Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 3 Palestinians were killed by IOF in the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip.
· 13 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were wounded
by the IOF gunfire in the West Bank.
· 7 of these civilians were wounded during a peaceful
demonstration organized in protest to 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 have continued to raid civil society institutions in
Nablus for the 2nd consecutive week.
· IOF raided the Municipality of Nablus, 2 medical centers, a
television station, 2 NGOs and 5 mosques.
· IOF confiscated 7 school buses.
· IOF arrested 66 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children
and 2 women, in the West Bank.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF troops at a military checkpoint near Jenin attempted to
force 3 Palestinian women to take off their clothes.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and
property.
· The construction of 920 housing units on Abu Ghumaim Mount
(Har Homa), south of East Jerusalem, was approved
· IOF demolished a house in al-‘Eissawiya village near
Jerusalem.
Summary
Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT
during the reporting period (9 – 16 July 2008):
Shooting:
During the
reporting period, IOF killed 3 Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
and injured 13 others, including 2 children, in the West Bank.
In the
West Bank, on 9
July, an IOF undercover unit shot and killed one Palestinian and arrested another
in Kufor Dan village, west of Jenin. The victim had been wanted by IOF for 2
years. On the same day, three Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were
injured when IOF moved into al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Jenin.
On 11 July,
IOF killed a Palestinian near “Yakir” settlement, northwest of Salfit. IOF
claimed an exchange of fire had taken place in the area, during which the
Palestinian was killed.
On 16 July,
3 Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF moved into al-Far’a refugee camp,
south of Jenin.
During the
reporting period, seven Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF used force
to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of
the Annexation Wall in Bil’in and Ne’lin villages, west of Ramallah, and Deir
al-Ghossoun village, north of Tulkarm.
In the
Gaza Strip, on 10 July, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel killed a Palestinian civilian in the central Gaza Strip. This
attack was the fifth of its kind since the Egypt-brokered truce between
Palestinian resistance groups and Israel entered into force on June 19. In addition, four Palestinians have been
injured since the truce started.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 66 Palestinian civilians,
including seven children and a number of public figures. Since the beginning of
this year, 1,548 Palestinian civilians have been arrested by IOF in the West
Bank. In addition, for the second consecutive week, IOF have continued a
systematic campaign against Palestinian civil institutions. During the
reporting period, IOF raided and searched several civil institutions in Nablus.
They confiscated property of these institutions and ordered the closure of a
number of them. IOF also raided five mosques in Nablus.
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
Contrary
to Israeli claims of easing restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians, 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 violently 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.
Settlement
Activities: IOF
have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the
OPT have, in violation of international humanitarian law, have continued to
attack Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, the
Israeli district committee approved the construction of 920 housing units in
Abu Ghniam Mount (Har Homa) in south east Jerusalem. The Israeli Municipality of
Jerusalem claimed that this project does not have political motivations or implications.
IOF also demolished a Palestinian house in al-‘Eissawiya village, east of
Jerusalem, claiming that it had been built without a license.
Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (9 – 16 July 2008)
The full report is available PDF format.
