Civilian establishments bulldozed by IOF in the east of Gaza city
on 21 April 2011

 

 

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

 

 

· A Palestinian worker
from Hebron was wounded and arrested by IOF while trying to have access to
Israel for work.

 

· IOF continued
to target Palestinian workers, farmers and fishermen in border areas in the
Gaza Strip

–A
Palestinian farmer was wounded in the northern
Gaza Strip.

–IOF
fired at Palestinian fishermen at sea and no casualties were reported.

 

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

– Six protesters,
including a child and a Spanish human rights defender, were wounded. 

– IOF arrested 5 protesters,
including a child and three international human rights defenders.

 

· IOF conducted 25
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and two incursions
into the Gaza Strip. 

– IOF arrested 8
Palestinian civilians, including 4 children.

– IOF raided
Tareq Ben Zeyad Secondary School in Hebron.

– IOF bulldozed
eight tin-made stores owned by PADICO.

 

· Israel has
continued to impose a total siege on the Gaza Strip and tightened the siege on
the West Bank.

– IOF have
totally closed off the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for Passover for the second
week.

– IOF arrested at
least four Palestinians, including two children, at military checkpoints in the
West Bank.

– IOF maltreated
a Palestinian worker and sniffer dogs bit him.

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (21 – 27 April 2011):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, IOF
wounded eight civilians, including a child, in the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip.  Five of the wounded, including a
child and a Spanish human rights defender, were wounded in peaceful protests in
the West Bank and a Palestinian worker was wounded in the far southwest of
Hebron while trying to have access to Israel for work. In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian farmer was
wounded when IOF fired at Palestinian farmers in the northern Gaza Strip.

 

In the West Bank, during the
reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations
organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of
the annexation wall in the West Bank. As
a result, six civilians, including a child and a Spanish human rights defender,
were wounded. Five of them were wounded in Bil’ein ‘sweekly protest in the west
of Ramallah, while the child was wounded in Nabi Saleh’s protest in the
northwest of Ramallah. In addition,
dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders
participating in peaceful protests in the West Bank suffered from tear gas
inhalation and bruises as they were beaten by IOF.

 

On 24 April 2011, a Palestinian
worker was wounded when IOF stationed in “al-Kharouba” border area in
the southwest of al-Ramadin village, southwest of Hebron, opened fire at
him. IOF opened fire before and after intentionally
letting sniffer dogs attack the Palestinian worker and eat his flesh. They then arrested him and transferred him
later to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. The arrested Palestinian was transferred
later to an Israeli detention center. It
should be noted that this crime is the fourth of its kind documented by PCHR
within two weeks in Hebron.

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 21 April 2011, a Palestinian farmer
was wounded when IOF positioned on the border opened fire at Palestinian
farmers and shepherds who were in their farms or in the jungle in al-Qutbania
area in the southeast of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. The
wounded Palestinian was on his land which is approximately 900 meters far from
the border.

 

On 23 April 2011, IOF gunboats positioned off al-Waha resort in the
west of Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip, fired shells and opened
intensive fire at Palestinian fishing boats. They also fired many flash bombs. Palestinian fishermen escaped as a result in fear of being wounded or
arrested.  No casualties or damages in
property were reported.

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 25 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 8
Palestinian civilians, including 4 children.

 

On
21 April 2011, IOF positioned and deployed in the south of Hebron raided
“Tareq Ben Zeyad Secondary School” which is located to the south of
the Ibrahimi Mosque in the south of Hebron. IOF claimed that an IOF patrol was stoned while passing by the
school. IOF arrested a student from the
school and transferred him to an IOF police station near “Kiryat
Arba’a” settlement, southeast of Hebron. The student was placed under investigation and was released in the
afternoon on the same day.

 

IOF
have continued to attempt to prevent international human rights defenders from
participating in peaceful assemblies against settlement activities and the construction
of the annexation wall. AS part of these
attempts, IOF arrested five participants in peaceful protests, including a
child, Amed Nafez Abdul Al, 17, three international human rights defenders and
a Palestinian civilian, Fadel Tamim Hussein Tamimi, 51. The child, Abdul Al, was released six hours
later.  

 

In
the Gaza strip, during the reporting period, IOF conducted two limited
incursions. On 21 April 2011, IOF moved
approximately 200 meters into the southeast of the area adjacent to al-Mentar
(Karni) crossing in the east of Shajaeya neighborhood, east of Gaza City. IOF bulldozed eight tin-made stores belonging
to Palestine Development and Investment Company (PADICO) which is owned by
Palestinian businessman Munib al-Masri and managed by Wadi’ Mohammed Shaaban
al-Masri, 48. The bulldozed stores were built on an area of approximately 4,200
square meters. 

 

On
27 April 2011, amid intensive firing, IOF moved approximately 70 meters into the
east of Wadi al-Salqa village, east of Deir al-Balah. IOF bulldozed and leveled
lands along the border and no casualties were reported.

 

Restrictions
on Movement:

 

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

 

Gaza
Strip

 

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

 

It should be noted that the Israeli occupation
authorities have worked over the past three years to make Karm Abu Salem
crossing, which is not appropriate for commercial purposes, as Gaza’s major and
sole crossing.  For this purpose, on 02 March 2011, the Israeli occupation
authorities totally closed al-Mentar (“Karni”) crossing which is the
major and largest commercial crossing in the Gaza Strip in terms of its
absorptive capacity to receive Gaza’s imports and exports.  In the
beginning of 2010, the Israeli occupation authorities closed Nahal Oz crossing,
east of Gaza City, which was dedicated for the supplies of fuel and cooking gas
to Gaza, and shifted fuel supplies to Karm Abu Salem crossing.  Three
years ago, these authorities totally closed Sofa crossing, southeast of Khan
Younis, and shifted humanitarian aid and food items which used to be delivered
via Sofa crossing to Karm Abu Salem crossing. 

· 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. Facts on the ground refute IOF’s allegation
that they daily allow the export of 10 truckloads of agricultural products.

· Recently, IOF allowed the exportation of very
limited quantities of Gaza’s agricultural products, including flowers and
tomatoes, to European markers.

· For approximately four 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 international diplomats, journalists
and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip.

·  For approximately 46 months, IOF have
continued to deny approximately 710 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.

 

West
Bank

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

· IOF continue to
harass and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the
construction of the annexation wall.

 

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

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (21 – 27 April 2011)

 

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

 

Thursday, 21 April 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Qiffin village, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Antarish neighborhood in al-Bireh. They raided and searched the house of Dr.
Ahmed Suleiman Qatamesh, 61.  Before
their withdrawal at approximately 01:40, they arrested Qatamesh and transferred
him to “Ofer” interrogation center, southwest of Ramallah.

 

A lawyer from Addameer Prisoner
Support and Human Rights Association managed to visit Qatamesh one day after
his arrest. The lawyer said that
Qatemesh had not been placed under investigations yet. He also said that IOF officers told Qatamesh
that they would ask the court to issue a decision to place him under
administrative detention. This proves
that Qatamesh was arrested for his intellectual and political activities, not
for “security” reasons as alleged by IOF.

 

· At
approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets and took position in the Western
neighborhood. They then raided an apartment
in an apartment building near al-Rawda mosque. They arrested three Palestinians, including a child, from the Gaza
Strip:

1. Mohammed Fayez
Ghazi Afana, 17, from al-Burej refugee camp;

2. Adnan Ali
Suleiman al-Tawil, 31, from al-Nussairat refugee camp; and

3. Mohammed Ahmed
Salim Abu Amra, 29, from Deir al-Balah.

 

· At
approximately 08:30, IOF moved approximately 200 meters into the southeast of
the area adjacent to al-Mentar (Karni) crossing in the east of Shajaeya
neighborhood, east of Gaza City. IOF bulldozed
eight tin-made stores belonging to Palestine Development and Investment Company
(PADICO) which is owned by Palestinian businessman Munib al-Masri and managed
by Wadi’ Mohammed Shaaban al-Masri, 48.

 

The bulldozed stores were built on an area of approximately 4,200 square
meters. Four of the stores contained
materials, including construction materials, tin and water pumps, for Palestine
Industrial Estates Development and Management Company, Gaza (PIEDCO).

 

Two of the stores were leased by Mohammed Alaa Subhi al-Shurafa,
44, who is the owner of WINPAL, two of them contained diapers, tissue paper and
cleaning supplies, while the remaining two stores were leased by Khader Erqayeq
and contained iron scrap. IOF withdrew
at approximately 12:00 and deployed beyond the border after totally destroying
the stores.

 

· At
approximately 10:15, IOF positioned and deployed in the south of Hebron raided
“Tareq Ben Zeyad Secondary School” which is located to the south of
the Ibrahimi Mosque in the south of Hebron. IOF claimed that an IOF patrol was stoned while passing by the school.

 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately
10:15, approximately 20 IOF soldiers destroyed the door of Tareq Ben Zeyad
Secondary School and stormed into the yard. They pointed their guns at the students and chased them amid a barrage
of sound bombs. IOF arrested Yaaqoub Husam al-Rajabi, 18, and transferred him
to IOF police station near “Kriat Arba” settlement, southeast of
Hebron. Al-Rajabi was placed under investigation and was released later.

 

· At
approximately 10:40, IOF moved into al-Bireh. They patrolled in the streets. They withdrew and no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 18:00, IOF positioned on the border opened fire at Palestinian
farmers and shepherds who were in their farms or in the jungle in al-Qutbania
area in the southeast of Beit Hanounin the northern Gaza Strip. Kamel Hassan
Abdullah al-Hessi, 46, fron al-Nazleh was wounded by a bullet that entered from
beneath the left shoulder and exited from the center of the chest. Al-Hessi was in a farm owned by him and by
Jamal Mohammed Halawa. Immediately, Halawa transferred al-Hessi on a motorcycle
to Kamal Odwan Martyr Hospital. They
arrived at the hospital at approximately 18:55. It was found out the bullet did not hit any of the internal organs,
especially the heart, and al-Hessi’s wounds were described to be between light
and moderate.

 

Al-Hessi said that at approximately 15:30, he headed with his sons,
Tamer, 22, and Hazem, 18, and with his partner Jamal Halawa to irrigate their
land which is located approximately 900 meters far from the border in the east
of al-Qutbania area in the southeast of Beit Hanoun. They arrived at their land at approximately 16:00
and started to work in their farm.  At
approximately 18:00, IOF positioned on observation towers on the border opened
intensive fire from their machine guns at Palestinian shepherds who approached
the border. Shepherds and Palestinian
farmers who were in their farms fled the area. At approximately 18:20, IOF sporadically fired at the area and al-Hessi,
his family and his partner lay down on the ground especially as bullets were
flying above them. At approximately
18:30, al-Hessi felt he was wounded and told his partner who transferred him to
Kamal Odwan Hospital in Beit Lahia on a motorcycle. After medical examination, it was found out
that the bullet was just few millimeters far from the heart.

 

Friday, 22 April 2011

 

· At
approximately 09:00, IOF moved into al-Funduq village, east of Qaqilya, and they
patrolled in the streets. One of the
owners of shops located in the main street said that IOF forced them to close
their shops till 13:00 because Israeli settlers were organizing for a
demonstration in the area. The shops
which were forced to close are owned by Azmi Mahmoud Hafez Tayem who sells
construction materials; Umar Ahmed Mohammed Mheisen who owns a supermarket and
a butchery; and Adel Hanatsh who owns a supermarket.  

 

Saturday, 23 April 2011

·  

· At
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Qiffin village, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· At
approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Kharabtha al-Musbah village, west of
Ramallah.  They patrolled in the
streets. They withdrew later and no
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 03:00, IOF gunboats positioned off al-Waha resort in the west of
Beit Lahiatown in the northern Gaza Strip, fired shells and opened intensive
fire at Palestinian fishing boats. They
also fired flash bombs. Palestinian
fishermen escaped as a result in fear of being wounded or arrested. No
casualties or damages to property were reported.

 

· At
approximately 11:15, IOF moved into Jalboun village, east of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· At
approximately 14:00, IOF moved into Kafr Ra’i village, south of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 14:00, IOF moved into Allar village, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· At
approximately 19:30, IOF moved into Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 20:25, IOF moved into Beit Leqia village, west of Ramallah. They provocatively drove in the streets. They claxoned now and then to bother
Palestinians. Some boys gathered and
stoned IOF who immediately responded by firing bullets, rubber-coated metal
bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs. Many civilians suffered gas inhalation as a result. IOF withdrew later
and no arrests or casualties were reported.  

 

Sunday, 24 April 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:35, IOF moved into Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for
some time. They withdrew at
approximately 02:45 and no house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 18:35, IOF moved into Nabi Elias village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 19:05, IOF moved into the area located in the east of Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilia.  IOF drove in
the area, scanned it and withdrew later.

 

· At
approximately 21:00, IOF moved into Jayous village, north of Qalqilya. They raided the village starting from three
main points: three military vehicles entered from the gate established in the
annexation wall, another three vehicles entered from the east and an IOF force
of soldiers positioned inside gate no. 943 entered from al-Mentar area in the
west of Jayous village. IOF arrested
Mohammed Wasfi Mahmoud Khaled, 15, and Ahmed Mohmmed Kamel al-Khatib, 16,
claiming that the two children were trying to cut the wire surrounding the
gate, which was closed for three consecutive days and which is the local
farmers’ only way to their farms. In
view of the closure of the gate, farmers in the village are forced to walk
approximately 2.5 kilometers to have access to their lands. After the arrests, at approximately 21:40, IOF
raided a coffee shop in the village and threatened the people in the coffee
shop telling them that they would arrest them if the fence is damaged. As IOF left, Palestinians stoned IOF vehicles
and IOF responded by firing flash bombs, tear gas canisters and sound
bombs. IOF withdrew at approximately
22:30 with the two arrested children.

 

· At
approximately 23:20, IOF moved into Hijja village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 23:30, IOF moved into Imatin village, southeast of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

Monday, 25 April 2011

 

· At
approximately 09:40, IOF moved into Izbat al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya. They searched Palestinian lands surrounding
the village. They withdrew later and no
incidents were reported.

 

· At
approximately 19:15, IOF moved into Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· At
approximately 20:00, IOF moved into Jinsafout, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

 

Tuesday, 26 April 2011

 

· At
approximately 14:00, IOF moved into Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets. A member of Azzoun Municipality stated that
IOF raided the village from the western entrance and drove to al-Safha area in
the village. They stopped all the locals
they met and checked their ID cards. They raided an internet coffee owned by Murad Mahmoud Rudwan, 27. They surrounded the internet coffee for
approximately one hour. They took the ID
cards of the people who were in the internet coffee and questioned them about
the persons who throw stones at the main street. At approximately 15:00, IOF released the held
persons and withdrew. No arrests were
reported.

 

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

 

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Tubas. They raided and searched a house belonging to
Mahmoud Adib Maslamani, 37. Before
withdrawing, they arrested Maslamani who spent 18 years in Israeli jails and
who was released just six months ago. Maslamani is suffering from bad health conditions and he is in press
need for medications.

 

· Also at approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Awarta village, southeast
of Nablus. Amid intensive firing of
sound bombs aimed at annoying and terrifying locals, IOF drove in the
streets. They raided a house belonging
to Amjad Fawzi Awwad, who is one of the persons accused of the implementation
of the attack in “Itamar” settlement in which five settlers were
killed.  IOF forced the Awwad family to
leave the house. They searched the house
and destroyed its content. IOF withdrew
at approximately 04:00 and no arrests or casualties were reported.

 

· At approximately 07:30, amid intensive firing, IOF moved
approximately 70 meters into the east of Wadi al-Salqa village, east of Deir
al-Balah. IOF bulldozed and leveled lands along the border and no casualties
were reported.

 

 

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

 

During
the reporting period, IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized
by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders
in protest to the construction of the Wall and settlement activities in the
West Bank. As a result, 6 civilians,
including a child and a Spanish activist, were wounded. Additionally, dozens of
Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders suffered from tear gas
inhalation and others sustained bruises.

   

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 22 April 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders, including Luisa Morgantini, former
Vice President of the European Parliament, Australian parliamentarians and Belgian
singers, organized a peaceful demonstration in Bil’ein village, west of
Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the annexation wall. This weekly demonstration coincided with the
annual anniversary of the late activist, Basem Abu Rahma, who was killed in a
similar demonstration in the said village. The demonstrators raised posters of MP Marwan al-Barghouthi and the
Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni.  Israeli
soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs
and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation
and sustained bruises, and 5 others were wounded:

 

1) Mohammed Nabil
Ahmed Abu Rahmah, 18, wounded by a bullet to the right leg;

2) Nacho, 36, a
Spanish activist, wounded by a bullet to the left leg;

3) Ahmed Ibrahim
Ahmed Abu Rahma, 35, hit by a tear gas canister to the left leg;

4) Mohammed Ahmed
Hamad, 20, wounded by a tear gas canister to the right leg; and

5) Mohammed Ahmed
Isa Yassin, 22, wounded by a tear gas canister to the right leg.

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 22 April 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest against the
construction of the annexation wall. They clashed with Israeli troops positioned near the Wall. Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal
bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. As a result, a number of demonstrators
suffered from tear gas inhalation. 

 

· At the same
time, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human
rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh village,
northwest of Ramallah, in protest against land confiscations. When the demonstrators attempted to reach
areas of land seized by Israeli settlers near “Halmish” settlement,
Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas
canisters at them. As a result, Mohammed
Belal Abdul Salam Tamimi, 12, was hit by a tear gas canister to the right
side. A number of demonstrators also
suffered from tear gas inhalation. Additionally, IOF arrested 5 civilians, including a child and 3
international human rights defeners:

 

1) Ahmed Nafez Abdul ‘Al, 17; and

2) Fadel Tamim Hassan Tamimi, 51;

 

The 3 other international activists were transported to an unknown
destination, and they remain anonymous.

 

3. Continued
Closure of the OPT

 

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

 

Gaza
Strip

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

· Israel had
continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing
to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social
visits.

 

· Israel has
imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists
and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented
representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from
entering the Gaza Strip.

 

· Living
conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated;
levels of poverty and unemployment have mounted sharply.

 

Movement
at Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

 

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

20-26
April 2011

 

 

Note: The
majority of Palestinians allowed to travel to Egypt on Sunday, Monday and
Tuesday, 24, 25 and 26 April, were heading to Saudi Arabia to perform the small
pilgrimage.

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

20-26
April 2011

 

 

Notes:

 

· On Wednesday, 20 April 2011, IOF allowed the entry of 1,482 tons of
fodders.

· On Thursday, 21 April 2011, IOF allowed the entry of 601 tons of
cement and 28 tons of iron for UNRWA, in addition to 1,560 tons of fodders.

· On Sunday, 24 April 2011, IOF allowed the entry of 702 tons of
wheat.  

· On Tuesday, 26 April 2011, IOF allowed the entry of 120 tons of
cement and 30 tons of iron for UNRWA. They also allowed the entry of 30 tons of cement for ANERA.

 

Exports  

· On Wednesday, 20 April 2011, 108,000 flowers were exported.

· On Sunday, 24 April 2011, 94,000 flowers were exported. 

It should be noted that IOF closed the crossing on Monday, 25 April 2011, because of the
Jewish holidays.

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

 

On Sunday, 24 April 2011, IOF completely closed Beit Hanoun (Erez)
crossing for the movement of persons, excluding 2 patients and their companions
and other patients in ambulances. It was
also closed on Monday, 25 April 201, under the pretext of the Jewish
holidays. However, it was reopened on
Tuesday, 26 April 2011.

 

Movement
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

20-26
April 2011

 

 

The West Bank

 

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

 

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

In this context, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday corresponding to 22,23and
24 April 2011, the Israeli troops stationed at the checkpoint (130) in northern
Bethlehem and leading to Jerusalem imposed additional restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians. Additionally, they prevented hundreds of Christians from Bethlehem, Beit
Jala and Beit Sahour from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and other
holy places in Jerusalem to celebrate Good Friday “the anniversary of the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ”, after Holy Saturday and Easter day.   

 

· Ramallah: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of the Palestinian
civilians in Ramallah, particularly, “Jaba’ – Qalandia” checkpoint
that was established in the southeast of Ramallah. At approximately 11:00 on Thursday, 21 April
2011, IOF established a checkpoint between Silwad village and al-Mazra’a
al-Sharqiya village, northeast of Ramallah. At approximately 06:00, IOF established a similar checkpoint near the
entrance of Bitin village, northeast of Ramallah.

At
approximately 08:00 on Friday, 22 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint near
the entrance of Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah. Silwadvillage,
northeast of Ramallah. No arrests were
reported. At approximately 16:30 on the
same day, IOF established a similar checkpoint near the entrance of Beit ‘Our
al-Foqa village, west of Ramallah, while they re-established their presence at
‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately 09:30 on Sunday, 24 April 2011, IOF
established a checkpoint near the entrance of Beit Liqya village, west of
Ramallah.

 

· Nablus: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. At approximately 06:00 on
Sunday, 24 April 2011, following killing an Israeli settler and wounding 3
others in Joseph Tomb, east of Nablus, IOF imposed severe restrictions, while
they re-established their presence at other checkpoints, including Beit Foreek,
Nablus and al-Bathan checkpoints and other. 

 

· Qalqilya: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians.  On Thursday, 21 April 2011,
IOF established 11 checkpoints around the town. On Monday, 25 April 2011, IOF established 6 checkpoints around the
town. 

 

· Tulkarm: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. At approximately 14:30 on
Thursday, 21 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Qiffin
village, north of Tulkarm. They stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. Additionally, they established a
checkpoint on Tulkarm – Nablus road near the entrance of Bazarya village, east
of Tulkarm. At approximately 20:30, IOF
established a checkpoint on Tulkarm – Qalqilia road near the intersection of
al-Ras village, south of Tulkarm. 

At approximately 18:00 on Friday, 22 April 2011, IOF established a
checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Leed village, east of Tulkarm. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles.

At approximately 09:00 on Saturday, 23 April 2011, IOF stationed at
Ennab checkpoint stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At approximately 11:15 on the same day, IOF
established a checkpoint at the northern entrance of Beit Leed village, east of
Tulkarm, while they established a checkpoint on Tulkarm – Nablus road, near the
intersection of Bazarya village, east of Tulkarm. At the same time, IOF established a
checkpoint on Tulkarm – Qalqilya road, at Jbarah area, south of Tulkarm. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
12:15, IOF established a checkpoint at Tulkarm – Qalqilya road, at Jbarah area,
south of Tulkarm. At approximately
14:30, IOF established a checkpoint at Qiffin – eastern Baqa road, north of
Tulkarm.

At approximately 07:30 on Sunday, 24 April 2011, IOF established a
checkpoint at the entrance of Eastern Baqa village, north of Tulkarm. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian
vehicles.

 

· Jenin: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 08:00 on Thursday, 21 April
2011, IOF established a checkpoint at the intersection of Zabboubah village,
northwest of Jenin. They stopped and
searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.

 

· Jericho: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. At approximately 19:50 on
Thursday, 21 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint near the entrance of
Fasayel village, north of Jericho. They
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.

 

· Salfit: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. At approximately 11:45 on
Monday, 25 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint at the western entrance of
Hares village, north of Salfit. At
approximately 12:00, IOF established a checkpoint at the southern entrance of Kufol
Hares village, north of Salfit. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian
vehicles. 

 

Arrests at Military Checkpoints

 

• At
  approximately 16:30 on Thursday, 21 April 2011, Israeli troops stationed
  at a checkpoint, northwest of Hebron, arrested Hussein Tayseer Hussein
  Tnaina, 16, and Jamal Nasser Hassan Shalalfah, 17 from Tarqoumia village.

According to investigating conducted by PCHR,
Israeli troops stationed a checkpoint near al-Liyah intersection with bypass
road (35), leading to villages north and west of Hebron, arrested Tnaina and
Shalalfah while they were going home in Tarqoumia. They beat, handcuffed and detained them for a
few hours before they were transported to a police station near “Kiryat
Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron. The two children were questioned regarding “stoning the Israeli
troops”. Later, they were detained,
handcuffed and blindfolded in the open air of the Israeli police station from
18:00 to 04:00 on Friday, 22 April 2011, and then transported to “Kfar
Etzion” detention center, southwest of Bethlehem.

According to information collected by PCHR,
Tnaina is a 10-grade student suffering from a mental disorder, while Shalalfa
is a student in the 11^th grade.

 

· At
approximately 05:00 on Sunday, 24 April 2011, Israeli troops arrested ‘Ammar
Saber Hamad Suleiman, 23, from ‘Asalah village, east of Qalqilya while he was
passing via ‘Asalah gate established in the village from the western side. According to investigations conducted by
PCHR, at approximately 05:00, Suleiman was heading to his farm located behind
the annexation wall. He was mistakenly
carrying his brother’s permit and ID. Once the Israeli troops saw him, he was directly arrested and
transported to an unknown destination so far.

 

 Harassments at
Military Checkpoints

 

• On Sunday
  morning, 24 April 2011, Israeli troops stationed at al-Kharrouba area, southwest
  of al-Ramadeen village neighboring the annexation wall, deliberately fired
  at Hatem Abdul Razeq Ahmed Talahma, 45, from al-Burj village in the west
  of Doura town, southwest of Hebron. He was fired at before and after letting sniffer dogs attack him. Later, he was detained and transported
  to Soroka hospital in Beersheba. After that, he was transported to another detention center. He sustained moderate to serious wounds
  due to firing at him in the right hand and to being mauled by the sniffer
  dogs.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and testimony of the
victim’s son, Isma’il Hatem Talahma, 19, at approximately 08:00 on the
abovementioned day, Talahma and other workers were crossing the border via a
hole in the annexation wall at Kharrouba area to the inside of the “Green
Line” areas. During which, they
felt the existence of Israeli troops, as a result, they ran away
immediately. However, Talahma was not
able to run away because he was ill. Suddenly, 4 Israeli soldiers appeared and surrounded him. One of them let a sniffer dog attack him, but
Talahma struggled to survive. After the
soldiers intervened, another soldier fired deliberately at Talahma from a distance
of less than 5 meters. As a result, he was wounded by a bullet to the right
hand. Later, the Israeli soldiers let the sniffer dog attack him again, while
he was lying on the ground. The dog had
mauled him for more than 10 minutes, concentrating on the wounded hand.

 

In his testimony to PCHR’s field workers, the son said:

 

“After that, the Israeli soldiers had left
my father bleeding and lying on the ground for more than 2 hours without
offering any medication or help. During
which, my father was able to call me through his mobile phone to inform me of
what had happened, asking me to bring a car to transport him to a hospital. It seems that this happened before an Israeli
ambulance called by the soldiers arrived. He was transported by the Israeli ambulance to Soroka hospital in
Beersheba … it was difficult for me to reach the hospital and visit my father.  I listened to his story in detail after
receiving medical treatment and 2 units of blood. While I was at hospital and before completing
the necessary treatment, an Israeli force came at approximately 17:00 on the
said day. They detained my father and
transported him to a police station near “Kiryat Arba” settlement
under the pretext of questioning him regarding his wounds and “entering
Israel without a permit”. The
following day, on Monday 25 April 2011, I knew via a phone call with an officer
in the mentioned police station that my father was detained and transported to
“Kfar Etzion” detention center. Later, he was transported to Ofer prison, southwest of Ramallah, where
he is under detention, waiting for bringing him to a military trial as far as I
know.”

 

It should be noted that the victim Talahma is a father of 6
children. He suffers from serious health
problems in the heart and kidney, and needs regular medical care. Therefore, detaining him constitutes a threat
on his life. 

 

 

 

 

Recommendations to the International
Community

 

 

1. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva
Convention to fulfill their legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the
Convention to ensure Israel’s respect for the Convention in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory. PCHR believes
that the conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has
encouraged Israel to act as if it is above the law and encourages Israel
continue to violate international human rights and humanitarian law.

 

2. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva
Convention to convene a conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel’s
respect of the Convention in the OPT and to provide immediate protection for
Palestinian civilians.

 

3. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva
Convention to comply with their legal obligations detailed in Article 146 of
the Convention to search for and prosecute those responsible for grave
breaches, namely war crimes.

 

4. PCHR calls for the immediate implementation of the Advisory Opinion
issued by the International Court of Justice, which considers the construction
of the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank illegal.

 

5. PCHR recommends that international civil society organizations,
including human rights organizations, bar associations and NGOs, participate in
the process of exposing those accused of grave breaches of international law
and urge their governments to bring the
perpetrators to justice.

 

6. PCHR calls upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the
Euro-Israel Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect
human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states
and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the
EU states to prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements
in the OPT.

 

7. PCHR calls on the international community to recognize the Gaza
disengagement plan, which was implemented in September 2005, for what it is –
not an end to occupation but a compounding of the occupation and the
humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. 

 

8. In recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva
Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in
the OPT, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails.

 

9. PCHR appreciates the efforts of international civil society,
including human rights organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and
urges them to continue their role in pressuring their governments to secure
Israel’s respect for human rights in the OPT and to demand Israel end its
attacks on Palestinian civilians.

 

10. PCHR calls upon the international community to pressure Israel to
lift the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its
occupation forces on access for international organizations to the OPT.

 

11. PCHR reiterates that any political settlement not based on
international human rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful
and just solution of the Palestinian question. Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and
instability in the region. Any peace
process or agreement must be based on respect for international law, including
international human rights and humanitarian law.

 

 

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Public Document

For further information please visit
our website (www.pchrgaza.org) or contact
PCHR’s office in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email (pchr@pchrgaza.org) or telephone (+972 (0)8
282 4776 – 282 5893).