Continued Israeli Violations in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories

 

· Willful killings of 4 Palestinians by Israeli
occupation forces this week;

· 5 Palestinians assassinated by Israeli occupation
forces;

· 3 Palestinians killed during incursions into and shelling
of Palestinian residential areas;

· continued attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian
civilians and property;

· large areas of agricultural land razed and a number
of houses demolished;

· a Palestinian patient dies as a result of obstructed
access to hospital by Israeli soldiers at a military roadblock; and

· continued siege on the OPT.

 

Introduction

 

 

This report covers human rights violations perpetrated by Israeli
occupation forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) 1-7 November,
2001. According to PCHR’s documentation,
this week, 13 Palestinians were killed by Israeli occupation forces as a result
of excessive use of forces against demonstrators, shelling of Palestinian
residential areas, and declared assassinations and extra-judicial killings of
Palestinian activists and leaders. 

 

This week, five Palestinians were killed in three
assassinations in Nablus and Jenin and Hebron. The Israeli forces used combat helicopters, a car bomb, and an
undercover unit to assassinate those Palestinians.

 

In two occasions, four Palestinians died in willful
killings by Israeli occupation forces. On 3 November, the Israeli forces shot dead an officer of the
Palestinian National Security Forces near Deir El-Balah, without any apparent
reason. On 6 November, Israeli forces
killed three Palestinian gunmen who had already been wounded in an armed
confrontation with these forces. The
incident took place near Tel village, south of Nablus.

 

This week, the Israeli forces encroached into and
shelled Palestinian controlled areas. They demolished a number of houses in Rafah. A Palestinian civilian was killed on 7
November when Israeli forces shelled Khan Yunis refugee camp. An officer of the Palestinian security
services died on 5 November from a wound he received on 21 October during an
incursion into Ramallah. The body of a
Palestinian security man was discovered in Qalqliya on 5 November, after he
disappeared since 20 October when Israeli forces moved into the city. A Palestinian civilian was shot dead by an
Israeli sniper in Rafah on 6 November.

 

This week, Israeli forces redeployed in areas they
had reoccupied in Qalqilya and Al-Bireh for three weeks, while they maintained
their occupation of Tulkarm and Jenin. 

 

Israeli forces maintained a strict siege on
Palestinian cities and villages. They
have also maintained a tight siege on Al-Sayafa area in the northern Gaza Strip
for two months.

 

In the meantime, Israeli settlers, under full
protection of Israeli forces, continued their attacks on Palestinian civilians
and their property.

 

 

 

 

 

1. Shooting at Palestinian
Civilians

 

 

Friday,
November 2, 2001

 

After Friday prayers, hundreds of Palestinian
civilians organized a demonstration near areas that had been reoccupied by
Israeli occupation forces in Al-Bireh. As soon as demonstrators got closer to Israeli forces, these forces
fired at them, wounding three:

1) Yousef ‘Abdel-Rahim El-Khatib, 15, from Qalandya
refugee camp, wounded by shrapnel from a live bullet in the right hand;

2) ‘Abdel-Rahman Yousef Kefaya, 15, from Ramallah,
wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the abdomen; and

3) Ashraf ‘Atta, 24, from Ramallah, wounded by shrapnel
from a live bullet in the right thigh.

 

At approximately 16:00, dozens of Palestinian
children gathered at the entrance of Qalandya refugee camp, north of occupied
Jerusalem, and threw stones towards Israeli occupation forces at a military
roadblock near Qalandya Airport. Israeli
soldiers fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets at the
children, wounding 14-year-old Mohammed Sami Emteir with a rubber-coated metal
bullet in the head.

 

Saturday,
November 3, 2001

 

In the evening, Israeli occupation forces positioned
in the vicinity of “Kfar Darom” settlement, east of Deir El-Balah, fired at a
patrol of the Palestinian National Security Forces without any apparent
reason. Major Salah ‘Abdul El-Ghazali,
45, from Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, was killed by several live
bullets throughout the body, and soldier Hatem Khalil Ghazal, 30, from
Al-Maghazi refugee camp, was wounded by a live bullet in the right side.

 

In his testimony to PCHR, Ghazal said:

 

At approximately 20:00,
when I was in Mqboula site of the Palestinian National Security Forces, east of
Al-Boreij refugee camp in the middle area of the Gaza Strip, Major Salah ‘Abdu
El-Ghazali came and told me that we were going to ‘Ackila site of the
Palestinian National Security Forces, 100m north of “Kfar Darom” settlement.
Major Salah, two colleagues, and I traveled in a jeep towards Deir El-Balah. We stopped at a junction near the site and
went to the site on foot. After we had
concluded our mission, we moved back towards the jeep. On our way towards the jeep, approximately
400m away from an Israeli military location in the eastern part of “Kfar Darom”
settlement, I heard sounds of intensive shooting from the location towards
us. Immediately, I fell to the ground
and felt something in my right side. I
and one of my colleagues crawled 50m towards Salah El-Din Street. An ambulance came and evacuated me to hospital. I heard calls for Major Salah on the wireless
set, without any reply. My colleague
left me and went searching for Major Salah. A few minutes later, he called us by his wireless set and told us that
Major Salah was dead.

 

According to medical sources at Shifa’ Hospital in
Gaza City, Major Salah was killed by 7 live bullets in the head, the chest, the
abdomen and the feet.

 

Sunday,
November 4, 2001

 

At approximately 04:00, Israeli occupation soldiers
in military jeeps, positioned in the vicinity of ‘Aanin village near Jenin,
fired at a number of Palestinian laborers while on their way to their work
places inside the Green Line. Khaled
‘Ali Turkman, 22, from Jenin, was wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh.

 

At approximately 09:00, Israeli occupation soldiers,
positioned in a military location at Al-Shuhada’ junction, south of Gaza City,
fired at ‘Abdel-Ghaffar Ibrahim Mehjez, 40, from Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza,
wounding him with two live bullets in the right thigh and the left side. PCHR was informed that Mehjez, mentally
handicapped, was crossing from the north to the south when he was fired at
without any prior warning.

 

Tuesday,
November 6, 2001

 

At approximately 08:00, Israeli occupation soldiers,
positioned in a military observation tower at Al-Matahen junction, north of
Khan Yunis, fired at Palestinian cars and civilians. Bassam ‘Abdel-Ghani Abu Daqqa, 28, from Khan
Yunis, was wounded by a live bullet in the abdomen. According to eyewitnesses, Abu Daqqa was on
his way to work in Gaza City, but as usual, Israeli soldiers obstructed
movement of people towards Gaza City. So, Abu Daqqa transferred to another car closer to the Israeli
checkpoint in the area in order to save time. Israeli soldiers did not hesitate to fire at him.

 

At approximately 10:30, Israeli occupation forces,
positioned in the vicinity of “Nissanit,” northwest of Beit Lahia in the
northern Gaza Strip, fired at 30-year-old Salam Mahmoud Bader, from Jabalya,
without any apparent reason, wounding him with a live bullet in the left
shoulder. PCHR was informed that Bader
was in his family’s farm in the north of Beit Lahia, approximately 1,200m away
from the settlement.

 

At noon, three Palestinian gunmen and an Israeli
officer were killed in an armed confrontation on the western hills of Tel
village, south of Nablus. The Israeli
forces are suspected of having liquidated the three wounded gunmen after they
had surrendered, in retaliation for the killing of the Israeli officer.

 

PCHR was informed that at approximately 12:50, intensive
shooting was heard on the western hills of Tel village, south of Nablus. Residents of the village hurried to the
affected area, finding Israeli soldiers surrounding the hill while firing
intensively. Then, an ambulance of the
Palestine Red Crescent Society arrived, but Israeli forces denied medical
personnel access to the Palestinian gunman. Instead, an Israeli soldier asked them to offer medical aid to a wounded
Israeli soldier. They found him
dead. Later, the medical personnel saw
seven Israeli soldiers firing at the wounded gunmen. The Israeli forces denied medical personnel
access to the gunmen for more than 45 minutes. Even then, the Israeli forces refused to hand the bodies of the gunmen
to the Palestinian medical personnel and ordered them to leave the area. The Israeli forces kept the bodies until the
evening, when they handed them over to the Palestinian military liaison in
Nablus. The bodies were taken to Rafidya
Hospital in Nablus, where they were identified as Jamal Khader Mallouh, 27;
Eyad ‘Oudeh El-Khatib, 28; and ‘Ali Ibrahim Kamel Abu Hajla, 22. All of them are from Deir Estia village in
Salfit.

 

The Palestine Red Crescent Society issued a
statement, in which it cited the narrative of its medical personnel who went to
the area to evacuate the wounded. The
statement asserted that Israeli occupation soldiers killed the three
Palestinian gunmen after they had been captured. In its statement, the society wrote:

 

At
approximately 13:00 on 6 November 2001, an ambulance of the Palestine Red
Crescent Society went to Tel village near Nablus to evacuate the wounded in the
area. When the ambulance was around 50m
away from the area, Israeli soldiers denied medical personnel access to the
wounded, after an Israeli officer told the personnel that there were wounded
Palestinians in the area. Soon, soldiers
brought a wounded Israeli soldier and asked the medical personnel to help
him. The personnel tried to save him,
but he was already dead. The medical
personnel again asked the Israeli forces to allow them access to the wounded,
but they refused. Then, the medical
personnel saw seven Israeli soldiers firing at the wounded. An Israeli soldier came back to the medical
personnel and informed them that there was no need for their access to the
wounded as they had died. More than 45
minutes later, the medical personnel were allowed access to the bodies of the
three martyrs, but Israeli soldiers have so far refused to give them the
bodies.

 

According to lawyers of the Palestinian Society for
the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment (LAW) who saw the bodies,
the dead were:

1) Jamal Khader Mallouh received a live bullet in ear
that exited the head destroying a part of the brain, and several live bullets
in the chest and the hands;

2) Eyad ‘Oudeh El-Khatib received a live bullet the
mouth that exited the head and several live bullets in the chest and the hands;
and

3) ‘Ali Ibrahim Kamel Abu Hajla received a live bullet
that entered the right eye and exited the head, fracturing the skull, and several
live bullets in the chest and the hands.

 

According to this data, Israeli soldiers apparently
fired at the three martyrs from a very short distance.

 

At approximately 13:50, Israeli soldiers fired at
Ussama Yousef Hamad, 17, from Tel village, southwest of Nablus, while he was on
his way back home from school, wounding him with a live bullet in the left
thigh.

 

In the evening, Israeli occupation forces, positioned
in a military location in Tal Zo’rob area, southwest of Rafah, opened fire on
Abu Baker Street, approximately 400m away. Mohammed Mousa Nemer Abu ‘Ayeh, 57, was seriously wounded by a live
bullet in the head. According to
eyewitnesses, Abu ‘Ayeh was wounded without the sound of shooting having been
heard, which indicates that he was fired at from a gun equipped with a
silencer. On Wednesday evening, 7
November, Abu ‘Ayeh was pronounced dead at Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City, where
he received medical attention. 

 

Wednesday,
November 7, 2001

 

At approximately 06:00, Israeli occupation forces,
positioned at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Beit Hanoun, fired
at 14-year-old Fahmi As’ad Salah while he was on his way to school, wounding
him with a live bullet in the right leg. The child was approximately 800m away from the border when he was
wounded.

 

At approximately 15:00, Israeli occupation soldiers
in a military jeep near Ya’abd village, southwest of Jenin, fired at
Palestinian students who were on their way home, wounding three:

1) Mohammed Suleiman ‘Atatra, 18, seriously wounded by a
live bullet in the chest;

2) Taher ‘Aatef Zeid El-Kilani, 15, seriously wounded by
a live bullet in the head; and

3) Saher Saleh ‘Atatra, 16, wounded by a rubber-coated
bullet in the neck and arrested by the Israeli forces.

 

 

2. Shelling of, and
Incursions into Palestinian Cities and Residential Areas

 

 

Thursday, November 1, 2001

 

At approximately 08:45, after the assassination of
Yasser ‘Assida and Fahmi Abu ‘Eisha, Israeli tanks moved from Tulkarm to Bala’a
junction on the Nablus-Tulkarm road. As
they passed by Nour Shams refugee camp, they indiscriminately fired heavy and
medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses. Two girls were wounded:

1) Iman ‘Abdel-Karim Yousef Abu Shu’la, 9, seriously
wounded by shrapnel in the head and the neck; and

2) Hanan ‘Abdel-Karim Yousef Abu Shu’la, 11, wounded by
shrapnel in the neck.

 

According to their mother, Najah Saleh Mohammed Abu
Shu’la, the two girls were inside their family’s house when they were wounded.

 

At approximately 09:00, Israeli tanks and armored
personnel carriers moved into the north, west and south of Tulkarm, firing
heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses. ‘Emad ‘Azzam ‘Affif El-Jallad, 12, was
wounded by shrapnel in the head while he was in front of his school.

 

At approximately 13:00, Israeli occupation forces,
positioned in a military location in Tal Zo’rob, southwest of Rafah, fired
artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at a preparatory school
in Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood. Four
artillery shells fell behind the school, terrifying the students. Residents of the area demolished the northern
wall of the school to allow the exit of their children, because the main
entrance to school is opposite the Israeli military location. Shrapnel of shells also hit two houses owned
by Ya’qoub Mustafa Abu ‘Obeid, severely damaging their walls.

 

Friday, November 2, 2001

 

At approximately 11:00,
Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with armored personnel carriers and a
bulldozer, moved into the north of Beit Lahia. They razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land:

1) A 4-donum area planted
with guavas, owned by Zuhair Khudeir; and

2) A 3-donum area planted
with guavas, owned by Haidar ‘Abdel-Rahim Zindah. 

 

At approximately 13:00,
Israeli occupation forces, who had already take positions inside Qalqilya,
shelled Palestinian houses in the south of the city. A taxi owned by Nasser ‘Ali Suleiman was
damaged, but no casualties were reported. An artillery shell also damaged a house owned by Dr. Ghaleb Shaker
Barahma, and again no casualties were reported.

 

At approximately 20:00,
Israeli occupation forces positioned in the vicinity of “Netzarim” settlement,
south of Gaza City, opened fire on Palestinian houses in Al-Zahra’ town. Baher Asharaf El-Dabbah, 5, was wounded by a
live bullet in the right hand. According
to eyewitnesses, the child was wounded while he was on his way to shop near his
family’s house. Some houses were also
damaged.

 

Saturday, November 3, 2001

 

At approximately 00:30,
Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and bulldozers, thrust
approximately 100m into Al-Brazil neighborhood adjacent to the Egyptian border,
south of Rafah. They demolished two
Palestinian houses and severely damaged two others, after they had called
residents of the area through loudspeakers to evacuate their houses. The damage included:

1) Israeli forces demolished
a 200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which seven people lived, and
uprooted trees, owned by Sami ‘Abdullah Younis.

2) They demolished a
200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which four people lived, and
uprooted trees, owned by Ra’ed ‘Abdullah Younis.

3) They demolished a wall and
the roof of a room in a 300-square-meter house owned by Ibrahim Mousa Abu Siam.

4) They demolished a
15-meter-long wall of a house owned by Kamel Mahmoud Darwish.

 

At approximately 09:00,
Israeli occupation forces, positioned in the vicinity of “Netzarim” settlement,
south of Gaza City, thrust approximately 100m into Al-Mughraqa area, southwest
of the city. They razed areas of
agricultural land and destroyed some agricultural facilities:

1) They destroyed a well and
a water tank owned by ‘Aatta Sa’id El-Helu.

2) They razed a
500-square-meter of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Jamil Abu
Khubeiza.

3) They destroyed an
irrigation network owned by Riad and Jawad Fadel El-Helu.

4) They uprooted 6 olive
trees owned by ‘Eid Sa’id El-Khurati.

5) They destroyed around
1,500 bricks owned by Saqer ‘Eid Abu Leila.

 

In the afternoon, Israeli
occupation forces opened fire on Palestinian houses in Qalqilya. Ahmed Hassan Jarbou’, was wounded by shrapnel
in the right hand.

 

In the evening, a number
of Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers moved into the west and south
of Tulkarm. They opened fire on
Palestinian houses. Electricity was cut
off in the two areas after an electricity transformer was hit by artillery
shells.

 

Sunday, November 4, 2001

 

At approximately 04:00,
US-made Israeli Apache helicopter gunships shelled a number of Palestinian
civilian facilities in Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip. Twenty minutes later, a number of
surface-to-surface missiles were launched from Israeli military bases,
northeast of Beit Hanoun, at Palestinian civilian facilities and houses. A number of houses and civilian facilities
were severely damaged:

1) Three surface-to-surface missiles
hit a 250-square-meter building, owned by ‘Arafa ‘Abdel-Qader Saleh Hammouda,
destroying:

 · A 120-square-meter
workshop owned by Samir Ibrahim El-Sabbagh and Mazen Salman El-Helu; and

 · A 120-square-meter
workshop owned by Riadh Mohammed Hassan Mas’oud.

2) Six surface-to-surface
missiles hit a 415-square-meter factory of metal paints owned by Hassan Nu’man
Hassan Bassal, partially destroying it.

3) Three surface-to-surface
missiles hit a 400-square-meter workshop, owned by Na’im Dhib Abu El-Ghoul,
severely damaging it.

 

The other houses and
civilian facilities that were damaged were:

1) Dader clothes company;

2) a workshop owned by Ashraf
Mustafa El-Helu;

3) a 185-square-meter,
two-story house owned by Na’im ‘Arafa Hammouda – his 8-year-old child Ahmed was
wounded by shrapnel from glass in the right eye;

4) a 250-square-meter,
three-story house owned by Jamal Hassan Hammouda; and

5) a 250-square-meter,
two-story house owned by Mohammed Rabi’ Junied.

 

In the afternoon, Israeli
tanks moved into the western neighborhood in Tulkarm, shelling Palestinian
houses. A number of houses were severely
damaged. At the same time, Israeli
occupation forces moved into the east of the city and seized a house owned by
Mohammed ‘Abed Mahmoud Ju’eissi. No
casualties were reported.

 

At approximately 14:00,
Israeli occupation forces demolished a 140-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house
owned by the hires of Fayez El-Hindi, from Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza. The house was located approximately 400m west
of “Dogit” settlement, north of Beit Lahia. The demolition took place under the cover of intensive shooting at
Palestinian areas.

 

At approximately 19:10,
three Israeli military jeeps, a tank and an armored personnel carrier moved
from bypass road (60) 300m towards a roadblock of the Palestinian National
Security Forces at the western entrance of Bani Na’im village, southeast of
Hebron. They shelled the roadblock,
partially destroying it. No casualties
were reported.

 

At approximately 20:00,
Israeli occupation forces thrust approximately 1km into the south of Qalqilya,
under the cover of intensive shooting at Palestinian houses. Two Palestinian civilians were wounded:

1) Maher ‘Abdel-Rahim
Houtari, 38, wounded by shrapnel from live bullets throughout the body; and

2) Khaled Hassan Hisham, 22,
wounded by shrapnel from live bullets throughout the body.

 

Monday, November 5, 2001

 

At approximately 06:00,
Israeli occupation forces thrust approximately 100m into Block “O” area
adjacent to the Egyptian border, south of Rafah. The incursion took place under the cover of
intensive shelling. They demolished a
house and severely damaged two others:

1) They completely demolished
a 400-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 18 people live, and razed a
800-square-meter area of agricultural land planted with olives, lemons and
palms, owned by Zakaria Nemer Ghuneim.

2) Two artillery shells hit a
200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 13 people live, owned by
Mohammed Salem ‘Abdel-‘Aal, causing severe damage.

3) Three artillery shells hit
a 500-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 39 people live, owned by
Ahmed Zayed ‘Abdel-‘Aal, causing severe damage.

 

Two Palestinian civilians
were also wounded:

1) Mahmoud Saleh Abu Jazar,
14, wounded by shrapnel in the chest and the face; and

2) Shihab Saleh Abu Jazar, 17,
wounded by shrapnel in the face.

 

In the morning, Sa’id
Mahmoud Sa’id Abu Shumeis, 26, from Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, a member of
the Palestinian National Security Forces, was pronounced dead at Sheikh Zayed
Hospital in Ramallah from a wound he received from Israeli occupation forces on
21 October. On that day, Ra’ed ‘Abbas
El-Tawil, 26, from Ramallah, was wounded by a live bullet in the left side
fired by Israeli forces in Al-Balou’ area. Abu Shumeis went to offer help to El-Tawil, but the Israeli forces fired
at him, seriously wounding him with a live bullet in the abdomen. The two men were evacuated to Sheikh Zayed
Hospital in Ramallah. All efforts to
save Abu Shumeis’ life failed.

 

At approximately 10:30, a
number of Israeli tanks moved into the north of Tulkarm, opening fire on
Palestinian houses. ‘Othman Saleh Nemer
‘Abdel-Rahim, 56, from Nour Shams refugee camp, was seriously wounded by a live
bullet that entered the left hand and the chest, settling in the lungs.

 

At approximately 11:00, two
Israeli tanks, an armored personnel carrier and four military jeeps thrust
approximately 1,800m into Kharsa village near Hebron, under full control of the
Palestinian National Authority. They
opened fire on Palestinian houses. Before withdrawing, the Israeli forces leveled a ten-donum area of
agricultural land.

 

In the evening,
Palestinian security sources in Qalqilya declared that the body of
‘Abdel-Nasser Ahmed Hudieb, 34, from Jericho, a first lieutenant of the
Palestinian National Security Forces, who disappeared on 20 October during an
incursion into the city, was found. The
body of Hudeib was found on Soufin hill, east of the city, after the Israeli
forces had redeployed from the city on 5 November. Medical personnel of the Palestine Red Crescent
Society and a number of volunteers searched for him. After a one-day search, his body was found in
a trench. During their occupation of the
city, the Israeli forces prevented searches for Hudeib. According to the Qalqilya medical examiner,
Hudeib received ten heavy caliber bullets in the body and the head that
fractured the skull. The entry of the
bullets was from above, which indicates that he was shot by a helicopter.

 

At approximately 23:00,
Israeli occupation forces, positioned at Al-Tuffah checkpoint, west of Khan
Yunis, opened fire on Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee camp. Two Palestinian civilians were wounded:

1) Bilal ‘Omar El-Husseini,
18, wounded by a live bullet in the left leg; and

2) Ramez ‘Abdel-Hadi Budeir,
23, wounded by a live bullet in the left thigh.

 

Tuesday, November 6, 2001

 

At approximately 06:00,
Israeli occupation forces, positioned at Al-Tuffah checkpoint, west of Khan
Yunis, opened fire on Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee camp. Jamal Shehdeh Abu Rezeq, 42, was wounded by a
live bullet in the testicles.

 

At approximately 17:30,
Israeli occupation forces, positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah,
opened fire on Palestinian houses in the city. Sali Sa’di El-Sha’er, 12, was wounded by a live bullet in the right arm
while she was near her family’s house. A
number of houses were also damaged.

 

Wednesday, November 7, 2001

 

At approximately 11:00,
Israeli occupation forces, positioned in “Neve Dekalim” settlement and
Al-Tuffah checkpoint, west of Khan Yunis, shelled Palestinian houses in Khan
Yunis refugee camp. Mohammed Fathi
Kaskin, 23, was killed by a live bullet in the back. Kaskin, a taxi driver, was driving his taxi
when he was killed. He received a live
bullet in the back and lost control over the car. The car collided with the door of a
mosque. Four other Palestinian civilians
were also wounded:

1) Fatema Salem Abu ‘Aker,
40, wounded by shrapnel in the feet;

2) Amal Kamel Abu ‘Aker, 38,
wounded by shrapnel in the abdomen;

3) Salah Mohammed Khureis,
38, wounded by a live bullet in the right foot; and

4) Mohammed Riadh El-Qedra,
15, wounded by shrapnel in the right foot when he was approximately 2km away
from the source of fire.

 

A number of houses and a
shop were severely damaged.

 

 

3. Continued Assassinations
and Extra-Judicial Killings

 

 

In a continuation of the policy of assassination
and extra-judicial killing formally adopted by the Israeli government, Israeli
forces committed three new assassinations, in which five Palestinians were
killed.

 

At 08:20 on Thursday, 1 November, two Israeli
combat helicopters fired four rockets at a Palestinian taxi traveling from
Tulkarm to Bala’a village. When it was
in Bala’a street, Israeli combat helicopters fired four missiles at the taxi,
completely destroying it, killing two passengers and wounding a third one. As soon as the car exploded, the helicopters
landed few meters away from it. Israeli
soldiers hurried towards the car, opening fire. They arrested the driver, ‘Abdel-Karim Mohammed ‘Abdullah El-Sabbagh,
33, fron Nour Shams refugee camp, and took him to an unknown destination. The bodies of the two martyrs, cut and burnt,
were taken to Dr. Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarm. They were identified in the evening as:

1) Yasser Ahmed Ayoub ‘Assida, 25,
from Tel village in Nablus; and

2) Fahmi Fayeq Abu ‘Eisha, 38, from
‘Askar village in Nablus.

 

At 12:30, Israeli Arabic radio broadcast a
statement by the office of the Israeli prime minister asserting that Israeli
combat helicopters were used to assassinate the two Palestinians. The statement claimed that the Israeli forces
“deterred a big suicide bombing planned by a group of Hamas in Al-Sharom area,
when combat helicopters fired rockets at a Palestinian taxi near ‘Anabta
village, killing two members of the cell, Yasser ‘Assida, from Tel village in
Nablus, and Fahmi Abu ‘Eisha, from Nablus, and wounding a third Palestinian,
while the driver was arrested.”

 

In the second assassination, two Fatah activists in
Jenin in the northern West Bank were killed. At approximately 17:40 on Tuesday evening, November 6, 2001, Majdi Mousa
El-Tayeb Jardat, 26, from Wadi Bourqin village in Jenin, and ‘Ekrema Mohammed
Sabri Esteiti, 35, from Jenin refugee camp, were traveling in a car that had an
Israeli number towards Jardat’s house. When they were in the middle of the road, the car exploded and the two
were killed.

 

According to investigations carried out by the
Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment
(LAW), Esteti received the car two hours before the explosion and an Israeli
helicopter was flying over the northwest of Jenin refugee camp. According to initial investigation by
Palestinian security services, two bombs were put into the car. The Palestinian security services arrested
two suspects. The two victims had been
wanted by Israeli forces for several months.

 

In the third assassination, ‘Eissa Khalil Mohammed
Dababseh, 48, from Um Al-Baraka village, south of Hebron, was killed. According to LAW’s information, at 13:00 on
Wednesday, 7 November, an undercover Israeli unit, traveling by car, entered
the village, which is under full control of the Palestinian National
Authority. When they arrived at
Dabaseh’s house, they besieged it and fired at Dabaseh from 2m, killing him
with several live bullets throughout the body. They took his body and left the area. Two Palestinian civilians were also wounded in the incident:

1) ‘Ali ‘Eissa Dababseh, 18, the
victim’s son, wounded by an explosive live bullet in the left thigh; and

2) ‘Abdel-Hadi ‘Ali ‘Abdel-Hadi, 54,
wounded by a live bullet in the left foot.

 

Dababseh had been wanted by Israeli forces since 19
April 1998, when he confronted an armed Israeli settler who tried to seize his
family’s land, killing him.

 

 

4. Attacks by Israeli
Settlers on Palestinian Civilians and Property

 

This week, Israeli settlers continued their attacks
on Palestinian civilians and their property, under full protection of Israeli
occupation forces.

 

At 08:00 on Thursday, 1
November, a settler who was traveling from “Homesh” settlement, northwest of
Nablus, towards Seilat Al-Zhaher village, southwest of Jenin, opened fire on a
Palestinian secondary school in the village. A student, Mahmoud ‘Abdel-Hadi Rahhal, 14, was wounded by a live bullet
in the right hand.

 

On Thursday evening, 1
November, a number of Israeli settlers seized a Palestinian house, owned by
Fawzia Mohammed Kamel El-Kurd, 44, in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied
Jerusalem. According to an eyewitness,
at approximately 19:00, while El-Kurd and her husband were at hospital, a
number of settlers jumped into the house. When the family arrived at their home, they discovered that settlers had
seized one of the family’s two houses, which was closed upon a decision of the
Israeli High Court three years ago, pending a final decision in the case, in
which settlers had claimed ownership of the house for 350 years. The El-Kurd family has owned the house since
1973 and has documents proving their ownership of it. The house is divided into two parts, one of
which was seized by settlers upon a decision taken by an Israeli court.

 

At approximately 14:00 on
Friday, 2 November, Hadi ‘Abdel-Fattah Esteitia, 42, from Nablus, was injured
in the chest by a stone thrown towards his car by a Jewish settler, while he
was traveling from Nablus to Ramallah.

 

At approximately 06:00,
Israeli settlers from “Avraham Avino” settlement in Hebron set fire to two
Palestinian shops owned by ‘Abdel-Salam El-Qasrawi and brothers. The shops were completely burnt. At the same time, a number of settlers, accompanied
by a bulldozer, blocked an entrance to Hebron near Halhoul town.

 

At approximately 07:30 on
Monday, 5 November, an Israeli settler fired at Suleiman Yousef Suleiman
Khanfar, 15, from Seilat Al-Zhaher village in Jenin, while he was on his way to
school. Khanfar was wounded by a live
bullet in the head. According to
eyewitnesses, the same settler had fired at Mohammed Rahhal on 1 November.

 

On Tuesday morning, 6
November, a number of Israeli settlers from “Elli” and “Shilu” settlements,
south of Nablus, fired at Mahmoud ‘Abbad Toubasi, 35, from Jaloud village,
south of Nablus, wounding him with a live bullet in the right thigh. In the morning, a number of Israeli settlers
in six tractors moved to agricultural land of Jaloud and Qasra villages. When Palestinian villagers discovered this,
they hurried to protect their land. The
settlers fired at the villagers wounding Toubasi. Toubasi was evacuated in an ambulance of the Palestine
Red Crescent Society. Israeli soldiers
at the entrance of “Shilu” settlement stopped the ambulance and arrested him.

 

 

5. A Palestinian Patient Dies
at an Israeli Military Roadblock

 

 

On Wednesday morning,
Sabri Mohammed Mustafa Janem, 71, from Baqa village near Tulkarm, died after
Israeli occupation forces at a military roadblock near Deir Sharaf village,
northwest of Nablus, obstructed his access to hospital in Nablus for three
hours. Janem had a kidney disease and
was in need of medical treatment at hospital. He was forced to travel through an alternative road, dramatically
increasing travel time. He arrived at
hospital dead.

 

 

6. Arrests by Israeli
Occupation Forces

 

 

This week, Israeli
occupation forces arrested many Palestinians. These arrests took place in the following circumstances:

1) At international border crossings,
under the control of Israeli occupation forces.

2) At Israeli military
roadblocks on main and branch roads and at the entrances to Palestinian cities
and villages.

3) In Palestinian towns and
villages, often during house raids.

 

The following table lists
significant arrests that took place this week:

 

 

 

****

 

PCHR calls:

 

1) Upon governments that participated in the World
Conference Against Racism in Durban in South Africa to adopt crucial decisions
condemning practices by Israel and its belligerent occupation forces in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories, which can only be described as apartheid
against the Palestinian people.

2) Upon the international community to provide immediate
and independent international protection for the Palestinian people in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories.

3) Upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth
Geneva Convention of 1949 to reconvene in order to take effective measures to
protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in
accordance with their obligations under article 1, to ensure the respect of the
Convention.

4) Upon the international community to investigate and
prosecute those believed to have committed war crimes in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories before international courts

5) Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence, expand its
activities, and intensify its field observations throughout the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.

6) Upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the
Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect
human rights.

7) Upon the international
community to provide humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian
people, whose living conditions are continuing to deteriorate as a result of
the continued siege imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the entire
Occupied Palestinian Territories.

 

v For more information on
the Al-Aqsa Intifada see: www.pchrgaza.org