Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 31 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children, and three international
human rights defenders, were injured by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.
· 27 of these civilians were injured when IOF used force
against 3 peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of
the Annexation Wall in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah.
· IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 37 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children.
· IOF raided and confiscated the equipments of three radio
stations in Hebron.
· 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 6 donums[1]
of land in Jenin and 1,500 square meters of land in the center of Hebron.
· Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians
and property in Hebron.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (14 – 20 August 2008):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded
31 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children, and three international human
rights defenders in the West Bank. Most of these civilians were injured when
IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the
construction of the Annexation Wall.
On 14 August, two Palestinian
children were injured by IOF gunfire in al-Duheisha refugee camp, south of
Bethlehem. IOF troops moved into the camp and fired at a number of children who
threw stones at IOF military vehicles.
On 20 August, two
Palestinian children were injured when IOF moved into Tammoun village,
southeast of Tubas, and opened fire indiscriminately.
During the reporting
period, IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest
at the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein and Ne’lin villages, west
of Ramallah. As a result, seventeen Palestinian civilians were injured by
rubber-coated metal bullets, whilst dozens of others suffered tear gas
inhalation. IOF also sprayed a foul-smelling liquid at the demonstrators.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 37 Palestinian civilians,
including ten children. Since the beginning of 2008, IOF have arrested 1,789
Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. On 20 August, IOF raided the
headquarters of three Palestinian radio stations in Hebron. They confiscated
equipment and arrested two members of staff.
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.
· 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.
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.
Settlement
Activities: IOF
have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the
OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack
Palestinian civilians and property.
On 14 August, IOF issued a military orders to seize a
1,500-suare-meter area of land in Tal al-Rumaida neighborhood in the center of
Hebron in order to “to establish a road for military purposes.” On the same
day, IOF razed a 6-donum area of agricultural land between Salem military post
and Rummana village, west of Jenin. Also during the reporting period, Israeli
settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West
Bank. As a result of such attacks, one Palestinian civilian was injured.
Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (14 – 20 August 2008)
The full report is available PDF format.
