisha, 20; and
7. Shadi
Farid Kumail, 25.
At approximately 03:30, 15 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Salfit village, south of Nablus. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3
Palestinians:
1. ‘Abdul
Latif Zaghloul, 25;
2. Muhannad
Younis Qumboz, 24; and
3. Yousef
Khalil Qumboz, 36.
At approximately 10:30, Israeli occupying forces
positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Khan Yunis,
opened fire at Palestinian agricultural areas located west of the border. A Palestinian civilian, Suleiman Mahmoud Abu
Hajras, 46, was wounded by a live bullet in the left thigh, when he was near
his house, approximately 1700m away from the border.
In a case of apparent willful killing, in the
afternoon, an Israeli sniper shot dead a Palestinian civilian in Bethlehem, as
he was watching a peaceful demonstration in the town.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, in the
afternoon, hundreds of Palestinian civilians organized a peaceful demonstration
that moved towards Bilal Ben Rabah Mosque (Rachel Tomb) north of
Bethlehem. The demonstrators threw
stones at nearby Israeli military posts. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas canisters,
and sound bombs at the demonstrators. At
approximately 15:20, while Mahmoud ‘Omar Zaghari, 20, from al-Duhaisha refugee
camp, was standing near an ambulance near the street in which clashes took
place, he was hit by a live bullet to the back. He was evacuated to Beit Jala Hospital, but died a few minutes
later. According to eyewitnesses, the victim
did not throw stones at Israeli soldiers and was fired at from a distance of
approximately 350 meters.
At approximately 17:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian
residential areas in the town. A
Palestinian civilian, Jihad Khaled al-Qutati, 18, was wounded by a live bullet
in the right hand, while he was playing football in al-Shaboura refugee camp,
approximately 800m away from the border.
Saturday, 27 March 2004
At approximately 03:00, 3 Israeli military jeeps
moved into al-Shawawra village, east of Beit Sahour. They raided and searched ‘Eissa Hamdan’s
house. They arrested his three sons:
Ayman; Raja; and Mohammed. Raja and
Mohammed were released later, while Ayman remained in custody.
At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
the neighboring al-Kahs village and arrested Maher Yousef Hamdan, 22.
At approximately 03:15, a number of Israeli military
vehicles moved into ‘Anabta village, east of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 2 Palestinian children:
1. Mohammed
Khaled Isma’il , 16; and
2. ‘Abboud
Yousef Zayed, 16.
At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
Beit Leed village, east of Tulkarm. They
raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Emad Mahmoud Abu Salah,
38, and arrested him.
In the morning, 2 Israeli military jeeps moved into
Sabastia village, northwest of Nablus. At approximately 07:45, Israeli soldiers broke into the two secondary schools
of the village and forced the students out, then imposed a curfew on the
village. No arrests were reported.
In another case of apparent willful killing, in the
morning, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a Palestinian child in Balata
refugee camp, east of Nablus.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 10:25, 2 Israeli military jeeps moved into Nablus through its
eastern entrance, entered Balata refugee camp through its northeastern
entrance, and then stopped near Maher Salim Walwil’s house. An Israeli soldier fired one live bullet at
the house from the top of a military jeep. The bullet hit Walwil’s 7-year-old child Khaled in the neck. The child’s cousin carried him to an
ambulance that was in the area, which soon evacuated him to Rafidya Hospital in
Nablus, but he died a few minutes later. According to eyewitnesses, the child was standing near a window on the
second floor of the house when he was shot, and the area was completely quiet.
At approximately 12:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, moved approximately 50 meters into Block
J in Rafah refugee camp, adjacent to the Egyptian border. Under cover of indiscriminate shelling, they
leveled ruins of already demolished houses. The incursion continued until 18:00, during which time Israeli forces
opened fire at the area. Two Palestinian
civilians were wounded:
1. Walaa’
Ibrahim Abu Hashem, 17, wounded by a live bullet in the right knee; and
2. Hussein
Mohammed ‘Othman, 48, wounded by a live bullet in the left knee.
Sunday, 28 March 2004
At approximately 03:00, a number of Israeli military
vehicles moved into al-Duhaisha refugee camp, south of Bethlehem. Israeli forces raided and searched a number
of houses and arrested 2 Palestinians:
1. Haitham
‘Ezzat Mohammed ‘Ouda, 18; and
2. ‘Aamer
Sami Hajajra, 19.
At approximately 13:00, 2 jeeps of the so-called
Israeli Border Guard moved into al-Tour neighborhood in the south of the old
town of Jerusalem. A number of
Palestinian schoolchildren gathered and threw stones at the jeeps. Israeli soldiers chased the children and
arrested 3:
1. Mohammed
Raji Khuwais, 13;
2. Lu’ai
Raji Khuwais, 11; and
3. Mohammed
Zakaria al-Sayad, 14.
At approximately 14:00, 9 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Nablus. Israeli forces raided
a consolation house of the al-‘Afouri family in the old town and arrested 2
brothers: Shaher Mahmoud al-‘Afouri, 28; and Bashar Mahmoud al-‘Afouri,
35. They also arrested 2 Palestinian
children in Rafidya neighborhood: Tamer Khuwaira, 14; and Ahmed al-Bishtwai,
16.
Monday, 29 March 2004
At approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Bethlehem and the neighboring al-Duhaisha refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 3 Palestinians, including 2 brothers:
1. Mohammed
‘Eissa Ma’ali, 25, from Bethlehem;
2. ‘Abdul
Rahman Saleh Qassem, 16, from al-Duhaisha; and
3. Habib
Saleh Qassem, 18.
At approximately 03:15, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Tulkarm refugee camp. They
raided and searched Khalil Nassar’s house and arrested his son, Lu’ai, 21.
At approximately 05:00, 4 Israeli military jeeps
moved into al-‘Ebayat village, southeast of Bethlehem. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a house
belonging to the family of Ibrahim Khulaif ‘Ebayat, 27, and arrested him.
At approximately 05:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into al-Zahiriya village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 3 Palestinians:
1. ‘Ali
Yousef Shaniour, 27;
2. Ghassan
‘Eid Ahmed al-Tal, 30; and
3. Nassaer
Jarad Khudairat, 37.
At approximately 08:30, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in a military location in the west of Rafah opened fire at Tal
al-Sultan neighborhood. A Palestinian
civilian, Yousef Suleiman al-Khashan, 42, from Khan Yunis, was wounded by a
live bullet in the right shoulder. He
was working in an UNRWA school in the area, which was still
under-construction. Another worker was
wounded in the same school last week.
At approximately 10:00, a number of Israeli heavy
military vehicles moved approximately 200 meters into al-Salam neighborhood in
the south of Rafah, adjacent to the Egyptian border. Under cover of indiscriminate shelling, they
demolished a 140-square-meter house owned by Samir Nasser Nasrallah, in which
10 people (2 families) lived. Rachel
Corrie, an American peace activist, was killed by Israeli occupying forces on
16 March 2003 near this house, while she was trying to stop Israeli military
bulldozers from demolishing Palestinian houses in the area. The house was partially demolished by Israeli
forces on 10 January 2004.
At approximately 17:15, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in a military location in Tal Zo’rob area in the southwest of Rafah
opened fire at Palestinian residential areas in the town. A Palestinian child, Hassan Mousa Hijazi, 11,
was wounded by a live bullet in the right forearm. According to his family, the child was near
the family’s house, approximately 500 meters away from the source of firing when
he was hit by a live bullet.
Tuesday, 30 March 2004
At approximately 02:00, 6 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Nablus through its western entrance. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3
Palestinians, including 2 twins:
1. Wa’el
Bashir Tabla, 21;
2. Ghassan
Bashir Tabla, 21; and
3. Muhab
Swaidan, 17.
At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
‘Askar refugee camp, east of Nablus. They raided al-Nabulsi building and arrested Amjad Abu Maghli, 22.
At approximately 03:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Jenin through its northern entrance. They raided and searched Khamis Jaber’s house and arrested his daughter,
Zahra, 17.
At approximately 09:30, Israeli soldiers positioned
at a military checkpoint erected at the entrance to Til village, southwest of
Nablus, fired at a number of Palestinian civilians who resorted to alternative
branch roads. Dirar Mohammed Tayseer
Ramadan, 22, was injured by shrapnel from a live bullet. The shrapnel lodged in his right thigh.
Wednesday, 31 March 2004
At approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Nablus. They raided and
searched Qassed al-Tiriaqi’s house and arrested his son, Wa’el, 27.
At approximately 03:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into al-Yamoun village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinians:
1. ‘Essam
‘Abdul Qader Abu al-Hassan, 27; and
2. Ra’fat
Sami Jaradat, 27.
At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
‘Anza village, south of Jenin. They
arrested Mo’ayad Fadi Daraghma, 24.
At approximately 03:40, 5 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Kufor Ne’ma village, west of Ramallah. They fired live ammunition and sound bombs a
house belonging to the family of Muhannad Ahmed Du’ais al-Dik, 34, and then
broke into it. They forced the family
out and searched the house. Then, they
arrested al-Dik. Israeli military
sources claimed that al-Dik, who is physically disabled and suffers from
serious health problems, is an activist of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the
military wing of the Fatah movement. Israeli forces had arrested 3 of his brothers a few months ago for the
same reason.
Extra-Judicial Assassination
In a continuation of the policy of extra-judicial
assassination officially adopted by the Israeli political and military
establishments against alleged Palestinian activists, on Sunday morning, 28
March 2004, Israeli occupying forces shot dead Jamil Talab ‘Ouda al-Tal, 35,
from al-Zahiriya village, south of Hebron, inside his house and in front of his
wife. The Israeli daily Yediot
Aharanot reported that the Israeli military declared that it killed a
wanted Palestinian activist, who was a member of the Fatah movement. It claimed
that the soldiers thought he had intended to fire at them, and that the Israeli
military did not give further details on the incident.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 01:00 on Sunday, 8 Israeli military jeeps moved into al-Zahiriya
village, south of Hebron. At
approximately 01:30, they surrounded al-Tal’s house. Al-Tal and his wife were surprised by stones
being thrown at the windows and heavy banging on the door. He went to the roof to check what was going
on and his wife went to open the door. When she opened the door, Israeli soldiers ordered her to get her
husband out of the house, and she asked them to give him a few minutes to put
on his clothes. When al-Tal looked
through a window, Israeli soldiers opened fire at him. He was hit by 4 live bullets in the head, the
chest and the abdomen. Israeli soldiers
did not offer him any medical aid, despite calls by his wife. Al-Tal died from his injury a few minutes
later. Israeli soldiers took his body to
an unknown destination. The body was
delivered to a Palestinian ambulance at 10:00. The victim was a father of 4 children.
Collective Punishment against Families of Wanted
Palestinians and Those Who Have Carried out Armed Attacks against Israeli
Targets
In violation of international humanitarian law, in
particular the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons
in Time of War of 1949, article 33 of which prohibits punishing any protected
person for “an offence he or she has not personally committed,” Israeli forces
took retaliatory measures against the families of Palestinians Israel alleges have ordered,
facilitated, or carried out attacks against Israeli targets.
At approximately 01:00 on Sunday, 28 March 2004, 4
Israeli military jeeps moved into Bidya village, southeast of Qalqilya. They surrounded a 175-square-meter, 2-storey
house owned by ‘Abdul Latif ‘Abdul Rahim Mustafa Hussein. Israeli soldiers raided the house, forced its
15 residents out and planted explosives inside. At approximately 04:00, they destroyed the house. The owner’s son, ‘Abdul Rahim, 19, was arrested
by Israeli forces in Tel Aviv on 23 March 2004 after he had attacked 3 Israelis
following the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
Continued Construction of the “Annexation
Wall”
Israeli occupying forces have continued construction
of the “Annexation Wall” inside the West Bank, confiscating more
areas of Palestinian land, and demolishing more homes for this purpose. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli occupying
forces dug trenches and leveled areas of land extending from road (90) parallel
to the Jordan River in the east to the hills overlooking the river in the
west.
Despite a temporary injunction issued by the Israeli
High Court stopping construction of the wall in a number of Palestinian
villages, northwest of Jerusalem, on Friday, 26 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces uprooted hundreds of olive trees west of Qatna village. On Saturday morning, 27 March 2004,
Palestinian civilians organized peaceful protests in the area. Israeli forces fired tear gas at the
protesters, making them suffer from tear gas inhalation.
On Sunday evening, 28 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces moved into Kherbat Tana area in the east of Beit Fourik village, east of
Nablus. They ordered about 30
Palestinian families living in the area to leave it by Tuesday, 30 March 2004,
for the purpose of the construction of a part of the Barrier around the
“Eitamar” settlement near Beit Fourik village.
On Monday, 29 March 2004, the ‘Civil Administration
of Israeli’ occupying forces delivered a notice to Suleiman ‘Ouda Nasrallah,
from Arab al-Ramadin village, south of Hebron, informing him that buildings and
wells belonging to him would be demolished for allegedly lacking proper
licenses.
Continued Siege on the
OPT
This week, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPTs and imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
Following the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on
Monday morning, 22 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces imposed a total siege
on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They closed all border crossings into
the Gaza Strip, and divided it into 3 isolated zones. They also closed
all entrances to Palestinian areas located near Israeli settlements and
prevented Palestinian civilians from moving freely. Such restrictions on
freedom of movement are in contravention of international human rights law, to
which Israel is a state party, including the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights.
Israeli occupying forces positioned at the Abu Houli
and al-Matahen checkpoints on Salah al-Din Street, the main road between the
north and south of the Gaza Strip, continued to obstruct movement of
Palestinian civilians. The two checkpoints, which are open for a maximum
of a few hours each day, have become notorious for acts of humiliation and
harassment by Israeli soldiers.
At approximately 11:00 on Thursday, 25 March 2004,
Israeli forces closed the two checkpoints. This closure continued until
13:30, during which Israeli forces held and searched a number of
vehicles.
At approximately 08:00 on Sunday, 28 March 2004,
Israeli occupying forces closed the two checkpoints. They held dozens of
Palestinian vehicles in between and searched passengers. This closure
continued until 17:00, during which time Israeli forces arrested Mahmoud Kamal
al-Din Qe’dan, 21, a member of the Palestinian National Security Force, from
Rafah.
At approximately 11:00 on Monday morning, 29 March
2004, Israeli forces imposed more restrictions at the two checkpoints and later
closed them. They held and searched a number of vehicles and interrogated
a number of passengers.
For the second consecutive week, Israeli occupying
forces have continued to close Erez crossing at the northern entrance to the
Gaza Strip, denying access of thousands of Palestinian workers to their work
places in Israel.
In violation of the right to health, since the
assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Israeli occupying forces have denied
access of Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip to hospitals in Israel and
the West Bank to receive medical care. The average number of patients transferred from the Gaza Strip to
hospitals in Israel and the West Bank is 45. Recently, Israeli forces decreased the number of Palestinian ambulances
working at the crossing from 6 to 1. Israeli occupying forces have also continued to impose severe
restrictions on the entry of medicines into the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, 28 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces
reopened the Erez industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip, and allowed
access for Palestinian workers to their work places in the zone under severe
restrictions. On the same day, Israeli
forces allowed a few Palestinian traders to travel through the Erez
crossing.
Israeli occupying forces have maintained the closure
of Sofa crossing, northeast of Rafah, and Karni crossing, east of Gaza city,
for the second consecutive day. On
Sunday, 28 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces allowed importation of
construction of raw materials to the Gaza Strip through Sofa crossing.
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip. They have
continued to close Tal al-Sultan checkpoint at the entrance to the area, in
Rafah and impose restrictions on movement of Palestinian civilians through
al-Tuffah checkpoint at the entrance to the area in Khan Yunis.
On Thursday morning, Israeli occupying forces opened
the two checkpoints, but closed them again on Sunday, 28 March 2004. On Monday, 29 March 2004, Israeli forces
reopened al-Tuffah checkpoint, but did not allow passage of male Palestinians
who are under 40, while Tal al-Sultan checkpoint remained closed.
Palestinians living in al-Mawasi area, of which there
are approximately 15,000, live under extremely tight restrictions, which also
apply to the entry of foodstuffs into the area and access to schools and
farms. It takes residents of the areas several hours to cross Israeli
military roadblocks and checkpoints. Palestinians living outside the area
are prohibited from entering. Israeli forces have assigned numbers to
residents of the area. These numbers are to be added to their identity
cards. Palestinians who do not have these numbers will be prevented from
entering the area. Women from the area married to men living outside the
area cannot visit their families.
Israeli forces have also continued to impose a
tightened siege on al-Sayafa area in the northern Gaza Strip. On Monday,
29 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces reopened the gate at the entrance to
the area after a one-week closure, but under severe restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians. On 9 March 2004, they had started to
issue magnetic cards to 262 Palestinian civilians living in the area and
farmers living outside the area. Moving in and out of the area will be
facilitated through the use of these magnetic cards.
In the same context, since Monday morning, 22
March 2004, Israeli occupying forces have imposed severe restrictions movement
of Palestinian civilians living in the al-Ma’ni area near “Kfar Darom”
settlement in the central Gaza Strip.
The West Bank
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on Palestinian communities. They have also imposed severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians. They have blocked
a number of roads using cement blocks, sand barriers, and trenches, and imposed
curfews on a number of villages.
Jerusalem
Israeli occupying forces have imposed more
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. Israeli soldiers positioned at Dahiat
al-Barid military checkpoint at the northern entrance to the city have
continued to impose restrictions on the access of Palestinian civilians from
the West Bank to the city. In violation
of the rights to freedom of movement and worship, on Friday 26 March 2004,
Israeli occupying forces denied access of Palestinian Moslems who are under 45
to the al-Aqsa Mosque for the Friday Prayer.
Bethlehem
On Thursday morning, 25 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces closed the western entrance to al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem,
with sand barriers. On Saturday, 27
March 2004, hundreds of Palestinian civilians had to wait from the morning
until 16:00 at al-Container checkpoints to cross from and into Bethlehem, as
Israeli forces closed the checkpoint.
Hebron
Israeli occupying forces have imposed more
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have continued to close the southern
entrance to Halhoul village for the second consecutive week. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces
closed all roads linking al-Zahiriya village and the Green Line, and chased
Palestinian workers who wished to travel to their work places inside
Israel. Israeli forces also closed all
roads linking between Yatta village and Hebron, and closed all entrances to
al-Fawar refugee camp.
Nablus
Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. They erected more checkpoints around the city. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers
positioned at Beit Eiba checkpoint, west of the city, cut hundreds of work cards
issued for teachers, medical personnel and other public employees claiming that
they are forged.
On Saturday morning, Israeli forces positioned at
Hawara checkpoint arrested Ahmed al-Hadawi, 47, an officer of the Palestinian
National Security Force, while he was traveling to Ramallah.
Jenin
Israeli occupying forces have imposed more
restriction on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They reinforced their presence on the main
roads leading to the town. They also
imposed restrictions on the movement of Palestinian trucks through al-Hamra
checkpoint in the northern Jordan Valley.
Qalqilya
On Saturday morning, 27 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces established a new military checkpoint at the eastern entrance to
Qalqilya, the sole entrance to the town after Israeli forces had completed the
construction of the separation wall in the area. They also erected a number of checkpoints on
Qalqilya-Nablus road, restricting movement of Palestinian civilians.
Tulkarm
Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians between the town and neighboring
villages. They erected temporary
checkpoints on the roads leading to some villages and denied movement of
Palestinian civilians.
Israeli Settlement Activities and Attacks by Settlers
against Palestinian Civilians and Property
In addition to the construction of the “Annexation
Wall”, this week, Israeli occupying forces carried out a number of
settlement activities in the West Bank.
On Sunday, 28 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces
delivered notices to 11 Palestinian civilians living to the east of Yatta
village, south of Hebron, informing them that their houses would be demolished,
claiming that they had been built without proper licenses.
At approximately 09:00 on Saturday, 27 March 2004, a
number of Israeli settlers moved from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, east of Hebron,
and attacked Palestinian houses in Wadi al-Nasara neighborhood. These attacks continued until 03:00 on the
following day, and came as settlers attempted to establish mobile homes on
areas of land belonging to the families of Mahmoud Jaber and Munther
Da’na. Settlers threw stones and empty
bottles at Palestinian houses.
On Sunday, 29 March 2004, a number of settlers from
“Kharsina” settlement, east of Hebron, uprooted grape trees and demolished
umbrellas belonging to the Sultan family. According to ‘Abdul Rahman Sultan, the settlers uprooted about 300 grape
trees and destroyed the face surrounding his agricultural land.
In the north of the West Bank, Israeli settlers from
“Qidumim” settlement, southwest of Nablus, denied access of Palestinian farmers
from Kufor Qaddoum village to their agricultural lands. According to eyewitnesses, settlers, escorted
by Israeli soldiers, threw stones at Palestinian farmers.
On Wednesday morning, 31 March 2004, a number of
Israeli settlers seized two Palestinian inhabited houses in Silwan neighborhood
in the south of the old town of Jerusalem. According to eyewitnesses, the settlers, escorted by Israeli forces,
broke into the two houses, expelled the families, beat women and children and
brought new furniture to the houses to live in them. For several years, settlers have made
attempts to seize Palestinian properties in the area.
*****
Recommendations
to the International Community
1. PCHR
calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to
fulfill their legal and moral obligations under article 1 of the Convention to
ensure Israel’s respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories. PCHR believes the
conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has encouraged
Israel to act as a state above law and continue to violate international human
rights and humanitarian law.
2. PCHR
calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to
convene a conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel’s respect of the
Convention in the OPTs and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian
civilians.
3. PCHR
calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to
comply with its legal obligations detailed in article 146 of the Convention to
search for and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war
crimes.
4. PCHR
recommends international civil society organizations, including human rights
organizations, bar associations and solidarity groups to participate in the
process of searching for Israeli war criminals and to urge their governments to
bring these war criminals to justice.
5. PCHR
calls upon the European Union to activate article 2 of the Euro-Israel
Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as
a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to
prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the OPTs.
6. PCHR
calls upon European governments to change their positions towards the
Palestinian cause at UN bodies, particularly the General Assembly, Security
Council and Commission on Human Rights.
7. PCHR
welcomes the UN General Assembly resolution, which referred the issue of the
Separation Wall inside the OPTs to International Court of Justice to give a
consultative opinion. There is no doubt
that the wall is illegal, which obligates the international community to take
steps that amount to the level of the expected decision by the court.
8. In
recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls
upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPTs, including for
facilitating family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
9. PCHR
appreciates the efforts of international civil society, including human rights
organizations, bar associations, unions and solidarity groups, and urges them
to continue their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel’s
respect for human rights in the OPTs and to end its attacks on Palestinian
civilians.
10. In light of the severe restrictions
imposed by the Israeli government and its occupying forces on access of
international solidarity groups to the OPTs, PCHR calls upon European countries
to deal the same way with Israeli citizens.
11. PCHR reiterates that any political
settlement not based on international human rights law and humanitarian law
cannot lead to a peaceful and just solution of the Palestinian question.
Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and instability
in the region. Any peace agreement or process must be based on respect for
international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law.
“END”
Public Document
**************************************
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on
+972 8 2824776 – 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328
Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail:[email protected],
Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
