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
· A Palestinian child was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza
Strip.
· 6 Palestinian civilians, including two children, were
wounded by Israeli forces in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
· Israeli forces conducted 22 incursions into Palestinian
communities in the West Bank, and 4 ones into the Gaza Strip.
· Israeli forces arrested 32 Palestinian civilians, including 11
children, in the West Bank.
· Israeli forces transformed a house in Hebron into a military
site.
· Israeli forces have continued to impose a total siege on the
OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· Israeli forces troops positioned at military checkpoints and
border crossings in the West Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including
two women.
· Israeli forces established a fence along ‘Azzoun village,
east of Qalqilya.
· Israeli forces have continued measures aimed at creating a
Jewish majority in Jerusalem.
· Israeli forces demolished 5 houses.
· Israeli forces issued new orders to demolish more houses in
Jerusalem.
· Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West
Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· Israeli forces initiated a fierce campaign against
Palestinian construction in areas under Israeli security control.
· The Israeli government approved the construction of 900 new
houses in “Gilo” settlement, south of Jerusalem.
· Israeli settlers uprooted 97 olive trees in Bourin village,
south of Nablus.
Summary
Israeli violations of international
law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (12 –
18 November 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, Israeli
forces killed a Palestinian child and wounded 6 civilians, including two
children, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
On 13 November 2009, Israeli troops
positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Gaza
Valley village, southeast of Gaza City, opened fire at 7 Palestinian children
and young men who were traveling on an animal cart towards the village. As a result, a child was killed, and another
one was wounded. Soon after, IOF moved
nearly 300 meters into the area, and arrested 4 of these civilians, including
the wounded child. The detainees were released later, excluding the wounded
child who was taken to an Israeli hospital.
On 15 November 2009, two Palestinian
civilians were wounded in two separate gunfire attacks by Israeli troops
positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
In the West Bank, 3 Palestinian
civilians, including a child, were wounded when Israeli forces used force to
disperse peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders, in protest to the
construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
Incursions: During the reporting period, Israeli
forces conducted at least 22 military incursions into Palestinian communities
in the West Bank. Israeli forces
arrested 32, including 8 children. Israeli forces also arrested 8 Palestinian
civilians during a protest against the construction of the Annexation Wall in
Deir al-Ghossoun village, north of Tulkarm. Additionally, Israeli forces transformed a house in Beit Ummar village,
north of Hebron, into a military site.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces conducted
4 limited incursions into Palestinian communities, during which they leveled
areas of land, which had previously been razed.
Restrictions on Movement: Israel has 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 continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza
Strip for more than two years. The illegal Israeli 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 few 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
additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and
humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented
representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from
entering the Gaza Strip.
· Living conditions of
the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of
poverty and unemployment 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.
· Israeli forces 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.
Construction of the Annexation Wall: On 13 November 2009, Israeli
forces completed establishing a fence along bypass road #55 to the north of
‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya, allegedly to prevent stone throwing at
Israeli vehicle traveling on the road, which links Nablus and Qalqilya. The fence is 3.5 kilometers long and two
meters wide. Israeli forces had started
establishing the fence last year. With
the establishment of this fences, ‘Azzoun village had become totally isolated,
and at least 1,300 donums of its agricultural land have become separated from
it. Israeli forces have also imposed
restrictions on construction near the fence. Palestinian civilians have to resort to alternative longer roads to
travel to Qalqilya and to reach their lands.
Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish Majority in
Jerusalem: During
the reporting period, Israeli forces demolished 5 houses in East Jerusalem,
rendering 41 Palestinians homeless. The
Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem also issued a decision ordering the
demolition of a 500-square-meter, 7-storey apartment building belonging to
Sharhabeel ‘Alqam. The building, which
was built in 2002, includes 25 flats that were purchased by Jerusalemite
families at a cost of at least US$ 60,000 per flat.
Settlement Activities: Israeli forces have continued
settlement activities in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law
and Israeli settlers living have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property. On 17 November
2009, the Construction and Planning Committee of the Israeli Ministry of
Interior approved the construction of 900 new housing units in “Gilo”
settlement, south of East Jerusalem. This plan implies the expansion of the settlement towards al-Malha
suburb. According to the Israeli daily
Ha’aretz, the construction of those units is the first stage and a wider plan
to expand the settlement, which the Israeli government claim to be an integral
part of “Greater Jerusalem.”
On 12 November 2009, Israeli forces moved into Roujib
village, east of Nablus. They handed
written notices to 13 Palestinian civilians ordering a cease of construction
works in 12 houses and a bird farm in al-Salaht area, and requesting the
civilians to report to Beit Eil Court at 09:00 on Thursday, 10 December
2009. Israeli forces then demolished the
houses and the farm. On the same day, Israeli
forces handed 11 notices to Palestinian civilians in Um al-Khair village, south
of Hebron, ordering the demolition of 17 civilian facilities, which includes 9
houses where 57 people, including 39 children, live. The facilities are only 50-300 meters away
from “Carme’el” settlement. Israeli
forces gave Palestinian civilians until 10 December 2009 to appeal against the
orders.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces ordered a cease
of construction in al-Bireh Stadium, allegedly due to the lack of a
construction license. The Mayor of
al-Bireh, Jamal al-Tawil, stated that the area where the stadium is being
constructed is a part of the city, which has been added to its boundaries since
1976. Since that time, the municipality
has implemented many infrastructure projects in the area and offered
construction licenses to many Palestinians, without facing any problem.
On 12 November 2009, a number of Israeli settlers from
“Yits’har” settlement, south of Nablus, uprooted 97 olive trees
belonging to Akram Ibrahim ‘Omran in Bourin village, south of the city.
On 13 November 2009, a number of Israeli settlers living in
“Abraham Avino” settlement in the center of Hebron seized a
commercial building belonging to ‘Ali ‘Aashour Abu Snaina in al-Sahla Street in
the west of the old town for several hours. The conducted religious ceremonies in the building.
On 14 November 2009, Israeli settlers living in
“Carme’el” settlement to the southeast of Yatta village, south of
Hebron, attacked Palestinian civilians from the al-Hathalin Tribe and their houses
in Um al-Khair Bedouin Village. Israeli
troops were present in the area, but did not intervene to stop the attack.
On the same day, a number of armed Israeli settlers from
“Kharsina” settlement, east of Hebron, attacked Palestinian houses in
Qaizoun area using stones and empty
bottles. The windows and doors of a
house belonging to Ghaleb ‘Abdul Karim al-Za’tari were damaged. On the following day, the settlers attacked
the same area again. They damaged 3
cars.
Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (12 – 18 November 2009)
The full report is available PDF format.
