Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· A Palestinian child from Rafah died from the explosion of an
unidentified object left by IOF.
· 23 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children, and a French
human rights defender were wounded by IOF gunfire.
· 11 of these civilians were wounded during peaceful
demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall.
· IOF conducted 30 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 58 Palestinian civilians, including four children,
in the West Bank.
· IOF raided 2 mosques in Beit Reema and Silwad villages near
Ramallah.
· IOF raided and closed a number of charities, cultural
centers and commercial buildings in Nablus.
· 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 checkpoints in the West Bank
arrested 8 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and
property.
· The Israeli Defense Minister approved the construction of a
Jewish school in the center of Hebron.
· IOF demolished two Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem.
· A Palestinian civilian was wounded by Israeli settlers.
· Israeli settlers attacked a French diplomatic delegation.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (26 June – 2 July 2008):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded
23 Palestinian civilians and a French human rights defender in the West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian child died from the explosion of an
unidentified object left by IOF in Rafah.
On 3 July, 13
Palestinian civilians, including 7 children, were wounded when IOF fired at a
number of Palestinian children and young men who threw stones at IOF military
vehicles that had moved into al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas.
During the reporting
period, 11 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and French human rights
defender were wounded when 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, and al-Ma’sara village, south of
Bethlehem.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 30 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 58 Palestinian civilians,
including 4 children. Since the beginning of the year, 1,482 Palestinian
civilians have been arrested by IOF in the West Bank. IOF also raided 2 mosques
in Beit Reema and Silwad villages near Ramallah. On 7 and 8 July, 2008, IOF
closed a number of charities and associations in Nablus for 2-3 years, claiming
they belong to Hamas.
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.
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. During
the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at checkpoints in the West Bank
arrested eight Palestinian civilians, including three children.
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
Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, approved the construction of a boarding school
for “Beit Rumano” Jewish School in Hebron. According to Israeli sources, the
construction of the school had been suspended for a number of years pending the
Israeli Defense Minister’s approval. At least 250 Israeli settlers study at the
Beit Rumano school, and the building was occupied by Israeli settlers in 1981.
In East Jerusalem and its suburbs, IOF demolished two Palestinian houses, rendering 21 individuals,
including 11 children, homeless. Also during the reporting period, Israeli
settlers living in the OPT launched five attacks against Palestinian civilians
and property in Hebron and Jenin. These attacks included the interception of a
French diplomatic delegation which was conducting an official visit Hebron. On
6 July, a Palestinian civilian was seriously wounded by a gunshot when the
driver of a car that has an Israeli registration plate fired at the taxi in
which he was traveling near Jenin.
Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (3 – 9 July 2008)
The full report is available PDF format.
