Israeli
Forces continue attacks against Palestinians in the oPts.
Introduction
IOF have
continued to perpetrate more violations of human right against Palestinian
civilians in the oPts. These violations
included extra-judicial executions, incursions into Palestinian areas, indiscriminate
shelling and destruction of civilian property. This week 17 Palestinian civilians including 2 children and one mentally
disabled man were killed by Israeli troops. They have continued to impose a siege on the oPts through closures and
curfews and to build the “Annexation Wall”.
In the Gaza
strip the IOF conducted 6 military incursions into Palestinian areas. The largest of these were against al-Qarara
village, north of Khan Yunis and the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. On 27 June 2004, following an attack by
Palestinian militants against an IOF military post to the west of al-Matahen
junction, north of Khan Yunis, Israeli troops moved into al-Qarara
village. They destroyed 21 houses, in
which 157 Palestinans (29 families) lived and 2 uninhabited 5 story
buildings. They also razed 101 donums of
agricultural land. On 28 June 2004 IOF
moved into Beit Hanoun and imposed a curfew and closures on the town, isolating
it from the rest of the Gaza Strip. They
destroyed the civilian infrastructure. Two Palestinians were killed and at least 50 others wounded. In other incursions in the strip IOF
destroyed 18 houses in Khan Yunis and Beit Lahia, and razed 34 donums of agricultural
land in Rafah.
On the 27th
and 28th of June Israeli helicopter gunships attacked 3 workshops
and a press office in densely populated areas of Gaza city.
A large scale
offensive was launched in Nablus in the period of 24th-27th
of June during which 9 Palestinas were killed, including 7 who were
extra-judicially executed. In addition,
at least 20 civilians were wounded.
On the 30th
of June the Israeli high court issued a decision instructing the IOF to change
the course of the “Annexation Wall” around Jerusalem due to severe hardship it
placed on the lives of Palestinians. The
court rejected claims by the petitioners that the wall is being constructed for
political purposes and approved the continued construction of the Wall inside
the West Bank.
Severe
restrictions of movement have been placed on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza
Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem. On the 27th of June the Gaza Strip was divided into three
separate areas and all of the border crossings remained closed.
Shelling
of, and encroachment into, Palestinian areas and attacks on civilians and their
property
Israeli
offensive on Nablus
On Thursday
morning the 24th of June IOF moved into Nablus. They surrounded the old town and closed its
entrances with sand barriers and barbed wire. They conducted a series of operations inside the town which continued
until Sunday morning, 27 June 2004 and left 9 Palestinians dead. Dozens of Palestinians were wounded.
According to
preliminary investigations by PCHR, at approximately 00:30 on Thursday 24th
of June troops moved and opened fire on a number of civilian houses, closed the
town and transformed a number of buildings into military positions. Later dozens of men and children gathered and
threw stones at IOF vehicles patrolling the city. IOF troops opened fire and
wounded 14, including 6 children. One of
the wounded is still in a critical condition.
At
approximately 1730 on Friday, 25th of June, dozens of Palestinians
began to throw stones at the IOF. Again
the troops opened fire at the stone throwers. Mohammad Haitham Fuqaha, 18, was instantly killed by a live bullet to
the chest and 3 others were wounded. According to eyewitness reports the IOF fired at Fuqua from a distance
of less then 70 meters.
At
approximately 2335 that day 3 Israeli military jeeps arrived at al-Yassmina
square in the old town. They stopped
near ‘Awada building, which had already been transformed into a military
post. When members of Maher Mohammed
‘Ali Sali’s family went to look from their balcony to see what was happening
Israeli troops fired at them. Eihab Maher
Salim, 16, was instantly killed by a live bullet to the head. His twin brother, Bahaa’ was seriously
wounded by a live bullet to the face and the father was wounded by shrapnel in
the head. According to eyewitness,
Israeli troops fired at the family from a distance of less then 50 meters. When their neighbour, Mo’tasem Ya’ish, 35,
tried to call an ambulance Israeli troops fired 2 sound bombs at him in order
to force him to drive away from the area. At midnight an ambulance was allowed
into the area and members of the family were evacuated to Rafidya hospital.
On Saturday
the 26th of June Israeli forces again opened fire on Palestinain men
and children throwing stones. They
injured 4 , including 2 passers-by who were not involved in the stone throwing.
Offensive
on Beit Hanoun
On Tuesday 29th
of June a large scale offensive was initiated on the northern Gaza Strip town
of Beit Hanoun. Since then 2 Palestinians have been killed and 50 others
injured, mostly children. The Israeli
defence minister Shaul Mofaz stated that they would remain in the town for as
long as deemed necessary.
According to
preliminary investigations carried out by PCHR the incursion began at about
0400 on the 29th. IOF,
reinforced by helicopters moved nearly 2 km into the town. A few hours later at least 20 military
vehicles moved towards Slah al-Din street, the main road between the town and
neighbouring communities. They destroyed
the road and closed it. A number of
Israeli military vehicles were psotioned at the entrance to the town and opened
fire at a number of Palestinian children who threw stones at the troops. 10 children were injured. That evening a number of Israeli military
vehicles, accompanied by 3 bulldozers, moved from southbound from Erez. They destroyed all branch roads leading to
Beit Hanoun and all the electricity, sewage and water networks. A number of factories located to the north of
the town were seized and turned into military posts. Large areas of agricultural land were razed
and civilian facilities destroyed.
On Wednesday
morning the IOF continued shelling the town. By the evening they had injured at least 50 civlians, 3 of whom were in
a serious condition.
At
approximately 1330 on Wednesday a group of civilians, mostly children, had
gathered at Hammouda petrol (gas) station and were throwing stones at the
IOF. IOF opened fire on them. ‘Atiya Mohammed Muhsen al-‘Ajrami, 19, from
Jabalya, was killed by a live bullet in the neck. At approximately 2030 the IOF extended their
incursion further into the town.. the
offensive continues and civilians are still being deprived of food, water,
electricity and other basic services.
Thursday,
24th June, 2004
At 0100
medical sources at Nasser institute Hospital in Egypt declared that ‘Abdul
Salam Mahmoud Abu’ Ayada, 38 from Rafah, died from a wound he sustained on 18th
May 2004.
According
PCHR investigations, Abu ‘Ayada was wounded by a bullet in the pelvis fired by
Israeli troops positioned on the roof of a house in Tel al-sultan
neighbourhood, which was subject to an offensive at that time. ‘Abu ‘Ayada left his house to to assist his
neighbours, whose house was on fire as a result of receiving artillery shelling
from IOF. After he was wounded ‘Abu
‘Ayada crept towards Ahmed Noufal;s house. Noufal, who is anurse, tried to
offer him first aid but was unable to control the acute hemorrhage. ‘Abu ‘Ayada
bled for nearly half an hour before an ambulance was able to reach him. He was
evacuated to the European hospital in Gaza where he recived medical treatment
until the 21st of June. He
was then transferred to Egypt but medical efforts to save his life failed. This brings the total numbers killed in
“operation Rainbow” the IOF offensive on the town between 17-24th of
May to 43.
Early in the
morning Israeli troops moved into Hebron and Bethlahem and ‘Atteel village near
Tulkram. They raided and searched houses
and arrested 6 Palestinians.
At
approximately 0300 an infantry unit of IOF moved about 100 meters into the
Ja’farawi area in the south east of Deir al-Balah. Israeli troops raided and searched 2 houses
belonging to the families of Abu Mughassib and al-Shawi. During this raid two mobile phones were
confiscated along with 2 identity cards. They arrested and interrogated 4 residents, 3 of whom were later
released, the fourth Hani Nusair al-Shawi, remains in custody.
At
approximately 1100 IOF moved in to the al-Sayafa area located between “Dogit”
and “Elli Sinai” settlements in the northern Gaza Strip. They uprooted a number of trees and
demolished a 250 square meter house owned by Sabri Younis Abu Khousa in which
10 people lived.
At
approximately 1240, Israeli troops positioned in a military post known as
“al-nouria” west of Khan Yunis refugee camp and al-Amal neighbourhood. Two Palestinian civilians were wounded:
Friday
25 June 2004
At
approximately 0100 IOF positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah,
opened fire at al-brazil neighbourhood. A Palestinian civilian, Ra’fat ‘Amzi ‘Aabed, 25 was wounded by alive
bullet in the right arm, while he was inside his home.
In the early
morning Israeli troops moved into Ramallah, Beit Kahel village near Hebron and
Barta’a village near Jenin. They searched a number of houses and arrested
6 Palestinians.
At
approximately 0300 IOF positioned by the Egyptian border, south of Rafah,
shelled Palestinian homes in Block J in Rafah refugee camp. A Palestinian civilian, Tal’at Ibrahim
Baroud, 19, was injured by shrapnel in the face.
At
approximately 1530 IOF moved about 300 meters into ‘Oraiba area in the
northwest of Rafah. They razed 34 donums
of Palestinian land and demolished 2 houses and 3 famrs belonging to the
al-Hashash family. 10 people (2
families) lived in the houses.
At
approximately 2100, IOF troops positioned at the Egyptian border opened fire on
homes in the al-Salam neighbourhood. A
Palestinian child, Jamal Farid al-Qassir was injured by shrapnel to the right
hand.
Saturday,
26 June 2004
At
approximately 0900 Israeli troops positioned in a military post in Tal Zo’rob
area, in the southwest of Rafah opened fire at the Zo’rob neighbourhood. A
Palestinian child, ‘Abed Basem Dhaliz, 14, was injured by shrapnel in the right
knee.
At noon
hundreds of Palestinian civilians, Israeli and international peace activists
demonstrated on the land at Qiffin village, north of Tulkarm. They were protesting the continued
construction of the Annexation Wall. IOF
fired rubber coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at the
demonstrators. A Palestinian civilian,
Mohammed Said Sabbah, 22, was wounded by a rubber coated metal bullet in the
neck. Dozens of protestors suffered from
tear gas inhalation. PCHR remains
particularly concerned at this attack on these human rights defenders
exercising their right to peacefully protest.
At
approximately 1830 Israeli troops moved nearly 100 meters into ‘Abasan village,
east of Khan Yunis. They intercepted
‘Abbas Salim al-Qarra, 35, while he was walking in the area. They handcuffed and arrested him.
Sunday
27 June 2004
At
approximately 0300 IOF moved into Yatta village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 3 Palestinians.
At approximately
2200, following an attack by Palestinian militants against an IOF post west of
al-Matahen military checkpoint, to the north of Khan Yunis IOF positioned in
various military posts built on Palestinian land opened fire on residential
areas. As a result 11 year old Mohammed
Hussein Rezeq al-Shourbaji was seriously wounded by 2 live bullets in the
abdomen and the left shoulder. He was
near his house in Jourat al-Lout area, about 1800 meters away from “Gadid” settlement,
to the southwest of Khan Yunis. He was
evacuated to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis but medical efforts to save his life
failed. Another Palestinian civilian
Ashraf Yousef al-Sabbagh, 38, was killed by a live bullet to the chest while
sitting near his house in al-amal neighbourhood, about 600 meters away from
“Gani Tai” settlement, to the northwest of Khan Yunis. A further 6 civilians were wounded by IOF
shelling that night.
Monday
28 June 2004
At
approximately 0145 Israeli helicopter gunships attacked 2 workshops owned by
Asraf Mohammed Loulu and Mohammed Mousa Abu Sha’ban, located in densly
populated areas of Gaza City. The two
workshops were destroyed and a number of neighbouring houses and shops
damaged. No casualties were
reported. Electricity was cut off in
large parts of Gaza City as a transmitter was hit by shrapnel from missliles.
At
approximately 0330 IOF troops positioned near al-Matahen checkpoint, north of
Khan Yunis, opened fire at a Palestinian truck which was 400 meters from the
checkpoint traveling towards it. Tariq
Mohammed ‘Ali Abu Sarar, 16, traveling in the truck was seriously wouned by 2
live bullets to the abdomen and the left foot. When the driver, Musleh Salem ‘Abdul ‘Aal, 49, from Rafah, got out of
the truck he was fired upon by Israeli troops. He was hit by anumber of live bullets to the upper body. Both civilians remained bleeding until an
hour later when an ambulance was able to reach them. The driver was brought into hospital, dead on
arrival.
In the early
morning IOF troops moved into Kharbatha Bani Hareth and Rantis villages near
Ramallah, al-Khader village near Bethleham and Bani Na’im and Dura villages
near Hebron., they raided and searched
dozens of houses and arrested 9 Palestinians, including 2 brothers.
At
approximately 0500, Israeli troops moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They opened fire at Palestinian homes. A Palestinian child, 16 year old, Jihad Amjad
al-sa’di, was wounded by alive bullet to the foot.
At
approximately 0700 Israeli troops in the vicinity of “Morag” settlement, north
of Rafah opened fire at a civilian who was walking near the entrance to the
aforementioned settlement. He was killed
by several live bullets throughout the body. Nearly 5 hours later Israeli troops informed the Palestinian liaison
that there was abody in the area. An
ambulance transported the body to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis. The victim was identified as Ibrahim Sabbah
Mahmoud Abu al-Batteekh, 40, al-Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah. According to his family he was suffering from
an acute psychologically disorder.
At
approximately 1020 Israeli troops positioned at the Egyptian border south of
Rafah opened fire on residential areas. A Palestinain child, 16 years old Jihad Mohammed al’Assar was wounded by
alive bullet in the left thigh when he was walking in al-‘Awada square in the
centre of the town, nearly 1000 meters from the border.
In an act of
retaliation against the Palestinians civilians and their properties, IOF
destroyed a number of houses and civilian facilities, including agricultural
land, in al-Qarara village, north of Khan Yunis. These actions came following an attack
carried out by Palestinian militants against an Israeli military post located
to the west of al-Matahen checkpoint.
According to
preliminary investigations carried out by PCHR, IOF began to destroy civilian property in the morning. These actions continued until the evening
time, during which Israeli troops destroyed:
– 21
houses, in which 157 people (29 families) lived:
– 101
donums of agricultural land planted with olives, citrus trees, fruit and
vegetables and also agricultural equipment belonging to the families of Musleh,
al-Sheebi and Sha’at;
– a
4.5 donum concrete factory owned by Samir ‘Abdul Qader Abu sitta and his
brothers, in which 50 people were employed;
– an
80 square meter building belonging to the al-sheebi family;
– the
civilian infrastructure in the area.
At
approximately 1430, Israeli troops positioned in posts in the vicinity of Morag
settlement, south of Khan Yunis, opened fire at home and land in Gizan
al-Najjar area to the north. A
Palestinian civilian, Mohammed Basheer Esleem, 18, was wounded by alive bullet
in the left foot when he was about 800 meters away from the settlement.
At
approximately 2100 Israeli troops planted explosives inside a 5 story apartment
building located near al-Matahen military checkpoint, and destroyed it. A similar building near-by was seriously
damaged in the blast. The two buildings
stood on a 400 square meter area of land. They were uninhabited and were supposed to be used by the Palestinian
security services. On Tuesday morning
29th June IOF destroyed the remainder of the second building. They claimed that Palestinian militants used
the two buildings. However the two
buildings are close to Israeli military posts and are constantly observed by
them.
At
approximately 2130 Israeli troops positioned in military posts in the vicinity
of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, to the west of Khan Yunis, fired at civilians in
the nearby Rafugee camp. A Palestinian
civilian, Mohammed Kamel Mulkhamer, 40, was wounded by a live bullet in the
left shoulder.
At
approximately 2200 Israeli troops positioned in posts near “Gani Tai”
settlement to the northwest of Khan Yunis opened fire on homes in al-Amal
neighbourhood and al-Rabwat area. A
Palestinian child, 9 year old Mohammed Sameer al-Astal, was injured by shrapnel
in the head when he was inside his family house, about 800 meters from the
settlement.
Tuesday
29 June 2004
Israeli
helicopter Gunships, at approximately 0002, launched 4 missiles at al-Jeel
press office in Gaza City. This
continued policy of silencing the media to prevent it from reporting on
violations of human rights was, on this occasion targeted at an office owned
and managed by Mustafa al-Sawaf on the third floor of al-Shawa and Husari
building in al-Wahada street, Gaza City. Three missliles directly struck the office, destroying it’s
contents. The fourth missile hit the
offices of Gaza Electricity Generation cOmpany on the fourth floor and
severally damaged them. The affected
building includes the offices of a number of international and local media
offices, including the BBC and many offices of lawyers and companies. One of the missiles that struck al-Jeel press
office penetrated into the second floor office of Darwish al-Wehaidi. Lawyer ‘Omar al-Birshs office on the third
floor was also damaged. In addition,
offices of a number of media institutions including the German ARD on the fifth
floor, which is managed by Zakaria al-Talmas, and Ramatan Company for Media
production on the ninth floor were damaged. A number of civlianm cars near the building, including that of ‘Azmi
al-Qishai, correspondent of the French TV station Channel 2, were also damaged.
Mr al-Sawaf
told PCHr that no one was in the office at the time of the attacks. 2 Palestinian civilians were slightly
injured. Al-Jeel provides media services
for a number of media institutions, including the website of Islam Online.
At almost the
same time 2 helicopter gunships launched missiles at a civilian workshop owned
by Talal Saleem Abu Kwaik in Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza
Strip. The workshop was severally
damaged, but no casualties were reported.
Also in the
morning Israeli troops moved into Til village near Nablus; al-Khader village near
Bethleham; the villages of Silwad, Deir Ghassana and Beir reema; Dura village
near Hebron, Qalqilya and Bethleham itself. They raided and searched dozens of houses and arrested 16 Palestinians.
At
approximately 0700 doctors at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City declared that Fathi
Ibrhaim ‘Azal, 16, from Khan Yunis, died as a result of a wound he sustained
from Israeli troops last week.
According to
PCHR documentation, at approximately 1700 on Sunday, 20 june 2004 IOF troops
near “Neve Dekalim” and “Gadid” settlements west of Khan Yunis opened fire iat
the Beit al-Samin area in the southwest of the town. ‘Azab was seriously wounded by alive bullet
in the neck. He was first taken to
Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis and then to Shifa hospital in gaza City, due to
the fact that his condition was serious.
At
approximately 1000 Israeli troops near the border with Egypt, south of Rafah,
opened fire at residential areas in the town. A civilian ‘Omar ‘Ezzat Abu Zaid, 35, was wounded by alive bullet in the
left thigh, when he was walking in al-Brazil neighbourhood.
At
approximately 1245, Israeli troops in military posts in the vicinity of “Neve
Deklam” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in
al-Nimsawi area. A Palestinian child,
15, Mohammed Salem ‘Abdul Karim abu ‘Obaida was seriously wounded by a live
bullet to the chest while he was on his roof fetching water. He was taken immediately to Nasser hospital
but he was pronounced dead half an hour later.
At 1800
Israeli positioned in a military post known as “al-Nouria” west of Khan Yunis,
opened fire at homes in al-Amal neighbourhood and Khan Yunis refugee camp. A child, 6 year old Huda ‘Abdul Fattah
Hussein Abu Ghali, was injured by a shrapnel wound to the head. While she was
on the roof of her family home.
At
approximately 2300 Israeli troops in military posts in the vicinity of “Gadid”
settlement, southwest of Khan Yunis opened fire on homes in the Baten al-Samin
area to the east. A civilian, Nizar
Mahmoud al-Masri, 37, was injured by a shrapnel wound to the head and the left
thigh, while inside his home, 600 meters from the settlement.
Wednesday
30 June, 2004
At
approximately 0310 Israeli troops nearly 200 meters into Gizan al-Najjar area
in the south of Khan Yunis. By 2000 they
had demolished 15 Palestinian houses belonging to the families of Sha’ath al
Banna, ‘Ashour, Suhweel, Abu Mo’amar, al-fadi, al-Masri, fayad, and
‘Obaid. As a result 100 people (4
families) have become homeless). In
addition Israeli troops ordered residents of 3 other houses to evacuate them
within 48 hours. They also razed 15
donums of Palestinian land and destroyed 4 farms, 4 agricultural pools and a
well.
Extra-judicial
execution
In a
continuation of the policy of extra-judicial execution of Palestinian civilians
which breaches international humanitarian law human rights law on Saturday 26th
of June during the offensive in Nablus, IOF extra-judicially executed 7
Palestinians.
According to
preliminary investigations by PCHR IOF observed a gunman on Saturday the 26th.
At approximately 1715: IOF pursued him through the old city and opened fire on
him. He was killed instantly and has
been identified as:
One hour
later IOF detonated explosives in order to demolish an external wall of a house
belonging to Sa’id Douhul, in the old city. On completion of this they threw hand held explosive devices in the
direction of a small room inside the house. The explosion killed six people who were in a tunnel under the
room. They six were identified as being
members of the Fatah movement, Islamic
Jihad and Hamas.
Ambulances
attempted to reach the scene but were prevented from gaining access until
1905. The bodies were taken to Rafidia
hospital in Nablus where they were named as:
1.Naif Fathy
Abu Sharkh, 45, from Balata refugee camp.
2.Samir Tariq
Akouba, 25, from Nablus.
3.Jaffar
Mohammad al-Masri, 38, from Nablus.
4.Omar
Mismar, 26, from Nablus.
5.Wajdi
al-Qadumi, 25, from Nablus.
6. Fadi
Bassam Ibrahim, 26, fromTulkarm.
The victims
were wanted by Israeli authorities and were members of a variety of Palestinian
organizations. The IOF claimed that the victims were killed when they hid in a
weapons store. They further stated that
the gunman they had chased led them to a tunnel which was linked to the house
where the six where hiding.
Continued
siege on the oPts
This week
Israeli Occupying Forces have continued their siege on the oPts and imposed
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in both the Gaza
Strip and West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Gaza
Strip
Following an
attack carried by militants in Khan Yunis on the 27th of June all
internal roads were closed. Erez crossing was closed for the 13th
consecutive week and prevented access for works wishing to go to the Erez
industrial zone. Erez remained closed
even to those wishing to travel for medical care in the West Bank. Sofa crossing in the south of the Strip was
also closed preventing construction materials into Gaza. A strict siege continues to be imposed on the
al-Mawasi area in the south of the Gaza Strip.
At Abu-Houli
and al-Matahen checkpoints to the north of Khan Yunis heavy restrictions on
freedom of movement have been in place. On Sunday morning a number of cars were stopped and searched in between
the two checkpoints. Karni crossing was
reopened but severe restrictions were
placed on the flow of goods through the crossing.
Severe
restrictions remain at the Rafah terminal and those who do travel have been
summoned and interrogated. All males
between the age of 16-35 have been prevented from travelling through
Rafah. On Monday the 28th, in
the morning, al-Tuffah was closed. Up
until now all males between the ages of 16 and 30 and females between the ages
of 16 and 25 have been prevented from passing through.
In the
al-Sayafa area in the northern Gaza Strip famers and those under 30 have been
prevented from leaving or entering the area. Supplies of domestic gas to the area were also prevented from entering. On Thursday morning, the 24th of
June, following armed clashes between IOF and Palestinian militants the area
was sealed off, preventing any movement what-so-ever. The same restrictions applied to civilians in
the al-Ma’ni area near the “Kfar Darom” settlement in the center of the Gaza
Strip.
The
West Bank
Curfews and
closures were imposed on a number of villages and restrictions on freedom of
movement were tightened.
Jerusalem
Israeli
troops at the Dahait al-Barid checkpoint at the north of the city imposed
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. Other branch roads leading to the city also
saw a reinforced military presence. Muslims under the age of 45 are still being prevented from entering the
al-Aqsa mosque on Fridays.
Ramallah
More
checkpoints were erected around the town and vehicles were prevented from
moving for long hours. Troops at the
Qalandya checkpoint have continued to allow Palestinians from Ramallah from
crossing the checkpoint.
Hebron
IOF have
closed all roads linking between Hebron and Bethleham. On Thursday morning, 24th June the
south and central parts of Hebron, including the old time, were placed under
curfew which continued until the morning of the 27th of June.
Nablus
IOF allowed
Palestinians under 30 to cross some checkpoints erected around the city. They also razed land around the ‘Atara
checkpoint, south of Nablus, in order to expand the checkpoint. On Sunday 27th of June troops at
the Beit Fourik checkpoint, east of Nablus, arrested ‘aatef ‘Afif Hanani, 46,
the mayor of Beit Fourik municipality.
Tulkarm
This week,
Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians. They stopped
Palestinian vehicles and checked passengers.
Jenin
On Monday, 28
June 2004. Israeli troops imposed a curfew on al-Yamoun village, west of
Jenin. They raided and searched a number
of Palestinian houses. They also erected
a checkpoint at the entrance to the village.
Collective
punishment against families of Wanted Palestinians and those who have carried out
Armed Attacks against Israeli Targets
In violation
of international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Convention Relative
to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949, article 33 of
which prohibits punishing any protected person for “an offence he or she has
not personally committed, “Israeli forces took retaliatory measures against the
families of Palestinians Israel alleges have ordered, facilitated, or carried
out attacks against Israeli targets.
At
approximately 00:30 on Friday, 25 June 2004, Israeli occupying forces moved
into al-Saf Street in Bethlehem. They
surrounded Makhlouf apartment building. At approximately 01:30, they raided a flat belonging to Bassam `Abdul
Rahman Ahmed Abu `Aker, 41, who has been detained in Israeli jails. They searched the flat and then forced Abu
`Aker’s wife and 6 children out. They
also forced the 137 resident of the 6-storey building out and took them nearly
200 meters away from the building. Then,
Israeli troops planted explosives inside Abu `Aker’s 200-square meter flat and
destroyed it. A number of other flats
were severely damaged.
*****
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 non-governmental organizations to
participate in the process of searching for Israeli war criminals and to urge
their governments to bring these war criminals to justice.
5. PCHR
calls upon the European Union to activate article 2 of the Euro-Israel
Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as
a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to
prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the OPTs.
6. PCHR
calls upon European governments to change their positions towards the
Palestinian cause at UN bodies, particularly the General Assembly, Security
Council and Commission on Human Rights.
7. PCHR
welcomes the UN General Assembly resolution, which referred the issue of the
Separation Wall inside the OPTs to International Court of Justice to give a
consultative opinion. There is no doubt
that the wall is illegal, which obligates the international community to take
steps that amount to the level of the expected decision by the court.
8. In
recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls
upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPTs, including for
facilitating family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
9. PCHR
appreciates the efforts of international civil society, including human rights
organizations, bar associations, Trade Unions, and other Non-governmental
organizations 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 take a similar approach to issuing Israeli citizens with visas.
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
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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
