Israeli soldiers take position during
clashes with Palestinian civilians in the West Bank town of Hebron.

 

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

 

 

· IOF
killed a Palestinian resistance activist with flechette shells.

 

· 17
Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip.

 

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

 

· IOF
used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest against the
construction of the Annexation Wall and settlement activities.

 

· IOF
conducted 18 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 5
incursions into the Gaza Strip.

 

· IOF
arrested 50 persons, including 10 children and 3 human rights defenders, in the
West Bank.

 

· IOF
razed 77 donums[1]
of agricultural land in the Gaza Strip.

 

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

 

· IOF
have continued efforts aimed at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.

 

· IOF
stormed al-Aqsa Mosque to allow hundreds of Israeli settlers to enter its
yards.

 

· A
landslide caused by Israeli excavations in Silwan village was reported.

 

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

 

· IOF
destroyed 6 agricultural wells in Kufor Dan village, west of Jenin.

 

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (24 February – 03 March 2010):

 

Shooting: During
the reporting period, IOF killed one Palestinian resistance activist in the
Gaza Strip, and wounded 17 others, including a woman, in the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip.

 

On 01 March 2010, Israeli troops stationed at the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel killed a Palestinian resistance
activist, when they fired 4 flechette shells at a number of resistance
activists. 

 

On 26 February 2010, a Palestinian resistance
activist was wounded during armed clashes with Israeli troops that had moved
into al-Shouka village, southeast of Rafah. 

 

On 27 February 2010, Israeli troops stationed at the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at Palestinian civilian near the
border wounding him in the right thigh. 

 

On 25 February 2010, Israeli troops stationed at the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at a number of Palestinian
workers who were gathering bricks and iron bars from destroyed buildings in the
northern Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported. 

 

On 01 March 2010, Israeli troops stationed at the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired two artillery shells at the
northern Gaza Strip. No casualties or
damage were reported.

 

On the same day, Israeli troops stationed at the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at a number of Palestinian
civilians and international solidarity activists in the north of Beit Hanoun in
the northern Gaza Strip. 

 

In the West Bank, on 28 February 2010, 6 Palestinian
civilians were wounded by Israeli troops in East Jerusalem. 

 

IOF also used forced against peaceful demonstrations
organized in protest of the construction
of the Annexation Wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 3 Palestinian civilians were
wounded. 

 

During the reporting period, 4 Palestinian civilians,
including one woman, were wounded, when Israeli troops stationed at a
checkpoint near Bethlehem fired at a civilian vehicle. 

 

IOF also used excessive force against peaceful
demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians in protest of an Israeli
decision to declare the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Bilal Ben Rabah Mosque in
Bethlehem Jewish heritage sites. A
number of civilians were wounded and others were arrested.

 

Incursions: During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 18 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  IOF arrested 50 persons, including 10 children
and 3 human rights defenders. IOF also
harassed Palestinian civilians during house raids. 

 

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 5 incursions into
Palestinian communities, during which they razed 77 donums of agricultural land.

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

 

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings
to the Gaza Strip for more than two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed
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
main concern of 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their
basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

 

· Israel
had continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip for over two and a half years.

 

· Israel
has not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of
cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.

 

· The
Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number
of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return to the
Gaza Strip.

 

· Israel
has 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
continues to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage
systems. Losses incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.

 

· Israel
has imposed additional restrictions on access of international diplomats,
journalists and humanitarian workers to 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 sharply mounted.

 

· Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived for family visitation for more
than two years. 

 

· IOF
have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the coast of the Gaza
Strip.

 

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 630 permanent 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 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 leads to 18 Palestinian communities in the
West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

 

· There
are around 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.

 

Annexation Wall: Israel has continued the
construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank, in violation of
international human rights law and humanitarian law. At noon on Tuesday, 02 March 2010, IOF
started to raze Palestinian agricultural land on Krimzan Street in Beit Jala in
the southern West Bank, to construct a section of the Annexation Wall in the
area. According to engineer Samia Zeit
from the Municipality of Beit Jala, IOF plan to raze 300 donums of agricultural
land belonging to Palestinian civilians from the town, and the new section will
surround Palestinian houses in the area from 3 sides.

 

Efforts to Create a Jewish Demographic Majority in
Jerusalem: IOF have continued efforts aimed at creating
a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.

 

On 28 February 2010, hundreds of Israeli
settlers and their supporters, escorted by Israeli security forces, stormed the
yard of the al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. IOF used excessive force against Palestinian civilians who gathered inside
the Mosque and/or attempted to prevent the provocative entry of settlers into
the Mosque. 

 

Also on 28 February 2010, the Israeli
District Court ordered the expulsion of Mansour Abu Gharbiya, 44, from
Jerusalem for two years. It is worth
noting that Abu Gharbiya served 5 months in prison for allegations of
participating in public activities. 

 

On 01 March 2010, a landslide occurred in
Wadi Hilaw Street in Silwan, south of the old city of Jerusalem. This landslide had been the fourth of its
kind in the same street since the beginning of the year. Palestinian civilians informed the Israeli
Municipality of Jerusalem about the hole caused by the landslide, but its
officials did not come to the area before the morning of the following
day. 

 

Settlement Activities: Israel has continued its settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of international
humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

 

On 24 February 2010, IOF moved into the east of Kufor
Dan village, west of Jenin. They
destroyed 6 agricultural wells that supply water to at least 456 donums of
agricultural and 47 greenhouses.

 

Following the Friday Prayer on 26 February 2010,
dozens of Palestinian civilians gathered in the center of Southern ‘Assira
village, south of Nablus. They moved
towards areas of land that are threatened by confiscation for the sake of
settlement expansion. IOF were
present. When Palestinian civilians
attempted to plant on the land, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal
bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. A number of civilians suffered from tear gas
inhalation.

 

 

 

Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (24 February – 03 March 2010)

 

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

 

Wednesday,
24 February 2010 

 

· At
approximately 04:30, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Omar
Mohammed Blaidi, 23, and arrested him.

 

· At
approximately 07:30, IOF moved nearly 700 meters into al-Fukhari area in the
southeast of Khan Yunis. By 15:00, they
had razed 60 donums of agricultural land planted with barley, vegetables and
almonds, belonging to the al-‘Omour, Abu To’aima and Abu ‘Aataya families.

 

· At
noon, hundreds of Palestinian civilians, including school children, organized
peaceful demonstrations in Hebron, in protest of the decision taken by the
Israeli government to declare the Ibrahimi Mosque as a Jewish heritage
site. The demonstrations moved towards
the Ibrahimi Mosque and the entrances of the old city. Immediately, IOF intervened to disperse these
demonstrations, especially in the center and south of the city and clashes
erupted between them and Palestinian civilians. The clashes continued until the evening, and IOF fired rubber-coated
metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at civilians. As a result, 5 civilians suffered from tear
gas inhalation. IOF also arrested 3
civilians, including a child:

 

1. Tha’er Nidal ‘Owaiwi, 18;

2. Mohammed ‘Abdul Rahman al-Karaki, 18;
and

3. Mohammed Abu Ermaila, 16.

 

· At
approximately 23:00, IOF moved into Sourif village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Mousa Ahmed Ghnaimat, 18, and arrested him.

 

Thursday,
25 February 2010

 

· At
approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses
and a kindergarten. They arrested 5
Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Ibrahim Fat’hi ‘Awadh, 18;

2. Eyad Bassam Za’aqiq, 34;

3. Nader Mohammed Bahar, 37;

4. Mohammed Rafiq al-‘Allami, 17; and

5. Hassan Faheem al-‘Allami, 22.

 

They also
summoned a number of civilians for interrogation.

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Beit Reema village, north of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested two Palestinian civilians, including a child:

 

1. Ra’fat Saqer ‘Assaf, 16; and

2. Husni Mohammed Husni, 20. 

 

· At
approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Senjel village, north of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Mohammed Rebhi Ghefari, 20; and

2. Rateb ‘Eissa Khalil, 47.

 

· In
the morning, dozens of Palestinian school children organized a peaceful
demonstration in Hebron in protest of the Israeli decision to declare the
Ibrahimi Mosque a Jewish heritage site. The demonstration moved towards the Ibrahimi Mosque, and there, IOF
fired sounds bombs and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, 4 children from the Jaber
family, aged 5-10, suffered from tear gas inhalation. They were admitted to a hospital in the city. 

 

· At
approximately 13:50, Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel to the northwest of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip
opened fire at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting bricks and
iron bars from the debris of destroyed buildings in the area. The workers fled and no casualties were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 14:00, dozens Palestinian civil society activists and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Hebron in protest of the Israeli decision to include the
Ibrahimi Mosque on the list of Jewish heritage sites. The demonstration moved from the center of
the town towards the Ibrahimi Mosque, but IOF intervened and fired sound bombs
and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. They also violently beat a number of demonstrators. As a result, 9 demonstrators, including PCHR
field worker Fahmi Shaheen, were injured. IOF also detained two Israeli human rights defenders and a US human
rights defender for several hours. 

 

Friday, 26 February 2010

 

· At
approximately 01:50, an Israeli infantry unit moved approximately 200 meters
into al-Shouka village, southeast of Rafah, near Gaza International Airport in
the southern Gaza Strip. A number of
activists of the Palestinian resistance exchanged fire with Israeli
troops. As a result of the exchange of
fire, a resistance activist was severely wounded by shrapnel.

 

Saturday, 27 February 2010

 

· At
approximately 13:55, Majed Khamis Matar, 22, from Jabalya refugee camp in the
northern Gaza Strip, was admitted to Kamal ‘Edwan Hospital in Beit Lahia with a
gunshot wound in his right thigh. Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel
to the east of Jabalya had fired at Matara when he attempted to cross the
border. They then arrested him and took
him to an unknown location inside Israel. Later, they handed him to a Palestinian ambulance at Beit Hanoun (Erez)
crossing.

 

Sunday, 28 February 2010

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into ‘Aanin village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Mohammed Rajab Yassin, 20; and

2. Qaisar Fat’hi Mansour, 23.

 

· At
approximately 12:30, IOF moved approximately 500 meters into Wadi al-Salqa
village in the central Gaza Strip. They
razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land:

 

1. They razed a 3-donum area of
agricultural land planted with olives belonging to Yousef Ahmed Abu Mughassib;

2. They razed a 3-donum area of
agricultural land planted with olives belonging to ‘Abdul Muhdi Hussein Abu
Mughassib; and

3. They razed a 3-donum area of
agricultural land planted with olives belonging to Jihan ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Abu Mughassib.

 

Monday, 01 March 2010

 

· At
approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian
civilians:

 

1. Mujahed Munjed Jasser, 22; and

2. Mohammed Ahmed Abu al-Haija, 22.

 

· Also
at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Am’ari refugee camp in al-Bireh. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested Fares Saleh al-Tarteer, 17.

 

· At
approximately 11:50, Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel fired two artillery shells at a space area to the north of
al-Nada housing project in the northern Gaza Strip. No casualties or damage were reported, but
Palestinian civilians were extremely terrified.

 

· At
approximately 11:55, Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel near Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing fired at a number of
Palestinian civilians and international solidarity activists who peacefully
demonstrated in the north of Beit Hanoun. The demonstrators raised a Palestinian flag in the area. According to Saber al-Za’anin, Coordinator of
the Local Initiative in Beit Hanoun, such demonstrations are organized weekly
to protest against the establishment of a buffer zone along the border by
IOF. The gunfire continued for
approximately 20 minutes and Israeli troops photographed the
demonstration. No casualties were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 12:15, Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza
Strip and Israel fired 4 flechette shells at a number of activists of the
Palestinian resistance who were approximately 700 meters from the border, in
the Hamdoush area of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. As a result, an activist, 19-year-old
Mohammed Ashraf Ghaben, was killed as he was left bleeding to death, and
another activist was wounded. The
wounded activist was evacuated to the hospital by motorcycle. A Palestinian ambulance arrived in the area
in an attempt to evacuate the other activist’s body, but IOF moved into the
area and surrounded the body. At
approximately 15:30, the Israeli troops moved back towards the border, and
Palestinian civilians were able to evacuate the activist’s body to Kamal ‘Edwan
Hospital in Beit Lahia. According to
medical sources, he was hit by shrapnel and a gunshot to the neck.

 

Tuesday, 02 March 2010

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Ethna village, west of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested Hatem Mohammed Basheer, 35.

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of
Hebron. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested Hassan Mahmoud Jawabra, 55.

 

· At
approximately 02:30, IOF moved into ‘Aqabet Jaber refugee camp, west of
Jericho. They raided and searched a
number of houses and summoned a number of Palestinian civilians for
interrogation.

 

· At
approximately 21:00, IOF moved into ‘Ein ‘Arik village, west of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children:

 

1. ‘Aamer Yousef Qarabsa, 16;

2. Rebhi ‘Abed Qarabsa, 16;

3. Mohammed Muneef Qarabsa, 15;

4. ‘Abed Isma’il Abu Sharifa, 20; and

5. Falah Yousef Qarabsa, 20.

 

Wednesday, 03 March 2010

 

· At
approximately 00:30, IOF, supported by a helicopter, moved into the villages of
al-Yamoun, Seilat al-Harthiya and Kufor Dan, west of Jenin. This military operation targeted two members
of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad): ‘Alaa’ Sha’ban Zayoud, 33, from Seilat
al-Harthiya village and Bajes ‘Aadel Hmaidiya, 32, from al-Yamoun village. IOF surrounded houses belonging to families
of the targeted persons and their relatives. They harassed residents of these houses, including 74-year-old ‘Aaida
‘Abdul Hafes Hamdiya, who suffers from paralysis of the lower limbs. IOF forced the elderly woman to sit on a
chair, and ordered her grandchildren to take her 100 meters away from her
house. They also forced Nancy Kamal
Hmaidiya, 24, who gave birth only 5 days earlier, to carry her baby, get out of
the house and sit outside with her children under very cold weather conditions.

 

In her testimony to PCHR, Nancy Hmaidiya, stated:

 

“… I woke up hearing the explosion of a sound bomb outside our
house, although I was very exhausted because I had just given birth. I was afraid. I asked my husband to wake up our children, and I brought a blanket and
covered my newborn baby. I then carried
him. All of this did not take more than
5 minutes, while the [Israeli] army
was detonating sounds bombs outside the house and ordering us to open the door,
threatening to blow it up. My husband opened
the door and immediately, the soldiers ordered him to raise his hands. We were then all ordered to get out of the
house towards the yard. My husband told
them that I was not able to leave because I gave birth 5 days earlier, but they
shouted at us to get out and we did. They forced my husband to sit on a chair, approximately 10 meters from
us. I sat on a step of the stairs, and
my children were around me shivering because of the cold. We stayed in this position until 03:00, and
the whole time my baby was crying, and the soldiers were searching the
house. They then allowed us to get back
into the house. Approximately half an
hour later, about 15 soldiers came to the house and searched it
thoroughly. They left the house at
04:30.”

 

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. ‘Abdul Nasser al-Swais, 47;
and

2. Aysar Hamdan, 35.

 

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into ‘Attil village, north of
Tulkarm. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested Shaher Mohammed Yassin, 27.

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Beit Reema village, north
of Ramallah. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians, including a child:

 

1. Ra’fat Saqer ‘Assaf, 16;
and

2. Husni Mohammed Husni, 20.

 

· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Nabi Saleh village,
north of Ramallah. They raided and
searched a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including 4
brothers:

 

1. Ta’meen ‘Awadh al-Tamimi,
27;

2. Mustafa ‘Abdul Raziq
al-Tamimi, 27;

3. Majd ‘Abdul Raziq
al-Tamimi, 23;

4. ‘Odai ‘Abdul Raziq
al-Tamimi, 15; and

5. Lu’ai ‘Abdul Raziq
al-Tamimi, 15.

 

· At approximately 08:15, IOF moved approximately 500 meters into
the Bourat Abu Samra area in the north of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza
Strip. They leveled areas of land, which
they had previously razed. They withdrew
from the area at approximately 09:55.

 

2. Continued Siege on the OPT

 

Israel has 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 more than two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed
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
main concern of 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their
basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

 

· Israel
had continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip for over two and a half years.

 

· Israel
has not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of
cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.

 

· The
Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number
of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return to the
Gaza Strip.

 

· Israel
has 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
continues to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage
systems. Losses incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.

 

· Israel
has imposed additional restrictions on access of international diplomats,
journalists and humanitarian workers to 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 sharply mounted.

 

· Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived for family visitation for more
than two years. 

 

· IOF
have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the coast of the Gaza
Strip.

 

 

Movement at Border Crossings during the Reporting
Period:

 

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

23
February – 02 March 2010

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

23
February – 02 March 2010

 

 

Al-Mentar
(Karni) Crossing: IOF partially
opened the crossing on Thursday, 25 February 2010, and allowed the entry of
1,760 tons of wheat and 1,760 tons of fodders. They opened it again on Tuesday, 02 March 2010, and allowed the entry of
2,394 tons of wheat and 1,596 tons of fodders. 

 

Beit
Hanoun (Erez) Crossing: IOF have continued
to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for the movement of Palestinian civilians.
They 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. As mentioned above, IOF
have allowed a small number of patients to pass through the crossing, but under
severe restrictions that include prolonged checking.

 

 

Movement
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

23
February – 02 March 2010

 

 

 

The
West Bank

 

IOF have
imposed a tightened siege 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. IOF
often violently beat Palestinian civilians who attempt to bypass checkpoints
and enter the city.

 

· Ramallah: IOF have
continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of the Palestinian
civilians in Ramallah. Israeli 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 erected a number of temporary checkpoints, and stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. On the morning of Wednesday, 03 March 2010, IOF erected a checkpoint at
the Beit ‘Our intersection west of Ramallah. They prevented hundreds of Palestinian civilians from traveling to
Bil’ein village. It is worth noting that
IOF have continued preventing Palestinian civilians from traveling on road #443
although the Israeli High Court ordered opening the road to Palestinian
traffic. 

 

· Nablus: IOF have
continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. On Wednesday morning, 03
March 2010, Israeli troops stationed at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus,
imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. 

 

Firing
at Palestinian Civilians

 

· At
approximately 17:00 on Saturday, 27 February 2010, Israeli troops stationed at
a military checkpoint near Housan village, west of Bethlehem, stopped a
Palestinian civilian’s vehicle. They
asked the passengers for their identity cards, and then fired at the vehicle. As a result, 4 Palestinian civilians, including
a woman, were wounded:

 

1. Tha’er Mashour Shalalda, 22, wounded by
a gunshot to the left thigh and shrapnel to the back;

2. Thabet Mashour Shalalda, 20, wounded by
a gunshot to the back;

3. Qassem Mashour Shalalda, 19, wounded by
shrapnel to the thighs; and

4. Asmaa’ Shaher Shalalda, 21, wounded by
shrapnel to the head, the right hand and the legs.

 

IOF did not
offer these civilians any medical aid, and allowed their evacuation to Beit
Jala Hospital only approximately 15 minutes later. According to medical sources, the victims
were hit by explosive bullets.

 

Harassments
at Military Checkpoints

 

· On
Thursday morning, 25 February 2010, Israeli troops stationed near Jebara
checkpoint, south of Tulkarm, stopped, checked and violenly beat Sa’ed Waleed ‘Ali,
34, from Kufor Jammal village south of the town, when he was on his way to his
work in the town. He sustained bruises.

 

 

3. Construction of the Annexation Wall

 

IOF have continued the
construction of the Annexation Wall inside West Bank territory.  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.

 

· Following
the Friday Prayer on 26 February 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in protest of the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil’ein
village, west of Ramallah. The
demonstrators moved towards the Wall and attempted to enter onto annexed lands.
Immediately, IOF troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear
gas canisters at the demonstrators. Dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear
gas inhalation, and some of them sustained bruises.

 

· Also
on Friday noon, 26 February 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Ni’lin
village, west of Ramallah, in protest of the construction of the Annexation
Wall. They clashed with IOF troops
positioned near the Wall. IOF troops
fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. Dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

 

· Also
on Friday noon, 26 February 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians organized a
peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah. When they attempted to reach lands located
near “Halmish” settlement, which Israeli settlers are attempting to
seize, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear
gas canisters at them. As a
result, 3 civilians were wounded:

 

1. Ref’at Wajeeh al-Tamimi, 22, wounded by
a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg;

2. Malek Kamal al-Tamimi, 23, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet to the head; and

3. ‘Omar Saleh al-Tamimi, 23, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet to the left leg.

 

· At
noon on Tuesday, 02 March 2010, IOF started to raze areas of Palestinian agricultural
land on Krimzan Street in Beit Jala in the southern West Bank, to construct a
section of the Annexation Wall. According to engineer Samia Zeit from the Municipality of Beit Jala, IOF
plan to raze 300 donums of agricultural land belonging to Palestinian civilians
from the town, and the new section will surround Palestinian houses in the area
from 3 sides.

 

 

4. Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish Majority in Jerusalem

 

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

 

· On Sunday morning, 28 February 2010, hundreds of Israeli settlers
and their supporters, escorted by Israeli security forces, stormed the yard of
the al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. IOF used excessive force against Palestinian civilians who gathered inside
the Mosque and/or attempted to prevent the provocative entry of settlers into
the Mosque. 

 

According to investigations conducted by
PCHR, in the early morning of Sunday, 28 February 2010, IOF closed all roads
leading to the al-Aqsa Mosque, and established barriers at the entrances of the
old city of Jerusalem, denying Palestinian civilians access to it. A few
hours later, at least 200 Israeli police and security officers entered the yard
of the al-Aqsa Mosque and surrounded dozens of Palestinian
worshippers. They then closed the doors of the Mosque with iron
chains. At approximately 08:00, at least 500 Israeli settlers and their
supporters, escorted by IOF, broke into the yard of the Mosque through
al-Magharbah Gate, to conduct religious rituals for the Jewish holiday of
Purim. Soon after, hundreds of Palestinian civilians gathered near Hatta
Gate and attempted to reach the al-Aqsa Mosque in an attempt to force Israeli
settlers to leave the yard of the al-Aqsa Mosque. Immediately, IOF fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at these
civilians. As a result, 6 civilians were wounded by rubber-coated metal
bullets. Israeli police officers also violently beat a number of
Palestinian civilians near al-Majles Gate, and a woman, Fatema al-Barsi,
sustained a fractured leg when Israeli police officers closed a gate on her
legs when she attempted to reach the al-Aqsa Mosque. Additionally, IOF
used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized by female school
children. They also attacked and fired tear gas canisters at Palestinian
civilians who gathered near al-Asbat Gate. At least 12 civilians suffered
from tear gas inhalation.

 

According to eyewitnesses, IOF arrested 5
Palestinian boys in the old city and 5 boys in the Ras al-‘Amoud
neighborhood. At noon, after the settlers had left the al-Aqsa Mosque
complex, IOF maintained the closures of the entrances of the old
city. They also prevented Palestinians below 50 years of age from reaching
the Mosque. 

 

· Also on Sunday, 28 February 2010, the Israeli District Court
ordered the expulsion of Mansour Abu Gharbiya, 44, from Jerusalem for two
years. It is worth noting that Abu
Gharbiya served 5 months in prison for allegations of participating in public
activities. 

 

· On Monday, 01 March 2010, a landslide occurred on Wadi Hilaw
Street in Silwan, the south of the old city of Jerusalem. This landslide had been the fourth of its
kind on the same street since the beginning of the year. Palestinian civilians informed the Israeli
Municipality of Jerusalem about the hole caused by the landslide, but its
officials did not come to the area before morning of the following day. 

 

 

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.

 

· At
approximately 10:00 on Wednesday, 24 February 2010, IOF moved into the east of
Kufor Dan village, west of Jenin. They
destroyed 6 agricultural wells that supply water to at least 456 donums of
agricultural and 47 greenhouses:

 

1. A well belonging to Mustafa Ahmed
‘Aabed and partners, which provides 200 donums of agricultural land with water;

2. A well belonging to Tariq Mohammed
al-Sa’di, which provides an agricultural nursery with water;

3. A well belonging to Mohammed Nemer Mar’ei
and partners, which provides 70 donums of agricultural land with water;

4. A well belonging to Bahaa’ Mohammed
Mar’ei, which provides 62 donums of agricultural land with water;

5. A well belonging to Ahmed Sobhi ‘Aabed
and his brothers, which provides 29 donums of agricultural land with water; and

6. A well belonging to Nasser Tawfiq
‘Aabed and partners, which provides 86 donums of agricultural land with water.

 

· Following
the Friday Prayer on 26 February 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians gathered
in the center of Southern ‘Assira village, south of Nablus. They moved towards areas of land threatened
by confiscation for the sake of settlement expansion. IOF were present. When Palestinian civilians attempted to plant
on the land, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and
tear gas canisters at them. A number of
civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

 

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).