Israeli Forces Continue
Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the occupied
Palestinian territory (oPt)

 

4 Palestinian
civilians, including a child, were killed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The
4 civilians were killed at the border area as a result of excessive use of
force.

 

2
Palestinian civilians were shot by the settlers in the northern West Bank.

 

The
Israeli forces conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West
Bank. 

At
least 29 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were arrested in the West.

A
young man and a child were arrested when they attempted to cross the border
into Israel.

 

The
Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protests in
the West Bank.

A
Palestinian civilian was wounded in al-Nabi Saleh peaceful protest, northwest
of Ramallah.

6
international and Israeli activists were arrested in the abovementioned
protest.

 

Israel
has continued to impose a total closure on the oPt and has isolated the Gaza
Strip from the outside world.

The Israeli
forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank.

At
least 5 Palestinian civilians were arrested at checkpoints in the West Bank.

 

Israel
has continued efforts to create a Jewish majority in East Jerusalem.

2
houses were demolished in Beit Hanina and Sour Baher, due to which 15
Palestinians became homeless.

 

Israel
has continued settlement activities in the West Bank, and Israeli settlers have
continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

2
houses and 2 agricultural rooms were demolished south of Hebron.

The
settlers uprooted 210 olive trees in Nablus.

 

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt
continued during the reporting period (10– 16 January 2013):

 

Shooting:

 

The Israeli forces killed 4
Palestinian civilians, including a child, and wounded 4 others in the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip.  2 were killed and a
third one was wounded in the Gaza Strip, while 2 others were killed and a third
one was wounded in the West Bank. In addition, 2 other civilians were shot by Isareli
settlers.   

 

In the West Bank, the Israeli forces
killed 2 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and wounded a third. The 2
others were shot by settlers.

 

On 12 January 2013, the Israeli
forces positioned along the security fence, south of al-Ramadin village in the
south of Hebron, killed a Palestinian worker named Oday al-Daraweesh, 21, from
Doura in the southwest of Hebron.

 

On 15 January 2013, the Israeli
forces killed a Palestinian child from Budros village, west of Ramallah and
al-Bireh, while he was with his friends near the annexation wall.  

 

In the same context, the Israeli
forces continued to systematically use excessive force against peaceful
protests organized by Palestinians and Israeli and international activists
against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in
the West Bank. As a result, a 21-year old civilian was wounded by a live bullet
to the left cheek during al-Nabi Saleh weekly protest, northwest of Ramallah.
Moreover, the Israeli forces arrested 6 international and Israeli activists and
transported them to an unknown destination. Besides, dozens of Palestinians
suffered from tear gas inhalation or sustained bruises.  They were all treated on the spot.

 

Additionally, 2 Palestinian
civilians were wounded in 2 separate shooting incidents carried out by armed
settlers in Nablus on 10 January 2013. The first incident happened when a group
of settlers from “Yitzhar” settlement attacked a number of
Palestinian civilians from Ourif village, south of Nablus. The other incident
took place when an armed settler opened fire at the Palestinian civilians, wounding
Ammar Masamir, 20, was wounded.      

 

In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli forces
killed 2 Palestinian civilians and wounded a third one. On 11 January 2013, the
Israeli forces stationed along the border fence, east of Jabalya in the
northern Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded a second one.

 

On 14 January 2013, the Israeli
forces killed a Palestinian civilian from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip
while he was standing with his friends in a farmland 1,200 meters away from the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.  

 

 

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, the Israeli forces conducted at least 40 military
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  During these incursions, the Israeli forces
arrested at least 29 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children.

 

In
the Gaza Strip, the Israeli forces conducted 2 limited incursions.  The first incursion was on 10 January 2013,
when they moved approximately 200 meters to the west of the border fence, east
of Gaza Valley (Johr al-Deek) village.

 

The
second incursion was conducted on 14 January 2013, when the Israeli forces
moved 100 meters to the west of the border fence in Khuza’a village, east of
Khan Yunis.

 

In
the Gaza Strip also, on 12 January 2013, the Israeli force positioned along the
border fence, east of al-Salqa valley, east of Deir al-Balah, arrested a young
man and a boy from the said village, as they attempted to cross the borders
into Israel.

 

Restrictions
on Movement:

 

Israel
continued to impose a tightened closure of the oPt, imposing severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. 

 

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. 
Recently-declared measures to ease the closure are vague, purely
cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of the crisis; the root causes
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.  Palestinians in Gaza may no
longer suffer from the same shortage of goods but, as long as the closure is
allowed to continue, they will remain economically dependent, unable to care
for themselves, and socially, culturally and academically isolated from the
rest of the world. 

 

The 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.

 

Efforts
to create Jewish Majority in Occupied East Jerusalem:

 

In the context of efforts to create a Jewish Majority in
the Occupied East Jerusalem, the Israeli forces continued to confiscate lands,
demolish houses and built new settlement units. 
PCHR stresses that these measures come in the context of isolating East
Jerusalem and annexing it to Israeli according to the Israeli policy that is in
violation of the international humanitarian law.  PCHR calls upon the international community
to promptly take action and reiterates its call upon the High Contracting
parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article
1 of the Convention.

On the level of house demolitions, the Israeli forces
demolished 2 houses in Beit Hanina suburb and Sour Baher village, due to which,
15 Palestinians became homeless.

 

On 15 January 2013, the Israeli forces moved into
al-Ashqariya neighborhood in Beit Hanina suburb, north of occupied East
Jerusalem. They surrounded a house belonging to Nasser Awad al-Rajabi, 42, and
demolished the house without a prior notice.

 

At the same time, the Israeli forces moved into Sour
Baher village, south of occupied East Jerusalem. They surrounded a house
belonging to Aref Hussain ‘Amira, 71, and demolished his 2-storey house.     

 

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
January 2013, the Israeli forces submitted a notice to Ehssan Hussain Shnaran,
45, from Wad al-Rakheem area, south of Yatta, to demolish his tent where 10 individuals
live. They also submitted a notice to demolish a Kindergarten in Kherbet
Sousia, southeast of Hebron.  

 

On 14
January 2013, the Israeli forces demolished a house belonging to the family of
Sho’aib al-Hathalin, 65, from Kerbet Um al-Khair, south of Hebron. The house
was built of stones and roofed by tin plates on an area of 60 square meters.   

 

On
the same day, the Israeli forces demolished a farmhouse in Hawwara area, south
of Hebron, belonging to Mohammed Ali Issa Atiya, 45. This house was used as
shelter for a 9-member family and to raise livestock.  

 

On
the same day, the Israeli forces demolished 2 agricultural rooms in the
vicinity of Kherbet Hawwara belonging to Ziad Yunis Makhamra, 55, and Walid
Ahmed al-Jbour, 50, under the pretext of not obtaining building licenses.

 

In
addition to the 2 abovementioned shooting incidents in the section (shooting),
on 10 January 2013, a group of settlers from “Yesh Kodesh”
settlement, southeast of Nablus, damaged 210 live trees in the southwest of
Qasra village.

 

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (10 – 16 January 2013)

 

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

 

 

Thursday,
10 January 2013

 

At
approximately 01:00, the Israeli forces moved into Rummana village, northwest
of Jenin. They patrolled the streets and raided a house belonging to the family
of Shadi Ghazi Farid Mahajna, 36, a member of the Palestinian General
Intelligence Service, who has been detained by the Israeli forces. The Israeli
forces then raided a house belonging to the family of Nabil Mahmoud Abu Hammad,
31, who has been detained by the Israeli forces, and questioned the family
members. In the meanwhile, a number of boys gathered and threw stones and empty
bottles at the Israeli vehicles. The Israeli forces fired in response tear gas
canisters and sound bombs at the stone throwers to disperse them. 2 hours
later, the Israeli forces withdrew and no arrests were reported. It should be
noted that the 2 abovementioned prisoners were arrested on Thursday, 21
December 2012, after they had been shot during the arrest.

 

At
approximately 05:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-Yamoun village, northwest
of Jenin. They patrolled the streets and raided and searched a house belonging
to the family of Abdul Ghani Salim Abu al-Haija, 55. They arrested Abu al-Haija
and transported him to an unknown destination. Some source said to a PCHR
fieldworker that the Israeli forces raided the abovementioned house in order to
arrest Abu al-Haij’s son Samed, 24, as he was waned to the Israeli forces.
Because the son was not at home when the Israeli forces raided it, they
arrested his father to practice pressure on the son in order to surrender. It
should be noted that on 08 February 2011, the Israeli forces arrested Samed,
transported him to Salem detention facility, northwest of Jenin. Samed was
questioned for few hours and then released. Last year as well, the Israeli
forces raided the same house several times and submitted his family a notice
for him to refer to Salem detention facility.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Jaba’ village, south of Jenin.  They patrolled the streets, raided and
searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Shalash Rashid Hamamra, 45,
and arrested him.  They also raided a
house belonging to Mohammed Mahmoud Amin Alawna, 17, and arrested him.    

 

At
approximately 06:00, the Israeli forces moved into Sanour village, south of
Jenin. They patrolled the streets and distributed notices for referring to the
Israeli Intelligence Service in Salem detention facility, northwest of Jenin. A
local source said to PCHR’s fieldworker that the summoned persons were:

 

1. Obada Abdul
Latif Abdul Ghani Isa;

2. Mohammed
Sulaiman Jarrar;

3. Mohammed Abdul
Latif Isa’yed;

4. Mosa’ab
Abdullah Nasser Habayba;

5. Talha Ali
Jarrar; and

6. Ra’ed Ali
Jarrar.

At approximately
08:00, the Israeli forces moved 200 meters into Wadi Gaza (Johr al-Deek)
village in the central Gaza Strip. They leveled the lands along the border
fence and withdrew 4 hours later.

 

At
approximately 19:00, the Israeli forces moved into Anabta village, east of
Tulkarm. They patrolled the streets and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

Friday, 11 January
2013

 

At
approximately 01:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-Baraka area, south of
Hebron.  They patrolled the streets for a
while and withdrew later.  Neither house
raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into al-Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron.
They patrolled the streets and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

At
approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces moved into Beit Oula village, west of Hebron.
 They patrolled the streets for a while
and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
03:00, the Israeli forces moved into Qufin village, north of Tulkarm.  They patrolled the streets and raided a house
belonging to Fat’hi Raja Ahmed Khseib, 53, a leader of the Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades
(the armed wing of Hamas) and a prisoner in the Israeli jails. They arrested
his sons Mo’athe, 28, and Mojahed, 21, and transported them to an unknown
destination.

 

In an excessive
use of force, the Israeli forces stationed along the border fence in the east
of Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded
another. Investigations conducted by PCHR confirm that the Israeli forces could
use less lethal force and arrest him.

 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately
16:10, on the abovementioned date, the Israeli forces positioned along the
border fence, east of al-Shohada’ cemetery in the east of Jabalia, the northern
Gaza Strip, opened fire and tear gas canisters at a group of people, who were
50 meters away from the fence in an attempt to violate the Israeli decision to
impose a 300-meter buffer zone. As a result, Anwar Mohammed Elyan al-Mamlouk,
19, from al-Nazzaz Street in al-Shuja’iya neighborhood, east of Gaza, was
wounded by a bullet to the abdomen. Moreover, Omar Isma’il Omar Wadi, 20,
sustained shrapnel wounds in the legs when he was running to rescue al-Mamlouk.
The 2 wounded were transported by a motorbike to the way leading to the
cemetery, where an ambulance of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) met
them. Both were transported by the ambulance to Kamal Odwan Hospital.
Al-Mamlouk was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for the seriousness of his
injury, but he died immediately.  It
should be noted that Wadi sustained a moderate wound.

 

Saturday, 12 January
2013

 

At approximately 01:00, the Israeli forces moved into the second
Haooz area in the center of Hebron. They patrolled the streets for a while and
withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. They patrolled
the streets and clashed with some boys, who threw stones at the Israeli
soldiers. The Israeli forces withdrew later and no casualties were reported.

 

At the same time, the Israeli forces stationed along the border
fence, east of al-Salqa valley in the east of Deir al-Balah, arrested 2 persons
from al-Salqa valley, when they attempted to cross the border into Israel. The
arrested are:

 

1. Ahmed Mohammed Abdul
Aziz Abu Daher, 17; and

2. Mohammed Yahia
Abed Abu Mgheisib, 20.

 

Ahmed’s father, Mohammed Abdul Aziz Abu Daher, 51, said that “a
prisoner called him on Friday, 11 January 2013, and informed him that his son
Ahmed had been detained with him in Beersheba prison. He also told the father
that his son’s brother Mohammed Abu Mgheisib, 20, was detained in the same
prison, but in another cell”.

 

At approximately 01:30, the Israeli forces moved into Jenin. They patrolled
the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

At the same time, Israeli forces moved into Beit Loqya village,
southwest of Ramallah.  They patrolled
the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither arrests nor house raids
were reported.

 

At approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces moved into Majd village,
west of Dora, southwest of Hebron. They patrolled the streets for a while and
withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

In an excessive use of force, Israeli forces positioned at the
security fence, south of ‘Arab al-Ramadin village, south of Hebron, killed Oday
Kamil Mohammed al-Darawish, (21), from Dora, southwest of the city.  The aforementioned was shot with a bullet
that pierced his right side of the body while he was trying to pass the
security fence heading to work in Israel. 
The investigations conducted by PCHR emphasize that those forces could
have used less lethal force and arrest him. 

 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and eyewitnesses, at
approximately 14:00, al-Darawish accompanied with a group of workers went to
‘Arab al-Ramadin area to work in Israel. 
When they arrived at the place through which they pass the security
fence, there was an Israeli vehicle which left after minutes.  The workers then started running and passed
through a hole made in the fence when a number of Israeli soldiers were
positioning in the area under cover.  One
of the soldiers started sporadically shooting at them and shouted at them to
stop.  As soon as they had run a distance
of around 20 meters, al-Darawish screamed that he was injured and then fell on
the ground while his colleagues were going back.  The injured was transported by an Israeli
ambulance to Soroka hospital in Beersheba where he died.  The father of the deceased later arrived at
the aforementioned hospital where one of the doctors informed him that his son
had died.  In his testimony to a PCHR
work field, he added that he saw the body of his son as he was injured with a
bullet in his right side resulting in the damage fof the pelvis and kidney and also
saw bruises on his face.

 

The father of the deceased said to a PCHR fieldworker the
following:

 

“At approximately 16:00 on Saturday, 12 January
2013, the chauffeur who drives my son and his colleagues to the workplace told
me that the Israeli forces fired at the workers and that my son was injured and
arrested.  I went to Hebron Valley
crossing, which is the sole outlet into Israel, where I was denied entry for an
hour and a half though I had an entry permit. 
I tried to inquire of the soldiers, but they told me that my son might
be ill.  At that moment, Israeli forces had
already transported my son by an ambulance to Soroka Hospital in
Beersheba.  After they allowed me to
pass, I called one of my friends living in Israel.  He accompanied me to the hospital, where one
of the doctors told me that my son had died, so I insisted to see his
body.  When they agreed on that, I saw
that Oday was hit by a bullet in his left side resulting in the damage of the
pelvis and kidney.  I also saw some
bruises on his face which means that the soldiers beat him after he was
injured.”

 

Sunday, 13 January 2013

 

 At approximately 01:00, Israeli
forces moved into Beit Oula village, west of Hebron.  They patrolled the streets for some time and
deployed between houses.  They raided and
searched a house belonging to the family of Abed al-‘Afo al-‘Aemla, 29, who was
arrested and transported by them to an unknown destination. 

 

At
approximately 01:20, Israeli forces moved into al-‘Abaidiya village, northeast
of Bethlehem.  They patrolled the streets
for some time to raid and search then a house belonging to Eyad Yousif
Hasasnah, 32.  The aforementioned
civilian received a notice to appear before the Israeli Intelligence in “Kfar
‘Atsyon” settlement, south of Bethlehem.

 

At
approximately 01:50, the Israeli forces moved into Fajjar village, south of
Bethlehem, and patrolled the streets for some time.  They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Raa’fat Mohammed Taqatqa, 29, who received a notice to appear
before the Israeli Intelligence in “Kfar ‘Atsyon” settlement, south of
Bethlehem.

 

At approximately
03:30, the Israeli forces moved into Beit al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, and
patrolled the streets for some time. 
They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Ali
Yousif Ghoneim, 22, and arrested him. 

 

At
approximately 06:30, the Israeli gunboats stationed off al-Waha resort in the
northern Gaza Strip opened fire heavily at the Palestinian fishermen for 30
minutes.  As a result, the fishermen were
frightened and fled for fear of being arrested or wounded. Neither casualties
nor material damage were reported.

 

At
approximately 08:30, Israeli forces moved into Deir Qedis, west of
Ramallah.  They patrolled the streets for
some time and withdrew later.  No arrests
were reported.

 

At
approximately 17:30, Israeli forces moved into Jenin.  They patrolled the streets for some time and
later positioned at the eastern neighborhood of the town.  They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Majdi Khader Tawfiq Ighbariah, 30, who in coincidence was not at
home when they raided his house.  In the
meanwhile, a number of young men gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at
the Israeli forces, who fired in response gas canisters and stun grenades to
disperse them.  The Israeli forces
withdrew later and no arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 18:00, Israeli forces moved into ‘Aezbet al-Tabib village, east
of Qalqilya.  They patrolled the streets
for some time and withdrew later. 
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 23:30, Israeli forces moved into ‘Abourin village, northwest of
Ramallah.  They patrolled the streets for
some time and withdrew later.  No arrests
were reported.

 

Monday,
14 January 2013

 

At
approximately 01:05, Israeli forces moved into Qalqilya and patrolled the
streets.  They raided and searched a
house belonging to the family of Samih Hasan Nassar, 30, and arrested him. 

 

At
approximately 01:30, the Israeli forces moved into al-Mosrarah and al-Zohor
areas, in the center and east of Beit Amr village, north of Hebron. They
patrolled the streets for some time and deployed between houses.  As a result, the families were
frightened.  Israeli forces raided and
searched several houses.  They also
arrested 3 children and took them to an unknown destination:  Mohammed Jamil Abu Maria, 17; Mohammed Ibrahim
Abu Mariah, 17; and Malik Younis Doudah, 15. 
Mohammed Awad, Coordinator of the Popular Committee against settlements,
said to a PCHR fieldworker that Israeli forces brutally moved into the village
in the early morning and attacked the family of the arrested child, Mohammed
Ibrahim Abu Mariah, after he was arrested. 
They also fired a gas canister inside his house.

 

At the same
time, Israeli forces moved into Nablus and patrolled the streets.  They raided and searched several houses.  At approximately 04:30, they arrested Emad
Nihad al-Qayem, 22, from his family house in al-Bibi buildings in al-Ta’awan
al-‘Aolwi Street, southeast of the city and took him to an unknown destination.

 

At the same
time, Israeli forces moved into Rojeeb village, southeast of Nablus, and patrolled
the streets.  They raided and searched
several houses.  At approximately 03:30,
they arrested Mohammed Radi Rawajbah, 39, and took him to an unknown
destination.

At
approximately 03:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-Yamoun village, northwest
of Jenin, and patrolled the street.  They
raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Walid Fawzi Ragheb Abu
al-Hayjaa’, 20, and arrested him.  After
that, the Israeli forces also raided and searched a house belonging to the
family of Abdel Ghani Salim Abu al-Hayjaa’, (5, who was arrested on 10 January
2013.  They also arrested his son,
Mojahed, 22, to put pressure on the family to hand their son, Samid, 24, who is
wanted by the Israeli forces.  The
Israeli forces also raided and searched several houses in Abu Zreiq mountain
area, north of the town. 

 

At
approximately 04:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Beit Fajjar village, south
of Bethlehem, and patrolled the streets for some time.  They raided and searched a house belonging to
Faisal Mahmoud Thawabtah, and arrested his son, Mahmoud, 25, and his friend,
Mohammed Ibrhaim Thawabtah, 20, who was inside the house when the Israeli
forces moved into it.

 

At
approximately 07:00, the Israeli forces moved 100 meters to the west of the
border fence with Israel into Khoza’a village, east of Khan Younis.  Israeli forces leveled and combed along the
border fence till the afternoon as they repositioned at the border.

 

At
approximately 09:00, Israeli forces moved into the area surrounding al-Ibrahimi
Mosque in the center of the old town of Hebron, and declared it a closed
military zone.  The aforementioned
storming operation was carried out to secure the entry of Avigdor Liberman, former
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, to al-Ibrahimi mosque to perform the
religious rituals.

 

At
approximately 10:30, Israeli forces moved into Beit ‘Aor al-Tahta, southwest of
Ramallah.  They patrolled the streets for
some time and withdrew later.  No arrests
were reported.

 

 In a new crime of willful killing and
excessive use of force, Israeli forces killed in the early morning a
Palestinian civilian from Beit Lahia in the north of the Gaza Strip, while he
was with his friends in a farmland, which is 1,200 meters away from where
Israeli forces were positioning.  It
should be noted that this crime is the second of its kind during this week as
Israeli forces killed another civilian last Friday in similar circumstances.

 

According to
investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 13:00, Israeli forces positioned
on the watchtowers at the border fence with Israel, north of Teen Wanis area,
northwest of the Bedouin village in the north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire
against a group of farmers and young men who were nearly 1,200 meters away from
the border.  As a result, Mustafa Abdel
Hakim Abu Jarad, 19, from al-Manshia area in Beit Lahia, was injured by a
bullet in his forehead, so he was transported by a civilian car to Martyr Kamal
Odwan hospital.  Due to his serious
condition, he was transferred to Shifa Hospital in Gaza where he immediately underwent
a surgery to take the bullet out of his head. 
He then was transferred in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), till at
approximately 19:10 when he was pronounced dead.  According to the testimony of Sadam Warshaghah:

 

“At approximately 12:00, Abu Jarad arrived at
his family’s farmland in Teen Wanis area, which is a low-lying area and open to
the border area.  He went there to meet
the brother of Warshaghah, Samid, 20, who is a friend of Abu Jarad, to take his
motorbike, which Samid borrowed from him. 
While they were waiting, Samid, he was in the area with a group of young
men carrying a rifle scope.  At
approximately 13:00, Israeli forces positioned on the watchtowers opened fire
at them and at the farmlands.  As a
result, Abu Jarad was injured with a bullet to his forehead and fell on the
ground, so I ran towards him to find him bleeding from his head, nose, and
mouth.  After I had tried to find a car
to transport Abu Jarad to the hospital, I managed to transport him by a Jeep
belonging to Hayel Salman, a farmer, to Martyr Kamal Odwan Hospital.  He was then transferred to Balsam Military Hospital,
and then to Shifa hospital till he was pronounced dead.”

 

At
approximately 11:30, the Israeli Forces moved into ‘Atil village, north of
Tulkarm. They patrolled the streets for a while to check the withdrawals from the
artesian water wells and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

Tuesday,
15 January 2013

 

At
approximately 01:30, the Israeli forces moved into the old city in the central
Hebron. They patrolled the streets and raided and searched a house belonging to
Diaa’ Barakah al-Ja’bari, 22, and arrested him. 

 

At
approximately 01:50, the Israeli forces moved into Qalqilya and patrolled the streets
for some time.  The raided and searched a
house belonging to the family of Mohammed Samih Abu ‘Asab, 24, but they failed
to arrest the aforementioned civilian as he was not home.  Israeli forces started searching 2
neighboring houses; one of which belongs to Jamil Shahin Qar’aan and the other
belongs to Sayel Mahmoud Sweilim, under the pretext of harboring Abu
‘Asab.  At approximately 00:00 on the
next day, 16 January 2013, the Israeli forces raided again the house of Abu
‘Asab  and arrested him.

 

At
approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces raided the Finance Ministry building in
the old city center, in the central Hebron. 
The Israeli soldiers ascended to the building roof and stayed there till
the early morning hours.  They then
withdrew and no more incidents were reported.

 

In a
new crime of willful killing and excessive use of force, the Israeli forces
killed in the early morning a Palestinian child from Budros village, west of
Ramallah and al-Bireh, while he was with a number of his friends near the
annexation wall.  It should be noted that
this crime is the second one committed by Israeli forces during this week in
the West Bank as they killed another civilian last Saturday in similar
circumstances and the forth one committed in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

 

According
to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 10:00, 5 students from
Budros high school for boys, which is less than 1 kilometer away from the
annexation wall, toward the fence of the wall in the southwest of Budros village,
west of Ramallah and al-Bireh.  Three of
them tried to cute the iron fence of the wall and after 10 minutes one of the
Israeli soldiers positioned at the wall fired 3 shots in the air and another
soldier came out of a tunnel connected to the wall and caught Samir Ahmed
‘Awad, 17, who managed to flee.  The
soldier immediately shot him in his left leg and the child fell onto the
ground.  The child stood up after he was
injured and tried to flee again, but the soldier fired 2 bullets at him; one of
them in the back and the other in the head. 
A number of people, who arrived to the scene, carried him and walked
around 50 meters.  A Palestinian civilian
car transported the child to Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, and from there
he was transported by a Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulance, which was
going to the village, to Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.  Doctors tried to save his life, but he died
at approximately 11:00.  Eyewitnesses
said to a PCHR fieldworker that the soldier who caught ‘Awad fired at him from
a distance of around 10 meters though he was able to arrest him, particularly
that he was injured in his leg.

 

Wednesday,
16 January 2013

 

In the early dawn hours, the Israeli Forces moved into Jenin.  They patrolled the streets and positioned at
the northern neighborhood while some of them raided and searched several houses
and launched a campaign of mass arrests. 
They arrested 5 civilians and took them to an unknown destination:

 

1- Yazan Kamal Shaker Lahlouh, 19;

2- Fou’aad Khader Ighbariah, 34;

3- Essam Samoudi, 22;

4- Noubani Jamal Ighbariah “al-Kokh”, 22; and

5- Salim Hazhouzi, 20.

 

At approximately 01:00, the Israeli forces moved into Rummana
village, northwest of Jenin.  They patrolled
the streets and positioned at the mosque yard in the village centre.  They raided and searched several houses and
interrogated the residents.  In the meanwhile,
a number of young men gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at the
Israeli forces, who fired in response tear gas canisters and sound bombs to
disperse them.  Two hours later, the
Israeli forces withdrew and neither arrests nor more incidents were reported.

 

At the same time, the Israeli forces moved into Haram al-Rama
suburb, east of Hebron.  They patrolled
the streets and then deployed between the houses.  They raided and searched a house belonging to
Isa Hussein Hreizat, 60.  The Israeli
forces held all the 30 family members inside 2 rooms; meanwhile, the family
members and Israeli forces skirmished after they prevented children from going
to the bathroom.  At approximately 11:00,
the Israeli forces withdrew and no arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces moved into Deir Samit
village, west of Dora, south of Hebron. 
They patrolled the streets for some time and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

At approximately 03:00, the Israeli forces moved into Tulkarm.  They patrolled the streets for some time and
then positioned on Nablus Street, east of the city.  They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Abdel Qader Belal Fayez Tabbal, 19, and arrested him.  They also confiscated his laptop and cell phones.  The Israeli forces later raided and searched
a house belonging to the family of Mahdi Mohammed Tabbal, 21, and arrested
him. 

 

At approximately 17:45, the Israeli forces moved into Rojeeb
village, southeast of Nablus.  The
Israeli forces surround a house belonging to the family of Firas Ghassan
Handoumi, 35, south of the village, and then fired sound bombs while raiding
the house.  They arrested the
aforementioned civilian and two supporters of Islamic Jihad who were inside the
house: ‘Azmi Abdel Wali Bani Odah, 37, from Tamoun village, south of Tubas; and
Samer Jamil al-Ghoul, 27, from al-Far’aa refugee camp, south of Tubas.  The Israeli forces also arrested So’aoud
Mousa Dweikat, 41; and Soliman Tawfiq Dweikat, 46, who are from the neighbors
and whose houses were used by the Israeli forces to surround the house of
Handoumi, and then took them to an unknown destination.  At approximately 22:15, they released the 2 members
of the Dweikat family at Howarah checkpoint, south of Nablus.

 

At approximately 08:30, the Israeli forces positioned at the border
fence with Israel, east of Boreij, in the central Gaza Strip, fired 2 Artillery
shells which fell on a an open area 200 meters away from the aforementioned
border.  No damages or injuries were
reported.

 

At approximately 11:30, the Israeli forces positioned on
watchtowers, north of Om al-Naser village “the Bedouin village” in the northern
Gaza Strip, opened fire at the workers who were collecting stones, iron and
wood for 20 minutes at a distance of 150 meters south of the wall separating
the Gaza Strip from Israel.  As a result,
the workers were frightened and fled for fear of being injured.  Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances came to
the area, but no injuries were reported.

 

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

 

During
the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations
organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights
defenders in protest at the construction of the wall and settlement activities
in the West Bank.  As a result, a
21-year-old Palestinian civilian sustained a bullet wound to the left thigh, in
Nabi Saleh weekly peaceful demonstration, northwest of Ramallah; 6 Israeli and
international human rights activists were detained by the Israeli forces and
transported to an unknown destination. 
Also dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and some
sustained bruises.

 

Following the Friday Prayer on 11 January 2013, 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.  The demonstrators gathered in the streets of
the village, chanting slogans calling for national unity.  The protesters aimed to stress the need to
adhere to national principles and the right of return, to resist the occupation
and to call for the release of all Palestinian prisoners.  The protesters raised Palestinian flags and
made their way towards the wall.  They
called through megaphones for Israeli settlers in “Mitityahu” settlement to
leave Palestinian land.  Israeli soldiers
stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear
gas canisters at the demonstrators.  As a
result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and others
sustained bruises.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer on 11 January 2013, dozens of
Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders
organized a peaceful demonstration in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest
at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities.  The demonstrators moved towards areas of the
annexation wall.  Immediately, Israeli
soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs
and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. 
As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation
and others sustained bruises.

 

Around the same time on Friday, 11 January 2013, dozens of
Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders
gathered in the Martyrs Square in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to
hold a weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall
and settlement activities.  The
protesters walked towards the gate erected by Israeli forces near the entrance
of the village, which leads to Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the
nearby “Halmish” settlement are trying to seize.  Israeli soldiers fired live and rubber-coated
bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters.  As a result, a Palestinian civilian, 21,
sustained a bullet wound to the left thigh. 
He was transported to Palestine Health Complex in Ramallah for
treatment.  Dozens of demonstrators
suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.  Moreover, the Israeli forces arrested 6
Israeli and international human rights activists and transported them to an
unknown destination.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians
and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in
the center of al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem, in protest at the ongoing
construction of the annexation wall.  As
the protestors moved towards the gate of the village, the Israeli forces closed
it to prevent the demonstration from gaining access to the confiscated land and
attacked the participants; as a result, some demonstrators suffered from tear
gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.

 

At approximately 12:15 on the same Friday, dozens of Palestinian
civilians and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in the center of Kuffor Kadoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in
protest to the continuous closure of the eastern entrance of the village since
the outbreak of al-Aqsa Intifada.  The
demonstrators moved towards the entrance of the village. Immediately, Israeli
forces, stationed in the surroundings of the steel gate established at the
entrance, fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets.  As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered
from tear gas inhalation.

 

At approximately 11:30 on Tuesday, 15 January 2013, Palestinian
civilians and activists in the Popular Committees against the Wall and
international human rights activist organized a demonstration in solidarity
with the people of al-Jab’a village, northwest of Hebron.  The protesters raised Palestinian flags and made
their way towards the gate separating al-Jab’a and Sourif villages, west of
Hebro.  The demonstrators broke the steel
gate, installed by the Israeli forces approximately 13 years ago, and opened it
for civilian movement.  The Israeli
forces surrounded the area, and some soldiers attacked the demonstrators and
got in a hand-fight with them.  As a
result, some of the demonstrators sustained bruises.

 

3. Continued
Closure of the oPt

 

Israel has continued to impose a tightened closure on the oPt,
imposing 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 nearly 5 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 IOF
have tightened the closure of the Gaza Strip, making Karm Abu Salem crossing the
sole commercial crossing of the Gaza Strip, although it is not suitable for
commercial purposes, in terms of its distance and operational capacity. 

 

The 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 terrible situation that has seriously affected the Gaza Strip.  Following this closure, all 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 to close al-Mentar crossing was the culmination of a series of
decisions resulting in the complete closure of the Sofa crossing, east of the Gaza
Strip in the beginning of 2009, and the 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. 

 

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

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

 

The IOF
have continued to impose a total ban on the export of products from Gaza,
especially industrial products, undermining any real chance of reopening economic
establishments.  The situation has been
aggravated since the Karm Abu Salem crossing was designated as Gaza’s sole
commercial crossing; the repeated closure of this crossing negatively affects
the quantity of Gaza products which are allowed to be exported.  

 

For approximately 6 consecutive years, the IOF have continued to
ban the delivery of construction materials to Gaza.  During the reporting period, the IOF approved
the delivery of limited quantities of construction materials for a number of
international organizations.

 

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

 

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

 

Movement at
Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

 

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

09 –
15 January 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

08 –
15 January 2013

Imports:

 

 

Exports:

 

On Tuesday, 18 January 2013, Israeli forces allowed the exportation
of 4.2 tons of strawberries, 500,000 carnation flowers and 5 truckloads of
plastic.

On Thursday, 10 January 2013, Israeli forces allowed the
exportation of 4 truckloads of plastic.

On Sunday, 13 January 2013, the Israeli forces allowed the
exportation of 5 tons of strawberries, 8 tons of cherry tomatoes, 50,000
carnation flowers, 180 kilograms of garlic leaves, 150 kilograms of mint and 5
truckloads of plastic.

On Monday, 14 January 2013, Israeli forces allowed the exportation
of 1.8 tons of strawberries, 220 kilograms of garlic leaves, 100 kilograms of
mint and 8 truckloads of plastic.

On Tuesday, 15 January 2012, Israeli forces allowed the exportation
of 0.3 tons of strawberries, 49,000 carnation flowers and 6 truckloads of
plastic.

 

 Other Imports:

 

On Tuesday, 08 January 2013, Israeli forces allowed the entry of
252 tons of cement and 3,430 tons of construction aggregate for UNRWA; 1,950
tons of construction aggregate for the private sector.  They also allowed the entry of 858 tons of
fodders and 312 tons of wheat.

 

On Thursday, 10 January 2013, the Israeli forces allowed the entry
of 48 tons of white cement and 2800 tons of construction aggregate for UNRWA;
and 1470 tons of construction aggregates for the private sector.  They also allowed the entry of 663 tons of fodders.

 

On Sunday, 13 January 2013, the Israeli forces allowed the entry of
80 tons of cement, 72 tons of construction steel, 5,950 tons of construction
aggregate for UNRWA; and 980 tons of construction aggregate for the private
sector.  They also allowed the entry of
546 tons of fodders.

 

On Monday, 14 January 2013, Israeli forces allowed the entry of 210
tons of cement, 84 tons of construction steel and 4830 tons of construction
aggregate for UNRWA; and 940 tons of construction aggregates for the private
sector.  They also allowed the entry of
507 tons of .

On Tuesday, 15 January 2013, Israeli forces allowed the entry of
520 tons of cement, 36 tons of construction steel, 38 tons of white cement and
2,590 tons of construction aggregates for UNRWA; 980 tons of construction
aggregates for the private sector; and 980 tons of construction aggregates for
USAID. They also allowed the entry of 585 tons of fodders and 117 tons of
wheat.

 

Note: The Israeli forces closed Karm Abu Salem crossing on
Wednesday 09 January 2013 due to the weather.

 

Movement
at Rafah Crossing, south of the Gaza Strip:

08 –
15 January 2013

Imports:

 

 

Note: Beit Hanoun Crossing “Erez”, north of the Gaza
Strip, links the Strip with the West Bank, and it is for the movement of
individuals.

 

Movement
at the Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

09 –
15 January 2013

 

 

Note: The Israeli forces allowed 50 relatives of prisoners to visit 40
prisoners in Israeli Jails on Monday, 17 January 2013.

 

 

 

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

 

Ramallah:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 11:30
on Saturday, 12 January 2013, Israeli forces redeployed at ‘Atarah checkpoint
at the northern entrance of Birzeit, north of Ramallah, and prevented people
from entering or leaving through the aforementioned checkpoint.  They withdrew later and no arrests were
reported.  At approximately 16:00, they
established a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit ‘Aor Tahta village, southwest
of Ramallah.

At
approximately 04:30 on Sunday, 13 January 2013, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint on the road between Beit Loqya and Beit Sira villages, southwest of
Ramallah.  At approximately 10:00, they
established a similar checkpoint at the entrance of al-Nabi Saleh village,
southwest of the city, and reestablished it at approximately 20:00. At
approximately 14:00, they established a checkpoint at the eastern entrance of Kherbtha
al-Mesbah village, southwest of Ramallah. At approximately 08:00 on Monday, 14
January 2013, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the northern entrance
of Beit Loqaya, southwest of Ramallah. 
At approximately 17:00, they reestablished the checkpoint in the
aforementioned area and detained a number of civilians.  They withdrew later and no arrests were
reported.

 

Qalqilya: Israeli forces
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. At approximately 13:10, on Thursday, 10 January 2013, Israeli forces
established a checkpoint Jeensafout village on Wadi Qana road connecting
between Qaliqilya and Salfit.  They later
removed the checkpoint and no arrests were reported.  At the same time, they established another
checkpoint near the entrance of al-Nabi Elias village on Qalqilya-Nablus road. At
approximately 08:00 on Sunday, 13 January 2013, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint by the entrance of ‘Azoun village, east of Qalqilya.  At approximately 18:00, another checkpoint
was established by the eastern entrance of Qalqilya.  All checkpoints were later removed; no
arrests were reported.

 

Jericho:
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians.  At approximately
11:00 on Sunday, 13 January 2013, Israeli forces established a checkpoint near
the entrance of al-Zbidat village, north of Jericho.  At approximately 15:00, the Israeli forces
established another checkpoint by the southern entrance of the city.  At approximately 09:30 on Monday, 14 January
2013, Israeli forces established a checkpoint near the entrance of Fasayel
village, north of Jericho.  At
approximately 17:30, another checkpoint was established by the southern
entrance of Jericho.  All checkpoints
were later removed; no arrests were reported.

 

Jenin:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 21:00 on Thursday, 10
January 2013, Israeli forces established a checkpoint on the main road
connecting Jenin with Tulkarm and Nablus, near ‘Arrabah intersection, south of
Jenin.  The checkpoint was later removed
and no arrests were reported.

 

 

Tulkarm:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately
16:30 on Friday, 11 January 2013, Israeli forces established a checkpoint on
the main road between ‘Aezbet Shofah and Shofah, southeast of Tulkarm.  The checkpoint was later removed and no
arrests were reported.  It should be
noted that the aforementioned road had been closed by Israeli forces since 2001
in the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada. Therefore, it separated Shofah village
from ‘Aezbet Shofah and people were obliged to access their land through the
road connecting Tulkarm with Nablus and ‘Aenab checkpoint.  This situation remained till August 2010 when
Israeli forces reopened the road to be then reclosed after 1 year.  On 28 March 2012, they opened it again, but
between now and then they establish a checkpoint on it to obstacle the movement
of people.  At approximately 20:00, they
established a similar checkpoint on the intersection of the road leading to
Ramin village, northeast of Tulkarm.  The
checkpoint was later removed and no arrests were reported. At approximately
09:00 on Sunday, 13 January 2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint
on Tulkarm – Nablus road near Beit Leed village in the east of Tulkarm. The checkpoint
was removed later; no arrests were reported. At the same time, the Israeli
forces established a checkpoint on Tulkarm – Qalqilia road near the entrance of
Jbara village that is isolated by the annexation wall. At approximately 12:30,
the Israeli force imposed restrictions at Annab checkpoint on Tulkarm – Nablus
road. At 16:00, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at al-Jaroushiya –
Deir Ghsoun villages road, north of Tulkarm. Besides, they established a
checkpoint at 20:30 on the road connecting Tulkarm with al-Sha’rawiya villages
near the entrance of ‘Etil village.   

 

Hebron:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 09:30 on Thursday, 10
January 2013, Israeli forces positioned at the entrance leading to Sorif
village near Beit Amr village, north of Hebron prevented a Palestinian Red
Crescent ambulance from moving while it was transporting a patient to the
Hebron Governmental hospital.  When the
ambulance arrived to the iron gate, Israeli forces closed the gate and
prevented it from passing the checkpoint. 
Mohammed Awad, Coordinator of the Popular Committee against settlements
in Beit Amr village, said to a PCHR fieldworker that Israeli forces closed the
iron gate, which separates the entrance of the western Hebron villages from the
bypass road, to the ambulance, which was transporting the patients due to the
bad weather in the area during the latest cold wave in Palestine.  At approximately 15:00 on Saturday, 12
January 2013, Israeli forces established a checkpoint on the road between Dora
and its western villages, southwest of the city.  The checkpoint was later removed and no
arrests were reported.  At approximately
17:00, Israeli forces established a similar checkpoint at the entrance of
Taramah village connecting between the bypass No. (60), south of Dora.  At approximately 07:00 on Monday, 14 January
2013, Israeli forces denied Palestinian teachers access to Kherbet Sousia
School, south of Yatta, south of Hebron, under the pretext of security concerns
in the area and forced them to return from where they come from.  At approximately 07:00 on Tuesday, 15 January
2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint on the road of Abu-Reysha
valley, west of Ethna village, in the western side of Hebron.  At approximately 07:30, another checkpoint
was established by the entrance of al-Fawwar Refugee Camp, south of the
city.  At approximately 08:30, the
checkpoint was removed. No arrests were reported.  In the mean time, the Israeli forces
established a checkpoint by the entrance of al-‘Aroub Refugee Camp, north of
Hebron.

 

Bethlehem:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 12:40 on Wednesday, 16
January 2013, Israeli forces moved into al-Makhror area, west of Bethlehem.
They completely closed all the entrances leading to the area. Walid al-Khateeb
said that the Israeli bulldozers damaged the main electricity line in the area.
Residents of the area were afraid of demolishing their lands and houses as the
Israeli forces did so previously.

 

Detention at Military Checkpoints

 

At approximately 16:10 on Saturday, 12 January 2013, Israeli forces
stationed at al-Continer checkpoint, north of Bethlehem, arrested Malik Nizar
Qozmar, 24, while he was going to his family house in Qalqilya.  The aforementioned detainee is a student at
Polytechnic University in Hebron.

 

At approximately 22:00 on the aforementioned Saturday, Israeli
forces established a checkpoint on the main road connecting Jenin with Nablus
and Tulkarm, near ‘Arrabah village, south of Jenin.  They arrested Belal Jamal Ali Jaber, 27, from
Haris village, northwest of Salfit, and transported him to an unknown
destination.  The checkpoint was later
removed.

 

At
approximately 06:30 on Tuesday, 15 January 2013, Israel forces established a
checkpoint in al-Buka’a area, south of Beit ‘Awwa village, in the southern side
of Hebron.  Three Palestinian civilians
were arrested at the checkpoint and transported to an unknown destination.  They were identified as: Omar Jamil Aid
Masalma, 23; Mohammed Maher Abdallah Masalma, 26; and Mohammed Rajed Masalma, 26.

 

At
approximately 14:30 on Monday, 14 January 2013, Israeli forces arrested Salah
Ya’aqoub sweidan, 15, from ‘Azoun village, east of Qalqilya, under the pretext
of throwing stones on the main street. 
The Israeli forces took the child to an unknown destination after he was
severely beaten while being in his family farmland, called “al-Harayiq” near
Street no. 55, which connects Nablus with Qalqilya, to collect wood.  After Sweidan had fainted due to the severe
beating and under the influence of some substance, sprayed by the Israeli
forces on his face, his brother transported him to Darwish Nazzal Governmental
hospital in the town, as he suffered from confusion in the head and bruises
throughout his body.

 

In his
testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Ya’aqoub Sweidan, the father of the child,
said:

 

“At approximately 14:30 on Monday 14 January
2013, while I was with my son, Salah al-Deen, (15),  collecting wood to warm the house, as we
working in 2 different sides, suddenly I heard the voice of my son
screaming.  I went there quickly to find
5 Israeli soldiers surrounding my son and beating him severely.  They tied his hands with a plastic bond while
he was lying on the ground and they were beating him with their legs.  I attacked them immediately to keep them away
from my son, but they beat me with the butts of the rifles between my
shoulders.  They then sprayed a substance
on my face and I fainted.  I woke up in
the afternoon to find myself in Darwish hospital and asked about my son if he
was alive because when I saw the beating he was subjected to, I thought he
would not take it.  They then told me
that he was arrested and transported by a military jeep.  The area was open to the main street, so
civilians saw the soldiers attacking us and then went to tell my brother who
came and transported me to the hospital to receive treatment.”

 

4. Efforts
to Create a Jewish Majority in Occupied East Jerusalem

 

Bulldozing of Houses

                   

At approximately 06:00 on Tuesday, 15 January 2012, a group of the
Israeli “Border Guards,” Israeli Police and Special Forces,
accompanied by officers from the Israeli Municipality in Jerusalem, a bulldozer
and a digger, moved into al-Ashkariya neighborhood in Beit Hanina suburb,
northern of East Jerusalem. The Israeli forces surrounded the house of Nasser
Awad al-Rajbi, 42, allowed his family to evacuate the house and salvage some
furniture, then started destroying it without giving them any previous
notice.  It is an asbestos-roofed,
one-storey house, established on an area of 60 square meters occupied by a
family of 6 children.  According to
al-Rajbi, he has lived in the house with his wife and 6 children for the past
two months, after building it on a tract of land he owns in the
neighborhood.  He added that he faced
difficulties obtaining a construction permit because the Israeli Municipality
stalls with issuing them for the Palestinian population in Jerusalem, and so he
started building without the permit.  He
also pointed out that there is a court hearing scheduled for deciding on his
case; however, the Israeli forces carried out with the destruction without
waiting for the court’s ruling.

 

At approximately 07:00 on Tuesday, a group of the Israeli
“Border Guards,” Israeli Police and Special Forces, accompanied by
officers from the Israeli Municipality in Jerusalem, a bulldozer and a digger,
moved into Sour Baher village, in the south of occupied East Jerusalem. The
forces surrounded a house belonging to Aref Hussain Amira’s, 71, allowed him
and his family to evacuate the house and bring out some of its furniture, then
started bulldozing the two-storey house, established on an area of 120 square
meters and occupied by a family of 7 members. 
It should be mentioned that the Israeli forces destroyed the house
before the deadline of the notice submitted to the Amira family by the Israeli
Municipality in Jerusalem.  Mr. Amira
said that he inherited the house from his father, and restored it to protect it
from falling.  He added that he had
recently expanded the house and built a new apartment in the upper floor for
his son to live in after getting married. 
Mr. Amira also said that he went ahead with the construction after
failing to obtain a new construction permit from the Israeli Municipality in
Jerusalem because its fees exceed 350,000 NIS. 
He also added that he was submitted the demolition notice a month ago;
however, the Israeli forces carried out with it before the expiration of the
notice deadline granted to the owner of the property by law, which is 90 days
since the submission of the notice.

 

 

 

 

 

4. 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.

 

At
approximately 07:00 on Thursday, 10 January 2013, a group of settlers from
“Yitzhar” settlement protected by the Israeli forces attacked a
number of Palestinian civilians from Ourif village, south of Nablus.  The group of settlers was estimated to be of
25 to 30 settlers led by two armed settlers with M16 machineguns and heading
the Israeli soldiers as well. 
Immediately, the settlers opened fire at the Palestinian civilians who
were playing with the snow near Ourif High School for Boys, in the northeastern
side of the village.  As a result, Tariq
Zidan Mohammed Hassan al-Safadi, 23, sustained an bullet wound to the right
leg.  Al-Safadi and his friends ran a
distance of 300 meters before being shot; his friends carried him and put him
in civilian car which transported him to the neighboring Howara village.  A Palestinian ambulance transported him to
Rafidia Surgical Hospital in Nablus where he received the necessary treatment.

 

At
approximately 08:00 the same Thursday, a group of settlers from “Aish
Kodesh” settlement outpost, established in the southern side of Kassra
village, southeast of Nablus, destroyed 210 olive trees, aged between 1 to 3
years.  The trees were planted in Keta’
Kamel area, southwest of the aforementioned village.  The trees belong to: Abdel-Majid Tawfiq
Hassan, Ni’man Abdel-Rahim Abu-Rida, Abdel-Azeem Ahmed Oda, Jamal Abdel-Aziz
and Hassan Nimr Abu-Rida.

 

At
approximately 09:40 on Thursday, 10 January 2013, three settlers, two of them
armed with guns and the third with an M16 machinegun, coming from “Aish
Kodesh” outpost, established in the southern side of Kassra village,
southeast of Nablus, attacked Abdel-Majid Tawfiq Hassan’s house and Ni’man
Abdel-Rahim Abu-Rida’s farm.  The
neighboring Palestinian civilians gathered and threw the settlers with rocks to
keep them away.  The settler armed with
the machine gun opened fire at the civilians; as a result, Ammar Samer Ahmed
Masamir, 20, sustained a bullet wound below his testicles, damaging the
bones.  The injured was transported by a
civilian car to Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus.  From there, he was transported by a Palestine
Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance to Rifidia Hospital, where he underwent
surgery.  His condition was described as
critical.

 

At
approximately 09:00 on Sunday, 13 January 2013, Israeli forces, accompanied by
a number of military vehicles and a vehicle of the Israeli Civil
Administration, raided al-Khiam valley, southeast of Yatta. The forces
patrolled the area and imposed a curfew. 
The Israeli Civil Administration officers submitted Ihsan Hussain
Shanaran, 45, a demolition notice for his tent, which is occupied by his family
of 10 members.  They also submitted a
demolition notice for a kindergarten in Susiya Kherba area, southeast of
Yatta.  It should be mentioned that the
aforementioned kindergarten was built with the help of a number of European
organizations, and it also the sole provider of education for children in the
area.  In his testimony to a PCHR
fieldworker, Rateb al-Jabour, coordinator of the Popular Committee against
Settlement Activity in Yatta, said that this is the second demolition notice to
be submitted for the tent and the kindergarten; the first notices were
submitted approximately a year ago.  He
also added that this is part of the Israeli plan to expand the settlement
activity in “Susiya” settlement, which is established on Palestinian
lands southeast of Yatta.

 

At
approximately 07:00 on Monday, 14 January 2013, Israeli forces accompanied by a
number if military vehicles and two military bulldozers, raided al-Hathalin
neighborhood in Um al-Khair Kehrba area, southeast of Yatta, south of
Hebron.  The forces patrolled the area,
the soldiers were deployed in its surroundings and banned the civilians from
transporting.  The military bulldozer
started demolishing a house made of tin and stones, built on an area of 60
square meters, occupied by Shu’aib al-Hathalin’s, 65, family of 8.  It should also be mentioned that Mr.
al-Hathalin is physically disabled. In his testimony to a PCHR fieldworker,
Khalil Shu’ain al-Hathalin said that the Israeli forces raided the area early
in the morning and forced his family to evacuate the house, during the recent
cold wave.  The bulldozer destroyed the
house under pretext of not obtaining a permit.

 

At
approximately 08:00 on the same day, an Israeli force, accompanied by a number
of military vehicles, a vehicle of the Israeli Civil Administration and a
military bulldozer, raided Howara area, east of Yatta.  The soldiers surrounded the area and the
bulldozers started demolishing a farm house made of rocks and a tin-roof,
established on an area of 150 square meters, belonging to Mohammed Ali Issa
Attia (45).  The farmhouse is occupied by
Attia’s family of 9 and part of it is used for raising cattle.  The demolition was carried out under pretext
of not obtaining a permit.

 

In
the mean time, the Israeli bulldozers destroyed two agricultural rooms, each of
12 square meters, belonging to Ziad Younis Abu ‘Aram Makhamra, 55, and Walid
Ahmed Za’al al-Jabour (50), under pretext of not obtaining a permit.  According to Rateb al-Jabour’s statement to a
PCHR fieldworker, the Israeli forces aim to expel the Palestinians from their
lands through these actions, in order to expand “Ovaegal” settlement,
established on the lands of Palestinian civilians east of Yatta.  The area witnesses an increasing rate of
settlement activity at the expense of Palestinian farmlands.  He also mentioned that the Israeli forces
destroyed dozens of lands planted with wheat and barley while raiding Um al
Khair and Howara areas, as the military vehicles damaged the land greatly.

 

At
approximately 13:30 on Tuesday, 15 January 2013, Israeli forces accompanied by
the Israeli police and employees of an Israeli contracting company, raided Um
Rokba area, south of al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem. Under the
protection of the police, the contracting company’s employees surveyed the main
road leading to the settlements near the village in order to build an
island.  According to Ahmed Salah,
coordinators of the Popular Committees against Settlement Activity, an island
in the aforementioned street would create an obstacle for farmers trying to reach
their farmlands whether riding vehicles or animals, which will force them to
use a longer road.  He also added that
this would force the population in the area to use the bypass road to get to
their houses.  The establishment of the
island is intended to “secure the settlers who use the main road.”

 

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).