IOF Attacks a
Palestinian Child when Breaking into Selwan Village in Jerusalem.

---

On
the 2^nd Anniversary of the Israeli Offensive on the Gaza Strip, Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and
Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

 

 

· IOF killed two
Palestinians shepherd in the Gaza Strip.

· Two activists
of the Palestinian resistance were killed by IOF in the southern Gaza Strip.

– 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the West
Bank.

 

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

– 4 Palestinian civilians were wounded.

– IOF arrested 6 Palestinian fishermen and confiscated their boat.

 

· Israeli
warplanes attacked a number of targets in the Gaza Strip. 

 

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

– 5 Palestinian
civilians and an Israeli photojournalist were wounded.

– IOF arrested 17
human rights defenders. 

 

· IOF conducted 51
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  

– IOF arrested 18 Palestinian civilians, including a member of the
Palestinian Legislative Council and 7 children.

 

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

– Israeli soldiers positioned at military checkpoints in the West
Bank arrested one Palestinian civilians.

 

· Israel has
continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in
Jerusalem.

– The Israeli
municipality of Jerusalem waged a campaign of destruction and demolition in
al-Tour village near Jerusalem.

 

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

– Israeli settlers seized 600 donums of
Palestinian land near Hebron..

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (23 – 29 December 2010):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, IOF
killed two Palestinian civilians and two activists of the Palestinian
resistance, and wound 12 Palestinians, including a woman and two children, and
an Israeli photojournalist.

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 23 December
2010, Israeli soldiers positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and
Israel killed a Palestinian shepherd in the northern Gaza Strip.

 

On 26 December 2010, two members of
the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) in clashes with IOF near
the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Khan Yunis.

 

On 28 December 2010, IOF killed a
Palestinian civilian near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the
east of Khan Yunis.

 

During the reporting period, IOF
fired at Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction
materials. As a result, two workers, including
a child, were wounded by Israeli gunfire. 

 

During the reporting period, a
shepherd and a farmer were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the northern Gaza
Strip. 

 

During the reporting period, Israeli
warplanes attacked a number of targets in the Gaza Strip. On 25 December 2010, they bombarded a site of
the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in al-Nughraqa
village in the central Gaza Strip. The
site was heavily damaged and 3 activists of the Palestinian resistance who were
traveling in a car near the site sustained bruises.  IOF
also bombarded tunnels along the Egyptian border south of Rafah.

 

In the West Bank, 8 Palestinian
civilians and an Israeli photojournalist were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the
West Bank.

 

On 23 December 2010, Israeli
soldiers opened fire at two Palestinian civilians who were traveling in a car
in the east of Hebron. The two civilians
were wounded and then arrested by Israeli soldiers. 

 

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. As a result, 5 Palestinian
civilians and an Israeli human rights defender were wounded, and dozens of
Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from
tear gas inhalation or sustained bruises.   IOF
also arrested two Palestinian civilians, 4 Israeli human rights defenders and 11
international ones.

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 51 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 18
Palestinian civilians, including a member of the Palestinian Legislative
Council and 7 children.

 

Restrictions
on Movement:

 

Israel
had 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

 

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.

 

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 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, further confiscating 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 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.

 

Measures Aimed
at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem: 

 

IOF have continued to take measures
at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.

 

On 29 December 2010, the Israeli
police, accompanied by a number of bulldozers, trucks and large levers of the
Israeli municipality of Jerusalem, moved into Khillat al-‘Ein area in the east
of al-Tour village, east of Jerusalem. They demolished a number of rooms, stores and bird an animal farms. They also razed large areas of agricultural
land and confiscated some civilian property. 

 

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 25 December
2010, dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, from “Missa Ya’ir”
settlement to the east of Yatta village, south of Hebron, waged a campaign to
seize areas of Palestinian land. They
fenced a 600-donum area of land belonging to the families of Houhiya and
al-Najjar. The seized area of land is
part of areas of land, which are often attacked by Israeli settlers and closed
by IOF.

 

On 26 December
2010, a number of Israeli settlers from “Gilad” settlement, east of
Qalqilya, attacked a tract of land belonging to ‘Aadel Hassan Yamin, 54, from
Jeet village northeast of Qalqilya. They
destroyed the fence of the land and damaged a water well..

 

On 27 December
2010, a number of Israeli settlers from “Tits’har” settlement set
fire to agricultural lands in Khillat ‘Ein al-Sha’ira in the southeast of
Madama village, south of Nablus. As a
result, 20 olive trees were partially burnt, before Palestinian fire fighters
were able to extinguish fire. The
settlers also uprooted a number of small trees.

 

On 29 December
2010, Israeli settlers burnt 3 tents belonging to the al-Nawaj’a family in
Sousia village, south of Hebron. According to Sarah Isma’il al-Nawaj’as, she woke up to find that fired
had broken out in the tents. She also
saw and Israeli settler fleeing in a car towards the nearby by
“Sousia” settlement.

 

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (23 – 29 December 2010)

 

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

 

Thursday, 23 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 00:05, IOF moved into Kufor Ra’ei village, south of Jenin. They raided and searched a house belonging to
Wa’el Ahmed Melhem, and arrested his three sons: Mo’tassem, 27; Muntasser, 25;
and Mohammed, 21. They also confiscated
two mobile phones, two television sets and a digital camera. 

 

· At
approximately 00:10, IOF opened fire at a Palestinian civilian vehicle in the
east of Hebron. IOF fired at the
vehicle, whose driver drove it slowly after a short stop, from a range of 15-20
meters. As a result, the driver and a
person accompanying him were wounded. Israeli soldiers took the persons out of the car, verified their
identity cards and transported them in an ambulance to an Israeli
hospital. They also confiscated the
vehicle. The two wounded persons were
identified as:

 

1. Isma’il
   Salah al-Ja’bari, 20, seriously wounded by at least one bullet to the back
   and another one to the head; and
2. Mohammed
   ‘Aamer al-Ja’bari, 24, wounded by two bullets to the arms and shrapnel to
   the head. 

 

On Friday evening, 24 December 2010, IOF allowed a brother of each
of the wounded to visit them in the hospital. A few hours later, IOF took the second person to an unknown destination,
while the first one remained in the intensive care unit.

 

· At approximately
02:00, IOF moved into Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Mahmoud Ahmed Zakarna, 22, and arrested him.

 

· At
approximately 06:30, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation towers to the
north of Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at a number of
Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction materials from a
site where the evacuated Israeli settlement of “Elli Sinai” used to
stand. As a result, Mohammed ‘Aayesh
al-Hossoumi, 19, from Beit Lahia, was wounded by a bullet to the left thigh,
when he was nearly 300 meters away from the border between the Gaza Strip and
Israel.

 

· At
approximately 09:00, Israeli soldiers stationed at the northeastern border of
the Gaza Strip opened fire at a number of Palestinian farmers who were cropping
vegetables near the evacuated Israeli settlement of “Elli
Sinani.” As a result, Hatem Isma’il
Shalha, 17, was wounded by shrapnel of bullets to the head, when he was nearly
200 meters away from the border.

 

· At
approximately 09:30, IOF moved into Habla village, southeast of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets and established
a checkpoint. They left the village at
approximately 13:40, and no house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Ras ‘Atiya village, south of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Kufor Qaddoum village, east of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 10:55, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation towers on the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the north of the Bedouin Village in
the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at a number of Palestinian shepherds who
were grazing animals in the north of village. As a result, Salama Hazzaa’ Musleh Abu Hashish, 19, was seriously
wounded by a bullet to the abdomen.  They
was transported on an animal cart to the main road, and was then evacuated in
an ambulance to Kamal ‘Edwan Hospital in Beit Lahia. He underwent an emergency surgery, but he was
pronounced dead at approximately 17:30. 

 

· At
approximately 13:20, Israeli soldiers stationed at the northeastern border of
the Gaza Strip opened fire at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting
scraps of construction materials from a site where the evacuated Israeli
settlement of “Elli Sinani” used to stand. As a result, Mahmoud Saleh Karim, 17, from
al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, was wounded by a bullet to the left hand, when
he was nearly 500 meters away from the border.

 

· At
approximately 16:00, IOF moved into ‘Izbat al-Tabib village, east of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time, and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported. 

 

· At
approximately 18:40, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets and searched a
number of shops. They withdrew from the
village later, and no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 21:40, IOF moved into Jabal al-Aqra’ area in the east of Kufor
Qaddoum village, east of Qalqilya. They
searched the area and fired flash bombs. 

 

Friday,
24 December 2010

 

· At approximately
08:00, IOF established a checkpoint at the southern entrance of Nabi Saleh
village, northwest of Ramallah. They
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. A number of Palestinian boys gathered and
threw stones at Israeli soldiers. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear
gas canisters and sounds bombs at the boys. As a result, ‘Odai ‘Abdul Raziq al-Tamimi, 18, was wounded by at least
11 rubber-coated metal bullets to the chest. A number of boys also suffered from tear gas inhalation. 

 

· At
approximately 16:00, IOF moved into Shwaika suburb, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

·  Also at approximately 16:00, IOF moved into al-Jaroushiya
village, north of Tulkarm. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 18:00, IOF moved into Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 23:40, Israeli warplane bombarded a tunnel on the Egyptian border
near al-Salam neighborhood in the south of Rafah. No casualties were reported.

 

· At approximately
23:55, Israeli warplane bombarded a tunnel on the Egyptian border near
al-Brazil neighborhood in the south of Rafah. No casualties were reported.

 

Saturday, 25 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 00:00, Israeli warplanes fired 3 missile at a site of the ‘Izziddin
al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in al-Mughraqa village near Gaza
Valley Bridge in the central Gaza Strip. As a result, 3 Palestinian resistance activists who were traveling in a
car in the area were injured, and the site was heavily damaged.

 

· Also at
approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Faqqou’a village, northeast of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Shwaika suburb, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 12:30, IOF moved into Kfiret village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· Also at
approximately 12:30, IOF moved into Kufor Qoud village, west of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· Also at approximately
12:30, IOF moved into al-‘Araqa village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 15:00, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation towers on the
northwestern border of the Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishermen who
were fishing near Beit Lahia beach in the northern Gaza Strip. As a result, Ahmed Mohammed Zayed, 25, from
Beit Lahia, was wounded by a bullet to the right foot.

 

· At approximately
18:30, IOF moved into Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

Sunday, 26 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 00:00, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They raided and searched two house belonging
to the Radwan family, but no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Jalqamous village, southeast of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 01:00, armed clashes erupted between activists of the al-Quds
Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) and IOF near the border between the
Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Khuza’a village, east of the southern Gaza
Strip town of Khan Yunis. The clashes
continued sporadically until 06:00, during which IOF employed helicopters and
tanks. As a result of these clashes, two
activists of al-Quds Brigades were killed:

 

1. Mos’ab
   ‘Eissa ‘Ali Abu Rouk, 20; and
2. Mahmoud
   Yousef Shihda al-Najjar, 21.

 

· At
approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Beit Liqya village, west of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Nabi Saleh village, northwest of
Ramallah. They raided and searched a
number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 11:30, IOF moved into Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron. They broke into Zahrat al-Mada’en
School. They searched the yards and left
the school later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 17:00, IOF moved into Zabbouba village, northwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets and stormed a
playground. They arrested Mohammed
Zuhair Jaradat, 15, and Ahmed Rida Jaradat, 16. They released them at night. IOF
also warned chairman of the local council of the village to prevent anyone from
throwing stones at Israeli soldiers positioned near the annexation wall.

 

· At
approximately 18:30, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats
opposite to al-Nussairat beach in the central Gaza Strip, forcing them to sail
back to the beach.

 

· At
approximately 20:00, IOF moved into Jayous village, north of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 21:00, IOF moved into Beit Fajjar village, southwest of
Bethlehem. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians, including a child:

 

1. Murad
   Ahmed Taqatqa, 17; and
2. Mahmoud
   Faisal Thawabta, 21.

 

Monday, 27 December 2010

 

· At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Jayous village, north of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Taqqou’ village, southeast
of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinian children:

 

1. Waheed
Ahmed Kawazba, 17;

2. Radi
Hamdan Kawazba, 17;

3. Mohammed
Yousef Kawazba, 15; and

4. Mohammed
Na’im Kawazba, 13.

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Deir Samet village,
southwest of Hebron. They raided and
searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Fadi
Yousef al-Hroub, 20; and

2. Ahmed
al-Hroub, 18.

 

· At approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee
camp. They raided a house belonging to
Khaled Saleh Abu Zaina, 52, a leader of Islamic Jihad. They took him out together with his son,
23-year-old Saleh, and interrogated them. About half an hour later, IOF forced the son to guide them to
Zaina. IOF the house of his uncle, ‘Omar
Saleh Abu Zaina. They raided and
searched the house and arrested the owner’s son, 22-year-old Mohammed. They also confiscated a computer set from the
house. 

 

· Also at approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 09:30, IOF moved into ‘Arraba village, southwest
of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· Also at approximately 09:30, IOF moved into Brouqin village, west
of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 10:30, IOF moved into Jayous village, north of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 12:00, IOF moved into Maithaloun village, southeast
of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· Also at approximately 12:00, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 13:00, IOF moved into Hijja village, east of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 13:55, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· Also at approximately 13:55, IOF moved into Kufor Thuloth village,
southwest of Qalqilya. They patrolled in
the streets for some time and withdrew later. No house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 14:00, IOF moved into Baqat al-Hatab village,
northeast of Qalqilya. They patrolled in
the streets for some time and withdrew later. No house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 14:30, IOF moved into Beit Leed village, east of
Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 15:30, IOF moved into Rafat village, west of
Salfit. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 18:30, IOF moved into ‘Ein al-Dyouk village, north
of Jericho. They patrolled in the
streets for some time and withdrew later. No house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 20:00, IOF moved into ‘Iraq Bourin village, south
of Nablus. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 21:30, IOF moved into Koubar village, northwest of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 23:35, IOF moved into Brouqin village, west of
Salfit. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

Tuesday, 28 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Zahiriya village, southwest of
Hebron. They raided and searched a house
belonging to the family of Mohammed Isma’il al-Tal, 38, Member of the
Palestinian Legislative Council, and arrested him. It is worth noting that al-Tal had been
detained in Israeli jails for 4 years and was released in late 2009. 

 

· At
approximately 08:30, IOF moved into Kufor Zeibad village, south of
Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· In the
afternoon, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian near the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel to the east of Khan Yunis. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 15:45,
Hassan Mohammed Qudaih, 19, and 4 of his relatives went to the border area in
the east of Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis, where two members of the
Palestinian were killed during armed clashes with IOF on Sunday, about 300
meters away from the border. Israeli
soldiers positioned at the border fired at these civilians, so they fled
towards Khuza’a village. The other four
civilians were able to flee, while Qudaih was wounded by a bullet and fell onto
ground. He crept towards the west and
phoned his relatives and friends asking for help. However, Israeli soldiers continued to fire
at the area, and no one was able to attend him. About half an hour later, Israeli soldiers fired a shell at the area
where Hassan was lying. As a result, he
was instantly killed. Medical crews were
able to evacuate his body at approximately 17:15.

 

· At
approximately 19:00, IOF carried out an airdrop operation onto an area
surrounded by the villages of Seilat al-Harthiya, Ta’nak, ‘Aanin, al-Taybeh and
Rummana, west of Jenin, and onto al-Taybeh School, in the context of military
training. No house raids or arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 19:15, Israeli naval troops arrested 6 Palestinian fishermen who
were sailing opposite to al-Sudaniya beach in the northern Gaza Strip. They took the fishermen to Ashdod Port inside
Israel for interrogation. They also
seized the fishing boat on board of which the fishermen were sailing. The fishermen were released at approximately
06:00 on Wednesday, 29 December 2010. The fishermen are:

 

1. Ahmed
   Sha’ban al-Hissi, 58;
2. Subeh
   ‘Abdul Salam al-Hissi, 23;
3. ‘Aadel
   ‘Abdul Karim Baker, 49;
4. Ramadan
   Isma’il al-Hissi, 49;
5. Fayez
   Ahmed al-Hissi, 27; and
6. Yassin
   Ahmed al-Fassih, 37.

 

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

 

· At
approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Rummana village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets. They stopped two tractors, where being driven
by Rebhi As’ad Farassini, 48, and Mohammed Bashir Abu Shamla, 22. They forced the two civilians to drove their
tractors towards the headquarter of the Israeli military liaison, west of
Jenin. There they confiscated the
Farassini’s tractor claiming that it was unlicensed. 

 

· At
approximately 10:45, Israeli soldiers positioned at the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel to the east of the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya opened
fire at Palestinian farmers in the area. The farmers were forced to flee from the area. 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, 5 Palestinian
civilians and an Israeli photojournalist were wounded. Dozens of Palestinian civilians and human
rights defenders also suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained
bruises.  Additionally, IOF arrested two
Palestinian civilians, 4 Israeli human rights defenders and 11 international
ones.  

   

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 17 December 2010, 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. They moved
towards the annexation wall. Five
demonstrators wore the clothes of Santa Claus and distributed gifts, which were
tear gas canisters already fired by Israeli soldiers at demonstrators. Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the
demonstrators. As a result, two
Palestinian civilians and an Israeli photojournalist were wounded:

 

1. ‘Ouda Rebhi Abu
Rahma, 22, photographer of the Public Committee against the Wall in Bil’ein
village, hit by a tear gas canister to the right foot;

2. Tariq Mohammed
al-Khatib, 27, hit by a tear gas canister to the right foot; and

3. An Israeli
photojournalist, hit by a tear gas canister to the foot. 

 

Additionally, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas
inhalation and others sustained bruises as they were beaten by Israeli soldiers. 

  

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 24 December 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and 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, dozens of
demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises. 

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 24 December 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration
in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, in commemoration of the late
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and in protest against land confiscations
in the Wad al-Raya area between the villages of Nabi Saleh and Deir Nizam. 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, a man
and his wife were wounded:

 

1. Ibrahim Hassan
al-Tamimi, 60, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the head; and

2. Fa’eda
al-Tamimi, 50, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the head.

 

A number of demonstrators also suffered from tear gas inhalation
and others . IOF further arrested a
Palestinian civilian and 3 Israeli human rights defenders:

 

1. ‘Alaa’ Mohammed
al-Tamimi, 22;

2. David, 45;

3. Josef, 28; and

4. Yuval, 34.

 

· At
approximately 14:30 on Saturday, 25 December 2010, the Youth Forum against
Settlement in Hebron organized a peaceful demonstration against Israeli
settlement activities and the continued closure of al-Shuhada Street in the
center of Hebron, and in commemoration of victims of the Israeli military
offensive on the Gaza Strip in December 2008 and January 2010. The demonstration, in which many Palestinian
civilians and international human rights defenders participated, moved from
al-Zahed neighborhood in the center of Hebron towards “Beit Rumano”
settlement outpost in the north of the old town. Israeli soldiers and police officers closed
the road leading to the aforementioned settlement outpost and the old
town. They attacked the demonstrators
and declared the old town “a closed military zone.” Soon after, the demonstrators moved towards
another outlet and were able to reach al-Qassaba area near “Abraham
Avino” settlement outpost. Israeli
soldiers attacked the demonstrators and violently beat a number of them. Two demonstrators, including a woman, sustained
bruises: Nawal Akram Eslaimiya, 40; and
Mohammed Mahmoud ‘Amru, 23. IOF also
arrested two international human rights defenders and an Israeli one, but
released them in the evening on bail: Lillian, 19, a French citizen; John, 24,
a Scottish citizen, and Aluna, 55, an Israeli citizen. It is worth noting that IOF have been closing
al-Shuhada Street, which is more than 600 meters long, which links the
commercial center of Hebron with the old town. They have also continued to close more than 500 shops, 120 house and 19
roads in the old town. 

 

· At
approximately 10:00 on Sunday, 26 December 2010, dozens of Palestinian
civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders, including 90
French ones, gathered near Qalandya checkpoint, north of Jerusalem. They organized a peaceful demonstration against
the annexation wall, settlement activities and military checkpoints. IOF closed the checkpoint with
barbwires. When the demonstrators
attempted to cross the checkpoints towards Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. A number of demonstrators suffered from tear
gas inhalation. Israeli soldiers also
arrested 9 French human rights defenders and a photographer of the local
al-Quds daily, but released them two hours later. Additionally, IOF closed the checkpoint. 

 

· At approximately
15:30 also on Sunday, 26 December 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
Israeli and international human rights defenders, including 90 French ones,
gathered in the center of Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah, to plant olive
trees on both sides of the annexation wall. IOF closed the gate established on the wall with barbwires and when the
demonstrators arrived at the area, Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal
bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. They also beat a number of
demonstrators. A number of demonstrators
suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.

 

· At
approximately 15:00 on Monday, 27 December 2010, dozens of Palestinian
civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders, including 90
French ones, gathered in the center of Bittin village, northeast of
Ramallah. They organized a peaceful
demonstration towards Beit Eil checkpoint between the village and Ramallah
demanding its dismantlement. Israeli
soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs
at them. As a result, ‘Alaa’ Fawzan
Hamed, 25, was hit by a tear gas canister to the head. A number of demonstrators also suffered from
tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises. 

 

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:

 

At
approximately 13:00 on Tuesday, 01 June 2010, the Egyptian authorities decided
to open Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border in both
directions without specifying a date for its closure. The Egyptian decisions came following the
Israeli attack on the Gaza-aid flotilla in international water. On the following morning, the crossing point
was effectively opened and restricted categories of Palestinian civilians were
allowed to travel through it.

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

22 –
28 December 2010

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

22 –
28 December 2010

 

 

Exports through Karm Abu Salem Crossing:

 

On Wednesday, 22 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 440,480
flowers and 6.337 tons of strawberries. 

 

On Thursday, 23 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 11 tons of
strawberries. 

 

On Sunday, 26 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 106,140
flowers and 17.5 tons of strawberries.

 

On Monday, 27 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 9.4 tons of
strawberries. 

 

On Tuesday, 28 December 2010, IOF allowed the export of 22,660
flowers and 11 tons of strawberries.

 

Al-Mentar (Karni) Crossing: During the
reporting period, IOF partially opened the crossing on Wednesday, 22 December
2010, and allowed the entry of 1,755 tons of wheat and 975 tons of fodders. They also allowed the entry of 2,450 tons of
construction aggregate for Mas’oud ‘Ali Company. They opened it again on Monday, 27 December
2010, and allowed the entry of 3,276 tons of wheat, and 2,418 tons of fodders. They also opened it on Tuesday, 27 December
2010, and allowed the entry of 2,379 tons of wheat and 2,457 tons of fodders.  

 

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.

 

Movement
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

22 –
28 December 2010

 

 

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.      

 

· Hebron:  IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Friday noon, 24 December 2010, IOF closed
alls northern and eastern entrance to Hebron and the nearby Halhoul town. The closure continued until the following day
evening, during which time IOF stopped and searched Palestinian civilian
vehicles.  On Monday noon, 27 December 2010, IOF
established a number of checkpoints on roads around Hebron. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. 

 

· Ramallah: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of the Palestinian
civilians in Ramallah. IOF troops
positioned at the Jaba’ and Qalandiya checkpoints, southeast of Ramallah, have
imposed additional restrictions on movement and conducted prolonged checks of
Palestinian civilians. During the
reporting period, IOF established a number of temporary checkpoints, and
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At approximately 19:00 on Thursday, 23
December 2010, IOF re-established their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint at the
northern entrance of Bir Zeit village, north of Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately 18:30
on Saturday, 25 December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of
Beit Liqya village, west of Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. 

 

· Qalqilya: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Thursday, 23 December 2010, IOF
established 3 checkpoints around Qalqilya. On Friday, 24 December 2010, IOF established 3 checkpoints around
Qalqilya. On Saturday, 25 December 2010,
IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Ematin village, and another one
near Kufor Laqef village, east of Qalqilya. On Sunday, 26 December 2010, IOF established 6 checkpoints around
Qalqilya. On Monday, 27 December 2010,
IOF established 4 checkpoints around Qalqilya. Israeli soldiers stationed at these checkpoints stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles.   

 

· Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 13:30 on Monday, 27 December
2010, IOF established a checkpoint on Kufor Zeibad – Kufor ‘Abboush road, south
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 11:00 on Tuesday, 28 December
2010, IOF established a checkpoint at ‘Anza intersection, south of Jenin. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
11:00 on Wednesday, 29 December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at Rummana
intersection, west of Jenin. They
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.

 

· Salfit: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have continued to close the northern
entrance of Salfit with cement blocks and sand barriers since 2000. They have also continued to close two roads
linking Marda village with agricultural land belonging to it.  At approximately 10:30 on Monday, 27 December
2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Marda village, north of
Salfit. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles.

 

· Jericho: IOF have continued to
impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 19:00 on Thursday, 23
December 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Fassayel
village, north of Jericho. They stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. 

 

Arrests at Military Checkpoints

 

· At
approximately 15:30 on Saturday, 25 December 2010, Israeli soldiers stationed
at al-Hamra checkpoint, southeast of Tubas, arrested Mohammed Jameel Jindeb,
21, from al-Far’a refugee camp south of Tubas. 

 

Harassment at Military Checkpoints

 

· At
approximately 09:00 on Sunday, 26 December 2010, two Israeli soldiers attacked
3 Palestinian civilians near Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and arrested
one of them. In his testimony to PCHR,
‘Alaa’ Sbaih Hassan, 20, from Qasra village southeast of Nablus, stated:

 

“At
approximately 09:00 on Sunday, 26 December 2010, I was at Za’tara intersection,
south of Nablus, waiting for a taxi to travel to Salfit. Waleed Barakat, 20, and Bilal Ja’far Hassan,
20, from my village, Qasra, were near me. An Israeli military jeep (Hummer) arrived and stopped near us. A soldier opened the door of the jeep and
talked to us in Hebrew. We did not
understand what he was saying because we do not speak Hebrew. He then ordered Waleed Barakat to come to him
and he did. The soldier pulled Barakat
from his clothes towards him and he then, shouting in Hebrew pushed him down,
so he fell onto the ground. The soldier
then ordered me t get close to him. He
talked to me in Hebrew and then pushed me. Soon after, the soldier ordered Bilal Hassan to get close to him. He talked to Bilal in Hebrew and then pulled
him. The soldier then turned the radio
wire around Bilal’s neck and beat him. Soon after, the two soldiers stepped down and handcuffed and blindfolded
Bilal. They then violently beat me and
Barakat for 5 minutes. A number of
Israeli military and police vehicles arrived at the area. Police officered expelled me and Barakat from
the area. They questioned Bilal and took
him in a jeep towards an unknown destination.”

 

4. Measures
Aimed at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem

 

Israel
has recently escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians in East
Jerusalem in order to force them to leave the city. PCHR has devoted this section in the Weekly
Report to highlighting violations of human rights perpetrated by IOF against
Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem.

 

· At approximately 09:00 on Wednesday, 29
December 2010, the Israeli police, accompanied by a number of bulldozers,
trucks and large levers of the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem, moved into
Khillat al-‘Ein area in the east of al-Tour village, east of Jerusalem. They demolished a number of rooms, stores and
bird an animal farms. They also razed
large areas of agricultural land and confiscated some civilian property. At least 100 civilians were affected by these
acts, which can be summed up as follows:

 

1. They razed a 2,200-square-meter areas of
agricultural land planted with olives, grapes, bananas and citrus, and
demolished 7 mobile rooms that served as stores belonging to Ahmed Abu Adam.

2. They razed a large farm, barnyards and a water
network belonging to Wa’ed Darwsih D’ana, whose family is comprised of 12
individuals.

3. They demolished a large store and confiscated
30 tons of iron and 3 tons of scraps belonging to Yahia ‘Arafat al-Zam, whose
family is comprised of 9 individuals.

4. They razed a 1,500-square-meter area of
agricultural land, and demolished a barnyards and a store belonging to Na’im
Salama Abu Sbaitan.

5.  They
razed a 2,000-square-meter area of agricultural land, demolished a barnyard and
uprooted at least 50 trees belonging to Maher Sbaitani, whose family is
comprised of 6 individuals.

6. They razed a 600-square-meter areas of
agricultural land planted with olives and citrus and destroyed a room and a
water network belonging to Ra’ed al-Sayad, whose family is comprised of 6
individuals.

7. They uprooted at least 70 olive trees belonging
to Ahmed Khwais.

8. They demolished a room and uprooted more than
2o olive trees belonging to Ibrahim al-Balbissi.

9. They demolished two rooms belonging to ‘Abdulla
Nabulsi.

 

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

 

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 Saturday, 25 December 2010, dozens of
Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, from “Missa Ya’ir” settlement to
the east of Yatta village, south of Hebron, waged a campaign to seize areas of
Palestinian land. They fenced a
600-donum area of land belonging to the families of Houhiya and al-Najjar. The seized area of land is part of areas of
land, which are often attacked by Israeli settlers and closed by IOF.

 

· On Sunday morning, 26 December 2010, a number
of Israeli settlers from “Gilad” settlement, east of Qalqilya,
attacked a tract of land belonging to ‘Aadel Hassan Yamin, 54, from Jeet village
northeast of Qalqilya. In his testimony
to PCHR, Yamin stated:

 

“At
approximately 07:30 on Sunday, 26 December 2010, I went to my land in the south
of Jeet village, opposite to ‘Gilad’ settlement. When I arrived there, I was surprised that
the fence was completely dismantled. They also attacked a water well. I am certain that the attack was launched by settlers, as they have
repeatedly attacked agricultural lands in the area. I called the ICRC, but I did not receive any
help.”

 

· At approximately 14:30 on Monday, 27 December
2010, a number of Israeli settlers from “Tits’har” settlement set
fire to agricultural lands in Khillat ‘Ein al-Sha’ira in the southeast of
Madama village, south of Nablus. As a
result, 20 olive trees were partially burnt, before Palestinian fire fighters
were able to extinguish fire. The
settlers also uprooted a number of small trees.

 

· On Tuesday morning, 29 December 2010, Israeli
settlers burnt 3 tents belonging to the al-Nawaj’a family in Sousia village,
south of Hebron.  According to Sarah
Isma’il al-Nawaj’as, she woke up to find that fired had broken out in the
tents. She also saw and Israeli settler
fleeing in a car towards the nearby by “Sousia” settlement.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

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 ([email protected]) or telephone (+972 (0)8
282 4776 – 282 5893).