A
panoramic view of “Har Homa” settlement between Jerusalem and Bethlehem where
hundreds of settlement units will be built according to Israeli plans (photo by Mahmoud Olayan – Al-Quds Newspaper)

Israeli Forces Continue
Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the occupied
Palestinian territory (oPt)

 

 

The
Israeli Forces Continued to fire at Palestinian fishermen in the northern Gaza
Strip.

 

4
Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were wounded.

 

8
Palestinian civilians, including 1 child, were wounded in the West Bank; 2 of
whom were arrested.

 

The
Israeli Forces conducted 71 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West
Bank.

At
least 44 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were arrested in the West
Bank.

 

The
Israeli Forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protests in
the West Bank.

Dozens
of Palestinian protestors suffered from tear gas inhalation.

 

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

The Israeli
Forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank.

At
least 4 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were arrested at
checkpoints in the West Bank.

 

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

The
Israeli Forces continued to deny the Palestinian farmers access to their
farmlands and arrested 3 farmers.

More
notices of house demolitions were issued under the pretext of not obtaining
construction licenses.

Te
Israeli settlers set fire to 2 vehicles in Majdal Bani Fadel village, southwest
of Nablus.

 

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt
continued during the reporting period (20 – 26 December 2012):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, the
Israeli forces wounded 12 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip; 8 of whom, including a child, were wounded in the
West Bank and the 4 others, including 2 children, were wounded in the Gaza
Strip.  

 

In the West Bank, on 20 December
2012, the Israeli forces wounded and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians from Rumanna
village, northwest of Jenin. The 2 wounded civilians were transported by
military ambulances to al-Khdeira hospital in Israel. The aforementioned
persons were wounded when the Israeli Forces moved into the said village and
fired at a group of persons in the center of the village.

 

On 22 December 2012, 6 Palestinian civilians,
including a child, were wounded when the Israeli forces opened fire at dozens
of Palestinians, who went out in a funeral of a dead person to the cemetery
near the entrance of Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. 2 of whom were wounded
by live bullets, while the other 4 ones were wounded by rubber-coated metal
bullets. The wounded were transported by the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s
(PRCS) ambulances to hospitals in Hebron. Wounds of 2 of them were serious.

 

In the same context, the Israeli forces
continued to systematically use excessive force against peaceful protests
organized by Palestinians and Israeli and international activists protesting
against the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a
result, dozens of Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation or sustained
bruises.  They were all treated on the
spot.   

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 21 December
2012, 2 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded when the Israeli
forces inside watchtowers and infantry units positioned along the border
fence in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at a group of persons and farmers,
who were about 30 meters away from the border fence. 

 

On the same day, 2 other
Palestinians, including a child, were wounded when the Israeli forces inside
watchtowers and infantry units positioned along the border fence in the
northern Gaza Strip opened fire at a group of persons and farmers, who were
about 150 meters away from the border fence. The four Palestinians were wounded
when dozens of Palestinian civilians headed to the two abovementioned areas to
challenge the Israeli decision to impose a 300-meter buffer zone along the
border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

  

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, the Israeli forces conducted at least 71 military
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  During these incursions, they arrested at
least 44 Palestinians, including 6 children.

 

Restrictions
on Movement:

 

Israel
continued to impose a tightened closure of the oPt, imposing 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. 
Recently-declared measures to ease the closure are vague, purely
cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of the crisis; the root causes
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, as long as the closure is
allowed to continue, they will remain economically dependent, unable to care
for themselves, and socially, culturally and academically isolated from the
rest of the world. 

 

The 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
20 December 2012, a group of Israeli settlers from “Ma’ale Ephraim”
settlement, southeast of Nablus, set fire to 2 vehicles belonging to 2 brothers
from Othman family.

 

On
22 December 2012, a group of settlers from “Nokdim” settlement, south
of Bethlehem, escorted by Israeli forces, attacked Abed Ali Mohammed Khamis, 28,
and his daughter Ayat, 11, from Beit Ta’mar in the city. The father and his daughter
were grazing their sheep in al-Freidis area, when the Israeli settlers used
dogs in their attack. As a result, 2 sheep died and 8 others were wounded.
Moreover, the father and his daughter were terrified and transported to a
medical center.

 

On 22
December 2012, the Israeli infantry units moved into the Palestinian lands near
“Susia” settlement, south of Hebron. They denied the Palestinian
farmers access to their farmlands and dismissed them from their lands.  The farmers rejected the Israeli decision and
quarreled with the Israeli soldiers, who used force and attacked the farmers in
response. As a result, a farmer sustained bruises and minor wounds. Moreover,
the Israeli soldiers arrested 3 farmers from the same family and transported
them to “Susia” settlement camp.  

 

On 23
December 2012, the Israeli forces moved into al-Khader village, south of
Bethlehem. They submitted notices of house demolition to Taha Hammad Salah, 45,
and Ali Salim Mousa, 60. The 2-storey house belonging to Salah is in the finishing
stage while the other house belonging to Mousa consists of the foundations and
a water well.

 

On
24 December 2012, a group of settlers from “Susia” settlement, south
of Hebron, intercepted the Palestinian farmers and denied them access to their
lands between “Susia” and “Havat Maon” settlements.
Quarrels erupted between the farmers and settlers, as a result, the Israeli
Forces moved into the area, attacked the settlers and denied them access to
their lands.

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (20 – 26 December 2012)

 

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

 

 

Thursday,
20 December 2012

 

On the early
morning, the Israeli forces moved into the north of Jenin. They patrolled in
the streets and raided and searched some houses, and arrested 10 Palestinians:

 

1. Joulan
Hassan Mahmoud Abu Zahou, 19;

2. Amir Hassan
Mahmoud Abu Zahou, 21;

3. Mahmoud
Saleh Sha’ban, 23;

4. Iyad Amer
Mahmoud Sha’ban, 21;

5. Abdul Hadi
Bashar Mohammed Mansour, 20;

6. Mohammed
Khaled Abdul Rahim al-Sha’er, 20;

7. Saleh Sa’id
Ahmed Sha’ban, 21;

8. Monjed Jamal
Abdul Majid  Jaramneh, 20;

9. Rami
Mohanned Sa’d Abu Isa, 18; and

10. Mohammed
Walid Mahmoud Sha’ban, 19.

The Israeli forces
withdrew transporting the arrested to al-Jalama detention facility. They
released all the arrested persons later, excluding the first three ones.

 

At approximately
02:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Rumanna village, northwest of Jenin. They
patrolled in the streets and opened fire at a group of Palestinians present in
the center of the village. As a result, 2 Palestinians were wounded:

 

1. Shadi Ghazi
Farid Mahajneh, 36, a member in the Palestinian General Intelligence Service.
He was wounded by 2 bullets to the legs.

2. Nabil
Mahmoud Abu Hammad, 31. He was wounded by a bullet to the leg.

 

Families of the
two wounded persons said that the Israeli forces arrested both of them and
transported them by a military ambulance to al-Khdeira Hospital in Israel to
receive medical treatment. Ambulances of the Palestine Red Crescent Society
(PRCS) were denied access to the scene. The Israeli forces then raided a house
belonging to the family of Nabil’s brother, Khairi Mahmoud Abu Hammda, 28. They
searched the house and kept the residents of the house for hours and questioned
them on the spot. The Israeli forces arrested the aforementioned person and
withdrew.   

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Nour Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm. They
patrolled in the streets, raided and searched a house belonging to Aysar Adnan
Ahmed al-Jaber, 32, and arrested him.

 

At approximately
03:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. They
raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Ali al-Bess,
25, and arrested him.

At approximately
03:30, the Israeli forces moved into al-Tal village, southwest of Nablus.  They arrested Mohammed Ibrahim Ramadan, 22,
and Sayel Tahseen Ramadan, 24, and transported them to Hawwarah detention
facility, southeast of Nablus.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Sarrah village, southwest of Nablus. They
raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Ja’fer Omar Trabi, 23.

 

At
approximately 07:30, the Israeli forces moved into al-Ouja village, northeast
Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew at 08:00.
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into al-Jeftlik village, north of Jericho. They
patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
09:00, the Israeli forces moved into Deir Debwan village, northeast of Ramallah.
They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house
raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 10:00, the Israeli forces moved into Qebia village, west of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Deir Ebzei’ village, west of Ramallah.  They patrolled in the streets for a while and
withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

Friday, 21 December
2012

 

At
approximately 00:30, the Israeli forces moved into al-Nabi Saleh village,
northwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew
later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
01:00, the Israeli forces moved into Kherbert al-Mafqara and al-Twani,
southeast of Yatta in the south of Hebron. They patrolled in the streets for a
while and withdrew at 04:00. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
02:00, the Israeli forces moved into Wad Abu Risha area, west of Ethna village
in the west of Hebron. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew
later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into al-Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. The
Israeli Forces and infantry patrolled in the streets and between houses. As a
result, residents of the area, particularly children, were terrified. The
Israeli forces withdrew later and neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

At
approximately 02:30, the Israeli forces moved into Jericho. They patrolled in
the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

At
approximately 03:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-Hejri village, east of
Dora in the southwest of Hebron. They patrolled in the streets and withdrew
later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
03:30, the Israeli forces moved into Kherbet Tarousa, southwest of Hebron. They
patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Deir al-Ghsoun village, north of Tulkarm.
They patrolled in the streets and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 04:30, the Israeli forces moved into ‘Etil village, north of
Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets and
then positioned near Omar Bin al-Khattab mosque (the old mosque) in the center
of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Guevara
Ahmed ‘Afif Abu Jamila, 20, and arrested him. They then moved southwards and
stationed near the military medical services in the southern neighborhood. They
raided and searched a house belonging to Mahmoud Mohammed Sami Salama, 20, and
arrested him. In addition, they arrested Khaled Ahmed Yassin, 20, and
transported the 3 arrested persons to an unknown destination.

 

At
approximately 09:30, the Israeli forces moved into ‘Aboud village, northwest of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Marj Na’jeh village, north of Jericho. They
patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 10:00, the Israeli forces moved into Beitello village, northwest
of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later.
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
14:40, the Israeli forces positioned inside watchtowers along the border fence,
east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at a group of persons
and farmers, who were 30 meters away from the fence, protesting the Israeli
decision to impose a 300-meter buffer zone along the border between Israeli and
the Gaza Strip. As a result, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were wounded:

1. Mohammed
Ahmed Mahmoud ‘Ebeid, 21, from Nassar area in Jabalya refugee camp. He was
wounded by a bullet that penetrated his 2 legs.

2. Mazen
Jamal Mohammed Mesleh, 17, from al-Jurn area in Jabalya refugee camp. He was seriously
wounded by a bullet to the right and left knees.

 

At approximately
15:50, the Israeli forces stationed one watchtowers along the border fence,
north of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at a group of
persons and farmers, who were 150 meters away from the fence protesting the
Israeli decision to impose a 300-meter buffer zone along the border between
Israeli and the Gaza Strip. As a result, 2 Palestinians, including a child,
were wounded:

 

1. Mohammed
Mostafa Mohammed ‘Ashour, 31, from Jabalya refugee camp. He was wounded by a
bullet to the right leg; and

2. Mohammed
Ibrahim Mohammed Salman, 15, from Beit Lahia. He was wounded by a bullet to the
left leg (entered and exited).

 

At
approximately 16:30, the Israeli forces moved into al-Jeftlik, north of
Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. No
arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 17:30, the Israeli forces moved into Kherbatha al-Mesbah,
southwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew
later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
19:30, the Israeli forces moved into Beit Leqia village, southwest of Ramallah.
They patrolled in the streets in a provocative way. Some boys gathered and
threw stones at the Israeli soldiers. The Israeli forces in response fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs. Many
Palestinians suffered from tear gas canisters. The Israeli forces withdrew and
neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 21:00, the Israeli forces moved into Kufor Malek village, northeast
of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later.
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 22:00, the Israeli forces moved into Jericho. They patrolled in
the streets for a while and then moved southwards into Oqbet Jaber refugee
camp. They withdrew later and neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 22:30, the Israeli forces moved into Tulkarm. They patrolled in
the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

At
approximately 23:00, the Israeli forces moved into Beit ‘Our al-Tahta village,
west of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later.
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

 

 

Saturday, 22
December 2012

 

At approximately 11:30, the Israeli forces moved into Beit Sira
village, southwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and
withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

In the midday, the Israeli forces wounded 6 Palestinian civilians,
including a child, when opening fire at dozens of Palestinians, who were in a
funeral walking towards the cemetery at the entrance of Beit Ummar village,
north of Hebron.

 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately
13:00, dozens of Palestinian civilians from Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, went
out in a funeral procession to the cemetery near the eastern entrance of the
village. Israeli soldiers surrounded the Palestinians in a provocative way. Some
boys gathered in response and threw stones at the Israeli soldiers, who fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs. As a result, 6
Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded; 2 of whom were wounded
by live bullets, while the other 4 ones were wounded by rubber-coated metal
bullets. The wounded were transported by PRCS to hospitals in Hebron, where
wounds of 2 of whom were described as serious:

1. Omar Mohammed Mahmoud Awad, 22, wounded by 2 live bullets in the
right thigh and pelvis; and

2. Nizar Ali Khdeir Awad, 17, wounded by a live bullet to the right
leg.

 

At
approximately 13:50, the Israeli forces moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya.
They patrolled in the streets for a while and held a number of Palestinians
after stopping their vehicle, but the arrested persons were released later.

 

At approximately 18:10, the Israeli forces moved into Hejja
village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for a while and
withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 20:00, the Israeli forces moved into Emrehiya
village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for a while. A
number of boys gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at the Israeli
soldiers. The Israeli soldiers in response fired tear gas canisters and sound
bombs at the boys to disperse them. The Israeli forces withdrew later and neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 21:00, the Israeli forces moved into Selwad
village, northeast of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and
withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 22:30, the Israeli forces moved into Beit Leqia village,
west of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while in a provocative
way and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

Sunday,
23 December 2012

 

 At approximately 02:00, Israeli
forces moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They patrolled in the
streets and raided and searched a number of houses. They arrested 4
Palestinians  and transported them to an
unknown destination:

 

1. Ali Ahmed Abdul Jalil Ikhleil, 25, head of Beit Ummar’s Youth
Council;

2. Mo’ayed Hassan al-Tit, a member of Beit Ummar Sport Team;

3. Nabil Shehda Sabarneh, 22; and

4. Omar Khaled Ikhleil, 18.

 

At
approximately 04:30, the Israeli forces moved into Silet al-Daher village,
south of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets and then stationed in the center
of the village. They raided Kamel al-Hassan Mosque, held a number of worshipers
and questioned them on the spot. The Israeli forces withdrew later and neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
09:00, the Israeli forces moved into Koubar village, northwest of Ramallah.
They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

At approximately
09:45, the Israeli forces moved into Habla village, south of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same time,
the Israeli forces moved into Magharet al-Dab’ah village, south of Qalqilya.
They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house
raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Saniriya village, south of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
14:30, the Israeli forces moved into Kherbatha al-Mesbah, west of Ramallah.
They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

At
approximately 16:30, the Israeli forces moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya.
They closed the northern entrance of the village and patrolled in the streets.
A number of boys gathered and threw stones at the Israeli soldiers. The Israeli
forces in response fired tear gas canisters indiscriminately. As a result, a canister
landed on a house belonging to the family of the diseased Saleh Hassan Sweidan,
in addition, his widow and daughter-in-law suffered from gas inhalation. The
Israeli forces detained Mohammed Isaac Mohammed Sweidan, 14, for 2 hours and
then released him.

 

At
approximately 17:00, the Israeli forces moved into Beit ‘Our al-Tahta village,
west of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later.
No arrests were reported.

At
approximately 21:20, the Israeli forces moved into Kober village, northwest of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. No
arrests were reported. 

 

At approximately
23:00, the Israeli forces moved into Jayous village, northeast of Qalqilya.
They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house
raids nor arrests were reported.

 

Monday,
24 December 2012

 

At
approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-Daher area adjacent to “Karmei
Tzur” settlement, east of Beit Ummar village in the north of Hebron. They indiscriminately
fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the Palestinians’ houses and raided
and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Ibrahim Abdul Hamid
Abu Maria, 17. They arrested the aforementioned person.  They also raided a house belonging to the
family of Ayham Khalil Abdul Fattah Sabarneh, 17, and arrested him.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Hejja village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Kofur Qaddoum village, east of Qalqilya.
They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house
raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 04:00, the Israeli forces moved into ‘Arraba village, southwest
of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither
further incidents nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli forces moved into Fahma village, southwest of Jenin. They
patrolled in the streets and stationed in the center of the village. They
raided and searched the village’s mosque, held a number of worshipers and
questioned them on the spot. An eyewitness said that the Israeli officer in
charge said to the worshipers that the mosque had religious Jewish remnants and
the aim of raiding the mosque was to photograph those remnants. The Israeli forces
withdrew later and neither house raids nor arrests were reported. It should be
noted that the mosque is an ancient Roman building that was reclaimed and
turned into a mosque.

 

At
approximately 09:30, the Israeli forces and members of the “Civil Administration”
moved into Shweika suburb, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets and
checked the artesian water wells to examine the quantities pulled from the
wells. They withdrew later and no more incidents were reported.

 

At
approximately 10:00, the Israeli forces moved into Beit Leed village, east of
Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for a while and stationed in front of
the Palestinian police station. The Palestinian policemen stayed inside the
police station while the Israeli soldiers stepped out of their vehicles and
photographed the area. They withdrew later and neither house raids nor arrests
were reported. 

 

At
approximately 11:30, the Israeli forces moved into Qabatiya village, south of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 17:30, the Israeli forces moved into Batn al-Hawa neighborhood,
west of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of apartments in al-Riyada
building. They arrested Aziz Wa’el Shafiq al-Rahimi, 23, from Beit Rima
village, northwest of Ramallah and transported him to al-Masqoubia detention
facility in occupied Jerusalem.

 

At
approximately 21:00, the Israeli forces moved into Tarmis’ya village, north of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. No
arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 32:00, the Israeli forces moved into Kofur Ne’ma village, west of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. No
arrests were reported.

 

Tuesday,
25 December 2012

 

At
approximately 01:00, the Israeli forces moved into Beit Ummar village, north of
Hebron. They patrolled in the streets and raided and searched a number of
houses. They arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and
transported them to an unknown destination. The arrested are:

 

1. Mahmoud
Mohammed Mesleh Awad, 25;

2. Rashid
Mohammed Isa Awad, 17; and

3. Sharif Fat’hi
Abu Ayyash, 20.

 

At
approximately 01:30, the Israeli forces moved into Taqqou’ village, southeast
of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Jamal
Mahmoud Hajahjeh, 40. They submitted a notice to his son Rami, 19, a notice to
refer to the Israeli Intelligence Service at “Gosh Etzion” settlement, south of
Bethlehem. Rami’s father said that his son suffers from mental illness’ symptoms according to the doctors’ diagnosis.

 

At
the same time, the Israeli forces moved into Nablus. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested Nidal Mohammed al-Madbouh, 20, from his house in
the old town. Al-Madbouh was transported to Hawwara detention facility,
southeast of Nablus. 

 

At
approximately 09:00, the Israeli forces moved into Barqa village, northeast of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew later. No arrests
were reported.

 

At
approximately 09:30, the Israeli forces moved into Dora al-Qare’ village,
northeast of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for a while and withdrew
later. No arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 10:00, the Israeli forces moved into Tulkarm. They patrolled in
the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.  

 

 Wednesday, 26 December 2012

 

At approximately 01:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-Arroub
refugee camp, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Mahmoud Isa Mahmoud Jawabrah, 15, and another house belonging to
the family of Mohammed Khaled al-Jawabrahm, 17, and arrested the 2
aforementioned persons.

 

At approximately 02:00, the Israeli Forces moved into al-Dahia
neighborhood, southeast of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses,
arrested 5 Palestinian civilians from their houses and transported them to
Hawwara detention facility, southeast of Nablus:

 

1. Mahdi
Salah Khweira, 20;

2. Ezz
Eddin Mansour, 19;

3. Adel
Bashar al-Zerba, 19;

4. Mo’taz
Jamal Shbaro, 20; and

5. Ahmed
Khifo, 21.

 

At
approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces moved into Ein al-Baida village,
southeast of Tubas. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2
brothers: Mo’ayed, 37, and Salah Sayel Mohammed al-Foqaha’, 30, in addition to
Nidal Ghaleb Ibrahim al-Foqaha’, 40. They were all transported to an unknown
destination.

 

At the same time, the Israeli forces moved into the Old Town of
Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Hatem Ghazi Mahmoud
al-Batsh, 22, and arrested him.

 

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

 

During
the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations
organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights
defenders in protest at the construction of the wall and settlement activities
in the West Bank.  As a result, 4
Palestinian civilians, a 16 year-old boy sustained a gunshot to the right hand
and an 18 year-old boy sustained a gunshot to his back in Bil’ein village; and Hamza
Ahmed Abu-Hashem, 14, sustained bruises after being pushed by an Israeli
soldier off a high wall; and Ahmed Abu-Hashem, 46 in Beit Ummar. A number of
demonstrators also suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained
bruises.

 

Following the Friday Prayer on 14 December 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, titled: “Against the Israeli
willful killing policy; and Israeli leaders’ orders to fire live bullets at
demonstrators.” Administrative Detention and In Solidarity with Prisoners
on Hunger Strike.”  The
demonstrators gathered in the streets of the village, chanting slogans calling
for national unity.  The protesters aimed
to stress the need to adhere to national principles and the right of return, to
resist the occupation and to call for the release of all Palestinian
prisoners.  The protesters raised
Palestinian flags and made their way towards the wall.  They called through megaphones for 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, two civilians
sustained gunshot wounds, a 16-year-old boy sustained a gunshot to the right
hand and an 18-year-old boy sustained a gunshot to his back.  Also dozens of demonstrators suffered from
tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer on 14 December 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 at 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 and others sustained bruises.   

 

Around the same time on Friday, 14 December 2012, dozens of
Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders
gathered in the Martyrs Square in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to
hold a weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall
and settlement activities, titled: “Commemoration of Our Martyrs and the
Commencement of Popular Resistance in Nabi Saleh.”  The protesters walked towards the gate erected
by Israeli forces near the entrance of the village, which leads to Palestinian
lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby “Halmish” settlement are
trying to seize.  Israeli soldiers fired
live and rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the
protesters.   As a result, dozens of demonstrators
suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians
and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in
the center of al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem, in protest at the ongoing
construction of the annexation wall, titled: “In Solidarity with the
Prisoners on Hunger Strike.”  As the
protestors moved towards the gate of the village, the Israeli forces closed it
to prevent the demonstration from gaining access to the confiscated land and
attacked the participants; as a result, Mahmoud Zawahra, 25, coordinator of the
Popular Resistance against the Wall and the Settlement Activity, sustained
bruises.

 

At approximately 10:00 on Saturday, 15 December 2012, dozens of
Palestinian civilians, farmers and international activists gathered in Sho’ab
al-Batama area, east of Yatta village in Hebron, in protest to the Israeli
forces’ policy of confiscating farmlands, denying civilians’ access to their
lands and the destruction policy. The Israeli soldiers raided the area, and
declared it a closed military zone to keep the demonstrators away.

 

At approximately 11:00 Saturday, 15 December 2012, dozens of
Palestinian civilians, international and Israeli human rights defenders,
gathered in the center of Bait Ummar village, north of Hebron, for the weekly
peaceful demonstration organized against the settlement expansion policy, the
wall and the arrest of children. The demonstrators headed towards Thaher Jalis
area near “Kermi Tsour” settlement north of the village. A group of
Israeli soldiers surrounded the demonstrators and started a hand fight with
them, bruising a number of them. They were identified as: Hamza Ahmed
Abu-Hashem, 14, who sustained bruises after being pushed by an Israeli
soldier off a high wall; and Ahmed Abu-Hashem, 46.

 

3. Continued
Closure of the oPt

 

Israel has continued to impose a tightened closure on the oPt,
imposing 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. 

 

The IOF
have tightened the closure of the Gaza Strip, making Karm Abu Salem crossing the
sole commercial crossing of the Gaza Strip, although it is not suitable for
commercial purposes, in terms of its distance and operational capacity. 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The IOF
have continued to impose a total ban on the export of products from Gaza,
especially industrial products, undermining any real chance of reopening economic
establishments.  The situation has been
aggravated since the Karm Abu Salem crossing was designated as Gaza’s sole
commercial crossing; the repeated closure of this crossing negatively affects
the quantity of Gaza products which are allowed to be exported.  

 

For approximately 6 consecutive years, the IOF have continued to
ban the delivery of construction materials to Gaza.  During the reporting period, the IOF approved
the delivery of limited quantities of construction materials for a number of
international organizations.

 

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

 

Israel has imposed additional access restrictions on traders,
international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers seeking to enter
the Gaza Strip. 

Movement at
Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

19 –
25 December 2012

 

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

18
to 24 December 2012

Imports:

 

 

 

 

Exports:

On Tuesday, 18 December 2012, Israeli Forces allowed the
exportation of 9.5 tons of strawberries and 5 truckloads of plastic. They also
allowed the exportation of 380 kilograms of garlic leaves, 140 kilograms of
basils, and a truckload of flowers.

On Wednesday, 19 December 2012, Israeli Forces allowed the
exportation of 5.3 tons of strawberries and 5 truckloads of plastic. They also
allowed the exportation of 300 kilograms of garlic leaves, 6.6 tons of bell
peppers and 3.2 tons of cherry tomatoes.

On Thursday, 20 December 2012, Israeli Forces allowed the
exportation of 7.3 tons of strawberries, 1 truckload of flowers and 5
truckloads of empty plastic cans.

On Sunday, 23 December 2012, Israeli Forces allowed the exportation
of 13 tons of cherry tomatoes, 430 kilograms of basil and 7 truckloads of empty
plastic cans. They also allowed the exportation of 3 tons of strawberries.

On Monday, 24 December 2012, Israeli Forces allowed the exportation
of 6 truckloads of empty plastic cans and 9.7 tons of strawberries.

On Tuesday, 25 December 2012, Israeli Forces allowed the
exportation of 6 truckloads of empty plastic cans, 5.8 tons of strawberries and
1 truckload of flowers.  

Other Imports:

 

On Tuesday, 18 December 2012, Israeli forces allowed the entry of 320
tons of cement, 64 tons of construction steel and 6,160 tons of construction
aggregate for UNRWA; 1,960 tons of construction aggregate for the Palestinian
Water Authority. They also allowed the entry of 546 tons of fodders and 429
tons of wheat.

 

On Wednesday, 19 December 2012, the Israeli forces allowed the
entry of 200 tons of cement, 30 tons of construction steel and 8,050 tons of
construction aggregate for UNRWA. They also allowed the entry of 546 tons of
fodders and 390 tons of wheat.

 

On Thursday, 20 December 2012, the Israeli forces allowed the entry
of 40 tons of cement, 40 tons of construction steel, and 5,390 tons of construction
aggregate for UNRWA. They also allowed the entry of 546 tons of fodders and 273
tons of wheat.

 

On Sunday, 23 December 2012, the Israeli forces allowed the entry
of 116 tons of cement, 44 tons of construction steel, and 4,620 tons of
construction aggregate for UNRWA; and 2,590 tons of construction aggregate and
112 tons of construction steel for the German Development Bank (GDB).  They also allowed the entry of 546 tons of
fodders.

 

On Monday, 24 December 2012, Israeli forces allowed the entry of 200
tons of cement, 64 tons of construction steel and 6,090 tons of construction
aggregate for UNRWA; in addition to 1,470 tons of construction aggregates for GDB.  They also allowed the entry of 507 tons of
fodders and 156 tons of wheat.

 

On Tuesday, 25 December 2012, Israeli forces allowed the entry of
702 tons of fodders and 78 tons of wheat.

 

Israeli Authorities continue closing Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to
people of the Gaza Strip while they allowed members of diplomatic delegations,
some international journalists and workers, and patients with serious cases to
travel through the crossing.  They also
allowed a very limited number of business people, (BMC) traders to enter Israel
and the West Bank, only if they are given a prior permit in each time the
trader wants to enter. International workers traveled through al-Karamah
crossing after obtaining a private permit. 
Israeli forces still prevent families from visiting their relatives in
the Israeli prisons.  They also continue
to deny access to dozens of Palestinian patients subjecting them to humiliating
search practices and forcing them to walk long distances before crossing.  Moreover, Israeli Authorities prevented
hundreds of patients from receiving treatment in hospitals of the West Bank and
Israel for no reason.  It should also be
noted that patients who apply for treatment in the aforementioned hospital
suffer from chronic and serious diseases and are in need for medical treatment
which they cannot receive in the hospitals of Gaza.

 

 

Movement
at the Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

19 –
25 December 2012

 

 

Note: On Monday, 24 December 2012, the Israeli forces allowed 58
relatives of prisoners to visit 30 prisoners in Israeli jails.  Moreover, they granted 600 permits to
Christians from the Gaza Strip to go to Bethlehem in the West Bank to celebrate
the Christmas.

 

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:
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians. At approximately 10:30 on Thursday, 20 December 2012,
Israeli forces established a checkpoint near the entrance of Beit Leqya
village, west of Ramallah.  At
approximately 15:00, they also established a checkpoint under the bridge of
Kharabtha al-Mesbah village, southwest of the town.  At approximately 06:30, Israeli forces
repositioned at ‘Atarah checkpoint at the northern entrance of Bir Zeit, north
of Ramallah, and prevented civilians from entering or leaving through the aforementioned
checkpoint.  At approximately 08:30 on
Friday, 21 December 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the
entrance of Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah. At approximately 10:00,
they also established a checkpoint near the entrance of Beit Loqaya village,
southwest of Ramallah, while they established another one at the entrance of
Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah.  At
approximately 16:00, they established a checkpoint near the intersection of
Beit ‘Aor al-Foqa village, southwest of the city.  The checkpoints were later removed and no
arrests were reported.  At approximately
09:00 on Saturday, 22 December 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint
near al-Moghyar village, northeast of Ramallah while, at approximately 10:10,
they established a checkpoint on the road between Beit Loqaya and Kherbtha
al-Mesbah villages, southwest of the city. 
The two checkpoints were removed and no arrests were reported.  At approximately 09:30 on Sunday, 23 December
2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint under the bridge of Kherbtha
al-Mesbah village, west of Ramallah, while, at approximately 10:40, they
established a checkpoint at the entrance of Deir Nizam village, northwest of
the city.  The two checkpoints were
removed and no arrests were reported.

 

Qalqilya:
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians. At approximately 10:40, on Saturday, 22 December 2012,
Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of al-Nabi Elias village,
east of Qalqilya.  It was later removed
and no arrests were reported.  At
approximately 16:15, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of
‘Azoun village, east of the town, and closed the gate of the northern entrance
under the pretext of throwing stones at the settlers’ vehicles passing on the
main road between  Qalqilya and Nablus,
north of the village.

 

Jericho: Israeli
forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians.  At approximately
09:00 on Thursday, 20 December 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint
near the southern entrance of Jericho and prevented civilians from entering or
leaving through the aforementioned entrance. 
The checkpoint was later removed and no arrests were reported. At
approximately 10:00 on Sunday, 23 December 2012, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint at al-Jiftlik village, north of Jericho, while, at approximately
09:30, they established a checkpoint near the entrance of al-Zbeidat village,
north of the town.  At approximately
16:00, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of Ein al-Dyouk
village, north of Jericho.  The two
checkpoints were removed and no arrests were reported.  At approximately 11:00 on Monday, 24 December
2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of Ein al-Dyouk
villag, north of Ramallah.  At
approximately 11:30, they also established a checkpoint at the southern
entrance of Jericho and at approximately 16:30, they established a checkpoint
near the entrance of Fasayel area, north of Jericho.  The two checkpoints were removed and no
arrests were reported.

 

Jenin:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 15:45 on Thursday, 20 December
2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of Zebda village,
south of Jenin. The checkpoint was removed later; no arrests were
reported.  At approximately 14:30 on Saturday,
22 December 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint on the intersection
of al-Arqa – Nazlet al-Sheikh Zayed villages, west of Jenin. At approximately 09:00
on Sunday, 23 December, Israeli forces established a checkpoint on the road
linking Jenin with Tulkarm and Nablus, south of Jenin. The checkpoint was removed
later and no arrests were reported. At approximately 10:00, Israeli forces
established a checkpoint at the entrance of Ejja village, south of Jenin, and
another checkpoint at the entrance of al-Arqa village, west of Jenin, at
approximately 10:30. At approximately 07:00 on Monday, 24 December 2012, Israeli
forces established a checkpoint at the eastern entrance of Ya’bad village,
southwest of Jenin and it was later removed. 
No arrests were reported.  At
approximately 09:00 on Tuesday, 25 December 2012, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint on the road between Kafer Ra’ai intersection and Fahmah village,
southwest of Jenin and the checkpoint was later removed. No arrests were
reported.  At approximately 17:00, Israeli
forces stationed at the “Mavi Dutan” checkpoint, established on the main bypass
road between Jenin and the northern villages of Tulkarm, southwest of Jenin
after they had stopped a taxi, coming from Jenin, which Ahmed Abdel Latif
Mer’ai al-Wahesh was driving.  According
to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces stopped the aforementioned car, forced the
driver and 2 passengers to step out, and held them in a room built near the
checkpoint.  They then closed the
checkpoint area while they called for military reinforcements and an ambulance
belonging to David Red Star.  Following
that, Israeli forces used a robot and later tracker dogs to check the car
resulting in damages in it.  After around
4 hours, they released the driver and passengers and no more incidents were
reported.

 

Tulkarm:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 17:00 on Friday, 21 December
2012, Israeli forces stationed at Ennab checkpoint on Tulkarm-Nablus road, east
of Tulkarm, imposed more restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. At
approximately 22:00 on Saturday, 22 December 2012, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint on Tulkarm-Nablus road near the intersection of Beit Leed, east of
Tulkarm. The checkpoint was removed later and no arrested was reported. At
approximately 10:00 on Monday, 24 December 2012, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint on the main road between Tulkarm and Qalqilya, near Jubara village
gate, isolated from its surroundings because of the annexation wall in south of
Tulkarm.  The checkpoint was later
removed and no arrests were reported.

Hebron:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 07:00 on Thursday, 20
December 2012, engineering teams belonging to Israeli forces replaced concrete
blocks, which were used to fortify al-Rajabi military checkpoint which
separates with metal barbwire al-Tahta eastern quarter (al-Salayma, al-Ragbi,
and Jaber quarters) from al-Sahlah area and the vicinity of Tariq Bin Ziyad
School in the old town center in Hebron. 
They also closed the side path, which is only for vehicles, and the
Pedestrian traffic was only through a narrow path firmly controlled by Israeli
forces.  These changes came out one week
after the killing of Mohammed al-Salayma, 17, by a female soldier at the
aforementioned checkpoint.  Israeli
forces also closed one of the sub footpaths near al-Fayhaa’ elementary school
for girls, south of the yard of al-Ibrahimi mosque in the old town of Hebron.
This path is considered the only one for students and civilians adding a new
kind of suffer as they should take streets far away from the checkpoints in
order to reach their schools and work. 
At approximately 19:00 also on Thursday, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint at the entrance of Ezna village, west of hebron.  It was later removed and no arrests were
reported.  At approximately 06:00 on
Saturday, 22 December 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the
entrance of Fqeiqes village between Dora and its western villages, southwest of
Hebron.  At the same time, they
established a checkpoint on al-Fahes road at the eastern entrance of Hebron
linking the bypass road while, at approximately 20:00, they established another
checkpoint on Kharsa (al-Aqaba Triangle) road. The checkpoints were removed and
no arrests were removed.  At
approximately 07:30 on Tuesday, 25 December 2012, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint on al-Nabi Younis road at the northern entrance of Hebron and
prevented civilians from entering and leaving through the aforementioned
checkpoint resulting in traffic jam at the entrance.  They later removed the checkpoint and no
arrests were reported.

 

Bethlehem:
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians. At approximately 16:00 on Tuesday, 25 December 2012,
Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the western entrance of Beit Fajjar
village, south of Bethlehem and it was later removed.  No arrests were reported.

Detention at Military Checkpoints

At approximately 18:00 on Thursday, 20 December 2012, Israeli
forces, stationed at the vicinity of al-Fawar refugee camp, south of Hebron,
arrested Ibrahim Hasan Abdullah al-Shawahin, 45, living in Yatta, south of
Hebron, and held and searched his car, and took him to an unknown destination.

 

At approximately 12:30 on Sunday, 23 December 2012, Israeli forces,
stationed at the entrance of Beit Amr village, north of Hebron, arrested 2 children:
‘Alaa’ Essam Ikhlayel, 16, and Abdullah Yousif Mohammed Baher, 17. After
detaining them for half an hour near the village cemetery, they took them to an
unknown destination.

 

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.

 

At early
morning hours on Thursday, 20 December 2012, a group of settlers coming from
“Ma’ale Efrayim, Janet, and Majdolim” settlement, near Majdal Bani
fadel village, southeast of Nablus, Set fire to 2 cars belonging to 2 brothers
from Othman Family; one of them was a seven-passenger Mercedes Model 1984
belonging to Fahed Hayel Ezzat Othman, and the other one was 127 Fiat Model
1980 belonging to his brother Khaled. 
The cars were completely burnt in the courtyard of the house in the
south of the village and as people could not control and extinguish fire.  The settlers also wrote slogans on the walls
of the house saying “this area is a conflict area.”

 

At
approximately 09:00 on Saturday, 22 December 2012, Israeli forces stormed
Palestinian lands adjacent to the security fence of “Sousia” settlement,
established on the Palestinian lands in east of Yatta, south of Hebron. They
also prevented people from working on their lands and asked them to leave
immediately.  Farmers rejected the
Israeli forces’ decision, so they skirmished. 
Israeli forces used force by beating the farmers and as a result
Mohammed Yousif al-Batsh, 55, a farmer, sustained bruises and minor
injuries.  They also arrested 3 farmers
belonging to 1 family and took them to “Sousia” settlement camp adjacent to the
area.  The arrested are: Mohammed Mahmoud
al-Shamasti, 30; ‘Azmi Mohammed al-Shamasti, 26; and Isa Khalil al-Shamasti,
29.

 

At
approximately 13:30 on Sunday, 23 December 2012, Israeli forces, accompanied
with officers from the Israeli Civilian Administration, stormed al-Khader
village, south of Bethlehem.  They moved
towards “Abu Soud” area adjacent to the annexation wall, west of the village
and submitted 2 civilians destruction notices under the pretext of having no
building permits from the aforementioned department.

 

In
his testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Ahmed Salah, coordinator of the Popular
Committee against the wall and settlements in Khader village, said that Israeli
forces, accompanied with officers from the Israeli Civilian Administration,
stormed the village and submitted 2 notices of destruction to Taha Hammad
Salah, 45, and Ali Salim Mousa, 60, 2 destruction notices.  He also noted that the house of the former is
a 2-storey, under-construction house and under construction while the house of
the later are still only foundations and water well.  It should be noted that the house of this
civilian had already been destroyed more than once in addition to the house of
his son, Ahmed, who was earlier notified about destroying it.

 

At
approximately 15:30 on Sunday, 22 December 2012, a group of settlers, coming
from “Nokadeem” settlement, south of Bethlehem, under the protection of Israeli
forces attacked  Abed Ali Mohammed
Khamis, 28, and his daughter, Ayat, 11, living in Beit Ta’amor Beit, east of
the city, while they were grazing sheep in al-Faridais area.  The settlers released dogs at the sheep
resulting in the killing of two sheep and the injury of 8 others.  The aforementioned civilian and his daughter
were terrified and so taken to the clinic of the village.

 

At
approximately 08:00 on Tuesday, 24 December 2012, a group of settlers, coming
from “Sousia” settlement, established on the Palestinian lands, east of Yatta,
south of Hebron, denied Palestinian farmers access to their lands located
between “Sousia” and “ Hafat Ma’aoun” settlements, east of the aforementioned
city. Therefore, they skirmished and the Israeli forces then stormed the area,
attacked the farmers by hands and denied them access to their lands.

 

In
his testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Rateb al-Jobour, Member of the Popular
Committee against Settlements, said that Israeli forces stormed farmlands, east
of Yatta, and attacked the farmers while working on their lands.  He also noted that the settlers came to the
area, intercepted farmers, and attacked them to deny them access to their lands
to seize them.

 

At
approximately 12:00 on Monday, 24 December 2012, Israeli forces, accompanied
with a vehicle belonging to the Planning and Building Department of the Civil
Administration, stormed Wad al-Nis village, south of Bethlehem.  They went to Jabal abu Nassar area, east of
the village, and submitted 20 destruction notices to the houses in the
aforementioned area.  Walid Abu Hammad,
President of Wad al-Nis Association, reported that 4 of the houses which were
notified are inhabited for 10 years and belong to: Riyad Mousa Abu Hammad, Adli
Ahmed Abu Hammad, Mousa Mohammed Abu Saqer, and Mustafa Ahmed Abu Hammad, while
the other 16 houses are still under construction.  Israeli forces ordered the owners of the houses
to stop building in preparation for destroying them after completing the legal
procedures and pointed out that the destruction orders will be carried out even
if the houses were built and inhabited by their owners.  Abu Hammad also said that this is the second
time in which the houses are being notified and that Israeli forces brought
maps, including a scheme for establishing a new settler road in the same area
to become the sixth street for settlers at the expense of the village lands.

 

At
approximately 08:00 on Wednesday, 26 December 2012, Israeli forces, accompanied
with a vehicle belonging to the Israeli Office of Administration and
Organization, stormed Khelet al-Ras area, west of Ezna village, west of
Hebron.  They spread among houses,
surrounded the area, and handed 8 civilians, including a physically disabled person,
notices to stop work on their houses. 
The notified houses belong to:

 

1- Ibrahim Mahmoud
Faraj Allah, 38, an inhabited house built on an area of 140 square meters.

2- Naser Hashem
al-Batran, 32, an inhabited house built on an area of 120 square meters.

3- Baker Zeeb
Faraj Allah, 25, a house under construction.

4- Tariq Abdel
Karim Faraj Allah, 31, a house built on an area of 130 square meters in its
finishing stage.

5- Naser Zeeb
Faraj Allah, 26, a house built on an area of 130 square meters, in its
finishing stage.

6- Mohammed Zeeb
Faraj Allah, 37, a house under construction built on an area of 140 square
meters.

7- Ahmed Zeeb
Faraj Allah, 29, a house under construction built on an area of 130 square
meters.

8- Rashad Abdel
Fatah al-‘Asoud, 40, an inhabited house built on an area of 110 square meters.

 

 

 

 

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).