Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate
Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT), and the Gaza Strip Remains Under Occupation One Year Following
the IOF Redeployment
· 6
Palestinians, including two children, were killed by IOF.
· 3
of the victims, including two civilian bystanders, were extra-judicially
executed by IOF in Qabatya village near Jenin.
· 29
Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and 6 women, were wounded by the
IOF gunfire.
· IOF
have continued to launch air strikes on houses in the Gaza Strip; one house was
destroyed in Gaza City.
· IOF
conducted 35 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 4 others
into the Gaza Strip.
· IOF
arrested 55 Palestinian civilians, including two children, 3 women and two
wounded persons, in the West Bank.
· 4
houses were destroyed and 280 donums[1]
of agricultural land were razed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.
· IOF
transformed a number of houses into military sites.
· IOF
raided various offices of Prisoners’ Supporters Association and closed the
Association for two years.
· IOF
have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have imposed a tightened
siege on the Gaza Strip; and IOF positioned at a various checkpoints in the
West Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including a child.
· IOF
have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; they confiscated
100 donums[2]
of land in al-Khader village south of Bethlehem; and the Israeli High Court
approved resuming the construction of the Wall to the northwest of Jerusalem.
· Israeli
settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the OPT;
an Israeli settler ran down a Palestinian child in Qalqilya.
Summary
The publication of this report coincides with the first
anniversary of the IOF redeployment in the Gaza Strip, under which IOF
dismantled Israeli settlements and deployed along the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel. Israel claimed then that its forced withdrew from the Gaza
Strip and ended 38 years of occupation, but facts on the ground refute this
claim, as IOF have continued to commit crimes against Palestinian civilians and
property in the Gaza Strip and have maintained control over it border, airspace
and sea. In the meantime, IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall
and expand settlements in the West Bank. As the international community has
remained silent, IOF have continued to wage a full scale offensive on the
Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, since 35 June 2006, when
Palestinian militants launched an attacks on an IOF military site near Rafah.
During the reported period, IOF have continued their attacks on Palestinian
civilians and property.
PCHR, monitoring with utmost concern the developments
of this offensive, calls upon the international community, particularly the
High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and United Nations,
to immediately intervene to force IOF to stop this offensive and lift the siege
imposed on the Gaza Strip. PCHR also warns the international community of
the consequences of the policy of collective punishment and reprisals practiced
by IOF against the Palestinian civilian population, especially the destruction
of energy resources and the denial of the flow of fuels needed for providing
basic services.
Israeli violations of international law continued in
the OPT during the reported period (7 – 13 September 2006):
Killing: During
the reported period, IOF killed 5 Palestinians, including a child. A sixth
Palestinian also died from a previous.
In the west Bank, IOF killed 4 Palestinians,
including a child. Three of the victims, including two civilian bystanders,
were extra-judicially executed by IOF in Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin.
IOF killed two of these victims after having wounded and captured them. The
fourth victim, who was child, was shot dead by IOF in Bethlehem on 12 September
2006. In
addition, 22 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and 5 women, were
wounded by IOF gunfire. One of them was pronounced clinically dead.
In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian civilians was killed
by IOF shelling in Rafah on 10 September 2006. Another Palestinian died on 9
September, from a previous wound he had sustained in an armed clash with IOF in
Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis. In addition, 7 Palestinians, including a
child, were wounded by the IOF gunfire.
Thus, the number of Palestinians killed by IOF in the
Gaza Strip since 25 June 2006 has increased to 228, including 48 children and 12
women. In addition, 813 others, mostly civilians, including 216 children, 30 women,
4 paramedics and 4 journalists, have been wounded.
IOF also launched an air strike on a house in the
Gaza Strip belonging to Palestinian resistance activist. The house was destroyed, number of neighboring
houses and civilian facilities were severely damaged and 4 Palestinian
civilians were wounded.
Incursions:
During the reported period, IOF
conducted at least 35 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank, during which they raided dozens of houses and arrested 55 Palestinian
civilians. In addition, IOF raided various offices of Prisoners’ Supporters
Association, and closed them for two years. They also closed the office of a
lawyer in Jenin. In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 4 incursions in the southern
Gaza Strip villages of ‘Abasan, Khuza’a and al-Shouka, and the central Gaza
Strip town of Deir al-Balah. During this incursions, IOF arrested 4
Palestinians; razed at least 280 donums of agricultural land; and destroyed 4
houses, 4 bird farms and 4 wells. They also damaged the electricity and water
supplies.
Restrictions
on Movement: IOF 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
IOF have imposed a strict
siege on the Gaza Strip. They have closed its border crossings as a form of
collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.
IOF have closed Rafah International
Crossing Point, even though they do not directly control it. They have prevented European observers
working at the crossing point form reaching it. IOF have closed commercial
crossings of the Gaza Strip, especially al-Mentar (Karni) crossing. As a
consequence, the economic situation inside the Gaza Strip has further
deteriorated and many goods have been lacked in markets. During the reported
period, IOF partially reopened al-Mentar (Karni) crossing, east of Gaza City,
and Sofa and Kerem Shalom crossings near Rafah. IOF have also continued to
close Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. In addition, IOF have prevented Palestinian fishermen from fishing.
West Bank
IOF have tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian
communities in the West Bank. They have isolated Jerusalem from the rest
of the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have
continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. IOF have continued to separate between the north and south of
the West Bank. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various
checkpoints around imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various
checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including a
child.
Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank.
During the reported period, IOF issued a military order confiscating 100 donums
of Palestinian land in al-Khader village, west of Bethlehem, to complete the
construction of a section of the Wall near Road 60, which links Jerusalem with
the southern West Bank. Upon the completion of its construction, this section
of the Wall will separate Bethlehem from its western countryside, and will
prevent Palestinian farmers in al-Khader village from farming their
agricultural land. On 10 September 2006,
the Israeli High Court approved the planned route of the Wall in villages located
to the northwest of occupied East Jerusalem. Thus, at least 500 donums of
Palestinian land would be effectively annexed to Israel. In taking this
decision, the court rejected 7 petitions submitted by residents of these
villages. It is worth noting that 5 Israeli settlements stand in the area. The
court claimed that “the purpose of the construction of the Wall is to protect
the lives of Israeli citizens from terrorist attacks, so its expected benefit
is great.” The court further claimed that the new route “minimized the impact
of the wall on Palestinians, and created a balance between the right of
Israelis to be secure, and the right of Palestinians to farm their lands.” This
latest decision violates the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court
of Justice on 9 July 2004, which called for the dismantlement of the Walla. It
also violates the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian
Persons in Time of War and other international human rights instruments. IOF
also used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinian
civilians and international and Israeli peace activists in protest to the
construction of the Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah. As a result, 15
demonstrators were injured.
Illegal Settler Activities: Israeli settlers in breach of international
humanitarian law continue to reside in the OPT and have launched a series of
attacks against Palestinian civilians and property. During the reported period, Israeli settlers
launched 4 attacks on Palestinian civilians. In one these attacks, an Israeli
settler ran down a Palestinian child in Qalqilya. IOF also demolished two
civilian facilities in Taqqou’a village, east of Bethlehem.
The
outcome of crimes committed by IOF since 25 June 2006:
o 263
Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 51 children and 12 women, have been
killed by IOF.
o At
least 983 Palestinian civilians, including 277 children and 37 women, have been
wounded by the IOF gunfire.
o At
least 253 air-to-surface missiles and hundreds of artillery shells have been
fired at Palestinian civilian and military targets in the Gaza Strip.
o Buildings
of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the Ministry of National economy, the office of the Palestinian Prime Minister
and a number of educational institutions have been destroyed.
o The
electricity generation plant, providing 45% of the electricity of the Gaza
Strip, was destroyed, and electricity networks and transmitters have been
repeatedly attacked.
o 6
bridges linking Gaza City with the central Gaza Strip and a number of roads
have been destroyed.
o Hundreds
of donums of agricultural land and dozens of houses have been destroyed.
o Hundreds
of Palestinian civilians, including 9 ministers and 31 members of the
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), including the Speaker, Deputy Speaker
and Secretary, have been arrested. Minster of Prisoners’ Affairs, Minister of
Labor and Second Deputy Speaker of the PLC were released.
o The
Palestinian governmental compound in Nablus has been destroyed.
o Many
families in Rafah, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia have been forced to leave their
houses.
o IOF
intelligence has warned some Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by phone
to evacuate their houses, which would be attacked.
o 41
houses belonging to activists of Palestinian factions were destroyed by IOF
warplanes.
o IOF
have imposed a strict siege on the OPT, and have isolated the Gaza Strip from
the outside world.
Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (7 – 13 September 2006)
Download the full report
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