Israeli
Occupation Forces continue their attacks
on the oPt
Introduction
During this
week Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued their attacks against
Palestinian civilians. The attacks
included the killing of children, the elderly and women. These attacks were committed during
incursions carried by IOF against Palestinian villages, towns and
municipalities. The attacks included
attempts at extra-judicial execution and random shelling. The week witnessed further closures and
curfews being imposed on the Palestinian people as well as the continued
construction of the “Annexation Wall”. In the Gaza Strip, three civilians, including one child and one old man,
were killed. On the 30th
August IOF committed two acts of wilful killing involving the excessive use of
lethal force. These two acts left a 14
year old child from Rafah dead and also killed another Palestinian civilian,
from Khan Yunis.
On the 26th
of August, during an attempt on the life of a Palestinian wanted by the IOF, an
Israeli Military helicopter fired a missile at Rafah Refugee camp, near the
Egyptian border. The missile fell on a
Palestinian home located near the home of the wanted person and killed an
elderly Palestinian. The week witnessed
four incursions into the Gaza Strip, three of which were in Rafah on the 26th
30th and 1st. The IOF demolished 15 homes over the course of the incursion, homes for
20 families, a total of 82 people. Furthermore 30 donums of agricultural land were razed during these
incursions.
In the West
Bank, the IOF, with the exception of Jerihco, made incursions into all cities
and municipalities. The incursions saw
the demolition of two houses in Hebron. The two houses were owned by the two suicide bombers who committed an
attack in Beersheeva, in the south of Israel, on the 31st of
August. In addition the incursions left dozens of civilians
injured, while dozens of others arrested. On the 30th of August an unsuccessful assassination attempt
was made in Jenin which left one child injured. Alongside this were attacks committed by Israeli settlers living in the
illegal settlements in the oPt. On the
23rd of August an Israeli settler intentionally drove a car over a
Palestinian woman, killing her.
In respect of
the Annexation Wall the IOF accelerated their construction activities. The construction was concentrated on the area
around East Jerusalem, where the IOF have completed the construction of the
infrastructure for the Wall between Qalandia checkpoint, south of Ramallah and
al Dahiya, north of Jerusalem. In
addition the IOF continued to impose a comprehensive siege and closure on the
whole oPt, including occupied East Jerusalem, denying thousands of
Palestinians their right to freedom of
movement. In the Gaza Strip they continued to restrict civilians from leaving
through imposing partial closures as well as imposing partial closures on all
internal movement such as al Matahen and Abu Houli checkpoint on the Salah al
Din road (which connects the north and south of the Gaza Strip). The road has been closed daily from 20.00
until 03.00. During the opening hours
there have been a number of spontaneous closures. The IOF, at this checkpoint, have opened fire
against civilians waiting for the road to open. Four Palestinians were injured, including two medics, while waiting to
pass through Abu Houli.
In the West
Bank the IOF continued to impose restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians, this included both internal movement and movement between the West
Bank and Gaza and the West Bank and Israel. In the aftermath of the two suicide bombs in Israel the IOF imposed
comprehensive closures in Hebron. The
closure was coupled with tightened restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
from within the city and outside the city trying to enter.
More details
about these attacks are available in the following report.
Shelling
of , and encroachment into Palestinian areas and attacks on Civilians and Property
Thursday
26th of August
In the
context of continued attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property
IOF demolished a number of houses in Rafah. Since the beginning of the Intifada
IOF have demolished 1365 homes completely and 1070 homes partially. The IOF claim that they are searching for
tunnels which are used to smuggle weapons. According to investigations by PCHR, at 0130 a number of IOF, supported
by heavily armoured military vehicles and aircraft, entered Block J in
Rafah. The IOF demolished 12 houses and
rendered 17 families, totalling 64 people, homeless. At 02.00 the IOF entered Nablus city and its
surrounding towns. Some houses were
occupied by the soldiers and transformed into military posts, the houses were
owned by Walid al Nasser and Maher al Taquq, Khalil al Ata’bi as well as a
house owned by al Ashur family and another two houses owned by Abu Ghazali
family. They used their positions to fire
at passers-by. At the same time two military
helicopters fired at the old City of Nablus. The shooting left 15 Palestinians injured, including 5 children. The wounded people were taken by ambulance to
the hospital where their injuries were
described as being either critical or stable.
(PCHR has
a full list of the injured people and it can be obtained upon request)
In the middle
of the night IOF attacked the house Mohammad Abu Ayisha in Tel al Ramida, in
the centre of Hebron. According to his
testimony 8 soldiers attacked his house and detained his family, comprising of
21 people (12 of whom were children), in one room of the house for a two hour
period. During these two hours the
soldiers searched the house and damaged its contents.
On that
morning IOF, backed by tanks, entered Nablus and Beit Dujin village, to the
east of the city, al Dakharia town in Hebron. The IOF attacked a number of houses in the area, during which they
searched them and damaged property inside. They arrested four Palestinians, including a 35 year old Palestinian
woman.
At 06.00 the
IOF, located to the west of Rafah city, opened fire at Tel al Sultan
residential area. The shooting left a
Palestinian civilian Talat Harq Ighriz, 31, injured with shrapnel in his left
foot. He was taken to al-Najar hospital
in Rafah where his injuries were described as moderate.
Friday
22nd August
At 19.00 IOF,
backed by 15 military vehicles, entered Nablus city and the surrounding camps
under the cover of random shelling in residential areas and public roads. They injured Hamad Abdelmoty Ziada, 27, with
a metal bullet in his left stomach. He
was taken by ambulance to Rafidia hospital where his condition was described
as moderate.
Saturday
29th of August
IOF
positioned along the border with Egypt opened fire on the residential area of
Block J in Rafah. The shooting injured
Ali Hassen al Za’tmah, 10, with shrapnel in the head. He was taken to al Najar hospital where his
condition was described as moderate.
Sunday
30th August
At 04.30 the
IOF positioned at Neve Dekalim settlement, west of Khan Yunis in the Gaza
Strip, detonated a number of sound bombs near the settlement. The impact of the explosion caused a number
of concrete blocks in the area to go into the air. One of these concrete blocks fell on the head
of Mohammad Abu Zurkah while he was sleeping. He was taken to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis and later taken to Shifa
hospital in Gaza because his case was critical.
Around 05.00
the IOF positioned at Moraj settlement, north of Rafah, opened fire at a
residential area in Musbeh neighbourhood. The shooting injured Sahir Foraj Dukhar, 42, with a live bullet in his
chest. He was taken to al Najar hospital
where his condition was described as moderate.
In the West
Bank, the IOF backed by military vehicles, attacked Hebron and Tamoun town, to
the south-east of Jenin and Beit Lahia to the west of Ramallah. IOF entered and searched a number of houses, damaging their
property. They arrested 8 Palestinians
wanted by IOF. Among the 8 was a 52 year
old Palestinian woman. She is the mother
of Mohammad Riayan, a Palestinian prisoner.
Around 13.00
the IOF, positioned at a military post to the west of Rafah city opened fire on
Tel al Sultan neighbourhood. The
shooting damaged Khlaid Bin al Walid mosque and injured Khalid Abdelaziz al
Byumi, 39, with a live bullet in his head while he was praying in the
mosque. He was taken to al Najar
hospital in Rafah where his injuries were described as moderate. Around 14.00 the IOF entered 400 meters into
al Quris neighbourhood, close to Moraj settlement, north of Rafah. They razed agricultural land and damaged 10
donums, of which 5 donums were planted with olive trees and 5 had greenhouses,
with vegetables, on them. In addition
they destroyed 3 water storage pools owned by the family of Ibrahim Ali
Idhir. The IOF also razed a 97 meter deep water well, owned by Jad Alla
Ahmed Adhir. In Kahn Yunis the IOF shot
a Palestinian civilian while he was watering his farm land. According to preliminary investigations by
PCHR around 17.40 Yassir Abdelrahman Abu Najar, 34, from Gizan al Najar
neighbourhood was watering a garden 200 meters from Moraj settlement. While he was doing so the soldiers in the
nearby settlement deliberately opened fire on him. They hit him in the head. His wife, having heard the shooting, left her
house screaming for help. A number of
local residents tried to save him but they were fired upon by the
soldiers. After a while an ambulance
arrived at the area but they were also fired on and failed to gain access to
the victim. After half an hour, while
the Palestinian civilian was still lying injured, two Palestinians moved him to
the ambulance. He was taken to Nasser
hospital but was brought in dead on arrival. He was injured by a live bullet in his right eye. It is worth noting that the local residents
are subjected to daily harrassment from IOF through random shooting and find it
difficult to move in and out of the area due to its location close to the
settlement.
The IOF, less
then six hours later, killed a 14 year old Palestinian child in Rafah
city. According to preliminary
investigations by PCHR the IOF, at 20.30, had entered about 100 meters into
Block J under the cover of random shelling. They carried out some razing and levelling of land along the Egyptian
border. After 20 minutes Mazen Majid al
Ara, 14, left his home beside the area where IOF were operating. While he was doing this the IOF fired from a
tank at him, with 18 bullets, which hit him in various parts of the body. No one was able to get close to him for about
two hours. An ambulance, working for the
Palestinian Red Cross, eventually reached him and took him to al Najar
hospital.
Tuesday
31st August
The IOF,
backed by military vehicles, entered into Hebron and nearby towns: Yata, Sourif
Beit Ula, Kharas and al Arub camp, as well as some nearby towns: Beir Zait,
Beit Rihmah and Taqur. They entered and
searched a number of houses and damaged property. In addition they arrested 28 Palestinians
wanted by IOF.
In the
context of these continuing attacks the IOF razed a wide-scale area of
agricultural land in Juhur Ydiq, in the middle of Gaza Strip. Around 04.00 a large number of IOF entered
about 1000m inside the village. Under
cover from random shelling the forces began to raze lands in the village until
18.00 that day. They razed around 360
donums planted with citrus, olive trees and vegetables owned by the following
families: Abu Isa, Abu Ayish, Subadi, Zumo, Khalak, Rias, Abu Said, Dakbu,
Neberhim, Haji, al Khartani and Abu Utuwe families.
Wednesday
1st September
Around 01.00
the IOF entered around 300 meters into Rafah. Under cover from random shelling they initiated razing activities in the
area surrounding Zorb square. The razing
effected three houses, two of which were completely destroyed. In addition 8 donums of agricultural land
were destroyed. The demolished homes
were lived in by 3 families, totalling 18 people and owned by Satari and al
Brika families. The land was owned by al
Brika family. At 12.00, the IOF attacked
a four storey building located in front of al Khalil University, to the north
west of Hebron. The IOF attacked a
number of charitable societies and the headquarters of the ministry of
information in Hebron city, located in this building. The forces searched and damaged the equipment
in the offices and interrogated a number of staff members. They detained 20 civilians, including 3
journalists who had been covering the event. A number of the detained were summoned for a meeting with Israeli
intelligence.
On that same
morning the IOF in al Ezza camp, north
of Bethlehem and Dura al Kura, north of Ramallah. They entered and searched a number of houses
and damaged property. They arrested 10
Palestinian civilians who were wanted by IOF.
On that same
evening, during an incursion in Namsoui camp in Khan Yunis,
the IOF destroyed two buildings comprised of
36 apartments and razed 12 houses, one of which was completely destroyed. They destroyed the wall of a mosque and
injured 7 Palestinians. The IOF operation
called “operation long-distance vision” sought to destroy what they call the
“terrorist infrastructure” in the area. According to PCHR investigations the IOF entered the southern area of
Khan Yunis camp, near Neve Dekalim settlement. Military helicopters fired three missiles at the area. One of them fell close to a group of
civilians who had gathered in the area. It injured four of them. After
one hour a fourth missile was fired in the area near to Nasser hospital,
located in Namsoui neighbourhood. It
caused some damage to a department for taking blood samples. Afterwards the IOF resumed their incursions
in the neighbourhood and evacuated the civilians from their homes and asked
them to leave the area. The operation
lasted until 05.45 and the complete destruction of two buildings, known locally
as Number 1 and Number 3 buildings. Each
one consisted of five storeys and was comprised of 36 apartments. The buildings had been planted with dynamite
which was remotely detonated after the IOF left the area. The two buildings were evacuated by their
occupants a few months ago due to extensive damage caused by IOF shelling. The explosions caused partial damage to some
apartments to three other neighbouring buildings. In the southern area of the town the IOF
partially demolished two buildings and wholly demolished one, lived in by the
following familes:Abu Abdula, Asraf, Abu Shakmid, al Halabi, Ashur, al Qaribi
and Abu Sahlud. 14 families, totalling
101 people, were living in the houses. A
fire broke out in the second floor in the house of Sameer Ramadan Hamid after
it was hit by gunfire. The house was
occupied by 5 families, totalling 40 members. Random shelling also injured 3 other civilians. The wounded were taken to Nasser hospital in
the city where their conditions were described as moderate.
(A full
list of the injured people and owners of destroyed properties is held by PCHR)
Extra-judicial
executions
Within the
context of its government sanctioned policy of extrajudicial executions the IOF
made two unsuccessful attempts on the lives of wanted Palestinians. In both cases the missiles malfunctioned and
hit neighbouring houses leaving a number of civilians injured.
On the 26th
of August the IOF attempted to assassinate a leader of the al-Quds Brigade, the
military wing of Islamic Jihad. The attempt, in Rafah, killed one Palestinian
and injured five other family members, including three children. Their cases were described as ranging from
moderate to critical.
The second
attack took place on 30th of August and targeted Mahmoud al Sad Abu
Khalifa, 80 years old, from Jenin. Although he was saved from the assassination attempt a 9 year old girl
was injured by shrapnel. The missile
malfunctioned and it hit an uninhabited apartment located on the third floor of
a building. Had the apartment been
occupied it would have resulted in a number of fatalities. Abu Khalifia is a member of al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigade and is wanted by the IOF.
Around 20.20
on the 26th of August, in Rafah, an IOF military helicopter fired a
missile on two homes located beside each other. The two homes were owned by Jihad Jadua al Qub. The first house is inhabited by his brother
Fuad and his family while the second home is used by Mohammad Sheik Khalil, 35,
and an Islamic Jihad activist. He used
the home as a safe house. The missiles
hit the wall separating the two houses. The explosion of the missiles injured Fuad, his wife, children and his
elderly father Judur huidi al Qub, 72, with shrapnel to their bodies. The missile completely destroyed the
house. A number of other bystanders were
injured. The injured were taken to al
Najar hospital in Rafah and later taken to the European Hospital in Khan
Yunis. From there Judur Huidi was
declared dead at 18.00 the following day. This attempt was the second time that an attempt was made on the life of
Sheik Khalil. On 15th May
2000 a similar attempt was made on his home in the same camp.
According to
eyewitness reports, around 12.30 the Palestinian Abu Khalifa was driving with
three guards in Khila Suha area in the eastern neighbourhood of Jenin. At this time a military helicopter fired a
missile at the car. The missile
malfunctioned and hit the apartments of Abdel Nasser Rafiq Musmar. At the time the apartments were empty. However the missile caused serious structural
damage to the apartment and injured a number of by-standers, including Yara
Mansoura Abdel, 9 years old, after she was hit by shrapnel in the left side of
her body. The IOF admitted the
unsuccessful attempt, adding that one of the four people in the car is wanted
by them.
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.
The IOF, on
the 1st of September, demolished the homes of the families of Adel Aufu Adel Fatah al Quasmi
and Mohammad al Jabali. The sons of both
men, Ahmed Quasmi, 26, and Nasim al Jabali, 22, had committed the Beersheva
suicide bombings. According to
preliminary investigations by PCHR, around 17.40 on the 31st of
August the IOF consisting of 10 military vehicles attacked Hebron. The IOF entered Khilit Batrakh neighbourhood,
in the north of the city and laid siege to the house of Ahmed al Quasmi. They forced the families and neighbours to leave
their houses without allowing them to collect their possessions. Three of the brothers were arrested Maher,
Mohammad and Mahmoud. The brothers are
26, 32 and 40 years old respectively. The IOF began to install explosive devices in the ground floor of the
house and at about 04.00 in the morning of 1st of September they
detonated the devices and blew-up the house. The first floor was completely destroyed and considerable damage caused
to the second floor. The building was 2,130 meters square. Four families, consisting of 21 people,
including 12 children inhabited the house. At around 19.00 the IOF, consisting of 12 vehicles, laid siege to the
house of al Jabari in Wadi Iyash neighbourhood in the east of the city. The house was one storey built on 270 square
meters. They forced the families and
neighbours to leave their houses without allowing them to collect their
possessions and installed explosives. At 06.00 on 1st September they
completely destroyed the house which was inhabited by 1 family, totalling 5
people.
Simultaneously
the IOF laid siege to the house of al Jabari’s father, located in al Jabari
neighbourhood in the south-east of the city. The house is built on 290 sq meters and is one storey. The IOF forced the neighbours to leave their
houses without allowing them to collect their possessions. The house was still under siege at time of
publication. The PCHR fieldworker
mentioned that the IOF arrested al Jabaris father, 60 years old and three of
his sons. Na’im, Bassam and Adham, 29,
25 and 20 years old respectively. In
addition their nephew Khali Mohammad al Jabari was arrested, 27.
Continued
Siege on the oPt
The IOF have
continued their complete siege on the oPt, including occupied East Jerusalem
and have imposed a lot of restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians.
Gaza Strip
The IOF
continued to deliberately violate the right to freedom of movement and
tightened the siege on the Gaza Strip, including the partial closure of all
external crossings and the partial closing of internal checkpoints. Al Matahan and Abu Houli checkpoint was
closed from 20.00 until 03.00 every day. The following are the most significant incidents – the list is not
intended to be exhaustive.
In respect of
internal closures the IOF divided the Gaza Strip into three areas, on the 26th
of August. In this regard they closed
Abu Houli and al Matahen checkpoints and closed the coastal road from the
centre of the strip to the north of Gaza. At 15.00 on Wednesday 26th IOF located at Abu Houli opened
fire at Palestinians waiting to pass through. Three Palestinians were injured Adelrahman Hussein Abu Hadid, 27 from
Khan Yunis, injured by shrapnel and Awad Ajber Ottoman, 30, from Rafah injured
by shrapnel in his nose. Both men were
taken to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis. At 19.30 on the 27th of August the checkpoints were again
closed. Random firing came from IOF
positions against Palestinian civilians waiting to pass. The shooting injured Disir abdul al Sharaf,
20 from Khan Yunis, with shrapnel in his face.
On the 29th
of August the IOF closed the checkpoints and impounded a number of cars while
detaining their drivers for searches that lasted two hours. At the same time
the IOF continue to deny private cars access through the checkpoint, only
allowing yellow taxis to go through. Hundreds of Palestinians have been affected by these measures. On the 29th of August Mohammad
Abidsalam Jajua, 22, from Khan Yunis was arrested at al Matahen checkpoint
while travelling from Khan Yunis to Gaza City.
The IOF
closed the checkpoints at 09.00 on 30th of August and several cars
were impounded and the passengers detained for extensive searches. The search lasted until 17.00 that
evening. Four unidentified Palestinians
were arrested. On that day at 11.30 the
soldiers at al Matahen checkpoint opened fire against civilians waiting to pass
through. Two medical staff, in an
ambulance, were injured: Subhi Mamohodd Madi, the driver, injured by shrapnel
to the arm and Rafiq Abulah Labadli, 37, a doctor, was injured by shrapnel in
his right thigh.
IOF have
continued to impose a severe closure on al Mawasi area in Khan Yunis and Rafah,
in the south of the Gaza Strip. This
checkpoint has been completely closed since the 17th of August,
having being reopened for a short period on the 24th of August.
The IOF,
periodically closed this checkpoint and stopped civilians from passing. At the same time they still prevent
Palestinian males from 16-30 from passing through without previous special
coordination. Concerning women and 16-25
the same policy applies. Many
inhabitants told PCHR’s fieldworker that the IOF periodically prevent civilians
from entering or leaving the area even if they are older then 30.
The people in
al Sayafah area, between Dogit and Elai Sinai settlements in the north of the
Gaza Strip, are living under the same conditions. The IOF continues to control the only gate in
and out of the area and prevents all civilians from passing through the
checkpoint unless there is exceptional circumstances and prior coordination. The IOF allowed only five people to pass
through each day to purchase basic provisions. They are only allowed to pass
through at certain specified hours and they are subject to humiliation and
degrading treatment during the security check process. This process of security checks also involves
strip-searches, searches with dogs and metal detectors. They have prohibited
supplies of domestic gas from entering the area for more then three months;
which causes serious suffering to the civilians in the area who are forced to
use wood for cooking instead of gas. Farmers are prevented from moving freely to tend their agricultural land
which damages the crops. The people in
Ma’ani area next to Kvar Darom settlement, 28 families a total of 138 people, are also suffering similar conditions
and also face severe difficulties in access to and from the area.
IOF have
continued to close the Erez checkpoint from the 27th of June
for Palestinian civilians but is
partially open for those who work in Israel and in the Erez Industrial
zone. From the start of June the IOF
allowed approximately 500 Palestinian workers to travel to Israel, this number
has been gradually increased to 3000. However the workers are subjected to such a complex process of security
checks and humiliation that only 1500 workers are able to enter Israel. One of the workers told the PCHR fieldworkers
that “we have to wake up early in the morning and to walk nearly four
kilometres, and then to pass through hours of security checks, including
through a number of metal detectors, while soldiers engage in a process of
insulting and humiliating us.” Israeli
occupying authorities have continued to partially open the Sofa passage, to the
east of Rafah. They only allowed access
for construction materials but they prevented people from crossing. The Qarni commercial passage, east of Gaza
city, which is considered the main terminal for goods coming in and out of the
Gaza Strip, has only been partially opened in the past several months. Notably the constant closure of this terminal
has had an obvious negative impact upon the local market.
Despite the
reopening of the Rafah International terminal at the Egyptian-Palestinian
border, the suffering of travellers has continued as a result of the IOF policy
of limited opening hours, in contravention of international agreements between
Israel and Egypt to open it 24 hours a day for 363 days a year. The closure forces large numbers of civilians
to congregate on both sides of the Terminal waiting to pass through. It should be noted that the IOF have been
sporadically opening and closing the Terminal over the last three months of
this year. They have prevented large numbers of people from travelling through
and have imposed strict security procedures on those people permitted to
travel.
Since the
start of the Intifada the IOF have claimed, to the international community,
that that the Rafah terminal is consistently open. In fact they have imposed
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians and only allowed
certain categories of Palestinians to cross the border. In particular civilians between the ages of
16-35 have been prevented from travelling out of Gaza since 18th April. This has prevented thousands of students and
those in need of medical treatment from travelling.
West Bank
The IOF have
continued to impose more restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians
at both temporary military checkpoints and spontaneous checkpoints. They have also imposed curfews on many
cities, villages and refugee camps.
Jerusalem
The IOF
continued to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement throughout Occupied
East Jerusalem. According to the PCHR
fieldworker the IOF established two checkpoints on the 26th of
August at the entrance of Bidu village, north west of Jerusalem and detained
dozens of Palestinians, searched them and checked their ID cards. The entrance to Bidu village leads to another
nine villages and towns which are: Qutma, al Qubiba, Qurbit al Malaham, Beit
Anan, Beit Duko, Beit Isa, Beit Iqsa and Beit Souriq. These measures were combined with the
continuous denial of the right to enter occupied east Jerusalem without special
permission. These measure denied
Palestinians their right to practise religion, receive medical treatment and go
to schools in the area.
Ramallah
In the early
morning of Thursday 26th of August the IOF established a spontaneous
checkpoint at the entrance to Anabi Salah village, to the north west of
Ramallh. They stopped dozens of cars and
searched the passengers and blocked their movement for a couple of hours. In a further step to tighten control over
the movement of Palestinains the IOF built iron fortifications and more barbed
wire at Qalandia checkpoint south of Ramallah. The checkpoint was closed and civilians were prevented from passing
through. On the 28th of August
the IOF had established a spontaneous checkpoint west of Sulwad town, to the
north east of Ramallah and stopped dozens of vehicles and cars for identity
checks and searches. Eyewitness asserted
that the checkpoint blocked the road from Ramallah to Nablus, which is a key
route from the north to the east of the West Bank. Many Palestinians were prevented from
attending their workplace due to this measure.
On the 29th
of August another checkpoint was placed 40 meters from Qalandia
checkpoint. A number of Palestinians who
were walking were searched before being allowed to pass through the checkpoint.
Nablus
The IOF
continued to impose restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. The PCHR fieldworker stated that IOF located
at Beit Iba and Shafi Sharom checkpoint, to the west and Houra and Zatar, to
the south and Beit Foriq checkpoint to the east blocked the movement of
civilians in all directions. Due to
these measures hundreds of Palestinians, and their cars, were unable to pass
through the checkpoints. On the 29th
of August the IOF at Zakara checkpoint blocked the movement of Palestinians
from the north of the West Bank to Ramallah city. A spontaneous checkpoint was established at
the junction of al Laban Sharqi village on the main Nablus-Ramallah road.
Tulkarm
The IOF
continued to impose restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. The PCHR fieldworker stated that the IOF had
placed several checkpoints on the primary roads. On the early morning of 28th
August a spontaneous checkpoint was erected at the east of Tulkarm, in the
Nurshamps neighbourhood. A number of
cars were stopped and dozens of young passengers were detained for hours.
On the 29th
August, in the early morning, a smilar checkpoint was erected in Shuqa
neighbourhood, north of Tulkarm. On the
30th of August a number of
checkpoints were erected on the junctions with Bailha village, east of al
Jarushia village, north of the city and Faron, south of the city. Dozens of cars were stopped and searched and
passengers were subjected to extensive searches. These measures were adopted alongside similar
measures designed to restrict movement on al Kafriat checkpoint, south of
Tulkarm. Coupled with this was the
continued closure of Inam gate, in the east of the city.
The North
and Middle Governorates
In the north
and middle area of the West Bank the IOF established a number of spontaneous
checkpoints and continued with oppressive measures at the permanent
checkpoints. On the 29th of
August the IOF erected a checkpoint to the entrance of Qufarai town, south west
of Jenin, forcing passengers to leave their cars and subjecting them to
extensive searches. Eyewitness reports
indicated that IOF located at the checkpoints in the area had banned the
movement of all tractors. A number of tractor
drivers asserted that the soldiers located at Tai’asir village prevented them
from passing through toward Toubas. They
stated that the soldiers instructed them to obtain special permission to pass
through. At al Hamra checkpoint, in
Hebron, tractors were also stopped from passing through. The IOF tightened its measures which seek to
restrict civilian movement in the city. This week, according to the PCHR fieldworker, a number of checkpoints
were placed at the main junctions in and out of the city. They concentrated in the area around Ba’Zouia
town, from the centre of that town, to Ibrahim Mosque in the old City. Further to this a number of spontaneous and
permanent checkpoints were erected in Hous, Rasajoura, Beir al Mkajab and Salam
and Adi Toofah streets. Eyewitness
reports mentioned that IOF spread themselves throughout the streets and
strip-searched civilians. Most of these
activities were coordinated at Tariq Binziad and the surrounding area of
Mohammad Sli al Muktasib, and the surrounding area of Hebron university, the
northern entrances and the north-western entrances in addition to Halhul
entrance and Beit Qahil entrance. The
IOF continued to close Abu Rish street, south of the mosque, for the 15th
consecutive day. In the aftermath of the
two suicide bombs the IOF imposed a comprehensive closure on Hebron. Early in the morning of the 1st of
September the IOF closed all the towns
and villages with sand barriers and military checkpoints in particular in
Halhul, Nafi Yunis street, Beit Inun road which connects Hebron and the
northern and eastern towns around the
city. In addition to this the IOF closed
the southern entrances of the city at the junctions of Dura al Fawad road, in
addition to the closure of the entrance Yita village. These measures prevented the resumption of
the academic year in nine schools, comprising of 3854 pupils. In addition it also partially restricted the
opening in 25 schools with 9774 pupils. The IOF imposed a curfew on Beit Umar on the 26th of
August. On the 27th of August
a curfew was imposed on Yaba town to the south east of Jenin. Simultaneously a curfew was imposed on Silit
al Duhur town, south of the city. On the
28th of August the IOF imposed a curfew on Salim village to the east
of Nablus; and on the 29th they imposed a curfew on Kufar Talil
village; on the 30th the Qusra, south east of Nablus and A’rana
village to the north of Jenin; on the 31st
of August they imposed a curfew on Jenin city.
Annexation
Wall
The IOF have continued to construct the Annexation
Wall in the Palestinian areas in the west Bank and the construction activities
were mainly in the area around occupied East Jerusalem.
The following
is a list of the primary activities documented by PCHR fieldworkers and it is
not intended to be exhaustive.
During this
week the construction activities were concentrated in al Ram village, north of
Jerusalem. An eyewitness mentioned that
the IOF is about to finish building the infrastructure of the Wall there. In the section extending between al Bariid
neighbourhood (north of Jerusalem) and Qalandia checkpoint (south of
Ramallah). An eyewitness asserted that
the IOF started building a cement wall eight meters high in this area. On completing this section the IOF will be
able to close the north and north west side of East Jerusalem and to isolate
the city from the rest of the oPt. These
measures were combined with building activities on the 26th of
August when an electronic gate was erected in the area. The activities have caused a great deal of
concern for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, particularly those in al Bariid and
al Ram town. These Palestinians will be forced to stay in these areas and a
large number of them will not be able to build new homes due to either the high
price of the land (resultinmg from the large scale confiscation of land by IOF)
or the refusal to grant permits by the IOF. As the completion of the construction of this section nears, the IOF
started to tighten controls on the movement of Palestinians at Qalandia checkpoint. Palestinians are subjected to three or four
searches within 40 meters. Palestinians
are forced to pass through two narrow gates and searched. These measures are taking place at the same
time as the new academic year begins. This illustrates the attempt by the IOF to deny the right to education
of hundreds of teachers and/or students to attend colleges in Jerusalem. In a related context the IOF installed at
the gates established on the parallel wall leading to Bota’ al shaqia, Um
Irihan, Dohir al Mala, al Qurbit and Abu Radia, west of Yabid town, west and
south of Jenin imposed strict restrictions on the movement of Palestinians
civilians to the west of the barrier. An
eyewitness, from this area, confirmed that the IOF designated one gate for all
of the inhabitants of the mentioned villages. The same gate is used by the Palestinians who were evicted from their
lands in 1948 and also the Israeli Settlers, which caused huge problems. The eyewitness confirmed that at least three
hours is needed to pass through the gate. The IOF closed the gate from 21.00 to 07.00. the eyewitness asserted that students from Um
Imrihan village will need to walk for 3km to get to school due to this
measure. On the 31st of
August the IOF started building another section of the Wall in the area of Wadi
Ayad, located between al Bariid and al Aqbat neighbourhood in al Ram town. An eyewitness from the area confirmed that a
number of bulldozers and military vehicles, backed by a special unit of the
IOF, started intense activities in the early morning and started casting cement
blocks of 5m lengths close to the settlement of Inbai Yacub.
Crimes and
Attacks by Settlers on Palestinian civilians and their properties
The settlers
living in the oPt ,in contravention of international humanitarian law,have
continued their systematic attacks against Palestinian civilians and their
property.
On the 28th
of August a settler from Alon Murra settlement, east of Nablus, attacked a
number of Palestinian shepards in the village of Salim, close to the
settlement. The attack included beating
and shooting the shepards and their flock. One sheep was killed and two dogs. An eyewitness confirmed that around 06.30 five Palestinian shepards from
Salim village were tending to their flock in the mountains. An Israeli settler called “Shai” arrived at
the area, supported by military vehicles, he attacked a young shepard and beat
him. Some Palestinians asked the IOF to
stop the settler but the solider instructed the man to wait for the settler to
finish so that the settler could, in turn, attack them. When the shepards protested the soldier beat them. In the aftermath the shepards tried to leave
the area but the soldiers prevented them and the settler beat them with his
weapon. A number of the shepards were
injured, including Ahmed Shia, 37 years old.
The settlers,
early that same morning, from Qiriad Arabya settlement, renewed their attack on
Palestinians in Qhohar and Wadi al Nasara. The Palestinian civilian Farid al Razim, whose family lives a few meters
south of the barbed wire border of the settlement, confirmed that 15 settlers
attacked his family and his neighbours home with stones. They destroyed the windows. Among the owners of the homes which were
attacked were Shufri Jaber, Abu Ibrahim al Razim, Naman Dana and Faid al Razim. On the 29th of Auguist the
settlers of Atna I’el settlement, which is built at the entrance to Suhmua
town, south of Hebron, established four mobile homes outside the barbed wire
border of the settlement on land owned by Abu Sheka family which is located to
the north east of the settllement. An
eyewitness confirmed that the IOF has supplied these houses with
electricity. On the 31st of
August a Palestinian woman was run over by a car driven by an Israeli
settler. According to preliminary
investigations on the morning of 31st of August Hasma Ahmed Salim
Abu Fasa, 61, from Habla village, south of Qaqiliya city, was walking to from
her home to a farm owned by her family. While she was passing through the connecting road an Israeli car ran
over her. The driver failed to stop and
left the scene. She was moved by a
number of Palestinians to an UNRWA hospital in Qalqilya for medical treatment
but was dead on arrival.
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 calls on the
international community to immediately “ensure respect” for the Convention.
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 NGOs 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 oPt.
PCHR also requests the application of the EU Guidelines on Arms Sales and
requests that EU Missions and Embassies in Israel and the oPts press the
Israeli government to apply and implement in full the recently agreed EU
Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders.
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
requests that the international community follow the advisory opinion of the
ICJ when it called on the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention,
through the UNGA and UNSC, to take effective measures to stop the construction
of the annexation wall in the West Bank.
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 oPt, 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 NGOs, and urges them to continue
their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel’s respect for human
rights in the oPt 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 human
rights defenders to the oPt, 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:pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
