Israeli Occupation Forces Continue Systematic
Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Siege on the Gaza Strip
· One Palestinian civilian was wounded by IOF in the West Bank.
· Israeli forces conducted 23 incursions into Palestinian
communities in the West Bank, and one into the Gaza Strip.
· Israeli forces arrested 36 Palestinian civilians, including 5
children and one woman.
· Money and jewelry were stolen by IOF from a house in Sa’ir
village near Hebron.
· Israeli naval troops have continued to attack Palestinian
fishermen 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.
· Israeli troops positioned at military checkpoints in the
West Bank arrested 4 Palestinian civilians.
· A shortage of cooking gas has emerged in the Gaza Strip.
· Israeli troops positioned at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing
arrested a Palestinian civilian who was on his way to Jerusalem to receive
medical treatment.
· Israeli forces have continued measures aimed at creating a
Jewish majority in occupied east Jerusalem.
· Israeli forces forced a Palestinian civilian to demolish a
part of his house in Jabal al-Tour neighborhood in Jerusalem.
· Israeli settlers, escorted by Israeli forces, took over a
Palestinian house in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem.
· Israel has continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians in Southern
‘Assira village, south of Nablus.
· Israeli settlers uprooted 50 olive trees in the south of
Bethlehem.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting
period (03 – 09 December 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, one Palestinian
civilian was wounded when Israeli forces used force to disperse a peaceful
demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli
human rights defenders to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in
the West Bank.
Incursions: During the reporting period, Israeli
forces conducted at least 23 military incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank. Israeli forces arrested 36,
including 5 children and one woman.
On 07 December 2009, Israeli forces stormed
a house in Sa’I village, northeast of Hebron. They violently beat the owner and damaged the house. When Israeli forces left the house, the
family discovered that money and some jewelry were stolen. On 08 December 2009, Israeli forces stormed
an apartment building in Nablus and blew up the doors of 6 flats, the door of
the elevator and some windows. They also
arrested a Palestinian from the building.
Restrictions on Movement: Israeli forces have 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 continued to close all
border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The illegal Israeli
imposed blockade 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.
· 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights,
including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living
conditions, work, health and education.
· The main concern of
1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of
food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.
· Israel has continued
to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more
than two years.
· Israel has not allowed
fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas,
since 10 December 2008.
· The Rafah
International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number of
patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the
Gaza Strip.
· Israel has continued
to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel
to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.
· Poverty and
unemployment rates stand at approximately 80% and 60% respectively in the Gaza
Strip.
· Israel has continued
to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage systems. Losses
incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.
· Israel has imposed access
restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers
seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of several
international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.
· Living conditions of
the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of
poverty and unemployment are among the highest in the world.
· At least 900
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied family visitation
rights for more than two years.
· IOF have continued to
attack Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza Strip coast.
West Bank
Israeli forces 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.
· Israeli forces have established checkpoints in and around
Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are
frequently prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
· There are approximately permanent 630 roadblocks, and manned
and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some
60-80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by Israeli
forces every week.
· When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for
724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population.
350 kilometers of the Wall has already been constructed. Approximately 99% of
the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating
Palestinian land.
· At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian
communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by Israeli forces (47
out of 72 roads).
· There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across
the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including
occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit
issued by the Israeli forces. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.
· Israeli forces continue to harass, and assault demonstrators
who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.
· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by Israeli
forces in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly
stopped and searched in the streets by Israeli forces.
Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish
Majority in Jerusalem: During the reporting period, Israeli forces forced Daoud Ahmed
al-‘Alami to demolish a part of his house in al-Sawana quarters in al-Tour
village near Jerusalem. The house is
comprised of a wooden room established in 1980. In 1999, al-‘Alami reconstructed the room. Five years later, the Israeli police and
officials from the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem came to the house and
photographed the room. In 2006, the
Israeli municipal court ordered the demolition of the room and imposed a fine
of 11,000 NIS on al-‘Alami.
On 03 December 2009, a number of
Israeli settlers stormed the house of Rifqa ‘Abdullah al-Kurd, 89, in Sheikh
Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Al-Kurd’s son, Nabeel, has lived in the
house together with his wife and three children since 1956. The family is one of 68 Jerusalemite families
living in 28 houses in the area threatened with house confiscation. A Jewish settlement society claimed ownership
of the land on which the house stand, and an Israeli court ordered the closure
of the house in 2001, claiming that it had been built without a license. The court also ordered al-Kurd to hand in the
keys of the house and decided to consider a complaint against her for allegedly
attacking one of the police officers who came to implement the court ruling. It
is worth noting that Ridqa al-Kurd suffers from several diseases that makes her
unable to walk. However, Israeli forces have
continued to summon her to court in an attempt to prevent her from confronting
the police when confiscating the house.
During the reporting period, a
number of Israeli settlers stormed Ard al-Sammar area in Sheikh Jarrah
neighborhood. They cut tires of 19
vehicles belonging to Palestinian families, stuck racist statements on vehicles
and wrote threats directed against Arabs on the walls.
Settlement Activities: Israeli forces have continued settlement
activities in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law and Israeli
settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
On 04 December 2009, a number of
Israeli settlers from “Yits’har” settlement, south of Nablus, stormed
two houses in Southern ‘Assira village.
On December 2009, a number of
Israeli settlers from “Efrat” settlement cut and burnt at least 50
olive trees in Um Salamouna village, south of Bethlehem. This attack was launched by settlers one week
after the trees were planted by Palestinian civilians and official bodies.
On 07 December 2009, Israeli
settlers from “Sham’a” settlement, south of Hebron, escorted by Israeli
troops, blocked the main road leading to al-Sammou’ village with stones.
On 08 December 2009, Israeli
settlers from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron,
performed prayers opposite to the al-Rajabi building in al-Ras Street, which
had been seized by Israeli forces for nearly one year. Israeli troops stationed in the area stopped
and checked passing Palestinian civilians.
Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (03 – 09 December 2009)
The
full report is available PDF format.
