The Israeli forces have continued to close Karm Abu Salem
and Beit Hanoun (Eirez) crossings for the seventh consecutive day.

 

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

 

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

4
protestors were wounded in the center and south of the West Bank, including a
Norwegian human rights defender and a Palestinian one.

 

The Israeli forces
conducted 37 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

26
Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were arrested in the West Bank.

A
Palestinian child was arrested while attempting to cross the borders into
Israel in the Gaza Strip.

 

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

During the reporting period, the border
crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel were completely closed for 5 days.

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

3
Palestinian children were arrested at checkpoints.

 

The Israeli
forces have continued to attack the Palestinian fishermen in the sea.

The
Israeli forces fired at Palestinian fishing boats, but no casualties were
reported.

The
Israeli forces reduced the allowed fishing area to 3 nautical miles.

 

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

3
dunums were confiscated to expand al-Jalama commercial crossing, north of
Jenin.

The
Israeli forces started leveling lands in al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem,
to build dozens of housing units.

Large
areas of agricultural land in Nahalin village, west of Bethlehem, were
confiscated.

The
settlers continued their attacks against the Palestinian civilians and their
property.

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt
continued during the reporting period 21 – 27 March 2013:

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, the
Israeli forces wounded 4 protestors, including a Norwegian human rights
defender and member of the board of directors of Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human
Rights Center, in the West Bank.  In the
Gaza Strip, the Israeli forces continued to fire at the Palestinian fishing
boats in order to minimize the allowed fishing area to 3 nautical miles instead
of 6 nautical miles.    

 

During the reporting period, the
Israeli forces continued to systematically use excessive force against peaceful
protests organized by Palestinians and Israeli and international activists against
the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West
Bank and other protests in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger
strike in the Israeli jails.  As a
result, dozens of protesters suffered from tear gas inhalation and other
sustained bruises.

 

In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli
forces continued to chase the Palestinian fishermen in the sea.  PCHR’s fieldworkers documented 4 shooting
incidents on Palestinian fishing boats that were sailing 3 nautical miles off
al-Waha resort, northwest of Beit Lahia in the north of the Gaza Strip.  As a result of the attacks, the fishermen
were obliged to flee back to the shore fearing of being wounded or arrested.  However, neither casualties nor material
damage were reported.

 

It should be noted that on Thursday,
21 March 2013, the Israeli forces announced reducing the allowed fishing area
from 6 to 3 nautical miles.  Israel
allowed the Palestinian fishermen to sail 6 nautical miles off the Gaza Strip’s
shore following the cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Israel last
November.  

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, the Israeli forces conducted at least 37 military
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  During these incursions, the Israeli forces
arrested at least 26 Palestinians, including 6 children.

 

In
the Gaza Strip, on 24 March 2013, the Israeli forces stationed along the border
fence, east of al-Musaddar village to east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza
Strip, arrested Zeyad Sami Abu Ghuraba, 17, from al-Mussader village, when he
attempted to cross the border into Israel.   

 

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

During the reporting period, the Israeli forces completely closed
the commercial border crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel.  They closed Karm Abu Salem crossing from
Sunday, 24 March 2013 – Wednesday, 27 March 2013, because of the Jewish
holidays.  This closure negatively
affected the entry of goods, construction materials and medical consignments in
the Gaza Strip.  It also had a negative
impact on the living conditions of the Palestinian civilians.  The Israeli forces also imposed comprehensive
security restrictions due to the Jewish Holiday of Passover.  As a result, dozens of thousands of
Palestinian workers were denied access to their work in Israel and occupied
East Jerusalem.  Moreover, the
Palestinian traders were denied access to Israel and/or travel via the border
crossings between the Gaza Strip and West Bank. 

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
21 March 2013, dozens of settlers, coming from a number of settlement outposts
established in the center of the old city of Hebron in the center of the town,
erected big tents and amusement park games in the Ibrahimi Mosque’s garden in
the center of the old city, for celebrations of the Jewish holiday, Passover.

 

On the
same day, Israeli forces started bulldozing tracts of land of approximately 550
dunums in area, belonging to members of Salah family in Batten al-Ma’si area,
southern of al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem.  The Israeli forces issued a decision two
months ago ordering that 114 settlement units be built in the area in order to
expand “Tel Hitamar” settlement outpost, established on lands of
al-Khader village. 

 

 

On
22 March 2013, Israeli forces issued a decision confiscating approximately 3
dunums of the lands of al-Jalama village, northern Jenin, approximate to the
commercial crossing between the West Bank and Israel, under pretext of
expanding the crossing and also for security necessities.  The land is the property of Saleh
Abu-Farha. 

 

On 23 March 2013, Israeli forces, accompanied
by military vehicles, raided the agricultural lands surrounding
“Susiya” settlement, established on Palestinian civilians’ lands
eastern of Yatta, southern of Hebron. 
The soldiers were deployed in the area and banned Palestinian farmers
from accessing their lands under pretext that these areas are closed military
zones.  The Israeli forces assaulted
Palestinian civilians after they refused to leave their lands, and arrested one
of them.

 

On
the same day, a number of settlers from “Havat Gilad” settlement
outpost, established on Palestinian civilians’ lands western of Nablus,
gathered by Nablus – Qalqilya road.  The
settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles as they were passing by the
aforementioned road.

 

On
Sunday, 24 March 2013, dozens of settlers, coming from a number of settlement
outposts established in the center of the old city of Hebron, central Hebron,
raised Israeli flags on historical monuments and ancient ruins in the old city
as well as al-Sahla, al-Shuhada Street and the Ibrahimi Mosque’s playground.

 

On
Sunday, 24 March 2013, the Israeli authorities issued a military decision
ordering that dozens of dunums in Kherbat al-Dair area, southwestern of
Bethlehem, be confiscated.  The goal of
the confiscation of these lands is for the construction of 70 new housing
units, in order to link “Betar Illit” settlement, established on lands of
Housan, Nahalin and Foukein valley villages, to “Jfot” settlement,
which would lead to an almost comprehensive closure of the village, depriving
dozens of families from accessing their agricultural lands in Kherbat al-Dair
area.

 

On
26 March 2013, the Israeli forces prohibited Palestinian civilians from
reconstructing the eastern entrance to Yatta village, south of Hebron, which is
linked to bypass road (60), under pretext that it falls under area (C) which
goes under Israeli jurisdiction according to the Oslo Accords of 1993 and it is
forbidden to make any changes in these areas without obtaining prior permission
from the concerned Israeli authorities.

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period 21– 27 March 2013

 

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

 

 

Thursday, 21 March 2013

 

At
approximately 02:30, the Israeli forces moved into Um al-Sharayet neighborhood,
west of al-Bireh.  They patrolled the
streets for some time and withdrew later. 
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 10:00, the Israeli forces moved into Kafr Dan village, northwest
of Jenin.  They patrolled the streets for
some time and withdrew later.  Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 10:30, the Israeli forces moved into Kherbtha al-Mesbah,
southwest of Ramallah.  They patrolled
the streets for some time and withdrew later. 
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately
19:00, the Israeli forces moved into Zeita village, north of Tulkarm.  They patrolled the streets for some time and
withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 21:00, the Israeli forces moved into the west of Dora al-Qare’a,
northeast of Ramallah.  They patrolled
the streets for some time and then arrested ‘Awad Jamal ‘Awadallah Hassan, 15;
and Hasan Mahmoud Hasan Yasin, 17. 

 

Friday, 22 March 2013

 

At
approximately 14:00, the Israeli forces moved into Bab al-Zawyah area, in
central Hebron.  They patrolled between
shops and then a number of boys gathered to throw stones at them.  Soldiers indiscriminately fired in response
bomb sounds and tear gas canisters at the boys and the houses as well.   As a result, some of the
boys suffered from gas inhalation.  The
Israeli forces withdrew later, and no arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 16:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp,
north of Hebron.  They patrolled the
streets for some time and then stationed in the centre.  They deployed between houses and held
civilians.  A number of boys gathered to
throw stones and empty bottles at the soldiers who fired in response sound
bombs and tear gas canisters and shot live rubber-coated metal bullets at the
boys and houses as well.  As a result, a
number of boys suffered from gas inhalation. 
At approximately 17:00, the Israeli forces withdrew from the camp;
neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
the same time, the Israeli forces moved into al-‘Aqaba area topth south of
Dora, southwest of Hebron.  They deployed
between houses and patrolled the streets. 
A number of boys gathered to throw stones at the soldiers who got out of
their vehicles and started firing tear gas canisters and shooting rubber-coated
metal bullets at them.  As a result, some
boys suffered from gas inhalation.  The
Israeli forces withdrew later and neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

Saturday, 23 March 2013

 

At approximately 02:30, the Israeli
forces moved into Deir Abu Mashghal village, northwest of Ramallah.  They patrolled the streets and then raided
and searched 2 houses.  At approximately
03:20, they arrested Ahmed ‘Omar Ahmed Zahran, 36; and Mahmoud AbdelHafiz
Zahran, 34.

                                                            

Sunday, 24 March 2013

 

At approximately 01:00, the Israeli forces moved into Beit Ummar
village, north of Hebron. They patrolled the streets and then raided and
searched a house belonging to the family of Mos’ab Mohammed Sabarnah, 24, and
arrested him. 

 

At the same time, the Israeli forces moved into Beitounia village,
west of Ramallah.  They patrolled the
streets for some time and they withdrew at approximately 01:30.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

At approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces moved into ‘Arrabah
village, south of Jenin.  They raided and
searched a house belonging to the family of Ahmed Mazen ‘Izzideen, 30, and arrested
him.  The Israeli forces then raided and
searched a house belonging to the family of As’ad Ibrahim Mohammed ‘Izzideen, 49,
uncle of the former, arrested him and confiscated his laptop.  After that, they raided and searched the
houses of the latter’s brothers, Najeeb, 48, and Mohammed,51, and they handed
each of them summons to in order to refer to the Israeli intelligence service in its
office in “Salem” camp, northwest of Jenin. 

 

At approximately 02:30, the Israeli forces moved into Bani Na’im
village, east of Hebron. They patrolled the streets and then raided and
searched a house belonging to the family of Soliman Younis Amwas, 19, and arrested
him. 

 

At the same time, the Israeli forces moved into Shweikah suburb,
north of Tulkarm.  They patrolled the
streets and then raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Hisham
Riyad al-Hafiz Freij, (21), whom they arrested. 
They later withdrew taking him to an unknown destination.

 

At the same time, the Israeli forces moved into Tulkarm.  They patrolled the streets for some time and
then raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Emad Mustafa ahmed
‘Amouri, 54.  They arrested his 2 sons:
Tariq, 24; and Jihad, 18.

 

At approximately 03:00, the Israeli forces moved into Haris
village, northwest of Salfit.  They
raided and searched a number of houses. 
At approximately 04:30, they arrested 3 children and took them to an
unknown destination.  The arrested were
identified as: ‘Ammar ‘Abed Nayef Souf, 17; ‘Ali Yassin ‘Ali ‘Aqel, 17; and
Tamer ‘Ayyad ‘Abed Souf, 17.

At approximately 06:30, the Israeli gunboats stationed off
al-Waha resort, northwest of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire for
about 15 minutes at Palestinian fishing boats that were approximately 3
nautical miles off the shore and tried to move further into the water.  As a result, the fishermen were forced to
flee back to the shore for fear of being arrested or wounded.  Neither
material damage nor casualties were reported.

 

At approximately 07:30, the Israeli gunboats stationed off
al-Waha resort, northwest of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire
at Palestinian fishing boats that were 3 nautical miles off the shore.  As
a result, the fishermen were forced to flee back to the shore for fear of being
arrested or wounded.  Neither material damage nor casualties were
reported.  It should be mentioned that on
Thursday, 21 March 2013, the Israeli authorities declared reducing 6 nautical
miles provided for fishermen to fish in the Gaza sea to 3 nautical miles as under
the November 2012 ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian armed groups, the
fishing limit was supposedly extended to six nautical miles.

 

At approximately 10:00, the Israeli forces stationed on the border
fence with Israel, east of Wadi al-Msaddar village, east of Deir al-Balah in
the central Gaza Strip, arrested Ziyad Sami Hasan Abu Ghrabah, 17, from
al-Msaddar village, while trying to cross the border fence into Israel.  The child’s mother, Nada Hussein Abu Ghrabah,
46, said that a friend of her son called her in the evening hours of the same
day to tell her that Ziad was detained in Avokeem prison in Israel as his
friend received a phone call from the Israeli police telling him that Ziyad was
arrested by them.

 

At approximately 21:00, the Israeli forces moved into ‘Abowein
village, northwest of Ramallah.  They
patrolled the streets for some time and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

Monday, 25
March 2013

 

At
approximately 00:30, the Israeli forces moved into ‘Anza village, south of
Jenin.  They patrolled the streets and
stationed in the center of the western area. 
They then got out of their vehicles and started widely combing the olive
groves near the village from the western side. 
They withdrew later and neither more incidents nor arrests were
reported.

 

At
approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces moved into Balatah refugee camp, east
of Nablus.  They patrolled the streets
and then raided and searched a number of houses.  They arrested Omar Maher Hashash, 20; and Qays
Naser Abu Jneid, 16.

 

At
approximately 03:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-Yamoun village, northwest
of Jenin.  They patrolled the streets and
then raided a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Mahmoud Soliman Abu
al-Hayjaa’, 20, and arrested him.

 

At
approximately 06:00, the Israeli gunboats stationed off al-Waha resort,
northwest of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire for about 20
minutes at Palestinian fishing boats that were approximately 3 nautical miles
off the shore and tried to move further into the water.  As a result, the fishermen were forced to
flee back to the shore for fear of being arrested or wounded.  Neither
material damage nor casualties were reported.

 

At
approximately 09:30, the siralei forces moved into Marji Na’aja, north of
Jericho.  They patrolled the streets for
some time and withdrew later.  No arrests
were reported.

 

At
approximately 10:00, the Israeli forces moved into Kafr ‘Ein village, northwest
of Ramallah.  They patrolled the streets
for some time and withdrew later.  No
arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 19:20, the Israeli gunboats stationed off
al-Waha resort, northwest of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire
for about 15 minutes at Palestinian fishing boats that were approximately 3
nautical miles off the shore and tried to move further into the water.  As a result, the fishermen were forced to
flee back to the shore for fear of being arrested or wounded.  Neither
material damage nor casualties were reported.

 

At
approximately 21:00, the Israeli forces moved into Jenin.  They patrolled the streets of the city and
then the streets of Kharoubah and Sabah al-Kheir suburbs, which both are near
the city.  They held Samer ‘Essam Salim
al-Mahroum, 47, and questioned him on the spot. 
They withdrew later and neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.  It should be mentioned that
the aforementioned is an ex-prisoner, who was released on 18 October 2011 as
part of the Shalit prisoners swap deal. 
He served 25 years in the Israeli jails on charges of affiliation of the
armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).  He was then sentenced to life imprisonment.

 

Tuesday,
26 March 2012

 

At
approximately 01:30, the Israeli forces moved into al-Jalzone refugee camp,
north of Ramallah.  They patrolled the
streets for some time and withdrew later. 
No arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces moved into al-‘Oja village, northeast
of Jericho.  They patrolled the streets
for some time and withdrew later.  No
arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 11:00, the Israeli forces moved into Beit ‘Aor al-Tahtah,
southwest of Ramallah.  They patrolled
the streets for some time and withdrew later. 
No arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 15:00, the Israeli forces
moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron.  They patrolled the streets for some time and
then stationed in the middle.  They deployed
between houses to raise fear among the residents.  A number of boys gathered to throw stones at
the Israeli soldiers who in response indiscriminately fired sound bombs, tear
gas canisters, and rubber-coated metal bullets at the boys and houses as
well.  As a result, some of them suffered
from tear gas inhalation.  The Israeli forces
withdrew later, and neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 21:30, the Israeli forces moved into Beit Loqya village,
southwest of Ramallah.  They patrolled
the streets for some time and then stationed at the main entrance of the
city.  They withdrew later, and neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

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

 

 Wednesday, 27 March 2012

 

At approximately 01:00, the Israeli forces moved into Hebron.  They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 3 civilians affiliated with Hamas movement and a Palestinian Legislative
Council (PLC) member: Mohammed Tahsin Shawar, 58; Amjad al-Jamouri, 37; Jawad
“Mohammed Yehia” al-Ja’abari, 47; and Mohammed Jamal al-Natshah, 54) PLC
member.

 

At approximately 01:30, the Israeli forces moved into Barqa
village, northwest of Nablus.  They
raided and searched a number of houses and detained their residents.  The Israel forces later arrested 4 civilians
and took them to an unknown destination. 
The arrested persons were identified as: Zaid Ghassan Abdellatif Abu
‘Omer, 20; ‘Ammar Ragheb Mohammed Salah, 21; Mohammed Naji Mohammed Abu ‘Omer,
23; and Mohammed Yousif ‘Ali Abu ‘Omer, 19.

 

At approximately 02:00, at approximately 02:00, the Israeli forces
moved into Jenin.  They patrolled the
streets for some time and withdrew later. 
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same time, the Israeli forces moved into Jalqamous village,
southeast of Jenin.  They patrolled the
streets for some time and withdrew later. 
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same time, the Israeli forces moved into Beit Qad village,
east of Jenin.  They patrolled the
streets for some time and withdrew later. 
Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 04:30, the Israeli forces moved into ‘Aydah
refugee camp, north fo Bethlehem.  They
patrolled the streets and then raided and searched a house belonging to the
family of Saddam ‘Abas Sadouq, (20), whom they arrested. 

 

At approximately 12:00, the Israeli forces moved into Beersheba
Street, in the central Hebron.  They
deployed in the place and forced owners of the stores to close their doors and
leave them under the pretext of allowing settlers to visit an archaeological
site, called ‘Aentael Bin Qaz”, in the area. 
A number of young men gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at the
Israeli soldiers who fired tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the boys and
the stores.  No injuries were reported.

 

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 demonstrators sustained
injuries including a 64-year-old Norwegian; also, dozens of civilians suffered
from tear gas inhalation; others sustained bruises.

 

In a relative context, Palestinian
civilians organized peaceful demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails, particularly those on hunger strike.  The Israeli forces used excessive force
against these demonstrations.  As a
result, dozens of civilians suffered tear gas inhalation; others sustained
bruises.

 

Demonstrations
against the Construction of the Annexation Wall and Settlement Activity

 

Following the Friday Prayer on 22 March 2013, dozens of Palestinian
civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a
peaceful demonstration in Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the
construction of the annexation wall and in solidarity with the prisoners on
hunger strike inside Israeli jails.  The
demonstration was held in commemoration of Mohammed ‘Assfour, who had died of
his wounds, sustained on 22 January 2013 in the clashes between Palestinian
civilians and the Israeli forces at the eastern entrance of ‘Aboud village, on
07 March 2013.  The demonstrators marched
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
pictures of prisoners and made their way towards the lands adjacent to the
annexation wall.  The Israeli forces
closed all ways and entrances to the village since early morning hours, to
prevent Palestinians, journalists and international activists from joining the
protest.  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, Norwegian
solidarity activist, Harold Hawka, 64, was hit by a tear gas canister to the
right leg, and dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and
others sustained bruises.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer, 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, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation
and others sustained bruises.

 

 

Around the same time on Friday, 22 March 2013, dozens of
Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders
gathered in the Martyrs Square in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to
organize a weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation
wall and settlement activities and in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners
inside Israeli jails.  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.

 

Following the Friday Prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians from
‘Aboud village, international and Israeli human rights gathered in the center
of ‘Aboud village, northwest of Ramallah, for a demonstration in protest to the
construction of the wall, settlement activity and in solidarity with prisoners
on hunger strike inside Israeli jails. 
The demonstrators marched in the streets of the village, raised the flag
of Palestine and headed towards the western entrance of the village,
approximate to the annexation wall.  The
demonstrators threw stones and empty bottles at the Israeli forces, who were
deployed at the entrance of the village and across the adjacent settlers street.  In response, the forces fired live bullets,
rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the
demonstrators, sprinkled them with waste water and chased them inside of the
village.  As a result, two Palestinian
civilians sustained wounds, and others suffered tear gas inhalation; others
sustained bruises.  The wounds’ of the
two civilians were as follows: the first, a 25-year-old civilian sustained a
bullet wound to the chest; and the second, a 31-year-old civilian sustained
three bullet wounds in both legs.

 

At approximately 12:15 on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians
and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in
the center of Kufor Kadoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest to the
continuous closure of the eastern entrance of the village since the outbreak of
al-Aqsa Intifada.  The demonstrators chanted
against the occupation and raised flags before the Israeli forces, who
unusually, did not fire any sound bombs or tear gas canisters.  The demonstrators found a number of ambushes
set by the Israeli forces to arrest them, as a number of Israeli soldiers hid
behind bushes and between houses.  The
demonstration ended at approximately 14:00; no arrests were reported.

 

At approximately 13:00 on Thursday, 22 March 2013, dozens of
Palestinian civilians, activists of the Popular Committees against Settlement
Activity and the Hebron Defense Committee and international human rights
activists gathered in al-Haraiek area, southeast of Hebron, for a peaceful
demonstration calling for opening the route linking Hebron to it southern
villages, which has been closed for the past 12 years.  These villages are, al-Rayhia, al-Thaheria,
Doura and al-Fawar Refugee Camp.  Upon
their arrival to the steel gate which closes the road leading to bypass road
(60), the Israeli forces surrounded the area and declared it a closed military
zone, ordering the demonstrators to leave immediately.  The soldiers fired tear gas canisters and sound
bombs at the demonstration.  A number of
protesters fainted as a result of tear gas inhalation.  As a result, Amin Abdel-Majid Ahmed al-Bayed,
50, was hit by a tear gas canister to the right side of his face; the canister
was shot by an Israeli soldier from a distance of less than 30 meters, this
resulted in damaging the bones of his jaw. 
Mr. al-Bayed was evacuated al-Ahly Hospital in Hebron where he underwent
three surgeries, it should also be mentioned that he is a board member of
Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC).  In his testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Mr.
al-Bayed said, “We went to al-Haraiek area to participate in the weekly
demonstration demanding that the routes, closed by cement blocks and steel
gates, be opened.  We were surprised to
find a large unit of the Israel forces stationed in the area.  These forces started to fire tear gas
canisters and sound bombs indiscriminately at us and the civilian houses in the
area.  In the meantime, I was standing
close to the scene and an Israeli soldier was standing less than 30 meters from
me.  When I looked at him, he fired a
tear gas canister directly at me and it hit me in the jaw and I fell to the
ground.  I was taken via a private car to
al-Ahly Hospital in Hebron for treatment, where I underwent three surgeries
because I sustained damages to the arteries and the jaw bones.”

 

Demonstrations in Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners and
Detainees in Israeli Jails

 

At noon on Friday, 22 March 2013, dozens of Palestinian civilians
and dozens of prisoners’ families demonstrated in front of “Ofer”
prison, southwest of Ramallah, in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners on
hunger strike.  The demonstration moved
towards the prison gate.  The Israeli
forces closed the gate before the demonstrators could enter and started
shooting live fire, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound
bombs at them.  As a result, dozens of
civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises after
being severely beaten.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer, dozens of Palestinian boys and
teenagers gathered near the annexation wall, established on the southern side
of Beit Loqia village, southwest of Ramallah. 
The demonstrators threw stones at the Israeli soldiers stationed behind
the wall, who in response fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters
and sound bombs at them and chased them across the olive fields.  As a result, a number of Palestinian
civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation; others sustained bruises.

 

Other Peaceful Demonstrations

 

Following the Friday Prayer on 15 March 2013, dozens of Palestinian
civilians gathered in Um Rokba area, at the southwestern entrance of al-Khader
village, south of Bethlehem, for a demonstration in solidarity with the
prisoners inside Israeli prisons.  The
demonstrators set fire to rubber tires and threw stones at the Israeli forces
stationed at the aforementioned entrance. 
Immediately, the Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters and sound bombs
at the demonstration and civilian houses; as a result, some fainted due to tear
gas inhalation.  Also, Israeli soldiers
used the roofs of a number of civilian houses in the area as military
watchtowers.

 

 

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.

 

During the reporting period, the Israeli forces completely closed
the commercial border crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel.  They closed Karm Abu Salem crossing from
Sunday, 24 March 2013 – Wednesday, 27 March 2013, because of the Jewish
holidays.  This closure negatively
affected the entry of goods, construction materials and medical consignments in
the Gaza Strip.  It also had a negative
impact on the living conditions of the Palestinian civilians.  The Israeli forces also imposed comprehensive
security restrictions due to the Jewish Holiday of Passover.  As a result, dozens of thousands of
Palestinian workers were denied access to their work in Israel and occupied
East Jerusalem.  Moreover, the
Palestinian traders were denied access to Israel and/or travel via the border
crossings between the Gaza Strip and West Bank.  

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

20 –
26 March 2013

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem Kerem Shalom Crossing

19 –
22 March 2013

Imports:

 

 

 

 

Exports:

On Tuesday, 19 March 2013, the Israeli forces allowed the
exportation of 80,000 flowers, 22 tons of biscuits and 6 truckloads of
plastics.

On Wednesday, 20 March 2013, the Israeli forces allowed the
exportation of 3 truckloads of plastics, a truckload of flowers and 22 tons of
biscuits.

On Thursday, 21 March 2013, the Israeli forces allowed the
exportation of 6 truckloads of plastics and 11 tons of biscuits.  

 Other Imports:

 

On Tuesday, 19 March 2013, the Israeli forces allowed the entry of 300
tons of cement, 21 tons of construction steel and 2,820 tons of construction
aggregates for UNRW; and 910 tons of construction aggregates for the private
sector. They also allowed the entry of 468 tons of fodders and 78 tons of
wheat.

 

Wednesday, 20 March 2013, the Israeli forces allowed the entry of 80
tons of cement, 38 tons of construction steel, 1330 tons of construction
aggregate and 40 tons of white cement for UNRWA; 1,050 tons of construction
aggregates for the private sector; and 1,540 tons of construction aggregate for
the German Development Bank (GDB).  They
also allowed the entry of 273 tons of fodders and 117 tons of wheat.

 

On Thursday, 21 March 2013, the Israeli forces allowed the entry of
40 tons of cement, 101 tons of construction steel and 816 tons of construction
aggregate for UNRWA; and 770 tons of construction aggregate for the private
sector.  They also allowed the entry of 507
tons of fodders and 234 tons of wheat.

 

Note:
the Israeli forces closed the above-mentioned crossing from Sunday, 24 March
2013, to Wednesday, 27 March 2013, because of the Jewish holidays.

 

Imports
through Rafah International Crossing Point, South of the Gaza Strip:

19 –
23 February 2013

Imports:

 

 

Note: Beit Hanoun “Erez” Crossing, north
of the Gaza Strip, links the Strip with the West Bank, and it is for the
movement of individuals.

 

 

 

 

Movement
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

13 –
19 March 2013

 

Movement
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

20 –
27  March 2013

 

 

Note: The Israeli
authorities informed the General Authority of Civil Affairs of the dates that
Beit Hanoun crossing will be functioning during the Jewish holidays:

 

1. On
Monday, 25 March 2013, the crossing would be completely closed except for
humanitarian cases, and it would be open for return to Gaza until 13:00; under the
pretext that it is the eve of the Passover.

2. On
Tuesday, 26 March 2013, the crossing would be completely closed except for
humanitarian cases, and it would be open for return to Gaza until 13:00; under the
pretext that it is the Passover.

 

 

 

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
11:00 on Thursday, 21 March 2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint
near the entrance of Beit Loqiah village, southwest of Ramallah.  At approximately 16:00, they established
another checkpoint near the intersection of Beit ‘Aor al-Fawqa village,
southwest of the city.  The two checkpoints
were later removed, and no arrests were reported.  At approximately 09:00 on Friday, 22 March
2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of al-Nabi
Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah.  At
approximately 11:30, the Israeli forces reestablished at ‘Attara checkpoint at the northern entrance of Birzeit, north
of the city.  The two checkpoints
were later removed and no arrests were reported.  At approximately 10:30 on Sunday, 24 March
2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of Senjel
village, north of Ramallah.  At
approximately 17:30, they established the same checkpoint under the bridge of
Kherbtha al-Mesbah village, southwest of the city.  The two checkpoints were later removed and no
arrests were reported.

 

Hebron:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 16:00 on Thursday, 21 March
2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit
‘Aynoun village, northeast of the city. 
The checkpoint was later removed, and no arrests were reported.  At approximately 16:30 on Friday, 22 March
2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of Sa’air
village, east of Hebron.  The checkpoint
was later removed, and no arrests were reported.  At approximately 07:00 on Saturday, 23 March
2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint on Wad Abu Rishah, west of
Ezna village, west of Hebron.  At the
same time, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of
al-Fawwar refugee camp, as this entrance connects bypass road (60), south of
Hebron. The two checkpoints were later removed, and no arrests were
reported.  At approximately 07:00 on Sunday,
24 March 2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the eastern
entrance of Yatta, south of Hebron.  At
approximately 18:00, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the
entrance of al-Fawwar refugee camp, as this entrance connects bypass road (60),
south of Hebron, north of Hebron.  The two
checkpoints were later removed, and no arrests were reported.  At approximately 07:00 on Tuesday, 26 March
2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrances of Dora, southwest
of Hebron.  At approximately 18:00, they
established another checkpoint at the entrances of Beit Na’aim village, east of
Hebron.  All checkpoints were later
removed, and no arrests were reported.  At
approximately 07:00 on Wednesday, 27 March 2013, the Israeli forces established
a checkpoint at the eastern entrance of Hebron, as the entrance connects bypass
road (60).  At approximately 14:30, they
established a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.  At approximately 15:00, they established the
same checkpoint at the entrance of al-‘Arroub refugee camp, as the entrance
connects bypass (60), north of city.  All
checkpoints were later removed, and no arrests were reported.

 

Qalqilya:
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians.  At approximately
08:40 on Thursday, 21 March 2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint
at the eastern entrance of Qalqilya.  At
approximately 09:10, the checkpoint was removed, and no arrests were reported.  At approximately 07:30 on Friday, 22 March
2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the eastern entrance of
Qaqilya.  The checkpoint was later
removed, and no arrests were reported. 
At approximately 08:00 on Sunday, 24 March 2013, the Israeli forces
established 2 checkpoints; the first one was at the entrance of ‘Azoun village,
east fo Qalqilya, and the other one was between Jeet and Jeensafout villages,
east of the city.  At approximately
17:25, they established a similar checkpoint at the intersection of Jeet
village, northeast of Qaqilya.  Atapproximately
21:30, another checkpoint was established on the bridge that leads to Kafr
Laqef village, east of the city.  All
checkpoints were later removed, and no arrests were reported.

 

Jenin: Israeli
forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians.  At approximately
07:30 on Thursday, 21 March 2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint
at the entrance of Ya’abod village, southwest of Jenin.  The checkpoint was later removed, and no
arrests were removed.  At approximately
09:00, another checkpoint was established at the intersection of Imriheyeh,
southwest of the city.  At approximately
07:00 on Saturday, 23 March 2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint
at the western entrance of Ya’abod village, southwest of Jenin.  The checkpoint was later removed and no
arrests were reported.  At approximately
16:30 on Sunday, 24 March 2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at
the intersection of Imriheyeh village, southwest of Jenin.  The checkpoint was later removed, and no
arrests were reported.  At approximately
07:00 on Monday, 25 March 2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at
the western entrance of Ya’abod, southwest of Jenin.  The two checkpoints were later removed, and
no arrests were reported.  It should be
mentioned that this checkpoint has lately become an almost daily phenomenon
that obstructs civilians and Ya’abod school for boys, which is near the
checkpoint.

 

Jericho:  the Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 17:00 on Saturday, 23 March
2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint near the southern entrance of
Jericho.  The checkpoint was later
removed, and no arrests were reported. 
At approximately 09:30 on Sunday, 24 March 2013, the Israeli forces
established a checkpoint near the entrance of al-Zbeidat, north of
Jericho.  The checkpoint was later
removed, no arrests were reported.

 

Bethlehem: Israeli
forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians.  At approximately
15:55 on Sunday, 24 March 2013, the Israeli forces established a checkpoint at
the western entrance of Beit Fajjar, southeast of Bethlehem.  The checkpoint was later removed, and no
arrests were reported.

 

Arrests at Military Checkpoints

 

At approximately 15:00 on Tuesday, 26 March 2013, the Israeli forces,
stationed at al-Hamra checkpoint, southeast of Tubas in the western valleys,
stopped a vehicle travelled by Mohammed Ashrab Hussein Abu ‘Amrah, 16, from
Balatah refugee camp, east of Nablus. 
They arrested him and to took him to an unknown destination.

 

At approixmetaly 16:00 on the aforementioned Tuesday, the Israeli
forces, stationed at a checkpoint in the vicinity of “Karyat Arba’a”
settlement, which is built on Palestinian lands, southeast of Hebron, arrested
‘Amr ‘Odah Faris Jaber, 22, while he was on his way back from work, and then
took his to an unknown destination.

 

At approximately 15:00 on Wednesday, 27 March 2013, the Israeli
forces stationed at al-Container checkpoint, northeast of Bethlehem, arrested
Mohammed Abdel hamid Ahmed Ikhlayel, (22), from Beit Ummar, north of Hebron,
and then took him to an unknown destination.

 

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

 

On Thursday, 21 March 2013, dozens
of settlers, coming from a number of settlement outposts established in the
center of the old city of Hebron, central Hebron, erected big tents and
amusement park games in the Ibrahim Mosque’s garden, in the center of the old
city, for celebrations of the Jewish holiday, Passover.  The Israeli police also set a number of steel
bars in the playground of the mosque in order to turn it into a parking lot.

 

At approximately 14:30 on Thursday,
21 March 2013, Israeli forces, accompanied by a number of military vehicles, a
vehicle of settlements’ security, a bulldozer, a digger and a truck, raided
Batten al-Ma’si area, southern of al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem.  The soldiers were deployed in the area along
with the settlement security personnel while the bulldozer and digger started
bulldozing tracts of land of approximately 550 dunums in area, belonging to
members of Salah family.  In his
testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Ahmed Salah, coordinator of the Popular
Committee against Settlement Activity, said that the Israeli forces issued a
decision two months ago ordering that 114 settlement units be built in the area
in order to expand “Tel Hitamar” settlement outpost, established on
lands of al-Khader village.  These lands
were confiscated by settlers in 2000 and turn it to a big settlement.  He also mentioned that the aforementioned
bulldozing is considered an introduction, installing the foundations for
building new settlement housing units.

 

On Friday morning, 22 March 2013,
Israeli forces issued a decision confiscating approximately 3 dunums of the
lands of al-Jalama village, northern Jenin, approximate to the commercial
crossing between the West Bank and Israel, under pretext of expanding the
crossing and also for security necessities. 
The land is the property of Saleh Abu-Farha; he stated that an Israeli
officer who identified himself as land officer of the Jenin command area, submitted
him a notice informing him that the Israeli administration of al-Jalama
crossing will take over parts of the lands, enumerated as follows: 11, 23, 24,
27 and 29 of area 5 of al-Jalama lands for the expansion of the commercial
crossing and installing a security gate at the main entrance of the
crossing.  He added that all the
confiscated parts are his private property and are of approximately 3 dunums in
area; they are located directly in front of the crossing.  It should be mentioned that Abu-Farha
established a private parking lot in his land for the vehicles of the workers
in exchange of a simple fine, which he takes from the workers in order to watch
the vehicles until they return from their work inside Israel and by the
confiscation order, he has lost his sole source of income.  It should be noted that the Israeli forces
established the aforementioned crossing in 2006 after confiscating 12 dunums of
the lands of al-Jalama village, aside from another 360 dunums which they
confiscated in 2003 in favor of the construction of the annexation wall along
3.5 kilometers.  Moreover, the Israeli
forces ban civilians from approaching the wall within 50 meters of it, which
deprives the civilians from profiting of hundreds of their dunums.

 

At approximately 09:00 on Saturday,
23 March 2013, Israeli forces, accompanied by military vehicles, raided the
agricultural lands surrounding “Susiya” settlement, established on
Palestinian civilians’ lands eastern of Yatta, southern of Hebron.  The soldiers were deployed in the area and
banned Palestinian farmers from accessing their lands under pretext that these
areas are closed military zones.  The
Israeli forces assaulted the Palestinian civilians after they refused to leave
their lands, arrested Fou’ad Hassan Khalil al-Shamasty, 44, and transported him
to an unknown destination.  Rateb
al-Jabour, Coordinator of the Popular Committee against Settlement Activity in
Yatta, told a PCHR fieldworker that the Israeli forces’ assaults against
Palestinian farmers and shepherds has become a daily routine, in an attempt to
keep them away from their lands, which are threatened of confiscation in favor
of settlement expansion projects.

       

At approximately 10:00 on Saturday,
23 March 2013, a number of settlers from “Havat Gilad” settlement
outpost, established on Palestinian civilians’ lands west of Nablus, gathered at
Nablus – Qalqilya road.  The settlers
threw stones at Palestinian vehicles as they were passing by the aforementioned
road.  This incident occurred before the
Israeli forces which did not do anything to stop the settlers.

 

On Sunday, 24 March 2013, dozens of
settlers, coming from a number of settlement outposts established in the center
of the old city of Hebron, central Hebron, raised Israeli flags on historical
monuments and ancient ruins in the old city as well as al-Sahla, Shuhada Street
and the Ibrahimi Mosque’s playground.

 

On Sunday, 24 March 2013, the
Israeli authorities issued, through the high planning council “the
settlement subcommittee” in the Israeli Civil Administration, a military
decision ordering that dozens of dunums in Kherbat al-Dair area, southwestern
of Bethlehem, be confiscated.  In his
statement to a PCHR fieldworker, Jamal Salem Najajra, head of Nahalin village
council, said that the goal of the confiscation of these lands is for the
construction of 70 new housing units, in order to tie “Betar Illit”
settlement, established on lands of Housan, Nahalin and Foukein valley
villages, to “Jfot” settlement, which would lead to an almost
comprehensive closure of the village, depriving dozens of families from
accessing their agricultural lands in Kherbat al-Dair area.

 

At approximately 14:00 on Tuesday,
26 March 2013, the Israeli forces prohibited Palestinian civilians from
reconstructing the eastern entrance to Yatta, south of Hebron, which is linked
to bypass road (60).  The Israeli forces,
who raided the area, forced them to leave under pretext that it falls under
area (C) which goes under Israeli jurisdiction according to the Oslo Accords of
1993 and it is forbidden to make any changes in these areas without obtaining
prior permission from the concerned Israeli authorities.

 

Recommendations to the International
Community

 

 

PCHR
emphasizes the international community’s position that the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are still under the Israeli occupation, in
spite of the Israeli military redeployment outside the Gaza Strip in 2005.  PCHR further confirms that Israeli force have
continued to impose collective punishment measures on the Gaza Strip, which
have escalated since the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections, in which
Hamas won the majority of seats of the Palestinian Legislative Council.  PCHR stresses that there is an international
recognition of Israel’s obligation to respect international human rights
instruments and the international humanitarian law, especially the Hague Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land and the Geneva
Conventions.  Israel is bound to apply
the international human rights law and the law of war sometime reciprocally and
other times in parallel in a way that achieves the best protection for
civilians and remedy for victims.

 

In
light of continued arbitrary measures, land confiscation and settlement
activities in the West Bank, and the continued aggression against civilians in
the Gaza Strip, especially the least offensive that continued 8 days, PCHR
calls upon the international community, especially the United Nations, the High
Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention and the European Union – in the
context of their natural obligation to respect and enforce the international
law – to cooperate and act according to the following recommendations:     

1. PCHR calls upon
the international community and the United Nations to use all available means
to allow the Palestinian people to enjoy their right to self-determination,
through the establishment of the Palestinian State, which was recognized by the
UN General Assembly with a vast majority, using all international legal
mechanisms, including sanctions to end the occupation of the State of
Palestine. 

2. PCHR calls upon
the United Nations to provide international protection to Palestinians in the
oPt, and to ensure the non-recurrence of aggression against the oPt, especially
the Gaza Strip.

3. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to compel Israel, as a
High Contracting Party to the Conventions, to apply the Conventions in the oPt. 

4. PCHR calls upon
the Parties to international human rights instruments, especially the Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, to pressurize Israel to comply with their provisions in the oPt, and to
compel it to incorporate the human rights situation in the oPt in its reports
submitted to the concerned committees.

5. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to fulfill their
obligation to ensure the application of the Conventions, including extending
the scope of their jurisdiction in order to prosecute suspected war criminals,
regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator and the place of a crime, to
pave the way for prosecuting suspected Israeli war criminals and end the
longstanding impunity they have enjoyed. 

6. PCHR calls on
States that apply the principle of universal jurisdiction not to surrender to
Israeli pressure to limit universal jurisdiction to perpetuate the impunity
enjoyed by suspected Israeli war criminals.

7. PCHR calls upon
the international community to act in order to stop all Israeli settlement
expansion activities in the oPt through imposing sanctions on Israeli
settlements and criminalizing trading with them.

8. PCHR calls upon
the UN General Assembly to transfer the Goldstone Report to the UN Security
Council in order to refer it to the International Criminal Court in accordance
with Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute.

9. PCHR calls upon
the United Nations to confirm that holding war criminals in the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict is a precondition to achieve stability and peace in the regions, and
that peace cannot be built on the expense of human rights and victims.

10. PCHR calls upon the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council to
explicitly declare that the Israeli closure policy in Gaza and the annexation
wall in the West Bank are illegal, and accordingly refer the two issues to the
UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel to compel it to remove them.

11. PCHR calls upon the international community, in light of its
failure to the stop the aggression on the Palestinian people, to at least
fulfill its obligation to reconstruct the Gaza Strip after the series of
hostilities launched by Israel which directed targeted the civilian
infrastructure. 

12. PCHR calls upon the United Nations and the European Union to
express a clear position towards the annexation wall following the
international recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, as the
annexation wall seizes large parts of the State of Palestine.

13. PCHR calls upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the
EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides that both sides must respect
human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states
and Israel, and the EU must not ignore Israeli violation and crimes against
Palestinian civilians.

14. PCHR calls upon the Palestinian leadership to sign and accede to
the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Geneva
Conventions, and calls upon the international community, especially the United
Nations, to encourage the State of Palestine to accede to international human
rights law and humanitarian law instruments. 

 

 

…………………………………………………………

Public Document

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PCHR’s office in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email [email protected] or telephone +972 08 282
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