Israeli Troops Continue Attacks in
the OPT
· 8
Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops.
· One
of the victims was extra-judicially killed by Israeli troops.
· Israeli
troops conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip.
· At
least 60 donums[1]
of agricultural land were razed and 4 bird farms were destroyed in the Gaza
Strip.
· Houses
were raided and dozens of Palestinian civilians were arrested in the West Bank.
· Israeli
troops raided a number of Palestinian charitable institutions in the West Bank
and confiscated some of their contents.
· Continued
shelling of residential areas and civilian facilities, and 24 Palestinian
civilians, including 7 children and 3 women, were injured in the Gaza Strip.
· Construction
of the “Annexation wall” in the West Bank has continued
· Israeli
troops have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT, a number of
Palestinian civilians were arrested at military checkpoints and Israeli troops
fired at Palestinian civilians wishing to cross these checkpoints and wounded
3.
Introduction
Israeli occupying troops have launched more attacks
against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT). This week, 8 Palestinians were killed and a number of others were
injured by Israeli troops. Human rights violations perpetrated by Israeli
occupying troops included willful killings, incursions into Palestinian areas,
indiscriminate shelling, land leveling and total closure imposed on Palestinian
communities.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli troops killed 7
Palestinians. They killed 2 members of
the Palestinian resistance with missiles during an incursion into al-Shojaeya
neighborhood in Gaza City on 7 December 2004. The other five victims were killed by Israeli troops at the Egyptian
border, south of Rafah, on 8 December 2004, as they attempted to infiltrate
through the border, apparently to smuggle weapons. Israeli troops could have arrested the
victims as they were unarmed. Two other
Palestinians were injured and arrested.
This week, Israeli troops conducted 2 incursions into
Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip. On
7 December 2004, Israeli troops moved into Gaza City. They killed 2 members of the Palestinian
resistance with missiles, injured 10 civilians, razed at least 30 donums of
agricultural land and destroyed 4 bird farms. On 5 December 2004, Israeli troops moved into al-Qarara village,
northeast of Khan Yunis. They razed at
least 30 donums of agricultural land.
In the West
Bank, an undercover unit of Israeli troops extra-judicially killed a member of
the Islamic Jihad in Jenin. Israeli
troops admitted responsibility for this attack, but claimed that the victim was
holding a pistol and attempted to escape, so Israeli troops shot him dead. Investigations conducted by PCHR indicate
that Israeli troops arrested the victim and then killed him. Israeli military sources claimed that the
Israeli military decided to form an external committee to investigate the
attack. PCHR believes that similar few
investigations conducted by the Israeli military were not serious and did not
impose deterring punishments, so they encouraged Israeli troops to perpetrate
more of such attacks. This week, Israeli
troops moved into various areas throughout the West Bank, injured a number of
Palestinian civilians and arrested dozens of others. In addition, they raided
offices of a number of civil societies and confiscated some of their contents.
Israeli troops have continued to construct the
annexation wall inside the West Bank territory, especially around East
Jerusalem. They have continued to build
cement walls near al-Quds University in Abu Dis village, east of the city. Israeli military bulldozers continued to raze
more areas of Palestinian agricultural land in Beit Oula village, northwest of
Hebron. On Sunday, 5 December 2004,
Israeli troops used excessive force against hundreds of Palestinian civilians
and international and Israeli peace activists who organized a demonstration in
Beit Oula village in protest to the construction of the wall. They beat a number of demonstrators and a
Palestinian journalist.
Israeli troops have continued to impose a tightened
siege on the OPT and have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including
Jerusalem.
Israeli troops have continued to impose a tightened
siege on the Gaza Strip. They have imposed severe restrictions on
internal movement. They have continued to isolate some areas since the
beginning of the current Intifada, which has caused extreme suffering for the
Palestinian civilian population. They have also continued to close all
border crossings of the Gaza Strip either partially or completely. These
measures violate the Palestinian economic, social, cultural, civil and political
rights.
In the West Bank, despite Israeli claims that Israeli
troops would ease the siege imposed on Palestinian communities to facilitate
the Palestinian presidential election, Israeli troops imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They stopped,
checked and humiliated Palestinian civilians while crossing military
checkpoints throughout the West Bank. They also established a new iron gate at the southern entrance of
Tulkarm, thus making the town surrounded by iron gates from all
directions.
Shelling of, and
Encroachment into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and
Property
Thursday, 2 December 2004
At approximately 02:00, Israeli
troops moved into Qalqilya. They raided
and searched offices of Qalqilya Handicapped Rehabilitation Society. They confiscated some of the offices’
contents and closed them. According to
the society’s director, Nassim Mohammed al-Shanti, he was phoned by a person
who introduced himself as an Israeli intelligence officer and asked him to go
to the society’s offices and open them or the doors would be blown up. The director went to the offices and opened
them. Immediately, dozens of Israeli
troops broke into the offices and searched them. They confiscated 3 computer sets, a number of
files, stereo cassettes and documents and an amount of money devoted for an
orphan. Then, Israeli troops closed the
offices and informed the director that the society would be closed for 2 years
according to an Israeli military order.
At approximately 02:30,
Israeli troops moved into Tulkarm and the neighboring villages of ‘Allar and
‘Attil. They raided and searched a motel
and a number of houses and arrested 19 Palestinians, including a man and his 3
sons; 4 brothers; 2 other brothers; and 5 college students.
At approximately 05:00, an
infantry unit of Israeli troops moved into al-Ma’ni neighborhood to the east of
“Kfar Darom” settlement, southeast of Deir al-Balah. Israeli troops raided and searched a number
of houses. They forced residents of
these houses to get out. Then, they
arrested and interrogated 17 Palestinian civilians. These civilians were released at 14:30.
In the morning, Israeli
troops positioned at ‘Awarta commercial crossing, south of Nablus, opened fire
at Palestinian porters, wounding 2:
1. Ahmed
‘Ali Qara’an, 20, from Balata refugee camp, wounded by a live bullet in the
left foot; and
2. Ahmed
Mustafa al-Masri, 20, from Nablus, wounded by a live bullet in the right
hand.
At approximately 16:30,
Israeli troops positioned in a military post in Tal Zo’rob area in the
southwest of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian houses in Zo’rob
neighborhood. A Palestinian child,
8-year-old Khalil Hisham Buraika, was injured by shrapnel in the head when he
was near his house.
At approximately 17:10,
Israeli troops positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire
at Palestinian houses in al-Salam neighborhood near the border. A Palestinian woman, Fathiya Mohammed
al-Akhras, 52, was wounded by a live bullet in the right hand when she was
inside her house.
Friday, 3 December 2004
At approximately 12:00, Israeli troops positioned in
military posts in the vicinity of “Morag” settlement, north of Rafah,
opened fire at Musabbeh neighborhood. A
Palestinian woman, Raiqa Mansour Tabasi, 60, was wounded by a live bullet in
the left shoulder when she was inside her house.
At approximately 18:30, Israeli troops positioned in
military posts in the vicinity of “Netzarim” settlement, south of
Gaza City, opened fire at apartment buildings in al-Zahraa’ town to the
south. A number of live bullets hit a
flat owned by Mohammed Hassan al-Majdalawi on the fourth floor of building
number 20. Fire broke out in the flat
and most of its furniture was destroyed.
Saturday,
4 December 2004
At
approximately 18:00, Israeli troops positioned in military posts in the west of
Rafah opened fire at Palestinian houses in Tal al-Sultan neighborhood to the
east. A Palestinian child, 15-year-old
Nidal Mohammed Abu Hilal, was wounded by a live bullet in the left leg when he
was near his house.
In the
evening, Israeli troops moved into Hebron. They raided and searched offices of the Cultural Cooperation Society in
the old town and confiscated some of its contents. According to the society’s director, Israeli
troops forced the staff of the society and 15 children, who were in the
offices, to get out. Then, they searched
the offices and confiscated dozens of photographs and paintings of the old
town, and a number of documents and files.
At
approximately 19:45, Israeli troops positioned at the Egyptian border, south of
Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian houses in al-Salam neighborhood near the
border. A Palestinian civilian,
20-year-old Mohammed Mahmoud Abu Hassanain, was wounded by a live bullet in the
buttocks when he was inside his house.
During the
day, Israeli troops moved into al-Khader village near Bethlehem and
Tulkarm. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 7 Palestinians, including 2 children.
Sunday,
5 December 2004
At
approximately 08:00, Israeli troops, reinforced by heavy military vehicles,
moved nearly 300 meters into Abu Zaher and al-Sumairi neighborhoods in
al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. They raided Jaber Zayed al-‘Emawi’s 3-storey house and held its 12
residents in one room. They searched the
house and transformed it into a military post. Then, they raided and searched a number of houses and forced their
residents out. During this incursion,
which continued until 17:00, Israeli troops razed 30 donums of agricultural
land planted with olives and destroyed a tin-made room and a number of
irrigation networks belonging to the families of al-Sumairi, Abu Zaher and
Sheikh Ahmed.
At noon,
Israeli troops positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire
at Palestinian houses in al-Brazil neighborhood near the border. Two Palestinian civilians, including a
schoolchild, were wounded:
1. Mohammed
‘Abdul Fattah Mansour, 11, wounded by shrapnel in the head; and
2. ‘Abdul
‘Aziz Farraj Abu Mour, 40, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the chest.
Also at noon,
Israeli troops positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at
residential areas in the town. A
Palestinian physician, Mohammed ‘Ata Hamed Hamad, 30, was seriously wounded by
a live bullet in the chest, when he was nearly 900 meters away from the
border.
At approximately
14:30, Israeli troops positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened
fire at Block J in Rafah refugee camp, adjacent to the border. A Palestinian child, 13-year-old Bustan Mufid
Sha’at, was wounded by a live bullet in the left leg.
Monday,
6 December 2004
At
approximately 13:30, Israeli troops positioned in military posts in the
vicinity of “Gadid” settlement, southwest of Khan Yunis, opened fire
at Palestinian houses in Baten al-Samin area to the east. A Palestinian child, 5-year-old Ahmed
Mohammed al-Bashiti, was seriously wounded by a live bullet that entered the
back and settled in the chest when he was on the roof of his house.
At
approximately 20:00, Israeli troops moved into Beit Sahour town. They surrounded Sameer al-Sahouri’s house in
the west of town. They also opened fire
at neighboring houses. A Palestinian
civilian, 21-year-old Nizar Faraj, was wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet
in the chest. Israeli troops also
arrested 3 Palestinians.
During the
day, Israeli troops moved into Nablus; the villages of al-Khader and Taqqou’
and Beit Sahour town near Bethlehem; and Hebron and the neighboring villages of
Beit Kahel and Ethna. They raided and
searched a number of houses and arrested 25 Palestinians, including 5
children.
Tuesday,
7 December 2004
At
approximately 01:30, Israeli troops, reinforced by heavy military vehicles,
moved dozens of meters forward to the east of al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza
City. Under the cover of indiscriminate
shelling, they started to search for members of ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades,
the military wing of Hamas movement. An
exchange of fire erupted between the two sides. Two members of ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades and one Israeli soldier were
killed. A few hours later, Israeli
troops started to raze areas of Palestinian agricultural land. A number of members of the Palestinian
resistance clashed with Israeli troops, and an Israeli drone fired 2 missiles
at them. Two members of the resistance
were killed:
1. Isma’il
Ahmed al-Sawarka, 24, from Jabalya refugee camp; and
2. ‘Aamer
‘Abdullah Esleem, 20, from al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City.
Two other
members of the resistance were wounded. Also as a result of the indiscriminate Israeli shelling, 10 Palestinian
civilians, including 2 children, were wounded. By 19:00, Israeli troops had razed at least 30 donums of agricultural
land planted with olives and wheat and destroyed 4 bird farms owned by the
Helles family.
At
approximately 02:00, Israeli troops moved into Bani Na’im village, east of
Hebron. They raided and searched offices
in the Islamic Charitable Society and its orphan house and school. They confiscated a number of files and
computer sets, and closed 3 offices according to an Israeli military order
until March 2005.
At
approximately 09:40, Israeli troops positioned near Salah al-Dain Gate on the
Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at residential areas in the town.
A Palestinian civilian, 25-year-old Sa’id Yousef al-Najjar, was seriously
wounded by 2 live bullets in the pelvis.
At
approximately 10:10, Israeli troops positioned at the Egyptian border, south of
Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian houses in al-Brazil neighborhood, adjacent to
the border. A Palestinian civilian,
25-year-old Mohammed ‘Abdul Karim Qeshta, was wounded by a live bullet in the
left knee as he was on duty as a traffic man.
At
approximately 14:30, Israeli troops positioned in military posts in the
vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, opened
fire at Palestinian houses in al-Nimsawi neighborhood and Khan Yunis refugee
camp. A number of live bullets hit the
buildings of Nasser Hospital, nearly 700 meters away from the source of
fire. A Palestinian woman, 50-year-old
Fatema Khamis ‘Ennaba, was injured by shrapnel from a live bullet in the left
shoulder.
During the
day, Israeli troops moved into Hebron and the neighboring Beit ‘Awa village;
Taqqou’ village near Bethlehem; Qalqilya and the neighboring villages of Jayous
and ‘Azzoun; Zabbouba village near Jenin; and Balata refugee camp near
Nablus. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 20 Palestinians, including 10 children and 2
brothers.
Wednesday,
8 December 2004
At
approximately 02:00, Israeli troops moved into Hebron. They raided and searched offices of
Prisoners’ Supporters Society. The
confiscated a computer set and a number of files.
At
approximately 17:00, Israeli troops on a tank positioned near “Morag”
settlement, south of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in Gizan
al-Najjar area to the north. A
Palestinian civilian, 20-year-old Mohammed Hassan al-Najjar, was wounded by a
live bullet in the neck.
Also at
approximately 17:00, Israeli troops positioned near Rafah Terminal on the
Egyptian border, south of Rafah, fired a number of artillery shells an live
bullets at a number of young men who were attempting to infiltrate through the
border near al-Salam neighborhood. A
number of these young men were killed and 2 others were arrested. At approximately 21:00, Israeli troops
informed the Palestinian liaison that a number of bodies were in the area. Immediately, a Palestinian ambulance moved towards
the area and found 3 bodies. The victims
were identified as:
1. Eyad
Suleiman Ghayad, 20;
2. Walid
Mosa’ed al-Tarabin, 24; and
3. Rashad
Ibrahim Abu Sunaima, 23.
According to
medical sources, the victims were hit by shrapnel and live bullets throughout the
body. At approximately 02:00 on
Thursday, 9 December 2004, the local hospital of Rafah was informed that a
fourth body was in the area. An
ambulance traveled to the area and transferred the body. The victim was identified as ‘Abdul ‘Aati
Salama Abu Suhaiban, 20, who was hit by several live bullets to the abdomen,
the chest and the buttocks. Later, the
Israeli radio quoted an Israeli military spokesman as claiming that Israeli
troops killed 4 Palestinians near the Egyptian border and arrested 2 others,
one of whom died at an Israeli hospital. The fifth victim had not been so far identified.
During the
hours of the day, Israeli troops moved into Bourqin village near Jenin, and the
villages Qarawat Bani Zaid and Beit Reema near Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 8 Palestinians, including a girl, 2 children and 2 brothers.
Extra-Judicial
Killing
In a
continuation of the policy of extra-judicial killing officially adopted by the
Israeli political and military establishments, on Friday morning, 3 December
2004, an undercover unit of Israeli troops, whose members disguised as
Palestinian civilians, extra-judicially killed a member of al-Quds Brigades,
the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, in Jenin. Israeli troops admitted responsibility for
this attack, but claimed that the victim was holding a pistol and attempted to
escape, so Israeli troops shot him dead. They did not mention whether the victim fired at Israeli troops. Investigations conducted by PCHR indicate that
Israeli troops arrested the victim and then killed him.
According to
investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 04:00 on Friday, 3 December
2004, an undercover unit of Israeli troops moved into Raba village, northeast
of Jenin. Members of the unit surrounded
Tayel Mohammed Bazour. Soon, more
Israeli troops were brought to the area. Israeli troops called through megaphones on residents of the house to
get out with their hand up. When the
residents of the house got out, Israeli troops interrogated them whether wanted
Palestinians were inside the house and the residents negated this. In the meantime, Mahmoud ‘Abdul Rahman Hamdan
Kumayel, 28, attempted to escape from the house, but Israeli troops fired at
him. He was wounded by 2 live bullets in
the legs. A number of Israeli troops
moved towards him and checked him. They
found that he had a pistol. An Israeli
soldier pointed his gun at Kumayel, who begged him not to fire, but the soldier
fired 3 live bullets at him from a very close range. He was instantly killed as the bullets hit
him to the head and the abdomen.
Later,
Israeli military sources claimed that the Israeli military decided to form an
external committee to investigate the attack. The Israeli military spokesman claimed that “according to initial
investigation, there was a deficiency in the performance of the unit, so Head
of the Central Command decided to form an investigation committee to be headed
by Brigadier Ya’ir Golan, and the unit was dismissed from any military activities
pending the conclusion of the investigation.” PCHR believes that similar few investigations
conducted by the Israeli military were not serious and did not impose deterring
punishments, so they encouraged Israeli troops to perpetrate more of such attacks.
Continued
Siege on the OPT
This week,
Israeli troops have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and
imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
Israeli troops have continued to impose a tighten
siege on the Gaza Strip. They have imposed severe restrictions on
internal movement. They have continued to isolate some areas since the
beginning of the current Intifada, which has caused extreme suffering for the
Palestinian civilian population. They have also continued to close all
border crossings of the Gaza Strip either partially or completely. These
measures violate the Palestinian economic, social, cultural, civil and
political rights.
Israeli troops positioned at al-Matahen and Abu Houli
checkpoints on Salah al-Din Street (the main road between the north and south
of the Gaza Strip) imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. The two checkpoints are opened between 06:00 and 20:00
everyday. On Saturday morning, 4 December 2004, Israeli troops held and
searched a number of Palestinian vehicles between the two checkpoints. The
same happened on Monday and Tuesday also. They interrogated a number of Palestinian civilians.
Israeli troops have continued to impose a strict
siege on al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip. They have continued
to impose severe restrictions on the movement of 8000 Palestinian civilians living
in the area to and from the area, which have caused extreme suffering for these
civilians. On Friday, 3 December 2004, Israeli troops closed Tuffah
checkpoint, the sole outlet of the area, in the face of Palestinian civilians
wishing to enter the area. On the
following days, dozens of civilians waited at the checkpoint to be allowed to
go back home in the area, but Israeli troops fired at them. At approximately 11:20 on Sunday, 5 December
2004, Israeli troops fired at dozens of civilians who were waiting at the
checkpoint. One civilian, Tala’at ‘Abed
Abu Shallouf, 33, from Rafah, was injured by shrapnel from a live bullet in the
back. Israeli troops and settlers also attacked
Palestinian agricultural property in the area. With regard to education,
1430 schoolchildren study at one school in the area, which lacks electricity
and water. The school also lacks teachers of a number of subjects, such
as mathematics, physics and chemistry. Only one teacher from outside the
area is allowed to teach at this school, and he is prevented sometimes from
entering the area. As a result of such conditions, the school was forces
to cancel the scientific section, so students who wish to study science have to
go to Khan Yunis. Israeli troops have continued to prevent female
Palestinians whose ages are between 16 and 25, and male ones whose ages are
between 16 and 30 from crossing al-Tuffah checkpoint when it is open, without
prior coordination. Tal al-Sultan checkpoint at the entrance of al-Mawasi
area in Rafah has been closed for more than one year and entry into the area
has been limited to al-Tuffah checkpoint in Khan Yunis.
Israeli troops have also continued to impose a
tightened siege on al-Sayafa area in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli
troops continue to control the only gate in and out of the area. They allow only 4-5 people to pass through
each day to buy basic provisions. These
people are
only allowed to pass through at certain specified hours and they are subject to
humiliation and degrading treatment during the security check process.
In the same context,
Israeli troops have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians living in al-Ma’ni area near “Kfar Darom” settlement in
the central Gaza Strip. At approximately
05:00, an infantry unit of Israeli troops moved into the area. They raided and searched a number of
houses. They forced residents of these
houses to get out. Then, they arrested
and interrogated 17 Palestinian civilians. These civilians were released at 14:30.
Israeli troops have continued to close Erez crossing
in the northern Gaza Strip for the 4th consecutive month. They only
allow patients to travel through the crossing, but under severe conditions and
following coordination. On 7 December 2004, Israeli troops allowed 65 Palestinian
workers to travel to their work places in Israel through the crossing, but
under new conditions. Although Israeli
troops have partially operated al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing to the
east of Gaza City, they have imposed severe restrictions on the flow of goods
through the two crossings. As a result, the Palestinian market has lacked
several basic goods. Israeli troops partially opened Sofa crossing,
northeast of Rafah, and allowed the entry of construction raw materials, but
the crossing has remained closed in the face of Palestinian workers for the 3rd
consecutive month.
Israeli troops have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the travel of Palestinian civilians through Rafah Terminal on
the Egyptian border, which have sharply decreased the number of
travelers. Israeli troops often closed the terminal under security claims. The
number of Palestinians allowed to travel through the terminal daily is very
limited.
The West Bank
Israeli troops have continued to impose a strict
siege on Palestinian communities. They
have also imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians.
Ramallah
Israeli troops imposed more restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians. According
to eyewitnesses, on Saturday morning, 4 December 2004, Israeli troops erected a
number of temporary checkpoints near Palestinian villages located to the west
of the town, and forced many Palestinian civilians to wait for long hours. Israeli troops also reinforced their presence
at ‘Atara Bridge checkpoint at the northern entrance to Bir Zeit village, north
of Ramallah, which serves as an outlet for the town to other Palestinian
communities in the West Bank.
Bethlehem
On Saturday morning, 4 December 2004, Israeli troops closed
the entrances to al-Khader village, south of the town. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli troops
erected a number of checkpoints on the main road leading to the village and
prevented hundreds of Palestinian civilians from traveling to Bethlehem.
Nablus
Israeli troops imposed more restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians. On
Saturday, 4 December 2004, Israeli troops positioned at Za’tara checkpoint,
south of the city, stopped Palestinian civilians, including patients, who were
traveling from the north of the West Bank to its south for at least 3 hours for
no apparent reason. This week, Israeli
troops erected a number of sudden checkpoints around the city.
Tulkarm
On Thursday morning, 2 December 2004, Israeli troops
started to establish an iron gate on a bypass road in front of al-Kafriyat
checkpoint at the southern entrance of the town, which would impose more
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. With the establishment of this gate, the town
would be surrounded by Israeli iron gates from all directions. On Saturday, 4 December 2004, Israeli troops
erected a checkpoint at Artah junction, south of the town, and stopped and
checked dozens of Palestinian civilians. On Sunday noon, 5 December 2004, Israeli troops erected a checkpoint opposite
to al-Fardous mosque on Nablus – Tulkarm road. On Monday, 6 December 2004,
Israeli troops closed the iron gate they had established at al-Kafriyat
checkpoint for several hours.
Curfews
On Thursday morning, 2 December 2004, Israeli troops
imposed a curfew on Hawara village, south of Nablus. The curfew was lifted on Sunday morning, 5
December 2004.
On Monday evening, 6 December 2004, Israeli troops
imposed a curfew on al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem.
Arrests at Military Checkpoints
On Thursday,
2 December 2004, Israeli troops positioned at sudden military checkpoint in the
west of Hebron arrested 3 Palestinians, including 2 brothers.
Continued
Construction of the Annexation Wall
Israeli troops have continued to construct the
annexation wall inside the West Bank territory, especially around East
Jerusalem. They have continued to build
cement walls near al-Quds University in Abu Dis village, east of the city. When the construction of these walls is
finished, the area will be totally isolated.
In Hebron, Israeli military bulldozers continued to
raze more areas of Palestinian agricultural land in Beit Oula village,
northwest of Hebron. On Sunday morning,
5 December 2004, hundreds of Palestinian civilians and international and
Israeli peace activists organized a peaceful demonstration on the land of Beit
Oula village. At noon, Israeli troops
attacked the demonstrators and severely beat them. A number of demonstrators sustained bruises
and injuries. Israeli troops also beat a
Palestinian journalist, Yusri Mohammed al-Jamal, 30, a cameraman of Reuters
from Hebron.
On Monday morning, 7 December 2004, Israeli troops
started to raze large areas of Palestinian agricultural land in al-Jaba’a
village near the Green Line, northwest of Hebron, for the purpose of the
construction of a section of the wall. They uprooted dozens of trees and prevented Palestinian farmers from
reaching their land.
On Wednesday morning, 8 December 2004, Israeli troops
bulldozed a number of tents and barracks of the al-Ka’abna tribe in Bir Nabala
area, northwest of Jerusalem, for the purpose of the construction of the
wall. As a result, 30 individuals (5
families) have become homeless.
According to a recent report published by the
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Israeli troops have forced 2173
Palestinian families (11461 individuals – 6379 males and 5082 females) to leave
their properties in Palestinian towns and villages for the purpose of the
construction of the wall. Also according
to the report, Jerusalem witnessed the largest campaign of expulsion, as 1150
families (5920 individuals) have been forced to leave their properties. The construction of the wall has isolated
21958 individuals behind it and 41774 individuals in communities near the
wall. It has also portioned a number of
communities where 14949 individuals live. The number of Palestinian communities, which lack elementary schools is
14 out of 19 communities located to the west of the wall, while 17 communities
lack secondary schools.
****
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 its
Advisory 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:pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
