The annexation wall in
Far’oun village, south of Tulkarm, seizes large areas of Palestinian
agricultural land.

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

 

· IOF killed 4 Palestinian
civilians, including two children and old man, in the Gaza Strip.

 

· The Israeli police
killed a Palestinian civilian from the West Bank in Tel Aviv.

 

· IOF wounded two
Palestinian civilian and a member of the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza
Strip.

 

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

– A Palestinian
civilian was wounded.   

 

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

 

· IOF conducted 36
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and two limited ones
into the Gaza Strip.  

– IOF arrested 20
Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, in the West Bank.

 

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

– An Israeli
court approved the establishment of an iron bridge near Bab al-Maghareba.

 

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

– IOF imposed
additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in Jerusalem
and other communities in the West Bank during Eid al-Fitr.

– Israeli troops
stationed at military checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank
arrested at least 4 Palestinian civilians.

 

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

– The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem will
approve the construction of 1,362 housing units in Jerusalem.

– Construction in “Modi’in Elite”
settlement, west of Ramallah.

– Israeli settlers seized 15 donums[1]
of land in Qaryout village near Nablus.

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (08 – 15 September 2010):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, IOF killed 4 Palestinian civilians,
including an old man and two children, and wounded 3 others and a resistance
activist in the Gaza Strip. They also
wounded a 4^th civilian in the West Bank. 

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 12 September 2010, IOF killed three
Palestinian civilians in the northern Gaza Strip: an old man; his grandchild
and another child. The victims were killed when IOF fired five shells
towards a group of Palestinian farmers and shepherds in Abu ‘Eida land in the
northeast of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. The attack resulted
into killing about 30 sheep as well.

 

On 15 September
2010, Israeli war planes fired two missiles at a tunnel in al-Brazil
neighborhood in Rafah, at the Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip. The tunnel was destroyed and a worker was
killed. Another two workers in an adjacent
tunnel were also wounded.

 

On 14 September
2010, a
member of the Palestinian resistance was seriously wounded during an Israeli
incursion into Gaza Valley village in the central Gaza Strip. 

 

In the West Bank, on 14 September 2010, a Palestinian
civilian from East Jerusalem was shot dead by the Israeli police in Tel
Aviv. According to the Israeli
television channel 2, an Israeli police officer fired at a handcuffed
Palestinian in Tel Aviv. The victim’s
family denied the Israeli claim, and confirmed that the victim was shot dead
from a zero range. PCHR has not been
able to verify the two narratives as the only witnesses are the detainees who
were with the victim as they are still detained.

 

Additionally, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful
demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the
construction of the annexation wall.  As
a result, a Palestinian civilian was wounded, and dozens of Palestinian
civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas
inhalation or sustained bruises. 

 

Incursions:

 

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at
least 36 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank,
during which they arrested 20 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children. 

 

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted two limited
incursions into Palestinian communities. They leveled areas of Palestinian land, which they had already razed.

Restrictions
on Movement: Israel had 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 over three years. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza
Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous
impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. 

 

· The illegal closure has caused not only a
humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights and human dignity for the
population of the Gaza Strip. Measures declared recently to ease the
blockade are vague, purely cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of
the crisis, which can only be addressed by an immediate and complete lifting of
the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out of the Gaza Strip
and the ban on exports. PCHR is concerned that the new Israeli policy is simply
shifting Gaza to another form of illegal blockade, one that may become
internationally accepted and institutionalized. Palestinians in Gaza may no
longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but they will remain
economically dependent and unable to care for themselves, and socially,
culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world.

 

· Expanding the list of items allowed into Gaza
does not change the illegality of this policy, which is inconsistent with
Israel’s legal obligations both as an Occupying Power and under international
human rights treaties to which it is party, such as the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights. 

 

· Facts on the
ground refute Israeli claims with
respect to the easing of the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip and the
reduction of restrictions imposed on the entry of goods.

 

· Israeli
declaration of allowing new goods to be entered into the Gaza Strip constitutes
an attempt to delude the international community, as such goods do not meet the
minimal needs of the Gaza Strip. 

 

· IOF have
continued to ban the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip. 

 

· IOF have
imposed a ban on all exports from 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 access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists
and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented
representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from
entering the Gaza Strip.

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

 

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 585 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints
across the West Bank.

 

· 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.

 

· There are
approximately 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. 

 

On
14 September 2010, the Israeli Central Court in Jerusalem approved the
establishment of an iron bridge to kink between the Bab al-Maghareba (Gate of
the Magharibis), southwest of al-Aqsa Mosque, and the road leading to the
Gate. Such approval may open the door
wide for Israeli settlers to continue there attacks on the Hill of the Gate of
the Magharibis, which caused a ground split-up in 2004 due to excavation works
in the area by Israeli settlers and the Israeli Ministry of Religions. 

 

Settlement
Activities:

 

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 13 September 2010, Israeli settlers from “Shavoth
Rachel” settlement, northeast of Ramallah, seized at least 15 donums of
agricultural land belonging to Palestinian civilians from Qaryout village,
southeast of Nablus. They leveled the
land for agricultural purposes. 

 

On 14 September 2010, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported that the
Planinning and Construction Committee of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem
would soon convene to approve the construction of 1,362 settlement units in
Palestinian areas that were occupied by Israel in 1967. The newspaper quoted sources of the
municipality as saying that the committee would discuss approving the construction
of the aforementioned units in “Givat Hamatos” area in the outskirts
of Beit Safafa village, south of Jerusalem, after the Jewish holidays. According to the newspaper, the project would
include the construction of 549 flats in “Givat Hamatos B” area, and
813 ones in “Givat Hamatos C” area. 

 

On the same day, “Na’out Hapisga” Company declared the
resumption of construction works in “Modi’in Elite” settlement, west
of Ramallah, in spite of temporary freezing of settlement activities. The Israeli military radio reported that the
company decided to resume the construction of 2,400 settlement units. 

 

In the meantime, a report prepared by the Israeli Peace Now
revealed that the construction of 2,066 housing units in 42 Israeli settlements
would start on 26 September 2010, the end of the temporary freezing of
settlement activities. The report
indicated that those unit had been already approved and settlers had already
obtained construction licenses in existing settlements. These figures are consistent with previous
ones, which indicated that settlers could start building 2,000-2,500 housing
units once the temporary freezing of settlement activities ends. Peace Now further pointed out that there are
plans to construct 11,000 housing unit on sites that had already obtained
licenses and areas of land were devoted by the Jewish Agency for their
construction. 

 

 

 

 

 

Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (08 – 15 September 2010)

 

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

 

Thursday, 09 September 2010

 

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Beir
Liqya village, west of Ramallah. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

Friday, 10 September 2010

 

· At approximately 15:40, IOF moved into Kufor
Qaddoum village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 16:10, IOF moved into Deir
al-Ghossoun village, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 19:00, IOF moved into Hares
village, northwest of Salfit. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. They then established a checkpoint on the
road that links the village with the nearby Kufor Hares village. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At approximately 19:40, IOF moved into Zeita
village, north of Tulkarm. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 22:00, Israeli troops
stationed at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at
agricultural areas to the northwest of Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza
Strip. They also fired 4 flash bombs at
the area. Shooting at the area lasted
for approximately 45 minutes. No
casualties or damages were reported.

 

Saturday, 11 September 2010

 

· At approximately 15:00, IOF moved into Beit
Liqya village, west of Ramallah. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 21:30, IOF moved into Kufor
al-Dik village, southwest of Salfit. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 22:30, IOF moved into Beit
Leed village, east of Tulkarm. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 23:50, IOF moved into Ramin
village, east of Tulkarm. They patrolled
in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

Sunday, 12 September 2010

 

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Dura
village, southwest of Hebron. They raided
and searched a house belonging to the family of Munther Yousef Zouna, 28, and
summoned him for interrogation.

 

· In a new crime and that included excessive use
of lethal force, in the evening, IOF killed three Palestinian civilians in the
northern Gaza Strip: an old man; his grandchild and another child. The
victims were killed when IOF fired five shells towards a group of Palestinian
farmers and shepherds in Abu ‘Eida land in the northeast of Beit Hanoun town in
the northern Gaza Strip. The attack resulted into killing about 30 sheep
as well.

According to investigations conduced by PCHR, at approximately
16:45 on Sunday, 12 September 2010 (the third day of Eid al-Fitr), IOF
stationed at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast of
Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip fired five shells towards a group
of Palestinian farmers and shepherds, who were on Abu ‘Eida land, 600 meters away from the
border, in the northeast of Beit Hanoun. As a result, three persons were
killed in the area; an old man and two children, including his grandson. They
are:

1. Ibrahim
Abdullah Mousa Abu Es’ayed, 91, from Block 7 in Jabalya refugee camp, hit
by shrapnel to different parts of his body;

2. Hosam
Khaled Ibrahim Abu Es’ayed, 16, from Block 7 in Jabalya refugee camp, hit by shrapnel to
different parts of his body; and

3. Isma’il
Waleed Mohammed Abu ‘Oda, 17, from al-Amal neighborhood in Beit Hanoun,
beheaded by shrapnel.

According
to PCHR’s investigations, the old man, Abu Es’ayed, daily heads to the area
where the crime took place to graze sheep and farm that land, which was
abandoned years ago and was bulldozed by IOF several times during al-Aqsa Intifada. The
said old man took his grandson, Hosam, to assist him in grazing. Hosam met
his friend, Abu ‘Oda, on a land belonging to the latter’s uncle, Mohammed Abu
‘Oda. At approximately 16:45, five shells were fired at the farmers and
shepherds. Following the sound of shelling, Palestinian ambulances headed
to the area and found two bodies belonging to the old man Abu Es’ayed and Abu
‘Oda, whose head has not been found so far. The two bodies were
transported to Beit Hanoun Hospital. At approximately 17:15 of the same
day, some persons informed medical crews about a body in the area close to the
crime’s scene. The ambulances headed to area and found the body of the
child Abu Es’ayed, and then transported the victim to Beit Hanoun Hospital.

In
addition, 30 sheep were killed, as Abu Es’ayed and his grandson were going to
graze them in the area. 

· At approximately 23:45, IOF moved into Marda
village, north of Salfit. They patrolled
in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

Monday, 13
September 2010

 

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

 

1. Ramzi
Ahmed al-Khlaifat, 30; and

2. Mohammed
Ahmed ‘Ebayat, 50.

 

· At approximately 02:10, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilya. They raided
and searched a number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians, including
3 children:

 

1. Kazem
Mofeed Isma’il, 17;

2. Naji
Mofeed Isma’il, 17;

3. Rashed
‘Ali Radwan, 19; and

4. ‘Abdullah
‘Omran Hussein, 17.

 

· At approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Qiffin
village, north of Tulkarm. They raided
and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Mahmoud Sabbah, and
arrested him.

 

· At approximately 04:10, IOF moved into
Tulkarm. They raided and searched a
house belonging to the family of Mohammed Jihad al-Hamshari, 28, and arrested
him.

 

· At approximately 10:30, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 11:00, IOF moved into Jayous
village, northeast of Qalqilya. They
raided a house belonging to ‘Abdullah ‘Othman Shamasna, and summoned him for
interrogation.

 

· At approximately 15:00, IOF moved into Nabi
Elias village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 20:00, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· Also at approximately 20:00, IOF moved into
Jayous village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 20:40, IOF moved into ‘Assala
village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 22:00, IOF moved into Nour
Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of internet cafés, and arrested Yousef
Mahmoud Fayyad. 

Tuesday, 14 August 2010

 

· At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Jeet
village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled
in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-Zawia
village, northwest of Salfit. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into
Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided
and searched a house belonging to Shareef Taher Tahaina, 41, and arrested him.

 

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Kufor
al-Dik village, west of Salfit. They raided
a house belonging to Majdi Rateb al-Dik, and summoned him for interrogation.

 

· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into
Bidya village, northwest of Salfit. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 02:40, IOF moved into
Tulkarm. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. ‘Eissa
‘Omar ‘Ouda, 18; and

2. Ayman
‘Imad Abu Safaqa, 23.

 

· Also at approximately 02:40, IOF moved into
Bidya village, northwest of Salfit. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 14:00, IOF moved nearly 300 meters into Gaza
Valley village in the central Gaza Strip. They leveled areas of Palestinian land, which they had already
razed. At approximately 17:00, IOF fired
4 artillery shells at an area located 600 meters away from the
stormed area. As a result, a member of
the Palestinian resistance was seriously wounded. Additionally, some electricity wires were
cut, and 3 windows of two stores belonging to the Municipality of Gaza were
broken.  

 

· At approximately 19:45, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilya. They raided
and searched a number of houses, and arrested 5 Palestinian children:

 

1. Maher
Sameer Abu Haniya, 16;

2. Adam
Bassem Saleem, 17;

3. Lu’ai
Anwar Hussein, 17;

4. Ahmed
Nidal Saleem, 15; and

5. Ma’awia
‘Abdul Latif Radwan, 16, who was released a few hours later.

 

· At approximately 21:45, IOF moved into Habla
village, south of Qalqilya. They patrolled
in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 22:20, IOF moved into Izbat
al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and fired flash bombs. They withdrew later and no arrests were
reported.

 

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

 

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilya. They raided a
house belonging to Rashed ‘Ali Radwan to arrests him son, Mohammed. When they did not found the son at home, they
damaged the house and confiscated the father’s work permit in Israel, claiming
that the son is “a terrorist.” It is worth noting that Mohammed had been arrested by Palestinian
security services in Qalqilya on the preceding day.

 

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Khirbat
Qais village, south of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Beit
Ummar village, north of Hebron. They
raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians,
including a child:

 

1. ‘Amru
‘Eissa al-Zikawi, 19; and

2. Nabeel
Mahmoud al-‘Allami, 16.

 

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Jayous
village, northeast of Qalqilya. They
raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Murad Waleed Qaddoumi,
and arrested him. They also confiscated
his personal computer.

 

· At approximately 09:00, IOF moved nearly 400 meters into
al-Fukhari area in the southeast of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis. They leveled areas of Palestinian land along
the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. They pulled back towards the border 4 hours later.

 

· At approximately 14:05, Israeli war planes
fired two missiles at a tunnel in al-Brazil neighborhood in Rafah, at the
Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip. The tunnel was destroyed and a worker, 23-year-old Wajdi Jihad al-Qadhi,
from Yibna refugee camp in Rafah, was killed. Another two workers in an adjacent tunnel were also wounded:

 

1. Ziad
Saleh al-Shawaf, 27, from Khan Yunis, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;
and

2. Ibrahim
Yousef al-Braim, 29, from Khan Yunis, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body.

 

Palestinian
Killed by Israeli Police in Tel Aviv

 

On Tuesday morning, 14 September 2010, a Palestinian
civilian from East Jerusalem was shot dead by the Israeli police in Tel
Aviv. According to the Israeli
television channel 2, an Israeli police officer fired at a handcuffed
Palestinian in Tel Aviv. The Israeli
police claimed that they received a notice from Eitoran Company that a vehicle
belonging to the company was stole. The
police later received information that 3 cars were stolen in Chomsky Street in
Tel Aviv. Consequently, the police set
an ambush in the area, and at approximately 06:30, they arrested 4
suspects. During this operation, sounds
of shooting were heard, and one of the detainees, who was handcuffed, fell
down. He was wounded in the upper part
of the body, and he died soon. The
police officer who fired at the victim claimed that a bullet was unleashed by
mistake from his pistol. Later, the
victim was identified as Hazem ‘Aadel Abu al-Dab’at, 22, from al-Thawri
neighborhood in East Jerusalem. He used
to work in a barbershop in Jerusalem. The victim’s family denied the Israeli claim, and confirmed that the
victim was shot dead from a zero range. PCHR has not been able to verify the two narratives as the only
witnesses are the detainees who were with the victim as they are still
detained.

 

In his testimony to PCHR, the victim’s father, ‘Aadel Hafez Abu
al-Dab’at, stated:

 

“At
approximately 14:30 on Tuesday, 14 September 2010, I received a phone call from
the Israeli police in Tel Aviv demanding me to go to Tel Aviv police
station. When I asked them about the
reasons for this, they told me that when I go there I will know. I told them that I would send my lawyer, but
they refused and demanded me to come in person. I sent my lawyer to the police station, but they did not cooperate with
him. I then sent my brother, and again
they did not cooperate with him. The
lawyer and my brother waited until 20:00, when they were allowed to identify
the corpse. They knew that it was
Hazem’s. He was hit by a bullet to the
chest. They told me that they also
noticed 3 bruise on his forehead. The
lawyer told me that the police claim that Hazem is a member of an organization
that is specialized in stealing cars, and that he was shot by mistake when he
allegedly attacked a police officer. In
fact, my son traveled with another two young men for recreation. They took with them food and an oven. The police arrests them and fired at my son
when he was handcuffed.”

 

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 Wall and settlement activities. As a result, a Palestinian civilian was
wounded. A number of civilians and human
rights defenders also suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained
bruises.   

 

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 10 September 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 Bil’ein
village, west of Ramallah. They moved
towards the annexation wall. Israeli
troops stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and
tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, Mohammed Ahmed Hamad, 19, was hit by a tear gas canister to
the back. A number of demonstrators also
suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises as they were
beaten by Israeli troops.  

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 10 September 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
Israeli troops positioned near the Wall. Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear
gas canisters at demonstrators. As a
result, several demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others
sustained bruises.  

 

· At
approximately 11:00 on Tuesday, 14 September 2010, Israeli troops stationed on
observation towers at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to the northwest of Beit
Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at a number of Palestinian
civilians and international solidarity activists, who demonstrated dozens of
meters to the southeast of the aforementioned crossing. According to Saber al-Za’anin, Coordinator of
the Local Initiative , 50 demonstrators, including 4 international solidarity
activists and 5 journalists, gathered at approximately 10:20 near the
Agricultural School in the north of Beit Hanoun, to protest the imposition of a
buffer zone by IOF along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. They got as close as to 300 meters to the
southeast of Beit Hanoun crossing. There, they raised the Palestinian national flag on a hill, and started
to fill a trench, which had been dug by IOF on Thursday, 02 September 2010,
nearly 500 meters
away from the border. At approximately
11:00, Israeli troops stationed at observation towers opened fire at the
demonstrators. The shooting lasted for
20 minutes, but no casualties were reported. This protesting activity was ended at approximately 11:40. 

 

3. Continued
Closure of the OPT

 

Israel has continued to impose a tightened closure of 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 over three years. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza
Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous
impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. 

 

· The illegal closure has caused not only a
humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights and human dignity for the
population of the Gaza Strip. Measures declared recently to ease the
blockade are vague, purely cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of
the crisis, which can only be addressed by an immediate and complete lifting of
the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out of the Gaza Strip
and the ban on exports. PCHR is concerned that the new Israeli policy is simply
shifting Gaza to another form of illegal blockade, one that may become
internationally accepted and institutionalized. Palestinians in Gaza may no
longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but they will remain
economically dependent and unable to care for themselves, and socially,
culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world.

 

· Expanding the list of items allowed into Gaza
does not change the illegality of this policy, which is inconsistent with
Israel’s legal obligations both as an Occupying Power and under international
human rights treaties to which it is party, such as the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights. 

 

· Facts on the
ground refute Israeli claims with respect to the easing of the closure imposed
on the Gaza Strip and the reduction of restrictions imposed on the entry of
goods.

 

· Israeli
declaration of allowing new goods to be entered into the Gaza Strip constitutes
an attempt to delude the international community, as such goods do not meet the
minimal needs of the Gaza Strip. 

 

· IOF have
continued to ban the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip. 

 

· IOF have
imposed a ban on all exports from 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 access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists
and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented
representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from
entering the Gaza Strip.

 

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

 

Movement
at Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

 

At
approximately 13:00 on Tuesday, 01 June 2010, the Egyptian authorities decided
to open Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border in both
directions without specifying a date for its closure. The Egyptian decisions came following the
Israeli attack on the Gaza-aid flotilla in international water. On the following morning, the crossing point
was effectively opened and restricted categories of Palestinian civilians were
allowed to travel through it.

 

 

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

07 –
14 September 2010

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

01 –
14 September 2010

 

 

Al-Mentar (Karni) Crossing: IOF partially opened the crossing on
Wednesday, 01 September 2010, and allowed the entry of 1,989 tons of wheat and
1,365 tons of fodder. They also opened
it on Tuesday, 07 September 2010, and allowed the entry of 1,092 tons of wheat
and 975 tons of fodder. 

 

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 that
include prolonged checking.

 

Movement
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

01 –
06 September 2010

 

 

The West Bank

 

Israel has imposed a tightened closure 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 the city. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied access to the city. IOF have
established many checkpoints around and inside the city. Restrictions of the
movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate on Fridays, preventing Muslim
Palestinians from praying at al-Aqsa Mosque.  

· Bethlehem: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have maintained their presence at 41
checkpoints around the town. The town
has been also impacted by the construction of the annexation wall to the north
and west, and large areas of Palestinian land have been isolated by the
wall. During the reporting period,
Israeli troops stationed at the 300 checkpoint (Rachel Toms), north of
Bethlehem, continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians wishing to travel to Jerusalem. Palestinian civilians are forced to wait in queues on two routes outside
the checkpoint. They are then checked by
Israeli soldiers using electronic checking machines. Such checking is often prolonged and
humiliating. During the reporting period,
only Palestinians who have permits were allowed to travel to Jerusalem.   

 

· Nablus: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. On Thursday morning, 09
September 2010, IOF established a checkpoint near Deir Sharaf intersection,
west of Nablus. They stopped and
searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. On
Friday morning, 10 September 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance
of Sarra village, southwest of Nablus. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. 

 

· 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. At approximately 23:10 on Sunday, 12 September 2010, IOF re-established
their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint at the northern entrance of Bir Zeit
village, north of Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian
vehicles, but no arrests were reported. At approximately 23:35 on the same day, IOF established a checkpoint at
the entrance of Kharabtha al-Misbah village, west of Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles, but no arrests were reported. At approximately 09:50 on Monday, 03
September 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Liqya
village, west of Ramallah. They stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles, but no arrests were reported.  

 

· Qalqilya:  IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have continued to close the agricultural
road located to the east of ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya, since 2009. The village is also separated from road #55,
which links between Nablus and Qalqilya, with a barbwire fence. The fence cuts off the village from
agricultural land belonging to it in the north. During the reporting period, IOF continued to erect temporary
checkpoints on the main roads leading to Qalqilya. On Wednesday, 08 September 2010, IOF
established 7 checkpoints around Qalqilya. On Thursday, 09 September 2010, IOF established 6 temporary checkpoints
around Qalqilya. On Friday, 10 September
2010, IOF established 4 temporary checkpoints around the town. On Sunday, 12 September 2010, IOF established
5 checkpoints around the town. On
Monday, 13 September 2010, IOF established 5 checkpoints around the town. Israeli troops stationed at those checkpoints
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.

 

· Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 15:45 on Saturday, 11
September 2010, IOF established a checkpoint on al-Kafriyat road between
Qalqilya and Tulkarm towns. They stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles, but no arrests were reported. At
approximately 17:35 on Saturday, 11 September 2010, IOF established a
checkpoint at Beit Leed intersection on Tulkarm-Qalqilya road. At approximately 21:25 on the same day, IOF
established a checkpoint at Jibara intersection, south of Tulkarm. Israeli troops stationed at the two
checkpoints stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles, but no arrests
were reported. 

 

· Salfit: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have continued to close the northern
entrance of Salfit with cement blocks and sand barriers since 2000. They have also continued to close two roads
linking Marda village with agricultural land belonging to it. At approximately 23:00 on Wednesday, 08
September 2010, at approximately 18:00 on Saturday, 11 September 2010, and at
approximately 14:20 on Sunday, 12 September 2010, IOF established a checkpoint
on the road that links between Hares and Kufor Hares villages, northwest of
Salfit. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles.   

 

Arrests at Military Checkpoints

 

· On Wednesday morning, 08 September 2010, IOF
arrested ‘Abbas ‘Afif Shadid, a lawyer from Tulkarm, when he was in Jerusalem
to pray in the al-Aqsa Mosque.

 

· At approximately 12:00 on the same day, Israeli
troops stationed at a checkpoint established at Jeet intersection, east of
Qalqilya, arrested Muntasser Nafe’ Mansour, 20, from Bourin village south of
Nablus. 

 

· At approximately 19:00 on Sunday, 12 September
2010, Israeli stoops stationed at a checkpoint established on bypass road #55
between Nablus and Qalqilya arrested Mohammed ‘Abdul Rahman Bashir, from
Jainsafout village east of Qalqilya. 

 

· At approximately 08:00 on Monday, 13 September
2010, Israeli troops stationed at a checkpoint established at Hijja
intersection, east of Qalqilya, arrested Samer Radwan Ahmed, 25.

 

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.

 

· On Tuesday, 14 September 2010, the Israeli
Central Court in Jerusalem approved the establishment of an iron bridge to kink
between the Bab al-Maghareba (Gate of the Magharibis), southwest of al-Aqsa
Mosque, and the road leading to the Gate. Such approval may open the door wide for Israeli settlers to continue
there attacks on the Hill of the Gate of the Magharibis, which caused a ground
split-up in 2004 due to excavation works in the area by Israeli settlers and
the Israeli Ministry of Religions. The
Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported that the District Committee of Planning and
Construction in the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem decided in 2009 to
establish the bridge to replace a wooden one that collapsed in winter
2004. Palestinians filed a petition
against this decision, as it causes damages to Palestinians and serves to
achieve plans of Israeli settlers to control the area, but the court rejected
the petition and claimed that the plan was “logical and legal.”

 

· On Tuesday, 14 September 2010, Israeli settlers
who had seized an apartment building belonging to the Qirsh family on 20 July
2010 vacated furniture from two flats belonging to ‘Adli Qirsh and Majed
Qirsh. They then started actions to make
changes to the two flats. The family’s
lawyer complained to the Israeli police, but in vain. It is worth noting that the family filed a
petition on 29 July 2010 against the seizure of the building, but Israeli
courts have not considered it. 

 

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 Monday morning, 13 September 2010, Israeli
settlers from “Shavoth Rachel” settlement, northeast of Ramallah,
seized at least 15 donums of agricultural land belonging to Palestinian
civilians from Qaryout village, southeast of Nablus. They leveled the land for agricultural
purposes. 

 

· On Tuesday, 14 September 2010, the Israeli
daily Ha’aretz reported that the Planinning and Construction Committee of the
Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem would soon convene to approve the
construction of 1,362 settlement units in Palestinian areas that were occupied
by Israel in 1967. The newspaper quoted
sources of the municipality as saying that the committee would discuss
approving the construction of the aforementioned units in “Givat
Hamatos” area in the outskirts of Beit Safafa village, south of Jerusalem,
after the Jewish holidays. According to
the newspaper, the project would include the construction of 549 flats in
“Givat Hamatos B” area, and 813 ones in “Givat Hamatos C”
area. 

  

· On the same day, “Na’out Hapisga”
Company declared the resumption of construction works in “Modi’in
Elite” settlement, west of Ramallah, in spite of temporary freezing of
settlement activities. The Israeli
military radio reported that the company decided to resume the construction of
2,400 settlement units. Director of the
company, Amir Zakin, stated to the radio that the company decided to resume the
construction after having received a notice from the governmental claim
committee that the company is not eligible for compensation as a result of
freezing settlement construction according to standards established by the government. He added that the company’s decision is
purely economic rather than ideological, as it demands a compensation of 170
million NIS (approximately US$ 45 million). 

 

· In the meantime, a report prepared by the
Israeli Peace Now revealed that the construction of 2,066 housing units in 42
Israeli settlements would start on 26 September 2010, the end of the temporary
freezing of settlement activities. The
report indicated that those unit had been already approved and settlers had
already obtained construction licenses in existing settlements. These figures are consistent with previous
ones, which indicated that settlers could start building 2,000-2,500 housing
units once the temporary freezing of settlement activities ends. Peace Now further pointed out that there are
plans to construct 11,000 housing unit on sites that had already obtained
licenses and areas of land were devoted by the Jewish Agency for their
construction. Those units would be built
in several settlements, including: “Talmoun;” “Modi’in
Elite;” “Kiryat Arba;” “Givat Ze’ev;” “Kfar
Tapouh;” “Tsufin;” “Avni Hevitz;” “Karni
Shomron;” “Ma’ale Ephraim;” “Rafafah;”
“Taqqou;” “Talmoun;” “Qidoumim;”
“Emanuel;” “Mavo Dutan;” and “Beit Arieh.”

 

 

…………………………………………………………

 

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
their 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
that international civil society organizations, including human rights organizations,
bar associations and NGOs, participate in the process of exposing those accused
of grave breaches of international law and urge their governments to bring the perpetrators 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 demand Israel 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
process or agreement must be based on respect for international law, including
international human rights and humanitarian law.

 

 

 

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Public Document

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