A
Palestinian girl sleeps on luggage as she and her family wait to cross to
Egypt, at Rafah international border crossing, 

 

Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian
Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

 

· 1
Palestinian civilian and 5 resistance activists were killed by IOF.

 

· 2
Palestinian civilians and 1 resistance activist were wounded by IOF gunfire in
the West Bank.

 

· IOF
continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.

– 4
demonstrators, including a child, were wounded and 4 journalists sustained
bruises.

 

· IOF
continued to fire at Palestinian farmers and workers in border areas of the
Gaza Strip.

 

· IOF
conducted 11 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 1
limited incursion into the Gaza Strip.

– IOF
arrested 22 civilians, including 4 children.

– Among
the detainees were 6 human rights defenders, including 3 Israeli ones.

 

· Israel
has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza
Strip from the outside world.

– Israeli
troops stationed at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 1
Palestinian civilian.

 

· Israel
has continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority
in Jerusalem.

– IOF
cancelled permanent residences of 4 Members of the Palestinian Legislative
Council in Jerusalem.

– IOF
stormed and searched Beit Hanina Club.

– IOF
closed Wad Hilwa road in Silwan village.

 

· IOF
have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have
continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

– 2
Palestinian children were wounded by an Israeli settler in Hebron.

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli violations of international law and
humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (03 – 09 June
2010):

 

Shooting: During the
reporting period, IOF killed 1 Palestinian civilian and 5 activists of the
Palestinian resistance and wounded 2 civilians and 1 resistance activist in the
Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, 4
Palestinian civilians were wounded by IOF and 2 children were wounded by an
Israeli settler. 4 journalists also
sustained bruises when they were beaten by IOF.

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 07 June 2010, 1 Palestinian civilian and 5
activists of the Palestinian resistance were wounded by IOF in the sea off the
coast of the al-Zahraa’ beach, southwest of Gaza City. 

 

On the same day, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a Palestinian
resistance activist in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding him with
shrapnel. 

 

Also on June 7^th, a Palestinian civilian was wounded when
Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired
at workers who were collecting construction aggregate. 

 

In the West Bank, on 03 June 2010, 2 Palestinian children were wounded
by an Israeli settler at the entrance of al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of
Hebron. 

 

During the reporting period, IOF used
force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest of the construction
of the Annexation Wall and settlement activities. At least 4 civilians, including a child, were
wounded. 4 journalists sustained bruises and others suffered from tear gas
inhalation. 

 

 

Incursions: During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 11 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 16
Palestinian civilians, including 4 children. They also arrested 6 human rights defenders, including 3 Israeli
ones.  

 

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 1 limited incursion
into Palestinian areas, during which they leveled previously razed areas of
land.

 

Restrictions
on Movement: Israel had continued to
impose a tightened siege on the OPT and severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied
East Jerusalem.

 

Gaza Strip

 

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip
for over two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed siege of Gaza, which
has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the
humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.  

 

 

 

· On
Friday, 01 January 2010, IOF decided to close Nahal Ouz crossing permanently
and to allow the entry of fuels through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing,
southeast of Rafah, citing security reasons. 

 

· 1.5 million people are being denied
their basic rights, including freedom of movement and the right to appropriate
living conditions, work, health and education.

 

· The principle concern of the population
of the Gaza Strip is to obtain basic necessities: food, medicine, water and
electricity supplies.

 

· Israel has continued to prevent the
entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than 2 and a
half years.

 

· Israel has not allowed fuel supplies
into the Gaza Strip since 10 December 2008, excluding limited amounts of
cooking gas and energy fuel for Gaza Power Plant.

 

· The Rafah International Crossing Point
has been opened on only a few days for a number of patients who received
medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

 

· Israel had continued to close Beit
Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West
Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.

 

· Israel has imposed additional
restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian
workers to the Gaza Strip. Israel has prevented representatives of several
international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

 

· Living conditions of the Palestinian
civilian population have seriously deteriorated as levels of poverty and
unemployment have mounted sharply.

 

· At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from
Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than 2
and a half years. 

 

· IOF have continued to attack
Palestinian fishermen along the coast of the Gaza Strip.

 

West Bank

 

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied East
Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

 

· IOF have established checkpoints in and
around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city.
Civilians are frequently prevented from praying at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

 

· There are approximately 630 permanent
roadblocks, manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition,
there are some 60 – 80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the
West Bank by IOF every week.

 

 

· When complete, the illegal Annexation
Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating
the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall have already been
constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West
Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

 

· At least 65% of the main roads that
lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully
controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

 

· There are around 500 kilometers of
restricted roads across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of
the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to
Palestinians without a permit issued by the IOF; these permits are extremely
difficult to obtain.

 

· IOF continue to harass and assault
demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the
Annexation Wall.

 

· Palestinian civilians continue to be
harassed by IOF in Jerusalem and across the West Bank, including being
regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.

 

Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem: IOF have
continued to take measures at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem. 

 

During the reporting period, IOF canceled the permanent residence in
occupied Jerusalem of 4 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC),
from the Change and Reform Bloc affiliated to Hamas, and expelled them from the
city to the West Bank. The 4 PLC Members are: Mohammed Abu Tair; Ahmed
‘Atwan; Mohammed Toutah; and Eng. Khaled Abu ‘Arafa. All 4 became PLC Members
following the January 2006 Palestinian legislative elections; they were
arrested by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) following the capture of an Israeli
soldier, Gilad Shalit, in the Gaza Strip in 2006. The 4 PLC members were
released after serving their prison sentences. The cancellation of their
permanent residence was based on a decision by former Israeli Interior
Minister, Ron Bar’oun, under allegations of “breaking loyalty to the
state” and participating in the Palestinian legislative elections.

 

On 06 June 2010, IOF closed Wad Hilwa Street in Silwan village to the
south of the old city of Jerusalem for vehicles. Israeli bulldozers conducted work on the
road, which caused cracks and collapses. An Israeli plan for Silwan village includes the establishment of a
network of tunnels under the village. 

 

On 03 June 2010, IOF stormed Beit Hanina Club, searching it without a
judicial warrant. It should be noted
that IOF had repeatedly attempted to close the Club, claiming that it hosted
organizational meetings to plan activities sponsored by the Palestinian
Authority.  

 

 

 

Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (03 – 09 June 2010)

 

1. Incursions into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians
and Property in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

 

Sunday, 06 June 2010

 

· At
approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Beit Reema village, northwest of
Ramallah. They raided and searched a
house belonging to the family of Alichandro Tariq al-Barghouthi, 16, and
arrested him. They also raided and
searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Abdul Qader ‘Abed al-Barghouthi,
16, and arrested him.

 

Monday, 07 June 2010

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child:

 

1. Tamer Isma’il ‘Awadh, 23;

2. Saif Rabeeh Bahar, 26; and

3. Wassim Jamal Wahadin, 15.

 

· Also
at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of
Hebron. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

 

1. ‘Ali Jamal al-Badawi, 18;

2. Nour Ahmed al-Badawi, 19; and

3. Ahmed Haitham al-Badawi, 18.

 

· At
approximately 03:30, Israeli naval troops, reinforced by aircrafts, located
nearly 1 kilometer off the coast of the al-Zahraa’ beach, south of Gaza City, opened
fire at a group of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (the armed wing of Fatah
movement), killing 5 members of the group and a fisherman. The bodies of the fisherman and 1 member of
the group were found on the following day. Those killed were identified as:

 

1. Mahmoud Khalil Mohammed Radi, 26, a
fisherman from Nussairat refugee camp;

2. Fayez Nahidh Mustafa al-Fairi, 20, from
Jabalya refugee camp, shot in the head;

3. Na’el Hashem Fakhri Qwaider, 34, from
Gaza City, shot in the head;

4. Hamed Hussein Ahmed Thabet, 21, from
al-Nussairat refugee camp, shot in the head;

5. Ibrahim Mash’our Wajeeh al-Wihaidi, 23,
from Gaza City, shot in the head and the chest.

 

The Palestinian media quoted sources of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades as
saying that members of the Brigades wearing diving suits were training in the
sea, nearly 1 kilometer away from al-Zahraa’ beach, whereupon Israeli naval
troops intercepted and fired at them. The Israeli media quoted sources of IOF as saying that the Israeli navy
foiled an attempt of infiltration into Israel through the sea.

 

· At
approximately 07:10, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at Ahmed Saleh Salah,
21, from the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya, a member of the ‘Izziddin
al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas), as he was about to launch a
home-made rocket from Sha’sha’a area in the northern Gaza Strip. He was seriously wounded by shrapnel
throughout the body.

 

· At
approximately 08:00, Israeli troops stationed on observation towers at the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at Palestinian workers who
were collecting bricks and construction aggregate from the industrial
zone. As a result, 1 worker, Adham
Hussein al-Kafarna, 45, was wounded by a gunshot to the right foot.

 

Tuesday, 08 June 2010

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

 

1. ‘Odai Nidal Bahar, 17; and

2. Mahmoud Sa’id Bahar, 20.

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested ‘Imad ‘Aziz
al-Ashqar, 25.

 

· Also
at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Za’tara village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Mahmoud Hassan Zawahra, and summoned him for interrogation.

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Kharsa village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Saleem Yousef al-Rajoub, who is detained in Israeli jails. No arrests were reported.

 

· Also
at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Sirris village, south of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses,
but no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses,
and also stopped and checked Palestinian civilians following the Dawn Prayer
and arrested Shareef ‘Amarna, 26.

 

· At
approximately 13:00, Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel to the east of Gaza City fired at Palestinian workers who were
collecting construction aggregate near the eastern cemetery, nearly 300 meters
away from the border. As a result,
Mohammed Salah Abu Khader, 35, was wounded by a gunshot to the right foot.

 

Wednesday, 09 June 2010

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinian
civilians:

 

1. Mohammed Hisham al-Sa’di, 26;

2. Tariq Khalil ‘Ejjawi, 22;

3. Mohammed Hisham Abu Tabeekh, 26; and

4. Islam Ameen Staiti, 24.

· At
approximately 06:30, Israeli troops stationed on observation towers at the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at Palestinian workers who
were collecting bricks and construction aggregate from the industrial
zone. No casualties were reported.

 

· At
approximately 08:00, IOF moved nearly 400 meters into al-Qarara and ‘Abassn villages,
east of Khan Yunis. There they leveled previously-razed
areas of Palestinian land, after which IOF moved back to the border between the
Gaza Strip and Israel at approximately 18:00.

 

· At
approximately 09:00, IOF moved into al-Khader village, southwest of
Bethlehem. They raided and searched a
house belonging to the family of ‘Alaa’ Ahmed Da’dou’, but no arrests were
reported.

 

2. Use of Excessive Force against Peaceful Demonstrations Protesting
Settlement Activities and the Construction of the Annexation Wall

 

During the reporting period, IOF used
force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction
of the Annexation Wall and settlement activities. 4 Palestinian civilians were injured, 4
journalists sustained bruises,  and a
number of others suffered from tear gas inhalation.  

 

· Following the Friday Prayer on 04 June
2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human
rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in protest against the
construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah. The demonstrators carried an incarnate of the
Turkish Marmara ship, which was attacked by the Israeli navy, and raised
Palestinian flags and those of 32 countries whose citizens joined the Gaza aid
flotilla. The demonstrators moved
towards the Wall and attempted to access annexed lands behind it.  Immediately, Israeli troops fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the
demonstrators. As a result, 3
demonstrators were hit by tear gas canister:

 

1. Jaber Abu Rahma, 22, hit by a tear gas
canister to the back;

2. Jadallah al-Khatib, 50, hit by a tear
gas canister to the back; and

3. Suleiman Khattab, 20, hit by a tear gas
canister to the right hand.

 

4 journalists also sustained bruises:

 

1. Fadi Mithqal al-Jayousi, 30, a
cameraman of Palestine Television, sustained bruises throughout the body and
his camera was smashed by IOF;

2. Carina Abua, 42, a Norwegian
journalist, sustained bruises to the upper limbs;

3. Haitham Khattab al-Khatib, 34, a
photographer of the B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, sustained
bruises throughout the body; and

4. George Khouri, 32, a cameraman of
al-Arabiya Satellite Channel, sustained bruises.

 

IOF also arrested 3 demonstrators:

 

1. Howaida ‘Arraf;

2. Eilan Shalif, 72; and

3. Ashraf Abu Rahma, 29.

 

‘Arraf and Shalif were released later, while Abu Rahma remained in
custody. Additionally, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas
inhalation and some of them sustained bruises. 

· Also following the Friday Prayer on 04
June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and human rights
defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Ne’lin village, west of
Ramallah, in protest against the construction of the Annexation Wall. They clashed with IOF troops positioned near
the Wall. IOF troops fired rubber-coated
metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. As a result, ‘Eissa ‘Awadh ‘Amira, 17, was
wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the back. Additionally, dozens of demonstrators suffered
from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises. 

 

· Also
following the Friday Prayer on 04 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians
and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, in protest against
land confiscations in the Wad al-Raya area between the villages of Nabi Saleh
and Deir Nizam. When the demonstrators
attempted to reach areas of land seized by Israeli settlers near
“Halmish” settlement, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal
bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. A number of demonstrators suffered from tear
gas inhalation. 

 

· At
12:00 on Friday, 04 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians, international
and Israeli human rights defenders and a number of Palestinian political leaders,
including Hanin Zo’bi, member of the Israeli Knesset; PLC member Qais ‘Abdul
Karim and Moheeb ‘Awad; and Dr. Leila Ghannam, Governor of Ramallah, organized
a peaceful demonstration of “Return to Latron Villages.” They gathered in Nouba village, west of
Ramallah, and moved towards the annexation walls. When they attempted to cross towards land
isolated by the wall, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear
gas canisters at them. A number of
demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

 

· On
Wednesday morning, 09 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in
al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem. IOF attacked the demonstration and arrested Dr. Mazen Qamsiya, Director
of the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement Between People, and 2 Israeli human
rights defenders: Shai Ghalatzi; and Yutam Wolf.

 

3. Continued Siege on the OPT

 

Israel has 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 occupied East Jerusalem.

 

Gaza Strip

 

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip
for more than two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed siege of Gaza,
which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on
the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.  

 

· On
Friday, 01 January 2010, IOF closed Nahal Ouz crossing permanently and diverted
the entry of fuels through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, southeast of
Rafah, citing security reasons. 

 

· 1.5 million people are being denied
their basic rights, including freedom of movement and the right to appropriate
living conditions, work, health and education.

 

· The principle concern of the population
of the Gaza Strip is to obtain basic necessities: food, medicine, water and
electricity supplies.

 

· Israel has continued to prevent the
entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than 2 and a
half years.

 

· Israel has not allowed fuel supplies
into the Gaza Strip since 10 December 2008, excluding limited amounts of
cooking gas and energy fuel for Gaza Power Plant.

 

· The Rafah International Crossing Point
has been opened on only a few days for a number of patients who received
medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

 

· Israel had continued to close Beit
Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West
Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.

 

· Israel has imposed additional
restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian
workers to the Gaza Strip. Israel has prevented representatives of several
international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

 

· Living conditions of the Palestinian
civilian population have seriously deteriorated as levels of poverty and
unemployment have mounted sharply.

 

· At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from
Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than 2
and a half years. 

 

· IOF have continued to attack
Palestinian fishermen along the coast of the Gaza Strip.

 

 

Movement at Border Crossings during the Reporting
Period:

 

Movement at Rafah International
Crossing Point

02 – 08 June 2010

 

 

 

Movement at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem
Shalom) Crossing

02 – 08 May 2010

 

 

Al-Mentar
(Karni) Crossing: IOF partially
opened the crossing on Tuesday, 08 June 2010, and allowed the entry of 585 tons
of wheat, 2,301 tons of fodders and 435 tons of construction aggregate. 

 

Beit
Hanoun (Erez) Crossing: Israel has
continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for the movement of Palestinian
civilians. IOF have allowed only diplomats, a number of international
journalists, employees of international agencies, and a limited number of
patients who suffer from serious diseases to pass through the crossing. They
have continued to prevent Palestinian civilians from visiting their relatives
who are detained in Israeli jails. The small number of patients permitted to
pass through the crossing is only able to do so under severe restrictions which
include prolonged delays and security clearances.

 

Movement at Beit Hanoun (Erez)
Crossing

02 – 08 June 2010

 

 

The West
Bank

 

Israel has
imposed a tightened siege on the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF
imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.

 

· Jerusalem: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from Jerusalem. Thousands of
Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied
access to the city. IOF have established numerous checkpoints in and around and
the city. Restrictions of the movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate
on Fridays, preventing Muslim Palestinians from praying at al-Aqsa Mosque. On Thursday evening, 03 June 2010, IOF
erected a number of checkpoints in the old city of Jerusalem and reinforced
their presence in the area. On Friday
morning, 04 June 2010, IOF prevented Palestinian civilians under 40 years old
from praying in al-Aqsa Mosque. On
Sunday, 06 June 2010, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem and the Israeli
Ministry of Transportation issued a decision banning entry to the old city
through Hebron Gate. According to
Israeli radio, the gate would be closed from 09:00 to 18:00 daily, except for
residents of the old city, owners of shops in the area, and disabled persons; others
can apply for permits to travel through the gate during times of its
closure. 

 

· Ramallah: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on
the movement of the Palestinian civilians in Ramallah. IOF troops positioned at the Jaba’ and
Qalandiya checkpoints, southeast of Ramallah, have imposed additional
restrictions on movement and conducted prolonged checks of Palestinian
civilians. During the reporting period,
IOF erected a number of temporary checkpoints and stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. 

 

· Nablus: IOF have
continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians in Nablus. On Saturday
morning, 05 June 2010, Israeli troops stationed at Za’tara checkpoint, south of
Nablus, imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. On Sunday and Wednesday, 06
and 09 June 2010, Israeli troops stationed at Hawara checkpoint, south of
Nablus, imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians.     

 

· Qalqilya:  IOF have
continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians in Qalqilya. They daily
establish a temporary checkpoint on a bypass road leading to the city. IOF stop and search Palestinian civilians
vehicles.  

 

Arrests
at Military Checkpoints

 

· On
Monday evening, 07 June 2010, Israeli troops stationed at a checkpoint between
Bethlehem and Jerusalem arrested Mohammed Bader al-Talahma, 20, from al-Burj
village south of Hebron.

 

4. Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem

 

Israel has recently escalated arbitrary
measures against Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem in order to force them
to leave the city. PCHR has devoted this
section in the Weekly Report to highlighting violations of human rights
perpetrated by IOF against Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem.

 

· During
the reporting period, IOF canceled the permanent residence in occupied
Jerusalem of 4 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), from the
Change and Reform Bloc affiliated to Hamas, and expelled them from the city to
the West Bank. The 4 PLC Members are: Mohammed Abu Tair; Ahmed ‘Atwan;
Mohammed Toutah; and Eng. Khaled Abu ‘Arafa; all became PLC Members following
the January 2006 Palestinian legislative elections. 

 

The 4 PLC Members were arrested by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
following the capture of an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in the Gaza Strip in
2006. They were released after serving their prison sentences. The
cancellation of their permanent residence was based on a decision by former
Israeli Interior Minister, Ron Bar’oun, under allegations of “breaking
loyalty to the state” and participating in the Palestinian legislative
elections.

 

On 11 September 2009, the 4 PLC Members, represented by Attorney Hassan
Jabarin, filed a petition at the Israeli High Court against the Israeli
Interior Minister’s decision. The Court held several hearing sessions, but
did not take any action. The former Israeli Attorney-General, Mini Mazoz,
stated that he would support the decision to cancel the permanent residence of
the 4 Jerusalemites, claiming that “three of them are members of an
organization that is defined in Israel as a terrorist one, and they are members
of the leadership of a non-Israeli political entity.”

 

The 4 Jerusalemites are:

 

1. Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed ‘Atwan, 42, from
Sour Baher village south of Jerusalem. Mr. Atwan was arrested on 09 June 2006
and imprisoned for 40 months. Following his release, he was summoned by
the Israeli police and told that his permanent residence was cancelled; he was
given a temporary residence permit that will expire on 03 July 2010.

2. Mohammed Mahmoud Hassan Abu Tair, 54,
from Um Touba village south of Jerusalem. Mr. Tair was arrested on 09 June 2006
and imprisoned for 43 months. Following his release on 20 May 2010, he was
summoned by the Israeli police and told that his permanent residence was
cancelled; he was given a temporary residence permit that expire on 03 July
2010.

3. Mohammed ‘Omran Saleh Toutah, 41, from
Wad al-Jouz neighborhood in Jerusalem. Mr. Toutah was arrested on 29 January
2007 and imprisoned for 42 months. Following his release on 02 June 2010,
he was summoned by the Israeli police and told that his permanent residence was
cancelled; he was given a temporary residence permit that expire on 03 July
2010.

4. Khaled Abu ‘Arafa, 49, former Minister
of Jerusalem Affairs in the Hamas-led government formed in 2006. Mr. Arafa was
arrested on 29 June 2006 and was imprisoned for 28 months until being released
on 27 September 2008. In addition, he was also sentenced to a 15-month
suspended imprisonment and a bail of 7,000 NIS. He was summoned by the
Israeli police and told that his permanent residence was cancelled and was
given a temporary residence permit that expire on 03 July 2010.

 

· On
Sunday morning, 06 June 2010, IOF closed Wad Hilwa Street in Silwan village, to
the south of the old city of Jerusalem, for all vehicles. Israeli bulldozers conducted work on the road
which caused cracks and collapses. An
Israeli plan for Silwan village includes the establishment of a network of
tunnels under the village. 

 

· At
approximately 16:00 on Thursday, 03 June 2010, IOF stormed Beit Hanina Club,
searching the Club without a judicial warrant. It should be noted that IOF has repeatedly attempted to close the club
claiming that it hosts organizational meetings for activities sponsored by the
Palestinian Authority. 

 

 

5. Settlement Activities and Attacks by Settlers against Palestinian
Civilians and Property

 

Israel has continued its settlement
activities in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law, and
Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

 

· On Thursday morning, 03 June 2010, an
Israeli settler fired at and wounded 2 Palestinian children at the entrance of
al’Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron:

 

According to
investigations conducted by PCHR and a testimony by Mahmoud ‘Aaref Tafesh, 17,
at approximately 09:40 on Thursday, Mr. Tafesh and his classmates attended a
picnic in a wooded area in the northwest of al-‘Arroub refugee camp. As he and his companions—Hisham Jamal
al-Titi, 17, Mo’taz Mousa ‘Omran, 16, and Ibrahim Mohammed al-Biss, 16—arrived
at road #60 (Hebron-Bethlehem road), near an Israeli military observation
tower, an Israeli settler stopped his car nearly 3 meters away from them, exited
his car and fired his pistol at the children. As a result, 2 children were wounded:

 

1. Mo’taz Mousa ‘Omran, 16, seriously
wounded by a bullet to the right thigh; and

2. Ibrahim Mohammed al-Biss, 16, wounded
by a bullet to the abdomen. 

 

 

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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
Territory. PCHR believes that the
conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has encouraged Israel
to act as if it is above the law and encourages Israel 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 OPT 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
calls for the immediate implementation of the Advisory Opinion issued by the
International Court of Justice, which considers the construction of the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank illegal.

 

5. PCHR
recommends international civil society organizations, including human rights
organizations, bar associations and NGOs to participate in the process of
exposing those accused of grave breaches of international law and to urge their
governments to bring these people to justice.

 

6. PCHR
calls upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israel
Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as
a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to
prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the OPT.

 

7. PCHR
calls on the international community to recognize the Gaza disengagement plan,
which was implemented in September 2005, for what it is—not an end to
occupation but a compounding of the occupation and the humanitarian crisis in
the Gaza Strip. 

 

8. In
recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls
upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the
facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

 

9. PCHR
appreciates the efforts of international civil society, including human rights
organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and urges them to continue
their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel’s respect for human
rights in the OPT and to end its attacks on Palestinian civilians.

 

10. PCHR calls upon the international
community to pressure Israel to lift the severe restrictions imposed by the
Israeli government and its occupation forces on access for international
organizations to the OPT.

 

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.

 

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Public Document

For further information please visit our website (www.pchrgaza.org) or contact PCHR’s office
in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email (pchr@pchrgaza.org)
or telephone (+972 (0)8 282 4776 – 282 5893).