The Settlers
Burn a Flock of Sheep Belonging to a Palestinian in ‘Aqraba Village – Nablus

– 5 activist of
the Palestinian resistance were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.

– Another 4
activists were wounded by Israeli air strikes.

 

– IOF continued
to fire at Palestinian workers, farmers and fishermen in border areas in the
Gaza Strip.

– Two Palestinian workers, including a child,
and one shepherd were wounded.

 

– Israeli
warplanes attacked a number of targets in the Gaza Strip. 

– A factory of
dairy products was destroyed in the southern Gaza Strip.

– A house and a
grocery were destroyed and another two houses were damaged in Rafah.

– A bird farm was
damaged and 1,800 chickens were killed.

– Two sites of
the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) were destroyed.

 

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

– 5 Palestinian
civilians were wounded.

– IOF arrested 5 human
rights defenders. 

 

– IOF conducted 34
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  

– IOF arrested 22 Palestinian civilians, including two children.

 

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

 

– Israel has
continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in
Jerusalem.

– IOF demolished a
houses and forced two Palestinian civilians to demolish their houses in
Jerusalem.

 

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

– Israeli settlers attacked two children in Jenin
and burnt a cattle of sheep in Nablus.

– IOF demolished a house in Bethlehem and 4
stores in Hebron.

– IOF confiscated 50 donums[1]
of land in Beit Eksa village near Jerusalem.

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (16 – 22 December 2010):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, IOF
killed 5 activists of the Palestinian resistance and wound 4 others in the Gaza
Strip. They also wounded 8 Palestinian
civilians, including a child in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

 

On 18 December 2010, an IOF drone
fired a missile at a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance in the central
Gaza Strip who were attempting to fire home-made rockets into Israel. As a result, 5 activists were killed.

 

On 20 December 2010, two activists
of the Palestinian resistance were wounded when Israeli warplanes bombarded a
site of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in Khan
Yunis. On 21 December 2010, another two
activists were wounded when Israeli warplanes bombarded another site in
Rafah. 

 

During the reporting period, IOF
fired at Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction
materials. As a result, two workers, including
a child, were wounded by Israeli gunfire. 

 

On 19 December 2010, a Palestinian shepherd
was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the northern Gaza Strip. 

 

During the reporting period, Israeli
warplanes attacked a number of targets in the Gaza Strip. As a result, a factory of dairy products, a
house, a grocery and two paramilitary sites were destroyed and two houses and a
bird farm were damaged.  Additionally,
1,800 chickens were killed.

 

 

During the reporting period, IOF
used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest
to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation
wall. As a result, 5 Palestinian
civilians were wounded, and dozens of Palestinian civilians and international
human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation or sustained bruises.   IOF
also arrested 3 Israeli human rights defenders and two international ones.

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 34 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 22
Palestinian civilians, including two children.

 

Restrictions
on Movement:

 

Israel
had continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

 

Gaza
Strip

 

Israel has continuously closed all
border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal
Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since
June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic
situation in the Gaza Strip. 

 

· The illegal closure has caused not only a
humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights and human dignity for the
population of the Gaza Strip. Measures declared recently to ease the
blockade are vague, purely cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of
the crisis, which can only be addressed by an immediate and complete lifting of
the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out of the Gaza Strip
and the ban on exports. PCHR is concerned that the new Israeli policy is simply
shifting Gaza to another form of illegal blockade, one that may become
internationally accepted and institutionalized. Palestinians in Gaza may no
longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but they will remain
economically dependent and unable to care for themselves, and socially,
culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world.

 

· Expanding the list of items allowed into Gaza
does not change the illegality of this policy, which is inconsistent with
Israel’s legal obligations both as an Occupying Power and under international
human rights treaties to which it is party, such as the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights. 

 

· Facts on the
ground refute Israeli claims with
respect to the easing of the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip and the
reduction of restrictions imposed on the entry of goods.

 

· Israeli
declaration of allowing new goods to be entered into the Gaza Strip constitutes
an attempt to delude the international community, as such goods do not meet the
minimal needs of the Gaza Strip. 

 

· IOF have
continued to ban the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip. 

 

· IOF have
imposed a ban on all exports from the Gaza Strip. 

 

· Israel had
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.

 

· 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 have mounted sharply.

 

West
Bank

 

IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank,
including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

 

· IOF have
established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting
Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying
at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

 

· There are
approximately 585 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints
across the West Bank.

 

· When complete,
the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers
around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of
the Wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been
constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

 

· At least 65% of
the main roads that lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are
closed or fully controlled by IOF.

 

· There are
approximately 500
kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In
addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East
Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit issued by the IOF.
These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

 

· IOF continue to
harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the
construction of the Annexation Wall.

 

· Palestinian
civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem, and across the West
Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.

 

Measures Aimed
at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem: 

 

IOF have continued to take measures
at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.

 

During the reporting period, Israeli
occupation authorities demolished a house and forces two Palestinian civilians
to demolish their houses, claiming that the houses were built without licenses.

 

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 17 December
2010, IOF issued a military order confiscating 50 donums of land in Beit Eksa
village, northwest of Jerusalem, for the purpose of the establishment of a
railway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. 

 

On 17 December
2010, a number of Israeli settlers from “Hourmish” settlement,
southwest of Jenin, attacked two Palestinian children. IOF intervened, evacuated the settlers from
the area and arrested the two children. IOF interrogated the two children and released them at night.

 

On 18 December
2010, a number of Israeli settlers from “Eitamar” settlement,
southeast of Nablus, attacked Sameer Mohammed Bani Fadel, while he was grazing
animals in the east of ‘Aqraba village. The shepherd was forced to flee from the area leaving his cattle. The settlers gathered sheep in one place and
set fire around them. As a result, 12
sheep were killed, and 7 others sustained serious burns.

 

On 20 December
2010, IOF, accompanied by bulldozers, moved into Tallat al-Ziar area to the
east of “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron. They demolished 4 agricultural stores
belonging to the hires of Sa’id Mohammed Jaber, claiming that they were built
without a license. 

 

On21 December
2010, IOF moved into al-No’man village, east of Bethlehem. They demolished a 140-square-meter house
belonging to Ra’ed Daoud al-Shawawra, in which 6 individuals live. Israeli soldiers violently beat a number of
Palestinian civilians who attempted to stop the demolition, and they then fired
tear gas canisters. As a result, Waleed
Mahmoud Shawawra, 19, sustained an injury to the face and bruises throughout
the body. IOF claimed that the house was
built without a license. 

 

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (16 – 22 December 2010)

 

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

 

Thursday, 16 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Dura town, southwest of Hebron. They raided, searched and damaged a number of
houses and stores, and a building where the Palestinian Magistrate Court and
Military Prosecution are based. They
arrested 6 Palestinian civilians and confiscated a number of cars. The detainees are:

 

1. Shadi
   Khalil al-Rajoub, 23;
2. Nour
   Ahmed al-‘Awawda, 24;
3. Yousef
   Mahmoud al-‘Awawda, 26;
4. ‘Emad
   Yousef Rabai’a, 25;
5. Bassem
   Kamel Nassar, 23; and
6. Mohammed
   Yousef ‘Amru, 27.

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Bassel
‘Abdul Karim Nassar, 30, and arrested him. 

 

· At
approximately 10:00, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 10:30, IOF moved into al-Zababda and Raba villages, southeast of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time and withdrew later. No arrests
were reported.

 

· At
approximately 12:40, IOF moved into Kufor al-Dik village, west of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 13:40, IOF moved into Kufol Hares village, north of Salfit. They set up a tent at the entrance of the
village.

 

· At
approximately 22:40, IOF moved into Kufor Hares village, north of Salfit, to
allow Israeli settlers to conduct religious rituals in the village. They withdrew from the village at
approximately 04:00 on the following day, and no house raids or arrests were
reported.

 

Friday,
17 December 2010

 

· At approximately
01:30, IOF moved into Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 09:50, IOF moved into Bedya village, west of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 14:40, IOF moved into the area between ‘Azzoun and ‘Izbat
al-Tabib villages. They patrolled in the
area for some time and withdrew later.

 

· At
approximately 17:00, IOF moved into Zabbouba village, northwest of Jenin. They raided a number of houses and forced
their residents out, claiming that a number of Palestinian boys threw stones at
the annexation wall. ‘Emad ‘Aaref
Jaradat, Chairman of the Local Council of the village stated to PCHR that IOF
requested him to prevent boys from throwing stones. IOF withdrew from the village later and no
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 21:00, IOF moved into Kufor al-Dik village, west of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 23:45, IOF moved into Kufor Qaddoum village, east of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

Saturday, 18 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Nabi Elias village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 10:00, IOF moved into al-Zababda village, southeast of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time and withdrew later. No house
raids or arrests were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 12:20, IOF moved into Saida village, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 19:30, IOF moved into the area located between ‘Azzoun and ‘Izbat
al-Tabib villages, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the area for some time and withdrew later.

 

· At
approximately 21:00, IOF moved into al-Mentar area near ‘Azzoun village, east
of Qalqilya. They surrounded it by
barbwire to prevent Palestinian farmers from reaching it.

 

· At
approximately 22:30, an IOF drone fired a missile at a number of activists of
the Palestinian resistance who were attempting to fire a home-made rocket onto
Israel from a tract of land belonging to the Shahin family in Abu Houli area in
the south of the central Gaza Strip town of Deir al-Balah. Five activists were instantly killed:

 

1. ‘Abdullah
   Hassan al-Shraihi, 23, from Deir al-Balah;
2. Mohammed
   Mo’ein al-‘Assar, 22, from Deir al-Balah;
3. Bilal
   Yasser Zannoun, 21, from Rafah;
4. Khalil
   Tawfiq al-Tawil, 23, from Khan Yunis; and
5. Bassel
   ‘Emad Abu Jazar, 18, from Rafah.

 

Sunday, 19 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 09:00, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation towers at the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northern of the Bedouin Village
in the northern Gaza Strip fired at a number of Palestinian shepherds in the
north of the village. As a result, Ejmai’an
Fareed Abu Hwaishel, 19, was wounded by a bullet to the right foot.

 

· At
approximately 13:00, IOF moved into Wadi al-Sheikh quarter in the southeast of
Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron. They
raided and searched a number of houses, claiming that young men threw stones at
an Israeli military checkpoint established at Beit Ummar intersection. They arrested Shadi Salah al-‘Allami,
34. 

 

· At
approximately 22:30, IOF moved into Um al-Dalia neighborhood and Tariq Ben Ziad
Street in the south of Hebron. They
raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Ahmed
   Yousef Erfa’iya, 22; and
2. Mohammed
   Taleb Abu Turki, 25.

 

Monday, 20 December 2010

 

· At approximately 02:15, IOF moved into Kufor Qallil village, south
of Nablus. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Saleh
Sa’di ‘Aamer, 20;

2. Tamer
Khaled ‘Aamer, 23; and

3. Ra’fat
Mohammed ‘Aamer, 30.

 

· At approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Beit Hassan village,
northeast of Nablus. They raided and
searched a house belonging to Mohammed Saleh Abu Zour, 46, and arrested him
together with his two sons: Adham, 24; and Eihab, 22.

 

· At approximately 08:00, IOF moved into Zabbouba village, northwest
of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 09:00, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation
towers to the north of Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire
at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction
materials from a site where the evacuated Israeli settlement of “Elli
Sinai” used to stand. As a result, Rafeeq
‘Aayesh al-Sous, 30, from Beit Lahia, was wounded by a bullet to the left leg,
when he was nearly 600 meters away from the border between the Gaza Strip and
Israel.

 

· At approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Ramin village, east of
Tulkarm, and patrolled in the streets. They stopped Ameen ‘Ali Suleiman, 20, and summoned him for interrogation
on 22 December 2010.

 

· At approximately 10:30, IOF moved into al-Taybeh village, northwest
of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 12:00, IOF moved into Beit Leed village, east of
Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 23:20, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a
site of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in the west
of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis. Fire broke out and two members of the brigades were wounded. One of the wounded lost his left leg.

 

Tuesday, 21 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 00:15, Israeli warplanes bombarded an empty tract of land belonging
to Khaled Ibrahim Salman in Hamdoush area in the northern Gaza Strip town of
Beit Lahia. As a result, a nearby bird
farm belonging to Salah ‘Abdul Hadi Taha was damaged and at least 1,800
chickens were killed.

 

· Also at
approximately 00:15, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a house belonging
to Samar Marzouq Abu Mo’ammar in al-Shouka village, northeast of the southern
Gaza Strip town of Rafah. As a result,
the 110-square-meter house, which was uninhabited, was completely
destroyed. Additionally, a grocery was
destroyed and two houses were damaged:

 

1. A
   24-square-meter grocery belonging to Hatezm Marzouq Abu Mo’ammar was
   destroyed;
2. A
   110-square-meter house belonging to Tawfiq Shihada Abu Mo’ammar, in which
   10 individuals live, was damaged; and
3. A
   100-square-meter house belonging to Tawfiq Shihada Abu Mo’ammar, in which
   11 individuals live, was damaged.

 

· At
approximately 00:25, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a 120-square-meter
factory of dairy products in the northwest of the southern Gaza Strip town of
Khan Yunis. The factory whose operation
was stopped one month ago was completely destroyed. 

 

· At
approximately 00:30, Israeli warplanes bombarded a space area in the east of
the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya, located nearly 600 meters away from
the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. No casualties were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Sirris village, south of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into al-Jdaida village, south of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 00:45, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a tunnel on the
Egyptian border near Yibna refugee camp in the south of Rafah. The tunnel was destroyed, but no casualties
were reported.

 

· At
approximately 07:15, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation towers to the
north of Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at a number of
Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction materials from a
site where the evacuated Israeli settlement of “Elli Sinai” used to
stand. As a result, Rami Hassan Sous,
17, from Beit Lahia, was wounded by a bullet to the right leg, when he was
nearly 400 meters away from the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

 

· At
approximately 16:30, an IOF drone fired a missile at a site of the ‘Izziddin
al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in the northwest of the southern
Gaza Strip town of Rafah. An hour later,
Israeli warplanes fired 3 missiles at the site, completely destroying it. Two members of the brigades were wounded.

 

· At
approximately 15:30, IOF moved into Seilat al-Harthiya village, northwest of
Jenin, and patrolled in the streets. A
number of Palestinian boys gathered and threw stones at Israeli military
vehicles. Immediately, Israeli soldiers
fired tear gas canisters at them. They
also raided a number of houses and summoned Mohammed Wajeeh Jaradat, 25, for
interrogation.

 

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Beit Kahel village, northwest of
Hebron. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Sayaf
   Ibrahim al-‘Asafra, 25; and
2. ‘Omar
   Ahmed al-‘Asafra, 22.

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Tarqoumia village, southwest of
Hebron. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Eyad
   Hassan Fatafta, 33;
2. Ziad
   Hassan Fatafta, 30; and
3. Nash’at
   ‘Atallah Fatafta, 22.

 

· At
approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Nour Shams refugee camp, east of
Tulkarm. They raided and searched a
house belonging to the family of Yasser Mahmoud ‘Abdul Rahim, 21, and arrested
him. They also confiscated a computer
set from the house. It is worth noting
that ‘Abdul Rahim had been released from Israeli jails on 28 September 2010.

 

· At
approximately 12:25, Israeli soldiers positioned at the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel to the east of Jabalya town in the northern Gaza Strip opened
fire at Palestinian farmers who were working on their agricultural land, but no
casualties were reported. 

 

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

 

During
the reporting period, IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized
by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders
in protest to the construction of the Wall and settlement activities in the
West Bank. As a result, 5 Palestinian
civilians were wounded. Dozens of Palestinian
civilians and human rights defenders also suffered from tear gas inhalation and
others sustained bruises.  Additionally,
IOF arrested 3 Israeli human rights defenders and two international ones.  

   

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 17 December 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction
of the annexation wall. They moved
towards the annexation wall. Israeli
soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs
and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation
and others sustained bruises as they were beaten by Israeli soldiers. 

  

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 17 December 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in
Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest against the construction of the annexation
wall. They clashed with Israeli troops
positioned near the Wall. Israeli troops
fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at
demonstrators. As a result, dozens of
demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises. IOF also arrested a German human rights
defender, Martin, 20.

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 17 December 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, in commemoration of
the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and in protest against land
confiscations in the Wad al-Raya area between the villages of Nabi Saleh and
Deir Nizam. When the demonstrators
attempted to reach areas of land seized by Israeli settlers near
“Halmish” settlement, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal
bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, 5 Palestinian civilians were
wounded:

 

1. Ra’fat
   Tal’at al-Barghouthi, 22, hit by a tear gas canister to the head;
2. Ref’at
   Wajeeh Tamimi, 22, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right
   hand;
3. Sharaf
   Fadel Tamimi, 19, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right
   hand;
4. Jihad
   Mohammed Tamimi, 21, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the foot;
   and
5. Faraj
   Moneer Tamimi, 27, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right
   hand.

 

A number of demonstrators also suffered from tear gas inhalation
and others . IOF also arrested an
Israeli human rights defender. They
further turned the roof of a house belonging to ‘Abdul Hafiz al-Tamimi into a
military site until approximately 16:30.

 

· At
approximately 11:30 on Saturday, 18 December 2010, dozens of Palestinian
civilians and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, in protest to Israeli
settlement activities and the establishment of a fence at the main road near
the village. The demonstrators moved
towards the eastern entrance of the village, where an Israeli military
checkpoint and an observation tower stand. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas canisters and sound bombs
at the demonstrators. As a result, a
number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation. Israeli soldiers also arrested 3 Israeli
human rights defender and an Israeli one.  While attacking the demonstrators, Israeli
soldiers turned a house belonging to Sami ‘Abdul Majid Bahar into a military
site.

 

3. Continued
Closure of the OPT

 

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

 

Gaza
Strip

 

Israel has continuously closed all
border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal
Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since
June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic
situation in the Gaza Strip.

 

· The illegal
closure has caused not only a humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights
and human dignity for the population of the Gaza Strip. Measures declared
recently to ease the blockade are vague, purely cosmetic and fail to deal with
the root causes of the crisis, which can only be addressed by an immediate and
complete lifting of the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out
of the Gaza Strip and the ban on exports. PCHR is concerned that the new
Israeli policy is simply shifting Gaza to another form of illegal blockade, one
that may become internationally accepted and institutionalized. Palestinians in
Gaza may no longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but they will remain
economically dependent and unable to care for themselves, and socially,
culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world.

 

· Expanding the
list of items allowed into Gaza does not change the illegality of this policy,
which is inconsistent with Israel’s legal obligations both as an Occupying
Power and under international human rights treaties to which it is party, such
as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 

 

· Facts on the
ground refute Israeli claims with respect to the easing of the closure imposed
on the Gaza Strip and the reduction of restrictions imposed on the entry of
goods.

 

· Israeli
declaration of allowing new goods to be entered into the Gaza Strip constitutes
an attempt to delude the international community, as such goods do not meet the
minimal needs of the Gaza Strip. 

 

· IOF have
continued to ban the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip. 

 

· IOF have
imposed a ban on all exports from the Gaza Strip. 

 

· Israel had
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.

 

· 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 have mounted sharply.

 

Movement
at Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

 

At
approximately 13:00 on Tuesday, 01 June 2010, the Egyptian authorities decided
to open Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border in both
directions without specifying a date for its closure. The Egyptian decisions came following the
Israeli attack on the Gaza-aid flotilla in international water. On the following morning, the crossing point
was effectively opened and restricted categories of Palestinian civilians were
allowed to travel through it.

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

15 –
21 December 2010

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

15
-21 December 2010

 

 

Exports through Karm Abu Salem Crossing:

 

On Wednesday, 15 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 9.27 tons
of strawberries. 

 

On Thursday, 16 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 112,340
flowers and 5.13 tons of strawberries. 

 

On Sunday, 19 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 187,359
flowers and 13.4 tons of strawberries.

 

On Monday, 20 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 54,480
flowers and 6 tons of strawberries. 

 

On Tuesday, 21 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 6.9 tons of
strawberries.

 

Al-Mentar (Karni) Crossing: During the
reporting period, IOF partially opened the crossing on Wednesday, 15 December
2010, and allowed the entry of 2,301 tons of wheat and 2,652 tons of fodders. They opened it again on Tuesday, 20 December
2010, and allowed the entry of 2,808 tons of wheat and 2,457 tons of fodders.  

 

Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing: Israel
has continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for the movement of
Palestinian civilians. IOF have allowed only diplomats, a number of
international journalists, employees of international agencies and a limited
number of patients who suffer from serious diseases to pass through the
crossing. They have continued to prevent Palestinian civilians from visiting
their relatives who are detained in Israeli jails. The small number of patients
permitted to pass through the crossing is only able to do so under severe
restrictions that include prolonged checking.

 

Movement
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

15 –
21 December 2010

 

 

The West Bank

 

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

 

· Jerusalem: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians to and from the city. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied access to the city. IOF have
established many checkpoints around and inside the city. Restrictions of the
movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate on Fridays, preventing Muslim
Palestinians from praying at al-Aqsa Mosque.      

 

· Hebron:  IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  

 

· Ramallah: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of the Palestinian
civilians in Ramallah. IOF troops
positioned at the Jaba’ and Qalandiya checkpoints, southeast of Ramallah, have
imposed additional restrictions on movement and conducted prolonged checks of
Palestinian civilians. During the
reporting period, IOF established a number of temporary checkpoints, and
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At approximately 20:00 on Friday, 17 December
2010, IOF re-established their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint at the northern
entrance of Bir Zeit village, north of Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately 18:30
on Saturday, 18 December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint under Kharabtha
al-Misbah Bridge, west of Ramallah. They
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. 

 

· Qalqilya: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 10:00 on Thursday, 16
December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of ‘Azzoun village,
east of Qalqilya. At approximately 11:30
on the same day, they established a checkpoint at Jeet intersection, east of
Qalqilya. At approximately 09:00 on
Friday, 17 December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of
Jayous village, northeast of Qalqilya. On Saturday, 18 December 2010, IOF established 4 checkpoints around
Qalqilya. At approximately 07:50 on
Sunday, 19 December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at Jainsafout
intersection. At approximately 18:00 on
the same day, IOF established a checkpoint on Nablus-Qalqilya road between
‘Izbat al-Tabib and Nabi Elias villages. On Monday, 20 December 2010, IOF established 8 checkpoints around
Qalqilya. At approximately 07:00 on
Tuesday, 21 December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the intersection of
“Qidoumim” settlement, east of Qalqilya. Israeli soldiers stationed at these
checkpoints stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.   

 

· Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 21:30 on Friday, 17 December
2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Qiffin village, north of
Tulkarm. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles.  At approximately
10:00 on Monday, IOF established a checkpoint on Tulkarm-Nablus road and
another one of Tulkarm-Qalqilya road. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. 

 

· Jenin: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 21:00 on Friday, 17 December
2010, IOF established a checkpoint on Jaba’-Yassid road, south of Jenin. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. 

 

· Salfit: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions
on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have continued to close the northern entrance of Salfit with cement
blocks and sand barriers since 2000. They have also continued to close two roads linking Marda village with
agricultural land belonging to it.  At
approximately 14:00 on Monday, 20 December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint
at the entrance of Eskaka village, east of Salfit. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. They detained
Mohammed Suleiman ‘Abdul Hamid, 35, a police officer from Yassouf village east
of the town, for two hours.   

 

· Jericho: IOF have continued to
impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 19:00 on Thursday, 16
December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Fassayel
village, north of Jericho. They stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. 

 

Arrests at Military Checkpoints

 

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

 

Israel
has recently escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians in East
Jerusalem in order to force them to leave the city. PCHR has devoted this section in the Weekly
Report to highlighting violations of human rights perpetrated by IOF against
Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem.

 

· During the reporting period, the Israeli
municipality of Jerusalem forced two Palestinian civilians to demolish their
houses.

 

According to
investigations conducted by PCHR, on Sunday, 29 December 2010, Ussama Hussein
al-Shwaiki, from al-Thawri neighborhood in East Jerusalem, demolished his
96-square-meter house in response to notices from the Israeli municipality of
Jerusalem ordering him to demolish his house and imposing a fine on him. Al-Shwaiki built his house in 2005. In 2009, the Israeli police and workers of
the municipality photographed the house, and the court of the municipality
imposed a fine of 96,000 NIS on al-Shwaiki and ordered the demolition of the
house, claiming that it was built without a license. He appealed the court ruling. According to al-Shwaiki, he was committed to
pay the fine, but the court issued a new bill of indictment against him for not
implementing the decision to demolish the house. So, he was forced to demolish his house
before the court session scheduled on 23 December 2010, to avoid paying more
fines and being imprisoned. Al-Shwaiki
used to live in the house together with wife, his two children, his sister and
his mother.

 

On Tuesday
morning, 21 December 2010, the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem forced Shadi
Mousa Subeh, from Ras al-‘Aamoud neighborhood in East Jerusalem to demolish his
house. Subeh stated to PCHR that
officials of the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem came to his house on Monday
evening, 20 December 2010 and ordered him to demolish the house by the Tuesday
morning. On Tuesday morning, officials
of the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem, escorted by the Israeli police and
accompanied by bulldozers arrived at the area to demolish the house. Subeh agreed with officials of the Israeli
municipality of Jerusalem to vacate his belongings, demolish the house himself
and pay 20,000 NIS to the municipality for moving its vehicles. 

 

· On Tuesday morning, 21 December 2010,
bulldozers of the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem demolished a
50-square-meter house belonging to Hani Saleh al-Aqra’, in which 8 individuals
live, in Sour Baher village, southeast of Jerusalem. The house was built in 2007, and the family
paid a fine of 6,400 NIS for building it without a license. However, on Tuesday, officials of the
municipality and the Israeli police arrived at the area and ordered the family
to vacate the house in an hour, and then demolished the house.

 

5. Settlement
Activities and Attacks by Settlers against Palestinian Civilians and Property

 

Israel
has continued its settlement activities in the OPT in violation of
international humanitarian law, and Israeli settlers have continued to attack
Palestinian civilians and property.

 

· On Thursday, 17 December 2010, IOF issued a
military order confiscating 50 donums of land in Beit Eksa village, northwest
of Jerusalem, for the purpose of the establishment of a railway between
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. According to the
Israeli Harretz daily, the former head of the Israeli civil administration in
the West Bank, Yo’av Mordachai, signed the order claiming that the confiscation
was for public interest. According to
the order, 20 donums would be used for establishing a tunnel, while the
remaining 30 donums would be used as a work site that would be returned to
their owners once the tunnel is established. According to ‘Omar Hamdan, Chairman of the Local Council of Beit Eksa
village, the order would deprive residents of the village of having access to
more than 2,000 donums of land planted with olives located in Wad al-Louz area.

 

· At approximately 16:00 on Friday, 17 December
2010, a number of Israeli settlers from “Hourmish” settlement,
southwest of Jenin, attacked Bahaa’ Fawzi Jawabra, 16, and Isma’il Majed
Melhem, 16, from Kufor Ra’ei village southwest of the town. According to Jawabra’s father, the settlers
violently beat the two children when they were on a tract of land belonging to
the family in the north of the village. IOF intervened, evacuated the settlers from the area and arrested the
two children. IOF interrogated the two
children and released them at night.

 

· At approximately 12:00 on Saturday, 18 December
2010, a number of Israeli settlers from “Eitamar” settlement,
southeast of Nablus, attacked Sameer Mohammed Bani Fadel, while he was grazing
animals in the east of ‘Aqraba village. The shepherd was forced to flee from the area leaving his cattle. The settlers gathered sheep in one place and
set fire around them. As a result, 12
sheep were killed, and 7 others sustained serious burns.

 

· At approximately 06:30 on Monday morning, 20
December 2010, IOF, accompanied by bulldozers, moved into Tallat al-Ziar area
to the east of “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron. They demolished 4 agricultural stores
belonging to the hires of Sa’id Mohammed Jaber, claiming that they were built
without a license. The stores used to
stand on an area of 168 square meters.

 

· At approximately 05:30 on Tuesday, 21 December
2010, IOF moved into al-No’man village, east of Bethlehem. They surrounded a 140-square-meter house
belonging to Ra’ed Daoud al-Shawawra, in which 6 individuals live. They forced residents of the house and began
to demolish it. At approximately 07:30,
Israeli soldiers violently beat a number of Palestinian civilians who attempted
to stop the demolition, and they then fired tear gas canisters. As a result, Waleed Mahmoud Shawawra, 19,
sustained an injury to the face and bruises throughout the body. IOF claimed that the house was built without
a license. They gave the family only 10
minutes to vacate their belongings before the demolition. It is worth noting that the Israeli
municipality of Jerusalem had already forced al-Shawawra to pay a fine of
50,000 NIS for the lack of a building license. Al-No’man village is located near “Har Homa” settlement, and
it has been annexed to Jerusalem, but its residents do not have access to the
city. A PCHR worker has attempted to
reach the village, but Israeli soldiers prevented him and even detained him for
more than an hour and a half.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

 

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).