Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 18 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were injured
by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.
· 17 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 26 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 33 Palestinian civilians, including 10 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 three Palestinian civilians.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and
property.
· The Israeli Ministry of Interior approved the construction
of 400 housing units in a settlement block to the north of East Jerusalem.
· Israeli authorities invited tenders for the construction of
416 housing units in two settlements near Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
· 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 (7 – 13 August 2008):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF injured
18 Palestinian civilians, including three children, 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.
During the reporting
period, IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest
to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein and Ne’lin villages, west
of Ramallah. As a result, 17 Palestinian civilians were injured by
rubber-coated metal bullets, whilst dozens of others suffered from tear gas
inhalation. IOF also used a foul smelling liquid against the demonstrators. On
13 August, a Palestinian child was injured when IOF moved into al-Duhaisha
refugee camp, south of Bethlehem and opened fire indiscriminately.
In a step that
encourages IOF troops to kill Palestinians, IOF exempted IOF the soldiers who
killed Fadel Shana’a, a Reuters cameraman, in Juhor al-Dik in the central Gaza
Strip on 16 April 2008. The Israeli military advocate-general, Avihai
Mendelblit, claimed that an Israeli tank crew who killed Shana’a, and a number
of other unarmed civilians, including children, acted properly and will not
face any legal action. In a letter sent to Reuters news agency on Tuesday, 12
August 2008, Mendelblit claimed that troops could not see whether Shana’a was
operating a camera or a weapon. He also claimed that Shana’a was wearing body
armor that resembled that worn by Palestinian resistance activists.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 26 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 34 Palestinian civilians,
including 10 children. Since the beginning of 2008, IOF have arrested 1,751
Palestinian civilians 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 tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the
humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and has violated the human, economic
and social rights of the approximately 1.5 million Palestinian civilian
population, particularly their rights to appropriate living conditions, health
and education. The siege has also paralyzed the Gazan economy. In addition, the
siege has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other
necessities such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various
economic sectors. IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw materials into
the Gaza Strip, and many factories have been forced to close. Severe
restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the entire Palestinian
civilian population. Regarding civilian movements, IOF permit very few
Palestinian civilians to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in order to
travel to the West Bank or Israel. Rafah International Crossing Point in the
southern Gaza Strip is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world
via a country other than Israel. IOF have closed Rafah International Crossing
Point, even though they do not directly control it, and have also obstructed European
observers working at the Crossing Point from reaching it. Although the
Egypt-brokered truce between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel entered
into force on June 19, no major changes have been observed regarding the
movement of persons and goods through the six Gaza Strip border crossings. The
closure of these border crossings deprives the Palestinian civilian population
in the Gaza Strip of their right to freedom of movement, education and health.
West Bank
IOF have continued to
impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout
the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip have been denied access to Jerusalem. IOF have established many
checkpoints around and inside the city. Restrictions of the movement of
Palestinian civilians often escalate on Fridays to prevent them from praying at
the al-Aqsa Mosque. IOF often assault Palestinian civilians who attempt to
bypass checkpoints and enter the city. IOF have also tightened the siege
imposed on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at
various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF also erected more
checkpoints on the main roads and intersections in the West Bank. During the
reporting period, IOF troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank
arrested three Palestinian civilians.
Settlement
Activities: IOF
have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the
OPT have, in violation of international humanitarian law, continued to attack
Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, the Israeli
Ministry of Interior approved the construction of 400 housing units in “Neve Ya’qoub”
settlement neighborhood in the north of East Jerusalem. The Ministry also
approved inviting tenders for the construction of 286 housing units in “Beitar
Elite” settlement, west of Bethlehem, and 130 others on Abu Ghunaim Mount (“Har
Homa” settlement), south of East Jerusalem. In the same context, the Israeli
media reported that IOF agreed with the settlement movement on the transfer of
settlers living in “Migroun” settlement outpost, east of Ramallah, to another
settlement, and that 40 housing unit would be built for those settlers. IOF
also demolished two houses and a building in East Jerusalem claiming that they
were built without licenses.
During the reporting
period, Israeli settlers launched three attacks against Palestinian civilians
and property in the West Bank. As a result, a woman and a child were injured
and a number of houses were damaged.
Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (7 – 13 August 2008)
The full report is available PDF format.
