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

· 9 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, and an Israeli
human rights defender, were wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.

· The 9 civilians were all wounded when IOF used force against
peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the
Annexation Wall in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah.

· IOF used a foul smelling liquid against the demonstrators.

· IOF conducted 53 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.

· IOF arrested 48 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children.

· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

· IOF troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West
Bank arrested at least one Palestinian civilian.

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

· IOF confiscated an area of land in Hebron to establish a
settler road.

Summary

Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (21 – 27 August 2008):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded
9 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, and an Israeli human rights
defender in Ne’lin village near Ramallah the West Bank. IOF used force against
peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation
Wall. IOF also used a liquid with a disgusting smell against the demonstrators.
 

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 53 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 48 Palestinian civilians,
including 5 children. Since the beginning of the year, 1,837 Palestinian
civilians have been arrested by IOF in the West Bank.

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

Gaza Strip

IOF have continued to close all
border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The IOF siege of Gaza,
which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on
the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

· 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights,
including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living
conditions, work, health and education.

· The Egypt brokered ‘Tahdiya’
or truce between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel began on 19 June;
however, there have been no major changes regarding the movements of civilians
and goods through the six Gaza Strip border crossings.

· Rafah International Crossing Point, the only border crossing
from the Gaza Strip to the outside world via a country other than Israel,
remains closed.

· Health services continue to be severely affected by the
siege, with healthcare facilities also registering a 25% drop in clients due to
continuing chronic fuel shortages. Critically ill patients are still being
denied permits to access vital health services in the West Bank, Israel and
abroad. .

· Water facilities, including access to clean drinking water,
and the treatment of raw sewage continue to be severely disrupted by fuel
shortages. 50-60 million litres of untreated and partially treated sewage are
being dumped into the Gaza Strip Mediterranean Sea daily, posing a public
health risk. T

· Approximately 400 Gazan students are currently unable to
resume their university studies abroad as they cannot exit the Gaza Strip. In
addition, up to 1,200 school leavers are in the process of applying to study at
foreign universities, and are dependent on being issued exit permits by the
IOF.

· There are at least 900 Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in
jails in Israel who have been denied  all
visitation rights since 6 June 2007.

· Continuing chronic shortages of construction materials,
including cement, aggregate and iron, have led to the collapse of the Gaza
construction industry. Thousands of construction workers have been laid off,
and vital infrastructure projects have been forcibly suspended. 

· Since the Tahdiya came into force, IOF have
repeatedly closed the border crossings to the Gaza Strip, claiming home-made
rockets have been launched at Israeli towns.

· Civilians across the Gaza Strip continue to be affected by
serious electricity power cuts.

West Bank

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

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

· There are approximately permanent 600 roadblocks, manned and
unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some 60-80
‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by IOF every
week.

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

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

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

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

· During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at a
checkpoint near Nablus arrested a Palestinian civilian.

Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (21 – 27 August 2008)

The full report is available PDF format.