The Israeli municipality of Jerusalem demolish
civilian property in AL-Abbasiya quarter in Silwan village in occupied
Jerusalem allegedly because of the lack of construction licenses

 

 

Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian
Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT)

      

 

IOF delivered
to the Palestinian side the body of a Palestinian whom they killed at the
Egyptian-Israeli border.

 

IOF use
force to disperse peaceful protest organized by Palestinian civilians in the
West Bank.

Dozens
of Palestinian civilian suffered from tear gas inhalation.    

 

IOF
conducted 22 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and a
limited one into the Gaza Strip.   

IOF
arrested 6 Palestinians, including two children, in the West Bank. 

IOF
leveled areas of Palestinian land in the southern Gaza Strip.

 

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

 

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

IOF
stopped establishing water pipelines and confiscated a digger near Qalqilya. 

Israeli
settlers uprooted 102 trees and seized a 5 dunum[1]-area
of land in Hebron.

IOF
razed a 14-dunum area of agricultural land in al-Khader village near
Bethlehem. 

4
Palestinian civilians sustained bruises as they were attacked by Israeli
settlers.

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (19 – 25 July 2012):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, IOF
used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to the
construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West
Bank.  As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas
inhalation. 

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 24 July 2012,
IOF delivered the body of a Palestinian was killed by IOF at the
Egyptian-Israeli border on 15 July 2012.

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 22 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 
During these incursions, IOF arrested 6 Palestinians, including two
children.  

 

In
the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted a limited incursion into al-Fukhari area near
Khan Yunis, during which they leveled areas of Palestinian land which they had
already razed.    

 

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.

 

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. 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.

 

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.

 

 

 

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
19 July 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from “Bat ‘Ain” settlement, which
stands on the lands of Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, uprooted 35 olive
trees, 12 almond trees and 10 grape trees belonging to Hammad ‘Abdul Hamid
al-Slaibi. 

 

On
21 July 2012, Israeli settlers living in settlements located to the west and
south of Bethlehem razed a 14-dunum area of agricultural land planted with
grapes belonging to Ibrahim Suleiman Subaih, to the west of al-Khader
village.  Subaih stated to PCHR that when
he went to his land in ‘Ein al-Qissis area to the west of Khader village, he
was surprised that Israeli bulldozers had razed his land and divided it into
two parts in order to establish a road leading to a settlement outpost which
the settlers plan to establish.  

 

On
23 July 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from “Sousia” settlement to the east
of Yatta village, south of Hebron, escorted by IOF, seized a 5-dunum area of
land.

 

On
23 July 2012, IOF moved into Nabi Elias village, east of Qalqilya.  They held two workers and forced them to stop
extending pipelines to move water from a well to agricultural areas in Nabi
Elias village.  IOF released the two
workers later, but confiscated a digger and a welding machine belonging to
them.  

 

On
24 July 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from “Ma’on” and “Sousia”
settlements, south of Hebron, uprooted at least 45 olive trees in Shu’ab
al-Batam and Wad Ma’in areas.

 

On
25 July 2012, dozens of Israeli settlers from “Shilo” settlement to the east of
Sinjel village, north of Ramallah, attacked a number of Palestinian farmers to
prevent them from reaching al-Rafeed area in the east of the village.  The settlers violently beat 4 farmers, before
the eyes of Israeli soldiers.  As a
result, the four farmers sustained bruises and injuries throughout the body.

 

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (19 – 25 July 2012)

 

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

 

Thursday, 19 July 2012

 

At approximately 01:00, IOF moved
into Saffa village, west of Ramallah. 
They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 02:00, IOF moved
into Beit Kahel village, north of Hebron. 
They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were
reported.

 

At approximately 03:00, IOF raided
and a house belonging to the family of Mahran Mohammed Da’na, 35, near the
Ibrahimi Mosque in the old town of Hebron, and arrested him.

 

Also at approximately 03:00, IOF
moved into Jenin.  They patrolled in the
streets for some time and withdrew later. 
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 04:00, IOF raided
and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Othman al-Qawasmi, 24, in the
old town of Hebron, and arrested him. 

 

At approximately 05:30, IOF moved
into Beit ‘Aur village, southwest of Ramallah. 
They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

At approximately 07:00, IOF moved
into Kufor Malek village, northeast of Ramallah.   They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

At approximately 23:30, IOF moved
into Burqa village, northeast of Ramallah. 
They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

Friday,
20 July 2012

 

At approximately 01:25, IOF moved
into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. 
They patrolled in the streets and detained a number of Palestinian
civilians claiming that a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Qalqilya-Nablus
road to the north of the village.  IOF
released those civilians later and withdrew from the village.

 

At approximately 03:00, IOF moved
into Beit Liqya village, southwest of Ramallah.   They raided and searched a house belonging
to Saleh Sobhi Dar Mousa, who has been detained by IOF, and arrested his son,
Islam, 20.   They also confiscated two
computers and a mobile phone from the house.

 

At approximately 08:00, IOF moved
into ‘Obwin village, northwest of Ramallah. 
They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

At approximately 18:45, IOF moved
into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. 
They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

Saturday, 21 July 2012  

 

At approximately 01:00, IOF moved
into Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin. 
They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Ahmed Taleb
Abu Bakr, 19, and arrested him.

 

At approximately 01:30, IOF moved
into Jeet village, northeast of Qalqilya. 
They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

At approximately 10:00, IOF moved
into Beit ‘Aur al-Tahta village, southwest of Ramallah.  They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later.  Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 21:30, IOF moved
into Deir al-Ghossoun village, north of Tulkarm.  They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later.  Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 23:30, IOF moved
into al-Mazra’a al-Qibliya village, northwest of Ramallah.  They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later.  Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

Monday, 23 July 2012

 

At approximately 09:30, IOF moved
into Tulkarm.  They patrolled in the
streets for some time and withdrew later. 
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

 

At approximately 01:00, IOF raided and searched a house belonging
to the family of Bassel Matariya, 15, in the old town of Hebron and arrested
him.  IOF claimed that the child has
thrown a stone at “Kiryat Arba” settlement, which is nearly kilometers away
from his home.

 

At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Beit ‘Awa village, west of
Hebron.  They raided and searched a house
belonging to the family of Saqer Mohammed Saqer, 13, and arrested him.

 

At approximately 20:30, IOF raided an inhabited house belonging to
Khaled Badawi Abu ‘Eish in Tal al-Rumaida neighborhood in the center of
Hebron.  They then raided a house
belonging to Nour Thabet Abu ‘Eisha, where his wife and children were
present.  Israeli soldiers detonated
sound bombs inside the house, terrifying the children.  They also attacked a photographer of
B’Tselem, ‘Imad Abu Shamsiya. 

 

Wednesday, 25 July 2012

 

At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Yatta village, south of
Hebron.  They raided and searched a house
belonging to Judge Musleh Abu ‘Azzam, Judge of the Court of First Instance in
Hebron.  They held the family in one room
and searched the house using dogs.  They
left the house later and no arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 09:00, IOF moved nearly 300 meters into al-Fukhari
area in the southeast of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis.   They leveled areas of Palestinian land amidst
sporadic shooting.  No casualties were
reported.

 

IOF Deliver the Corpse of a Palestinian Killed
near the Egyptian-Israeli border

 

At approximately 10:00 on Tuesday, 24 July 2012, IOF delivered to
the Palestinian side through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the northern Gaza
Strip the body of Jihad Khamis Hussein Shallouf, 34, from ‘Izbat Bein
Hanoun.  Shallouf has been wounded on
Friday morning, 13 July 2012, by a bullet to the right thigh, when he attempted
to entered Israel to search for a job. 
According to Shallouf’s brother, his brother had served 5 years of imprisonment
in Israeli jails and he was released 3 months ago.  He had left the Gaza Strip two months ago
through tunnels at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah.  He stayed in his aunt’s house in Sinai.  He made some friends in Sinai, including
Jihad Jaber Abu Mughassib, from Deir al-Balah. 
Shallouf and Abu Mughassib decided to cross the Egyptian-Israeli
border.  Israeli soldiers positioned at
the border fired at them.  Both of them
were wounded by a bullet for each to the right thigh, and they were arrested.  According to Shallouf’s family, they received
a phone call on Sunday, 15 July 2012, in which they were informed that he died.

 

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, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and others
sustained bruises.       

 

Following the Friday Prayer on 20 July 2012, 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 and settlement activities.  They moved towards areas of the annexation
wall.  They called through megaphones on
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, a number of
demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer on 20 July 2012, dozens of
Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders
organized a peaceful demonstration in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in
protest to 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, some demonstrators suffered from
tear gas inhalation.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer on 20 July 2012, dozens of
Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders
gathered in the center of Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to start
the weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and
settlement activities.  The protesters walked towards the gate erected by
IOF near the entrance of the village and leading to Palestinian lands that
Israeli settlers from the nearby “Halmish” settlement are trying to seize.
 Israeli soldiers who had been extensively deployed in the area and near
all the entrances of the village since the morning, began to confront the
protesters who wanted to walk towards the affected lands.  Israeli
soldiers fired live and rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and tear gas
canisters at the protesters.  As a
result, some demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation. 

 

At approximately 13:15 also on Friday, 20 July 2012, Palestinian
civilians and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Kufor Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest to
the continued closure of the eastern entrance of the village by IOF.  They moved towards the entrance.  Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas
canisters and sound bombs at them.  As a
result, some demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.   

 

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 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.  

 

IOF
have tightened the closure of the Gaza Strip and practically made Karm Abu
Salem crossing as the sole commercial crossing of the Gaza Strip although it is
not proper for commercial purposes in terms of its distance and operational
capacity.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

IOF
have continued to impose a total ban on the exportation of Gaza’s products, especially industrial
products, leading to undermining any real chances to rerun economic
establishments.  The situation has been
aggravated especially after making Karm Abu Salem crossing as Gaza sole
commercial crossing and the repeated closure of this crossing which negatively
affected the quantity of Gazan products which were allowed to be exported
during last April.

 

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

 

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

 

Israel has
imposed additional access restrictions on traders, international diplomats,
journalists and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip.  On Wednesday evening, 14 March 2012, IOF
arrested Ahmed Subhi al-Kahlout, 40,
a trader from Gaza
City, when he was
traveling via Beit Hanoun crossing.

 

For approximately 60 months, IOF have continued to deny Palestinian
prisoners from Gaza detained in Israeli jails their visitation rights without
providing any justification to this measure, which violates the rules of the
international humanitarian law.

 

Movement
at Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

 

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

18 –
24 July 2012

 

 

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem
(Kerem Shalom) Crossing

18 –
24 July 2012

Imports:

 

 

Notes:

 

On Tuesday, 17 July 2012, IOF allowed the entry of 120 tons of
cement, 26 tons of construction steel and 1,820 tons of construction aggregates
for UNRWA; 42 tons of construction steel for UNDP; and 472 tons of cement for
the Palestinian Water Authority.  They
also allowed the entry of 780 tons of fodders and 195 tons of wheat.

 

On Wednesday, 18 July2012, IOF allowed the entry of 120 tons of
cement and 910 tons of construction aggregates for UNRWA.  They also allowed the entry of 780 tons of
fodders and 156 tons of wheat.

 

On Thursday, 19 July 2012, IOF allowed the entry 80 tons of cement
and 700 tons of construction aggregates for UNRWA.  They also allowed the entry of 1,053 tons of
fodders and 117 tons of wheat. 

 

On Sunday, 22 July 2012, IOF allowed the entry of 120
tons of cement and 1,820 tons of construction aggregates for UNRWA.  They also allowed the entry of 1,014 tons of
fodders.

 

On Monday, 23 July 2012, IOF allowed the entry of 80 tons of cement
and 19 tons of construction steel for UNRWA. 
They also allowed the entry of 1,131 tons of fodders and 39 tons of
wheat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Movement
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

18 –
24 July 2012

 

 

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.

 

There are approximately hundreds of 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, confiscating more Palestinian land.

 

Many of the main roads that lead to Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF.

 

IOF have continued to restrict access of Palestinian civilians from
the West Bank to East Jerusalem, through a
strict system of permits and a network of checkpoints.

 

IOF have completed controlled access to the Jordan Valley
through 4 permanent checkpoints established at its entrances.  Palestinians living outside the area are not
allowed to enter it without permits.

 

Settlement activities and expansion of settlements impose
additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. 

 

IOF have continued to restrict access to gunfire areas and natural
reserves, which constitute about 26% of the total area of the West
Bank.

 

Israeli military checkpoints restrict the movement of goods
throughout the West Bank.

 

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

 

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 and al-Bireh: 
IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians.  At approximately
09:30 on Thursday, 19 July 2012, IOF established a checkpoint under Kharabtha
al-Misbah Bridge, southwest of Ramallah. 
At approximately 11:30, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of
Deir Qiddis village, west of Ramallah. 
At approximately 20:30, IOF re-established their presence at ‘Attara
checkpoint, north of Ramallah.  At
approximately 09:00 on Friday, 20 July 2012, IOF re-established their presence
at ‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah. 
At approximately 09:30, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of
Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah. 
At approximately 18:30, IOF established a checkpoint at Beit ‘Aur
al-Fouqa intersection, southwest of Ramallah.  At approximately 08:00 on Saturday, 21 July
2012, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Deir Qiddis village, west
of Ramallah.  At approximately 08:40, IOF
established a checkpoint at al-Taybeh intersection, northeast of Ramallah.  At approximately 21:00, IOF re-established
their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah.  At approximately 09:30 on Sunday, 22 July
2012, IOF established a checkpoint under Kharabtha al-Misbah Bridge, southwest
of Ramallah.  At approximately 18:00, IOF
established a checkpoint at Beit ‘Aur al-Fouqa intersection, southwest of
Ramallah.  At approximately 20:00, IOF
re-established their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah.  At approximately 08:00 on Monday, 23 July
2012, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Ne’lin village, west of
Ramallah.   

  

Qalqilya:  IOF have continued to
impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  On Thursday, 19 July 2012, IOF established 3
checkpoints around Qalqilya.  At
approximately 07:20 on Friday, 20 July 2012, IOF established a checkpoint at
the entrance of ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya.  At approximately 11:00 on Monday, 23 July
2012, IOF established a checkpoint at Jeet intersection, northeast of
Qalqilya.  At approximately 20:45, IOF
established a checkpoint at the northern entrance of ‘Azzoun village, east of
Qalqilya.                    

 

Jenin:  IOF have continued to
impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 23:30 on Saturday, 21 July
2012, IOF established a checkpoint on al-Mughayar-al-Mutallah road, southeast
of Jenin.  At approximately 22:30 on
Monday, 23 July 2012, Israeli soldiers positioned at “Mavo Dutan” checkpoint,
southwest of Jenin, imposed additional restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians.    

 

Tulkarm:  IOF have continued to
impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 22:30 on Saturday, 21 July
2012, IOF established a checkpioint at Beit Leed intersection, east of
Tulkarm.  At approximately 22:45 on
Sunday, 21 July 2012, IOF established a checkpoint at Deir al-Ghossoun
intersection, north of Tulkarm. 

 

Jericho: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement
of Palestinian civilians.  At
approximately 10:00 on Thursday, 19 July 2012, IOF established a checkpoint at
the southern entrance of Jericho.  At
approximately 17:00, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Fassayel
village, north of Jericho.  At
approximately 18:30, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of
al-Nuwai’ema village, north of Jericho. 
At approximately 21:00, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of
al-‘Ouja village, north of Jericho.  At
approximately 10:30 on Saturday, 21 July 2012, IOF established a checkpoint at
the entrance of ‘Ein al-Dyouk village, north of Jericho.  At approximately 20:00, IOF established a
checkpoint at the southern entrance of Jericho. 
At approximately 11:00 on Sunday, 22 July 2012, IOF established a
checkpoint at the entrance of al-Nuwai’ema village, south of Jericho.  At approximately 20:00, IOF established a
checkpoint at the entrance of al-Jiftlek village, north of Jericho.  At approximately 21:30, IOF established a
checkpoint at the entrance of al-‘Ouja village, northeast of Jericho.  At approximately 08:30 on Monday, 23 July
2012, IOF established a checkpoint at the southern entrance of Jericho.  At approximately 18:30, IOF established a
checkpoint at the entrance of Fassayel village, northwest of Jericho.  At approximately 21:30, IOF established
checkpoint on al-Mu’rajat road between Ramallah and Jericho.     

 

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.

 

On
Thursday morning, 19 July 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from “Bat ‘Ain”
settlement, which stands on the lands of Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, uprooted
35 olive trees, 12 almond trees and 10 grape trees belonging to Hammad ‘Abdul
Hamid al-Slaibi.  This attack has been
the 6^th of its kind by Israeli settlers against al-Sulaibi and his
land over the past two years.  

 

Israeli
settlers living in settlements located to the west and south of Bethlehem razed
a 14-dunum area of agricultural land planted with grapes belonging to Ibrahim
Suleiman Subaih, to the west of al-Khader village.  Subaih stated to PCHR that at approximately
03:00 on Saturday, 21 July 2012, he went to his land in ‘Ein al-Qissis area to
the west of Khader village.  He was
surprised that Israeli bulldozers had razed his land and divided it into two
parts in order to establish a road leading to a settlement outpost which the
settlers plan to establish.  

 

On
Monday morning, 23 July 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from “Sousia”
settlement to the east of Yatta village, south of Hebron, escorted by IOF,
seized a 5-dunum area of land belonging to Rateb al-Jbour in Sousia village.

 

At
approximately 11:00 on Monday, 23 July 2012, IOF moved into Nabi Elias village,
east of Qalqilya.  They held Mohammed
Rajeh Shubaita, from ‘Azzoun village, and Khaled ‘Abdul Hafiz ‘Ouda, from
al-Dab’a village, and forced them to stop extending pipelines to move water
from a well to agricultural areas in Nabi Elias village.  IOF released the two workers, but confiscated
a digger and a welding machine belonging to them.  

 

At
approximately 22:30 on Tuesday, 24 July 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from
“Ma’on” and “Sousia” settlements, south of Hebron, uprooted at least 45 olive
trees belonging to Mousa Saleh Jabarin and Khaled Hussein Jabarin in Shu’ab
al-Batam and Wad Ma’in areas.

 

On
Wednesday morning, 25 July 2012, dozens of Israeli settlers from “Shilo”
settlement to the east of Sinjel village, north of Ramallah, attacked a number
of Palestinian farmers to prevent them from reaching al-Rafeed area in the east
of the village.  The settlers violently
beat 4 farmers, before the eyes of Israeli soldiers.  As a result, the four farmers sustained
bruises and injuries throughout the body:

 

1- Subhi
Ahmed Fuqaha, 47;

2- Nasser
Ahmed Ghifari, 42;

3- Mohammed
Muraweh ‘Abdul Haq, 23; and

4- Muraweh
Hussein ‘Abdul Haq, 58. 

 

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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.

 

 

 

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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).