Israeli Forces Continue Violations
of Human Rights in the OPT between 10-23 July
· Indiscriminate
Israeli shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued and 5 Palestinian
civilians were wounded
· Israeli
forces annexed large areas of Palestinian land to “Morag” settlement, southeast
of Khan Yunis
· Continued
Israeli incursions into Palestinian controlled areas
· A
house was demolished in Rafah and another was seized in Deir al-Balah
· 2
houses in Beit Reema village near Ramallah were demolished as Israel continues
its campaign of retaliation against the families of wanted Palestinians and those who
allegedly carried out armed attacks against Israeli targets
· Continued
siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank and partial siege in the Gaza
Strip
· 9
Palestinians arrested, one seriously wounded, by Israeli forces in the Gaza
Strip
Introduction
Despite the sharp decrease in armed clashes, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to perpetrate human rights violations against Palestinian civilians, including
collective punishment, shelling of and incursions into Palestinian areas, and
arrests.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces opened
fire at Palestinian residential areas for no apparent reason, wounding 5
Palestinian civilians. A number of
Palestinian houses and two security sites were also damaged.
In a step aimed at the annexation of more Palestinian
land to Israeli settlements, which are established illegally on Palestinian
lands, Israeli occupying forces effectively annexed an area of 283 donums[1] of
Palestinian land to “Morag” settlement in southern Gaza.
Israeli occupying forces have continued to deny access
for Palestinian farmers to their agricultural lands to replant them, including
lands leveled by the Israeli occupying forces. On 19 July 2003, Israeli occupying forces opened fire at a Palestinian
farmer who attempted to replant his agricultural land in Beit Hanoun.
Israeli occupying forces have maintained a strict siege on large parts
of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Although Israeli forces redeployed on the main roads in the Gaza Strip,
they continued to obstruct movement of Palestinians on these main roads and stopped
vehicles to conduct searches. In
addition, Israeli occupying forces have continued to restrict movement at
border crossings and maintained the siege imposed on al-Mawasi area in the
southern Gaza Strip and the al-Sayafa area in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian workers continue to face
humiliating measures at “Erez” (Beit Hanoun) crossing in the northern Gaza
Strip on their way to their work places in Israel. Israeli occupying forces have continued to restrict
passage of goods through commercial crossings of the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces
have maintained a strict siege on Palestinian communities, isolating them from
one another.
In a violation of international humanitarian law, Israeli
forces continued its policy of collective punishment against families of
Palestinians who are alleged to be responsible for attacks against
Israeli. In this context, they destroyed 2 houses in Beit Reema village
near Ramallah.
Following are details of violations of human rights perpetrated by
Israeli occupying forces against Palestinian civilians and property in the period
10-23 July 2003:
Excessive Use of Force against
Palestinian Civilians and Attacks on Civilian Property
Over the period covered by this report, Israeli
occupying forces opened fire at Palestinian civilians, shelled Palestinian civilian
residential areas and conducted military incursions into Palestinian Authority
controlled areas. Following are details
of these human rights violations:
At approximately 09:00 on Thursday, 10 July 2003,
Israeli occupying forces positioned in a military location near Sofa crossing,
southeast of Khan Yunis, opened fire at a Palestinian National Security Force
position near the crossing. The post was
damaged, but no casualties were reported. At approximately 11:00 on the following day, Israeli occupying forces
opened fire at the same post.
Also on Thursday 10 July, at approximately 12:30
Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with 4 heavy military vehicles, including
a bulldozer, moved approximately 100m into Block J in Rafah refugee camp,
adjacent to the Egyptian border. The
bulldozer demolished a 230-square-meter house owned by Tala’at Hamed Abu Hamra
and his brothers, in which 25 people (4 families) lived. The families had been forced to leave the
house at the beginning of the current Intifada as it was constantly subjected
to Israeli shelling. In his testimony to
PCHR, Abu Hamra said that when he and his brothers went to the area to take
whatever remained of their belongings, an Israeli tank, which was positioned
approximately 80m away from the house, moved towards them and knocked over a
remaining pillar of the house. Rubble fell on his brother, ‘Ali Hamed Abu
Hamra, 42. He was moderately
injured.
At approximately 00:00 on Friday, 11 July 2003,
Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Tal Qatif”
settlement, southwest of Deir al-Balah, fired a number of flare bombs at
al-Birka area in the south of the town, approximately 600m north. One of the bombs fell into the kitchen of a
house owned by ‘Ali Suleiman Kuraishan. The kitchen was badly damaged by fire.
At approximately 19:10 on Saturday, 12 July 2003,
Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Neteser
Hazani” settlement, northwest of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses
in al-Qarara village, north of the town. A Palestinian woman, Fawzia Suleiman Abu Mosa’ed, 20, was wounded by a
live bullet in the right leg, while she was inside her house, approximately
300m away from the source of fire. According to medical sources, the live bullet caused an acute
hemorrhage.
At approximately 14:35 on Sunday, 13 July 2003,
Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Neve
Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in
al-Niimsawi neighborhood. A Palestinian
woman, Rihab Suleiman Abu Sitta, 32, was wounded by a live bullet in the right
leg, while she was inside her house, approximately 500m away from the source of
fire.
At approximately 10:00 on Monday, 14 July 2003,
Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of Sofa
crossing, southeast of Khan Yunis, opened fire at a Palestinian National
Security Force post, located approximately 150m north. A number of live bullets hit the post, but no
casualties were reported.
At approximately 11:00 on the same day, an Israeli
military bulldozer that was working on a settler road north of “Morag”
settlement, south of Khan Yunis, also demolished two 80-square-meter,
iron-roofed rooms owned by Sami ‘Ataya al-Bahabsa. The rooms were evacuated on 18 February 2002
after Israeli occupying forces had fired fletchette tank shells at them,
killing 3 Palestinian civilians. In the
same area also, Israeli occupying forces demolished a tent and a bird farm
owned by Salma Hamdan al-Bahabsa.
At approximately 01:15 on Tuesday, 15 July 2003,
Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Neve
Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in
al-Niimsawi neighborhood. A Palestinian
civilian, Ahmed Hamed al-Sinwar, 17, was wounded by a live bullet in the right
hand.
At approximately 14:50 on the same day, Israeli
occupying forces in a military location at al-Matahen crossing, north of Khan
Yunis, opened fire without warning at Palestinian civilians and cars traveling along
Salah al-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza
Strip), apparently in an attempt to stop Palestinian traffic on the road to
allow the passage of a settler car towards the “Gush Qatif” settlement block,
west of the road.
At approximately 21:10 on Wednesday, 16 July 2003,
Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Neve
Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in
Khan Yunins refugee camp. A Palestinian
civilian, Zakria ‘Abdul Qader ‘Abdul Rahman al-Faqa’awi, 42, was wounded by a
live bullet in the left hand, while he was near his house, approximately 1km
away from the source of fire.
At approximately 23:00 on the same day, Israeli
soldiers on a tank that was patrolling along the Egyptian border opened fire at
streets in al-Jonaina neighborhood. A
Palestinian woman, Firial Ahmed Qeshta, 53, was wounded by a live bullet in the
right thigh.
At approximately 15:00 on Sunday, 18 July 2003, an
Israeli heavy military vehicle moved approximately 250m into al-Brazil
neighborhood in the south of Rafah, adjacent to the Egyptian border. It stopped near the house of Ahmed al-Sha’er,
which is located near the Public Services Society (PSS). An Israeli soldier told al-Sha’er to inform
the administration of the PSS that there was an Israeli military order to stop
construction of the PSS building. The PSS
had begun construction of a 750-square-meter building on 12 July 2003. Construction was expected to be finished by
October 2003, and was intended to include a library, a research center and
sports facilities.
At approximately 10:00 on Saturday, 19 July 2003,
Sa’di Fahmi Salah, from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, went to
his agricultural land located at the eastern side of Beit Hanoun, near the
border with Israel. Salah’s land had previously
been razed by Israeli occupying forces. He took an agricultural bulldozer with him to level the land flat so
that he could replant it with crops. When he got 600m away from the border, Israeli soldiers opened fire at
him. A live bullet hit the bulldozer, so
Salah was forced to withdraw from the area.
New Settlement in Rafah
In a step aimed at the annexation of more Palestinian
land to illegal Israeli settlements, which are illegally established on
Palestinian lands, on Sunday, 20 July 2003, Israeli occupying forces completed an
operation to surround a settler road they had established on Palestinian land
north and west of “Morag” settlement, southeast of Khan Yunis, with
barbwire. An area of 283 donums[2] of
Palestinian was thus effectively annexed to the settlement.
Israeli occupying forces began construction of the settler
road on 29 June 2003. The road begins in
the vicinity of Israeli military locations on Palestinian lands in Gizan
al-Najjar area, south of Khan Yunis, that had previously been razed by Israeli
forces. It then surrounds the settlement
from the north and west. The distance
between the road and the settlement ranges between 5m to 200m. The road is 1800m long and 10m wide. Israeli occupying forces linked the road with
another settler road established by Israeli forces to the west of the
settlement. This road, established in
January 2003, was constructed on a 74-donum area of Palestinian land confiscated
from Darwish al-Masri and Mohammed al-Saqqa.
Following are details of the tracts of Palestinian
land that were confiscated and annexed for the sake of establishing the new
road:
1. A
64-donum area of land owned by the family of Salim Ahmed al-Najjar.
2. A
1-donum area of land owned by Musbah Ahmed Mohammed al-Najjar.
3. A
33-donum area of land owned by ‘Abdul Hamid Hassan Musallam al-Sha’er.
4. A
45-donum area of land owned by the family of Salama Suleiman al-Sha’er.
5. A
50-donum area of land administered by Hamad and Mas’oud Shaker al-Najjar.
6. A
5-donum area of land owned by Maher Sha’ban al-Najjar.
7. A
20-donum area of land owned by ‘Abed Hafez al-Najjar.
8. A
7-donum area of land owned by Mohammed Tabasi.
9. A
6-donum area of land owned by Isma’il al-Najjar.
10. A 12-donum area of land owned by the
family of Wahbi Mohammed al-Najjar.
11. A 40-donum area of public land.
Restrictions on Freedom of Movement in the OPT
Israeli occupying forces have maintained a strict siege on most of the
Occupied Palestinian Territories, especially in the West Bank. While Israeli forces redeployed on the main
roads in the Gaza Strip, they have continued to restrict movement at border
crossings and maintained the siege imposed on al-Mawasi area in the southern
Gaza Strip, and the al-Sayafa area in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have also maintained the
closure of the Rafah-Khan Yunis western road and the part of Salah al-Din
Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), near
“Kfar Darom” settlement in the central Gaza Strip.
Al-Mawasi Area in the Southern Gaza Strip
Israeli occupying forces have maintained a strict siege on al-Mawasi
area in the southern Gaza Strip, in spite of the recent Israeli-Palestinian
security understandings, under which Israeli forces redeployed in parts of the
Gaza Strip and partially eased restrictions on the movement of
Palestinians. Al-Mawasi area extends
from the north of Khan Yunis to the south of Rafah, a distance of approximately
12km. The siege has continued to have
dire humanitarian consequences for the 8000 Mawasi residents and the wider
community in Khan Younis and Rafah. Mawasi
residents are also denied free movement inside the area and are subject to
attacks and harassment by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the area and
stationed at the main checkpoint into the area.
Most recently, according to Mawasi residents, an Israeli settler has
been stealing water from a Palestinian well in the north of the area. He has also surrounded a 25-donum area of land
owned by the family of Hafez Rajab Fares with barbwire. He has prevented Palestinian farmers from
reaching this tract of land. The same
has happened to a 6-donum area of land owned by ‘Abdul Rahman ‘Ali
al-‘Abadla.
Israeli occupying forces often impose curfews on the area for periods of
days. In the latest example, at
approximately 22:30 on Monday, 21 July 2003, Israeli occupying forces imposed a
curfew on residents of the Rafah Mawasi. Israeli soldiers raided Palestinian homes and conducted searches. Residents reported that Israeli soldiers fired
flare bombs into properties during the operations. These operations continued until 03:00 on the
following day and the curfew was lifted at approximately 09:00.
The al-Tuffah and Tel al Sultan checkpoints which allow entry to the
Mawasi area continue to be subject to arbitrary closures and changing
conditions of entry. On Tuesday, 22 July 2003, Israeli occupying forces closed
al-Tuffah checkpoint, and informed the Palestinian liaison that passage would
be allowed only for people who are over 30.
Suffering of Palestinian Workers at “Erez” (Beit
Hanoun) Crossing
Since the beginning of the current Intifada, Israeli occupying
authorities have denied access of Palestinian workers to their work places in
Israel. This measure has caused an
economic crisis for workers and unemployment rates have escalated.
Between 16 April and 30 June 2003, 12000 Palestinian workers, out of
30000, were permitted access to their work places in Israel through the Erez crossing. However, crossing was subject to arbitrary
conditions and restrictions and the crossing was closed on several occasions. On 30 June 2003, the crossing was reopened following
an Israeli-Palestinian security understanding, and 3982 workers were allowed
access to their work places in Israel. In
total, since 30 June 2003, 13004 Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip have
been allowed to cross into Israel for work. These workers have met the conditions set by Israeli occupying
authorities, which include that a worker must be over 28, married with
children, have a magnetic card issued by Israeli occupying authorities and have
registered work with an identified Israeli employer.
Workers passing through Erez crossing continue to be subject to measures
and procedures which may collectively amount to ill treatment, including
prolonged and arbitrary delays, humiliation, and arbitrary confiscation of work
permits. According to the Palestinian
Ministry of Labor, last week, Israeli occupying forces arbitrarily confiscated
300 work permits from Palestinian workers.
A Humanitarian Crisis at Rafah Terminal
A humanitarian crisis is developing at the Rafah terminal. Hundreds of Palestinian travelers are forced
to spend days at the Egyptian side of the crossing, waiting to be allowed by
Israeli occupying forces to enter the Gaza Strip. There are no facilities at the Egyptian side
of the terminal and travelers are forced to spend long hours in the sun and
sleep on the floor outside. The lack of
basic sanitation facilities in particular poses a serious health concern. The Rafah terminal is the only exit and entry
point for Palestinians traveling abroad. The Israeli authorities have increased opening hours at the terminal to
12 hours a day, but completion of security procedures is extremely slow. In addition, a number of Palestinian
travelers were summoned to Israeli security offices at the terminal for
interrogation, and two travelers were arrested.
Restrictions at Israeli Military Checkpoints inside
the Gaza Strip
At approximately 16:00 on Thursday, 10 July 2003, Israeli occupying
forces closed al-Matahen and Abu Houli military checkpoints on Salah al-Din
Street. An Israeli military jeep stopped
in the middle of the road, and Israeli forces searched a number of cars, but no
arrests were reported. The closure of
the road continued for more than 3 hours.
On 14 July 2003, Israeli occupying forces reopened the Abu al-Ajin road
junction which crosses the “Kissufim” settler road, for Palestinians. The Abu al-Ajin road links al-Qarara and Wadi
al-Salqa villages in the central Gaza Strip. The two villages had previously been one geographical unit, but in the
1990s, Israeli occupying forces established the “Kissufim” settler road which
separated the two villages. This road
junction had been closed for Palestinians since the beginning of the Intifada
by the establishment of cement blocks and an iron gate. The Israeli occupying forces removed the
cement blocks and opened the iron gate. Two hours after it had been opened, two
cars were able to cross the junction but then Israeli settlers gathered in the
area, closed the junction and set up a tent, to protest the reopening of the
road to Palestinians. Israeli settlers
threw stones at Palestinian cars and nearby homes, and shouted racist slogans
against Arabs.
At approximately 16:00 on the following day, Tuesday, 15 July 2003,
Israeli occupying forces reopened the junction and allowed a limited number of
Palestinian cars to use it. On
Wednesday, 16 July 2003, Israeli occupying forces closed the iron gate although
the road was still officially open. Palestinians do not use the road junction because they are afraid of
attacks by settlers. At approximately
18:00 on Monday, 21 July 2003, Israeli settlers who were traveling in buses on
the “Kissufim” settler road, opened fire
at Palestinian cars waiting at the Abu al-‘Ajin junction.
At approximately 20:45 on Wednesday, 23 July 2003, Israeli occupying
forces closed al-Matahen and Abu Houli military checkpoints, denying movement
of Palestinians and their vehicles along Salah al-Din Street. The checkpoints were reopened at
approximately 22:20.
Collective Punishment against Families of Wanted Palestinians and Those
Who Have Carried out Armed Attacks against Israeli Targets
In violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits
collective punishment, Israeli forces took retaliatory measures against the families
of Palestinians Israel alleges have ordered, facilitated, or carried out
attacks against Israeli targets.
At approximately 01:00 on Friday, 18 July 2003, Israeli occupying
forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles, moved into the Palestinian
Authority controlled Beit Reema village, northwest of Ramallah. They imposed a curfew on the village. Then, they raided the house of Turki ‘Obaid
al-Reemawi, and informed him that his house would be demolished in 20
minutes. Exactly 20 minutes later,
Israeli soldiers planted explosives inside the 120-square-meter house, in which
8 people lived, and destroyed it. Israeli occupying forces accused the owner’s son, Amjad, of having
kidnapped an Israeli taxi driver 2 weeks ago. The driver was found in a deserted house in the village.
Approximately half an hour later, Israeli occupying forces moved to the
western part of the village. They raided
the house of Bajes Ahmed Daoud al-Haj, and informed him that his house would be
demolished in 10 minutes. Then, Israeli
soldiers planted explosives inside the 164-square-meter house, in which 10
people lived, and destroyed it. As a
result, 17 neighboring houses were severely damaged, and a bird farm and an
animal farm were destroyed. Israeli occupying forces accused the owner’s son,
Ahmed, of having participated in the same kidnapping incident.
Arrests of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
At approximately 21:00 on Thursday, 10 July 2003, Israeli occupying
forces arrested 3 Palestinians, including a 17 year-old, near the border with
Israel, east of Jabalya, while they were trying to infiltrate through the border
to find jobs in Israel. Israeli soldiers
had opened fire at the three without warning, wounding one of them with a live
bullet in the abdomen. One of the three
was released the following day. The
wounded youth was evacuated to an Israeli hospital and was released on
Wednesday, 15 July 2003. The third youth
remains in custody. The three were:
1. Midhat
Khalil Mahmoud Zhaher, 18, from Jabalya refugee camp, seriously wounded by a
live bullet in the abdomen;
2. Tariq
Haidar Mohammed al-Da’our, 17, from Jabalya refugee camp, released on the
following day; and
3. Mohammed
Jamal Mohammed ‘Obaid, 18, from Jabalya refugee camp, who remains in custody.
At Saturday, 12 July 2003, Israeli occupying forces
arrested 3 Palestinian boys near the border with Israel, southeast of Gaza
city, while they were trying to travel to Israel to find work:
1. Eshtaiwi
Mohammed Eshtaiwi al-‘Oudat, 15;
2. Khaled
Suleiman Jarad Abu Hujair, 16; and
3. Mohammed
Nasser Sa’id ‘Abdul Salam, 16.
At Sunday night, 13 July 2003, Israeli occupying
forces arrested another 3 Palestinian boys near the border with Israel,
southeast of Beit Hanoun, while they were trying to cross the border to find
work:
1. ‘Eid
Salama ‘Eid Abu Hashish, 16;
2. Ibrahim
Hamad ‘Eid Abu Hashish, 16; and
3. Eyad
Nasser Jaber Abu Sila’a, 15, released on the following day.
* * * * *
PCHR calls:
1. Upon the international community to
provide immediate and independent international protection for
the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
2. Upon the High Contracting Parties to
the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to reconvene to take effective
measures to protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, in accordance with their obligations under article 1 and article
146, to ensure respect for the Convention.
3. Upon the international community to
investigate and prosecute before international courts those believed to have
committed, or to have ordered to be committed, war crimes in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.
4. Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence,
expand its activities, and intensify its field operations throughout the
Occupied Palestinian Territories.
5. Upon the European Union to activate
Article 2 of the Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel
must respect human rights.
6. 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 Israeli occupation forces on the entire Occupied Palestinian
Territories.
“END”
Public
Document
**************************************
For more
information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 –
2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer
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