Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian civilian during a
demonstration against Israeli settlement activities in al-Tawana village, south
of Hebron

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

 

 

· A Palestinian
died of wounds he had sustained during the wide scale Israeli offensive on the
Gaza Strip.

– A Palestinian civilian was wounded by IOF in Salfit.

– An old Palestinian man was wounded by Israeli settlers in the West
Bank.

 

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

– Two Palestinian
civilians were wounded. 

– IOF arrested 4
Israeli human rights defenders and two Palestinian civilians.

 

· IOF conducted 50
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and a limited one into
the Gaza Strip.  

– IOF arrested 21
Palestinian civilians, including 3 children.

– The detainees
include former Palestinian Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs, Wasfi Qabaha.

 

· IOF fired at
Palestinian fishing boats in the Gaza Strip.

 

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

– IOF arrested
two Palestinian civilians, including a woman, at military checkpoints in the
West Bank.

– IOF violently
beat a Palestinian civilian at a military checkpoint near Hebron.

 

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

– IOF ordered the demolition of a school and two barracks in Salfit.

– IOF ordered stopping the construction of a mosque in Salfit and
demolishing another one in Bethlehem.

– IOF destroyed two wells and ordered the demolition of another 3
ones.

– IOF demolished 3 tents and 10 barnyards in Jericho.

– Israeli settlers attacked 5 houses in Hebron.

– Israeli settlers leveled areas of land they had already seized near
Hebron.

 

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (09 – 15 June 2011):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, a
Palestinian died of wounds he had sustained during the wide scale Israeli
offensive on the Gaza Strip. Two
Palestinian civilians were also wounded by IOF and settlers in the West Bank.

 

On 11 June 2011, medical sources at the Israeli Hasharon Hospital
declared that Mohammed Sha’ban Mohammed Esleem, 50, from Gaza City, died of
wounds he had sustained on 15 January 2009 during the wide scale Israeli
offensive on the Gaza Strip. Esleem had
been wounded by shrapnel to the head, the abdomen and the hand. On 24 February 2009, he was transferred to an
Egyptian hospital. On 29 May 2011, he
was transferred to an Israeli hospital, where he had received medical treatment
until his death. It is worth noting that
Esleem was wounded inside his house when IOF targeted the late Minister of
Interior in the Gaza government, Sa’id Syam. As a result of this attack, 12 Palestinians, including 6 members of the
Esleem family, were killed. 

 

On 10 June 2011, an old Palestinian man was wounded by a bullet to
the head by an Israeli settler near Ramallah. 

 

On 13 June 2011, a Palestinian civilian was wounded by IOF in
Salfit. IOF fired at number of
Palestinian boys and young men who threw stones at military vehicles.

 

During the reporting period, IOF
used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest
to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in
the West Bank. As a result, two
Palestinian civilians were wounded, and dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation.  IOF also arrested 4 Israeli human rights defenders
and one Palestinian civilian.

 

On 11 June 2011, Israeli gunboats
opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in the northern Gaza Strip, but no
casualties were reported.

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 50 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 21
Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and former Minister of Palestinian
Prisoners’ Affairs, Wasfi Qabaha. 

 

In
the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted a limited incursion into Palestinian areas in the
central Gaza Strip, during which they leveled areas of Palestinian land.

 

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. 

 

· IOF have tightened the closure of the Gaza
Strip and practically made Karm Abu Salem crossing as the sole commercial
crossing of the Gaza Strip although it is not proper for commercial purposes in
terms of its distance and operational capacity.

 

· IOF have continued to apply their policy aimed
at tightening the strangulation of the commercial movement in the Gaza Strip,
including imposing total control over the flow of imports and exports.

 

· The total closure of al-Mentar
“Karni” crossing on 02 March 2011 has created a bitter situation that
has seriously affected the Gaza Strip. Following this closure, all the economic and commercial establishments
in Gaza Commercial Zone were shut off. It should be noted that al-Mentar crossing is the biggest crossing in
the Gaza Strip in terms of its operational capacity to absorb the flow of
imports and exports. The decision of
al-Mentar crossing was the culmination of a series of decisions to totally
close Soafa crossing, east of the Gaza Strip, in the beginning of 2009, and
Nahal Oz crossing, east of Gaza City, which was dedicated for the delivery of
fuel and cooking gas to the Gaza Strip, in the beginning of 2010.

 

· These statistics which were made available to
PCHR by the Border and Crossings Department indicate a continued drop in the
number of truckloads of Gaza imports and exports.

 

· IOF have continued to impose total ban on the
delivery of raw materials to the Gaza Stri, except for very limited items and
quantities. The limited quantities of
raw materials allowed into Gaza do not meet the minimal needs of the civilian
population in the Gaza Strip.

 

· The cooking gas crisis which has erupted last
November has continued to affect the Gaza Strip. This crisis was created when the Israeli
occupation authorities totally closed, on 04 January 2010, Nahal Oz crossing,
which used to be dedicated for the delivery of fuel and cooking gas supplies to
Gaza, and shifted fuel and cooking gas supplies to Karm Abu Salem crossing
which is not technically equipped to receive Gaza’s needs of fuel.  Karm
Abu Salem crossing, with its maximum absorptive capacity, can receive only 200
tons of cooking gas per day.

 

· Approximately 80% of Gaza civilians have
continued to depend on alimentary aid provided by UNRWA and other relief
agencies, rates of families who are living below poverty line have continued to
be on the rise and approximately 40% of Gaza’s manpower has continued to suffer
from permanent unemployment as a result of shutting down the majority of Gaza’s
economic establishments.

 

· IOF have continued to impose a total ban on the
exportation of Gaza’s products, especially industrial products, leading to
undermining any real chances to rerun economic establishments. The situation has been aggravated especially
after making Karm Abu Salem crossing as Gaza sole commercial crossing and the
repeated closure of this crossing which negatively affected the quantity of
Gazan products which were allowed to be exported during last April.

 

· IOF have continued to prolong the
implementation of their decision to allow 60 cars into Gaza weekly although
more than 10 months have passed since they announced this decision after three
years of ban imposed on the delivery of cars to Gaza. As a result, the prices of cars in Gaza have
been on the rise and local markets experience serious shortage in spare parts.

 

· For approximately four consecutive years, IOF
have continued to ban the delivery of construction materials to Gaza. During
the reporting period, IOF approved the delivery of limited quantities of
construction materials for a number of international organizations.

 

· Israel has
continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian civilians from
the Gaza Strip. IOF only allow the
movement of limited groups amidst severe restrictions, including long hours of
waiting in the majority of cases. IOF have
also continued to adopt a policy aimed at reducing the number of Palestinian
patients allowed to move via Beit Hanoun crossing to receive medical treatment
in hospitals in Israel or in the West Bank and Jerusalem. IOF denied new categories of Gazan patient
permission to have access to hospitals via the crossing.

 

· Israel has imposed
additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and
humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip.

 

· For
approximately 46 months, IOF have continued to deny approximately 710
Palestinian prisoners from Gaza detained in Israeli jails their visitation
rights without providing any justification to this measure, which violates the
rules of the international humanitarian law.

 

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
in the 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, confiscating more 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 permits issued by IOF. Such
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: 

 

On
09 June 2011, a group of Jewish extremists, mostly settlers from “Kiryat Arba”
settlement in Hebron, escorted by IOF, broke into the yards of the al-Aqsa
Mosque.

 

On
10 June 2011, an Israeli police force stormed the yards of the al-Aqsa Mosque
after the Friday Prayer. A number of
young men threw stones at the force. Immediately, Israeli police officers fired rubber-coated metal bullets and
tear gas canisters at them. No
casualties.

 

On
Saturday, 11 June 2011, a number of Jewish extremists conducted religious
rituals in a Palestinian marker. The
Israeli police forced Palestinian civilians to close their shops in the
market. 

 

On
Sunday, 12 June 2011, the Israeli authorities started excavation works in
al-Sultan Pool in the old town, which is a registered Islamic site. On the same day, officials of the Israeli
Municipality of Jerusalem and the Israeli police chased peddlers in Bab
al-Amoud area. They confiscated goods
and attacked a number of peddlers.

 

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 10 June 2011, dozens of
Palestinian civilians from Kufor Malek village, northeast of Ramallah,
travelled in cars to al-Marj area, nearly 10 kilometers to the east of the
village, where 3 Israeli settlers set up a tent. When the Palestinian civilians arrived at the
area, one of the settlers opened fire at them. As a result, Yousef Hammad al-Qaq, 66, was wounded by a bullet to the
head. Later, IOF arrived at the area and
attempted to control the settlers.

 

On 12 June 2011, IOF moved into
Brouqin village, west of Salfit. They
handed a notice to Mo’ayad Mohammed Baker, ordering the demolition of an
agricultural barrack belonging to him. They also handed another notice to villagers ordering the demolition of
a school, and a third one ordering stopping construction of Ali Bin Abi Taleb
Mosque allegedly for the lack of licenses.

 

On the same day, IOF moved into
Hares village, north of Salfit. They
handed notices ordering the demolition of two barracks used for car washing
belonging to ‘Abdullah and Jihad Mohammed Daoud, claiming that they were built without
licenses.

 

On 13 June 2011, Israeli settlers
from “Ashkilot” settlement to the west of Arab al-Ramadin village, southwest of
Hebron, razed and leveled at least 20 dumuns of Palestinian agricultural land
isolated by the annexation wall. Israeli
settlers seized this area of land a few months ago. 

 

On 14 June 2011, IOF, accompanied by
two bulldozers, moved into Dassayel village, north of Jericho. They demolished 3 barnyards and 10 tents,
claiming that they were established without licenses near bypass road #90,
which is used by Israeli settlers. A
number of Palestinian civilians attempted to stop the demolition, but Israeli
soldiers violently beat them. As a
result, ‘Ali ‘Ebayat sustained bruises. Three
of the demolished tents were inhabited. 

 

On the same day, IOF, accompanied by
two bulldozers, moved into al-Harayiq area, southwest of Hebron. They demolished two water wells belonging to
the al-Jamal family. According to Samer
‘Abdul Hamid al-Jamal, IOF handed notices ordering the demolition of 5 water
wells, claiming that they were established without licenses, and then
demolished two wells. Israeli soldiers
used force to drive Palestinian civilians away from the area, including firing
tear gas canisters at them. As a result,
a number of civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation. 

 

On the same day, IOF moved into
al-Ma’sara village, west of Bethlehem. They handed a notice to Ahmed Zawahra ordering the demolition of a
mosque in the east of the village, claiming that it was built without a
license. The notice gives Palestinian
civilians 13 days to appeal against the order.

 

On the same day, at least 50 Israeli
settlers living in settlement outposts in the center of Hebron attacked 5
Palestinian houses in Tal Rumaida neighborhood near the closed al-Shuhada
Street. This attack came two days
following the Israeli High Court’s rejection of a petition filed by
Palestinians to open closed roads in Hebron.

 

On 15 June 2011, a number of Israeli
settlers from “Mitatyahu” settlement, west of Ramallah, set fire to dozens of
olive trees in Bel’ein village. IOF
restricted the access of Palestinian fire fighters to the area to extinguish
fire. In the end, the firefighter were able to extinguish fire. 

 

 

 

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (09 – 15 June 2011)

 

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

 

Thursday, 09 June 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Taqqou’ village, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, accusing them of
throwing stones at Israeli military vehicles:

 

1. Muntasser
   Sameeh al-‘Omour, 17;
2. Haitham
   Mohammed al-‘Omour, 22; and
3. Mahmoud
   Mohammed al-‘Omour, 24.

 

According to information available to the detainees’ lawyers, the
detainees were subject to violent beating during interrogation. An Israeli interrogator even threatened to
remove the trousers of the first detainee and molest him. As a result of beating, the three detainees
suffer from pains throughout their bodies.

 

· At
approximately 08:40, IOF moved into Nabi Elias village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 09:10, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They raided a number of shops and held a
number of Palestinian civilians. They
released those civilians at approximately 12:00. Israeli soldiers took the camera of the
municipality’s photographer and deleted all photos saved on it. Before their withdrawal, Israeli soldiers
threatened villagers that they would close the entrance of the village and
arrest all young men in the village if stone throwing continued. Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 10:00, IOF moved into ‘Attil village, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 11:00, IOF moved into Jayous village, northeast of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 12:55, IOF moved into Snirya village, southeast of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 12:55, IOF moved into Beit Ameen village, southeast of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 16:00, IOF moved into Kharabtha al-Misbah village, west of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 16:05, IOF moved into Qarawat Bani Hassan village, northwest of
Salafit. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 18:00, IOF moved into Bedya village, west of Salafit. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 22:30, IOF moved into Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 23:45, an IOF undercover unit moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of
Qalilya, traveling in a Palestinian civilian vehicle. The vehicle stopped near a game gallery. Immediately, at least 20 Israeli soldiers
stepped down from the vehicle and broke into the gallery and threatened the
owner to punish him if they discovered that the raid was photographed. Soon after, Israeli soldiers gathered
customers and forced them to stand with their faces to the walls. They also fired smoke bombs inside the
gallery after arresting Ahmed Sa’id Saleem, 22.

 

Friday, 10 June 2011

 

· At
approximately 00:20, IOF moved into Marda village, north of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Jenin. They raided and searched a house belonging to Wasfi ‘Izzat Qabaha, 51,
former Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs and a leader of Hamas, and arrested
him. An Israeli officer told Qabaha’s
daughter that they arrested him because “he did not listen to their advice to
stop his activities.”

 

· At
approximately 00:40, IOF moved into Qabatya village, south of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately
11:00, IOF moved into Jafna village, north of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 11:35, IOF moved into Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 11:40, IOF moved into Kufor Thuloth village, southeast of
Qalailya. They patrolled in the streets
and stopped and questioned a number of Palestinian civilians. They withdrew later and neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 22:00, 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 23:00, IOF moved into al-Jalama village, north of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 23:30, IOF moved into Bitounia town, west of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

Saturday, 11 June 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Bir Zeit village, north of Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 08:00, medical sources at the Israeli Hasharon Hospital declared
that Mohammed Sha’ban Mohammed Esleem, 50, from Gaza City, died of wounds he
had sustained on 15 January 2009 during the wide scale Israeli offensive on the
Gaza Strip. Esleem had been wounded by shrapnel
to the head, the abdomen and the hand. On 24 February 2009, he was transferred to an Egyptian hospital. On 29 May 2011, he was transferred to an
Israeli hospital, where he had received medical treatment until his death. It is worth noting that Esleem was wounded
inside his house when IOF targeted the late Minister of Interior in the Gaza
government, Sa’id Syam. As a result of
this attack, 12 Palestinians, including 6 members of the Esleem family, were
killed. 

 

· At
approximately 16:30, IOF moved into Zabbouba village, northwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 16:30, IOF moved into ‘Aanin village, northwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 19:00, IOF moved into Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah. They provocatively patrolled in the
streets. A number of Palestinian boys
gathered and threw stones at Israeli military vehicles. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. A number of Palestinian civilians suffered
from tear gas inhalation. IOF withdrew
from the village later and no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 22:00, Israeli gunboats stationed opposite to Beit Lahia seashore
in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats. They also fired flash bombs over the
area. Palestinian fishermen were forced
to flee and no casualties were reported.

 

Sunday, 12 June 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Tamer
Mahmoud Hammoud, 23, and arrested him.

 

· At
approximately 02:40, IOF moved into al-Khas village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Ahmed Naji Hmaidan, 21, and arrested him.

 

· Also at
approximately 02:40, IOF moved into Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Saddam ‘Abdul ‘Aziz ‘Awadh, 22, and arrested him.

 

· At
approximately 14:30, IOF moved into Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 17:15, IOF moved into Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of
Salafit.  They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately
20:55, IOF moved into Jayous village, southeast of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 23:40, IOF moved into Kufor al-Dik village, west of Salfit.  They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

Monday, 13 June 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Salfit. They patrolled in the streets and raided and searched 3 houses. As they were patrolling in the streets, a
number of Palestinian boys and young men threw stones at Israeli military
vehicles. Immediately, Israeli soldiers
fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, a 28-year-old Palestinian (who
requested PCHR not to mention his name) was wounded by a rubber-coated metal
bullet and tear gas canister to the left hand.

 

· Also at
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Qabatya village, south of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time and
withdrew later. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 16:35, IOF moved into Ematin village, northeast of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 19:10, IOF moved in Jeet village, northeast of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:15, IOF moved into Hares village, north of Salafit. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Hakim Yassin
Shamlawi, 26; and

2. Yazan Taleb
Daoud, 22.

 

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

 

1. Mahmoud
Mohammed Sabatin, 17; and

2. Ussama Shousha,
17.

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Bedya village, west of
Salfit. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 02:20, IOF moved into Qalqilya. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Mohammed Taleb
al-Aqra’, 32;

2. Khaled Taleb
al-Aqra’, 30;

3. Mohammed Bassam
Walweel, 29; and

4. Taqfiq Bassam
Walweel, 31.

 

· At approximately 09:00, IOF moved into ‘Allar village, north of
Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 09:30, IOF moved into Jalboun village. East of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time and withdrew later. Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

· Also at approximately 09:30, IOF moved into Deir Ghazala village,
northeast of Jenin. They patrolled in
the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Kufor Ra’ei village, south
of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. 

 

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinian
civilians:

 

1. Mohammed Wasfi
Jallad, 30;

2. ‘Omar Talal
Jeetawi, 21;

3. Raja’ei Ahmed
‘Ammouri, 26; and

4. Jamal ‘Allam
Hattab, 27.

 

It should be noted that at approximately 15:00 on Tuesday, 14 June
2011, IOF summoned Ahmed Fu’ad Kharyoush, 29, to the Israeli district
coordination office by a phone call. When he went there, he was arrested and taken together with ‘Ammouri and
Hattab to Salem military court, north of Jenin to testify in a case of a
Palestinian prisoner. At approximately
11:00 on Wednesday, the three detainees were released.

 

· At approximately 06:00, IOF moved nearly 200 meters into the east
of al-Boreij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. They leveled areas of land along the border
between the Gaza Strip and Israel amidst intensive shooting. They withdrew from the area at approximately
18:00 and no casualties 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 Wall and settlement activities in the West
Bank. As a result, two Palestinian
civilians were wounded, dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights
defenders also suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.  Additionally, IOF arrested 4 Israeli human
rights defenders and two Palestinian civilians.    

   

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 10 June 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction
of the annexation wall.  They marched in
the streets raising Palestinian flags and portraits of Jawaher and Bassem Abu
Rahma, who were killed by IOF, and Marwan al-Barghouthi, Member of the
Palestinian Legislative Council who had been detained by IOF. Mr. Waleed al-Mo’aqat, Palestinian Ambassador
to Argentina; Dr. Munjed Saleh, Assistant of the Palestinian Foreign Minister
for Latin America and Caribbean Affairs; Mr. Urassio Wamba, Argentinean
Ambassador to Palestine; Ms. Sicilia Marshan, Speaker of the Argentinean
Parliament; and an Argentinean parliamentary delegation participated in the
demonstration. Israeli soldiers
stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear
gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a
result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and others
sustained bruises.   

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 10 June 2011, 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, a number of
demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation. 

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 10 March 2011, 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. As a result, a number of demonstrators
suffered from tear gas inhalation. Additionally,
IOF arrested 3 Israeli human rights defenders. 

 

· Following the
Noon Prayer on Wednesday, 15 June 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Deir
Qiddis village, west of Ramallah, in protest to Israeli settlement activities
and the construction of the annexation wall. They marched in the streets raising the Palestinian flag. They then moved towards Jabal al-Deir area in
the west of the village near “Nili” settlement. When the demonstrators attempted to reach the area, Israeli soldiers
deployed there fired bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. As a result, two demonstrators were wounded:

 

1. Wa’el ‘Abdul
Qader Nasser, 24, wounded by a bullet to the right thigh; and

2. Islam Nazeeh
Nasser, 25, wounded by two bullets to the right hand and side.

 

In addition, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas
inhalation and other sustained bruises. Israeli soldiers also arrested an
Israeli human rights defender, and Mohammed ‘Abdul Qader ‘Amira, 39.

 

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.

 

Movement
at Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

 

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

08 –
14 June 2011

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

08 –
14 June 2011

It was not possible to obtain details about the movement at the
crossing this week. Such details will be
included in the next report.

 

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

08 –
14 June 2011

 

 

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.  

 

· Ramallah: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of the Palestinian
civilians in Ramallah.  At approximately
10:00 on Thursday, 09 June 2011, IOF established a checkpoint on the road
linking between Beit ‘Aur al-Tahta and Beit ‘Aur al-Fouqa villages, west of
Ramallah. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. At
approximately 17:00 on the same day, IOF established a checkpoint under
Kharabtha al-Maisbah village, west of Ramallah. At approximately 19:00 on the same day, IOF established a checkpoint on
the road linking between Silwad and al-Mazra’a al-Sharqiya villages, northeast
of Ramallah. At approximately 10:30 on
Saturday, 11 June 2011, IOF re-established their presence at ‘Attara
checkpoint, north of Ramallah. They
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At approximately 16:00 on the same day, IOF
established a checkpoint at Beit ‘Aur al-Fouqa intersections, west of Ramallah.
 

 

· Qalqilya: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  On Friday, 10 June 011, IOF established 5
checkpoints around the town. On Monday,
13 June 2011, IOF established 4 checkpoints around the town.  

 

· Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 09:00 on Thursday, 09 June
2011, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Leed intersection,
east of Tulkarm. They stopped and
searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At
the same time, they established a checkpoint on the road linking Jenin with the
northern villages of Tulkarm. They
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.  At approximately 09:00 on Saturday, 11 June
2011, IOF established a checkpoint on Tulkarm-Qalqilya road, near Far’oun
village. At approximately 20:00, IOF established
a checkpoint near Kufor Sour intersection on Tulkarm-Qalqilya road. Half an hour later, they established a
checkpoint at the entrance of Qiffin village, north of Tulkarm. At approximately 09:30 on Tuesday, 14 June
2011, IOF established a checkpoint at Far’oun intersection, south of
Tulkarm. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. At
approximately 13:00, IOF imposed additional restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians through Ennab checkpoint, east of Tulkarm. At approximately 17:00 on the same day, IOF
established a checkpoint at al-Jaroushiya intersection, north of Tulkarm. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles.  

 

· Salfit: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 12:10 on Monday, 14 June
2011, IOF established a checkpoint between Brouqin and Qarawat Bani Zaid
villages, west of Salfit. They stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.  

 

· Jericho: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. At approximately 19:30 on
Thursday, 09 June 2011, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Fassayel
village, north of Jericho. They stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. 

 

Arrests at Military Checkpoints

 

· At
approximately 21:00 on Friday, 10 June 2011, Israeli soldiers positioned at the
northern entrances of the old town of Hebron arrested Hamada ‘Emad Da’na, 22.

 

· At
approximately 17:00 on Saturday, 11 June 2011, Israeli soldiers positioned at
Um al-Raihan checkpoint, west of Jenin, arrested Kifah ‘Emad Zaid, 20, from
Kfiret village, claiming that she wanted to pass through the checkpoint using
her sister’s permit. The Israeli police
arrived and questioned her. She was
released an hour and a half later.     

 

Harassment at
Military Checkpoints

 

On Tuesday
evening, Israeli soldiers positioned at a checkpoint to the south of Hebron
violently beat Mohammed Ahmed Makhamra, 26, when he debated with them as they
held him together with other Palestinian for a long period. He sustained acute bruised throughout the
body.

 

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

 

Israel
has 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 Thursday, 09 June 2011, a group of Jewish
extremists, mostly settlers from “Kiryat Arba” settlement in Hebron, escorted
by IOF, broke into the yards of the al-Aqsa Mosque.

 

· On Friday, 10 June 2011, an Israeli police
force stormed the yards of the al-Aqsa Mosque after the Friday Prayer. A number of young men threw stones at the
force. Immediately, Israeli police
officers fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at them. No casualties.

 

· On Saturday, 11 June 2011, a number of Jewish
extremists conducted religious rituals in a Palestinian marker. The Israeli police forced Palestinian
civilians to close their shops in the market. 

 

· On Sunday, 12 June 2011, the Israeli
authorities started excavation works in al-Sultan Pool in the old town, which
is a registered Islamic site. On the
same day, officials of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem and the Israeli
police chased peddlers in Bab al-Amoud area. They confiscated goods and attacked a number of peddlers.

 

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.

 

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 10 June 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians from Kufor Malek
village, northeast of Ramallah, travelled in cars to al-Marj area, nearly 10
kilometers to the east of the village, where 3 Israeli settlers set up a
tent. When the Palestinian civilians
arrived at the area, one of the settlers opened fire at them. As a result, Yousef Hammad al-Qaq, 66, was
wounded by a bullet to the head. Later,
IOF arrived at the area and attempted to control the settlers.

 

· At
approximately 09:10 on Sunday, 12 June 2011, IOF moved into Brouqin village,
west of Salfit. They handed a notice to
Mo’ayad Mohammed Baker, ordering the demolition of an agricultural barrack
belonging to him. They also handed
another notice to villagers ordering the demolition of a school, and a third
one ordering stopping construction of Ali Bin Abi Taleb Mosque allegedly for
the lack of licenses.

 

· At
approximately 12:10 on the same day, IOF moved into Hares village, north of
Salfit. They handed notices ordering the
demolition of two barracks used for car washing belonging to ‘Abdullah and
Jihad Mohammed Daoud, claiming that they were built without licenses.

 

· On Monday, 13
June 2011, Israeli settlers from “Ashkilot” settlement to the west of Arab
al-Ramadin village, southwest of Hebron, razed and leveled at least 20 dumuns
of Palestinian agricultural land isolated by the annexation wall. Israeli settlers seized this area of land a
few months ago. The land belongs to
Nassar Mohammed Zamel.

 

· At
approximately 06:30 on Tuesday, 14 June 2011, IOF, accompanied by two
bulldozers, moved into Dassayel village, north of Jericho. They demolished 3 barnyards and 10 tents,
claiming that they were established without licenses near bypass road #90,
which is used by Israeli settlers. A
number of Palestinian civilians attempted to stop the demolition, but Israeli
soldiers violently beat them. As a
result, ‘Ali ‘Ebayat sustained bruises. Three of the demolished tents were inhabited. They belong to ‘omar Khalil Ta’amra, Kayed
‘Atallah Rashaida and Yassin Mohammed Rashaida.

 

· At
approximately 10:00 on the same day, IOF, accompanied by two bulldozers, moved
into al-Harayiq area, southwest of Hebron. They demolished two water wells belonging to the al-Jamal family. According to Samer ‘Abdul Hamid al-Jamal, IOF
handed notices ordering the demolition of 5 water wells, claiming that they
were established without licenses, and then demolished two wells. Israeli soldiers used force to drive
Palestinian civilians away from the area, including firing tear gas canisters
at them. As a result, a number of
civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation. 

 

· At
approximately 11:30 on the same day, IOF moved into al-Ma’sara village, west of
Bethlehem. They handed a notice to Ahmed
Zawahra ordering the demolition of a mosque in the east of the village,
claiming that it was built without a license. The notice gives Palestinian civilians 13 days to appeal against the
order.

 

· On the same day
evening, at least 50 Israeli settlers living in settlement outposts in the
center of Hebron attacked 5 Palestinian houses in Tal Rumaida neighborhood near
the closed al-Shuhada Street. This
attack came two days following the Israeli High Court’s rejection of a petition
filed by Palestinians to open closed roads in Hebron.

 

· At
approximately 13:30 on Wednesday, 15 June 2011, a number of Israeli settlers
from “Mitatyahu” settlement, west of Ramallah, set fire to dozens of olive
trees in Bel’ein village. IOF restricted
the access of Palestinian fire fighters to the area to extinguish fire. In the
end, the firefighters were able to extinguish fire. At approximately 17:30, a number of
Palestinian boys gathered and threw stones at Israeli soldiers near the
annexation wall. Immediately, Israeli
soldiers fired bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. No casualties were reported. 

 

…………………………………………………………

 

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
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