The security fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel- Palestinian
works have the risk collecting construction aggregate, whose entry banned by
Israel. 

 

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

 

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

– 6 Palestinian
civilians and an international human rights defender were injured.  

– IOF arrested 4
paramedics and two human rights defenders.

 

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

Two Palestinian workers were wounded in the northern Gaza Strip.

 

· IOF conducted 37
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and a limited one into
the Gaza Strip.  

– IOF arrested 15
Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, in the West Bank.

 

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

– IOF imposed
additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in Jerusalem
and other communities in the West Bank during the Ramadan Month.

– Israeli troops
stationed at military checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank
arrested at least 8 Palestinian civilians, including two children.

 

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

– Israeli
settlers attempted to break into al-‘Ein Mosque in Silwan village.

– Israeli
authorities demand churches in Jerusalem to pay water bills accumulated since
1967, although churches had been historically exempted from paying such bills.

 

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

– Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers
and shepherds in Hebron and Salfit.

– Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians
and their cars on the main roads following an attack against settlers in
Hebron.

 

Summary

 

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the
OPT continued during the reporting period (26 August – 01 September 2010):

 

Shooting:

 

During
the reporting period, 8 Palestinian civilian and an international human rights
defender were wounded by IOF in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  

 

In
the West Bank, 7 civilians, including a photojournalist and an international
human rights defender, were injured, when IOF used excessive force to disperse
peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities
and the construction of the annexation wall. 

 

In
the Gaza Strip, two Palestinian workers were wounded when IOF fired at a number
of workers who were collecting raw construction materials in the northern Gaza
Strip.

 

Incursions:

 

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 37 military
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they
arrested 15 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children. IOF also arrested 4 paramedics and two human
rights defenders, but released them an hour later. 

 

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted one limited incursion into
al-Boreij refugee camp. They clashed
with members of the Palestinian resistance. During the clashes 3 resistance activists were lightly wounded.

 

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. 

 

· On Friday, 01 January 2010, IOF decided to
close Nahal Ouz crossing permanently, and to allow the entry of fuels only
through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, southeast of Rafah, claiming
security reasons. 

· 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 the population of the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of
food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

 

· Israel has
continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip for more than three years.

 

· Israel has not
allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking
gas and energy fuel for Gaza Power Plant, 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 home to 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.

 

· At least 800
Gazan prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for
more than three 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 al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

 

· There are
approximately 630 permanent roadblocks, and 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 lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are
closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

 

· 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 26 August 2010, Israeli settlers attempted to break into al-‘Ein
Mosque in Silwan villahe in East Jerusalem. According to eyewitnesses, at least 10 Israeli settlers attempted to
break into al-‘Ein Mosque in Wadi Hilwa quarter in Silwan village. The settlers were seen at approximately 03:30
sneaking into the area carrying tools to open the gate of the mosque. Palestinian civilians noticed the attempt and
confronted it. Immediately, IOF arrived
at the area to protect the settlers. Five hours earlier, the settlers attempted to the attack the mosque, and
in the beginning of this month, Israeli settlers broke the gate of the mosque.  On 30 August 2010, IOF moved into Wad Hilwa
quarter in Silwan village. They waged an
arrest campaign against Palestinian civilians. 

 

The Israeli Jihon Water Company has recently sent warnings to
churches and nunneries in the old town of Jerusalem demanding them to pay bills
of water consumption accumulated since 1967, and threatening to cut off water
supplies if due fees were not paid. It
is worth noting that churches and nunneries in Jerusalem had been exempted from
paying fees for water supplies over hundreds of years.

 

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
27 August 2010, Israeli settlers attacked Jamal, Ahmed and Mohammed al-Nawaj’a,
while they were grazing animals in Sousia area, nearly 800 meters away from
“Sousia” settlement, south of Hebron. The settlers used stones and canes in the attack. 

 

On
31 August 2010, a
number of Israeli settlers from “Emanuel” settlement, northwest of
Salfit, attacked 3 Palestinian civilians who were working on a tract of
agricultural land near Deir Estia village, northwest of Salfit. 

 

Following
an attack against Israeli settlers near Hebron on 31 August 2010, Israeli
settlers launched a series of attacks against Palestinian civilians and
property in the West Bank.

 

 

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (26 August
– 01 September 2010)

 

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

 

Thursday,
26 August 2010

 

· At approximately 00:20, IOF moved into Kufor
al-Dik village, southwest of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Sanour
village, southeast of Jenin. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Qabatya
village, southeast of Jenin. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Jenin.
They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Surda
village, north of Ramallah. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Bir Zeit
village, north of Ramallah. They raided
and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

 

1. ‘Omar Mitri Qassis, 25;

2. Ramez ‘Abdul Rahim Wash’ha, 25; and

3. Yousef Mousa Housha, 46.

 

· Also at approximately 03:00, IOF moved into
Jafna village, north of Ramallah. They
raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Tariq Nasser Matar, 21; and

2. Emile Ghassan ‘Abdu, 24.

 

· Also at approximately 03:00, IOF moved into
Kufor ‘Aqab village, south of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Tha’er ‘Abdul
Rahim Wash’ha, 26.

 

· At approximately 08:55, IOF moved into
al-Jaroushiya village, north of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

· At approximately 13:25, IOF moved into Far’oun
village, south of Tulkarm. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 13:45, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At approximately 16:00, IOF moved into Fassayel
village, north of Jericho. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

Friday,
27 August 2010

 

· At approximately 00:25, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 00:45, IOF moved into Kufor
al-Dik village, southwest of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· Later, IOF moved into Brouqin village,
southwest of Salfit. They patrolled in
the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 12:30, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 17:30, IOF moved into
al-Taybeh village, northeast of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

Saturday,
28 August 2010

 

· At approximately 06:00, Israeli troops
stationed at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at a
number of Palestinian workers who were collecting taw construction materials on
a site where the evacuated Israeli settlement of “Elli Sinai” used to
stand in the northern Gaza Strip. As a
result, two workers were wounded:

 

1. Rami Ibrahim Ghaben, 19, wounded by a bullet to
the left foot; and

2. Sharif Sa’id Ghaben, 25, wounded by a bullet to
the right leg.

 

Israeli
troops also fired at animal carts belonging to the two civilians. As a result, a donkey was killed and another
one was injured.

 

· At approximately 13:30, IOF moved into Hares
village, northwest of Salfit. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

 

Sunday,
29 August 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 Eyad Shihda
Jabarin, 33, and arrested him.

 

· At approximately 01:25, IOF moved into
Qalqilya. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians:

 

1. ‘Imad Ahmed Doula;

2. Ahmed Mohammed al-Dalu;

3. Ameer Hassan Jibara, 19; and

4. Anas Hassan Jibara, 18.

 

· At approximately 01:30, an Israeli infantry
unit moved nearly 150
meters into the east of al-Boreij refugee camp in the
central Gaza Strip. Armed clashes
erupted between Israeli soldiers and members of the Palestinian
resistance. Soon after, IOF sent backups
and shelled the area. Three members of
al-Quds Brigades (the military wing of Islamic Jihad) were lightly injured.

 

· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into al-Irsal
neighborhood in Ramallah.  They raided a
5-storey apartment building belonging to the Abu ‘Ein family, and searched a
flat on the second floor. They then
arrested Yazan ‘Abdul Hadi al-Shrouf, 22.

 

· At approximately 15:00, IOF moved into Bedya
village, northwest of Salfit. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· Later, IOF moved into Qarawat Bani Hassan
village, northwest of Salfit. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

Monday,
30 August 2010

 

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

 

· At approximately 09:15, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilya, against. They
raided a car maintenance workshop and confiscated 6 cars that have Israeli
registration plates. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At approximately 13:40, IOF moved into the
villages of Habla, ‘Izbat al-Ja’oud and ‘Izbat al-Salman, south of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 17:00, IOF moved into Zeita
village, north of Tulkarm. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 17:45, IOF moved into Jeet
village, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· In the evening, following an attack launched by
Palestinian resistance activists against Israeli settlers in the southeast of
Hebron, IOF moved into Bani Na’im village, east of Hebron, and imposed a
curfew. They raided and searched many
houses and turned a number of them into military sites. The Israeli operation the village was
concluded on the following day evening.

 

· At approximately 23:25, IOF moved into
Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
arrests were reported.

 

Tuesday,
31 August 2010

 

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Kufor
al-Dik village, southwest of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into ‘Anabta
village, east of Tulkarm. They patrolled
in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into
al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian
children:

 

1. Saleh ‘Imad Abu Sharar, 14;

2. Mohammed Zakaria al-Qiq, 16; and

3. Firas Zakaria al-Qiq, 14.

 

· At approximately 16:00, IOF moved into Sarta
village, northwest of Salfit. They
patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 23:00, IOF moved into Kufor
al-Dik village, southwest of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

Wednesday,
01 September 2010

 

· At approximately 09:30, Israeli soldiers
stationed on observation towers at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the northern
Gaza Strip fired at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting raw
construction materials from the debris of destroyed buildings in the industrial
zone. The workers fled and 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. As a result, 7 Palestinianscivilians were injured. Dozens of civilians and human rights
defenders also suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained
bruises. IOF also 4 paramedics and two
human rights defenders, but released them an hour later.  

 

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 27 August 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders, including Martin Linton, Head
of Palestinian Friendship association and former member of the British Labor
Party, and a number of leaders and members of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), organized a peaceful demonstration in protest
to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil’ein village, west of
Ramallah. They also commemorated the 9^th
anniversary of the death of the later Secretary-General of PFLP, Abu Ali
Mustafa. They moved towards the
annexation wall. Israeli troops
stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear
gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a
result, 3 Palestinian civilians, including a journalist, were wounded:

 

1. Ashraf
Mohammed al-Khatib, 27, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left
leg;

2. Bassam
Mohammed Hamad, 30, hit by a tear gas canister to the right leg; and

3. Haitham
Mohammed al-Khatib, 34, a
photographer of the Public Committee against the Wall and Settlement in Bil’ein
village; hit by a tear gas canister to the back.

 

Several
demonstrators also suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained
bruises as they were beaten by Israeli troops.   

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 27 August 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, several demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others
sustained bruises.  Israeli troops also
arrested 4 paramedics and two human rights defenders, but released them later:

 

1. Murad Khalil ‘Amira, 35;

2. Mohammed Mousa Jabazi, 23;

3. Ma’ath Mohammed ‘Amira, 18;

4. Tariq Hani ‘Amira, 21;

5. Hamouda Sa’id ‘Amira, 34, a photographer of the
Israeli B’Tselem; and

6. Ms. Sirit, 39, Spokesperson of B’Tselem.

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 27 August 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, 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. A number of demonstrators suffered from tear
gas inhalation and others sustained bruises. 

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 27 August 2010, Palestinian civilians and international
human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in al-Ma’sara
village, south of Bethlehem. They moved
towards areas of land where IOF intend to construct a section of the annexation
wall. IOF had already closed the
entrance of the village. Once the
demonstrators arrived at the area, Israeli troops fired tear gas canisters and
sound bombs at them, and a violently beat a number of them. As a result, 4 demonstrators, including an
American human rights defender, sustained shrapnel injuries and burns:

 

1. Jom’a Yousef Zawahra, 40, injured by shrapnel
to the right foot;

2. Mohammed Yousef Banat, 37, injured by shrapnel
to the back;

3. Mahmoud Mousa ‘Aladdin, 27, injured by shrapnel
to the right thigh; and

4. Elika Ross, 21, sustained burns to the right
hand. 

 

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 more than
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. 

 

· On Friday, 01 January 2010, IOF decided to
close Nahal Ouz crossing permanently, and to only allow the entry of fuels
through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, southeast of Rafah, claiming
security reasons. 

 

· 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 the population of the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of
food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

 

· Israel has
continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip for more than three years.

 

· Israel has not
allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking
gas and energy fuel for Gaza Power Plant, 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 home to 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.

 

· Since the
imposition of the closure, living conditions of the Palestinian civilian
population have seriously deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment have
mounted sharply.

 

· At least 800
Gazan prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for
more than three years. 

 

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

 

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

25 – 31 August 2010

 

 

Movement at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

25 – 31 August 2010

 

 

Al-Mentar
(Karni) Crossing: IOF partially opened the crossing on Wednesday, 25 August 2010, and
allowed the entry of 975 tons of wheat and 2,886 tons of fodder. They also opened it on Tuesday, 31 August
2010, and allowed the entry of 1,911 tons of wheat and 2,457 tons of
fodder. 

 

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

25 – 31 August 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. On Friday morning, 27 August 2010, the second Friday in the Holy Ramadan
Month, IOF imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians in Jerusalem. Israeli troops
stationed at military checkpoints around Jerusalem prevented Palestinian
civilians aged below 50 from entering the city for the Friday Prayer. IOF also reinforced their presence in the
city. They established a number of
roadblocks and checkpoints in various areas.  

 

· Bethlehem: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have maintained their presence at 41
checkpoints around the town. The town
has been also impacted by the construction of the annexation wall to the north
and west, and large areas of Palestinian land have been isolated by the
wall. During the reporting period,
Israeli troops stationed at the 300 checkpoint (Rachel Toms), north of
Bethlehem, continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to Jerusalem. Palestinian civilians are forced to wait in
queues on two routes outside the checkpoint. They are then checked by Israeli soldiers using electronic checking
machines. Such checking is often
prolonged and humiliating. During the
reporting period, only Palestinians who have permits and those aged over 50
were allowed to travel to Jerusalem. In
the meantime, Israeli troops stationed the container checkpoint imposed
additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. During the reporting period, Israeli troops
stationed at the Container checkpoint imposed additional restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians. They
conducted prolonged checking on Palestinian civilian vehicles.  

 

· Hebron: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. Following an attack against Israeli settlers
near Hebron on Tuesday evening, 31 August 2010, IOF imposed additional
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They established more checkpoints on the main
roads. They also closed all entrances to
Hebron, and a number of villages near the town. Additionally, IOF banned the movement of
Palestinians on bypass road #60.   

 

· Nablus: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. On Monday morning, 30 August
2010, IOF established a checkpoint opposite to al-Tanib factory in the west of
Nablus. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles, but no arrests were reported. On Wednesday morning, 25 August 2010, IOF
established a checkpoint at Jeet intersection, southwest of Nablus. They also established a checkpoint at
“Yits’har” intersection, south of Nablus.  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 erected a number of temporary checkpoints, and stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. on Friday noon, 27 August 2010, IOF closed Jaba’ checkpoint. As a result, thousands of Palestinian
civilians, who prayed in the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, had to wait for long
hours before they were allowed to travel back homes. At approximately 09:30 on Saturday, 28 August
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, but no arrests were reported. At approximately 18:00 on the same day, 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. IOF have continued to close the agricultural
road located to the east of ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya, since 2009. The village is also separated from road #55,
which links between Nablus and Qalqilya, with a barbwire fence. The fence cuts off the village from
agricultural land belonging to it in the north. At approximately 08:00 on Thursday, 26 August 2010, IOF established a
checkpoint at the entrance of ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
15:40 on Thursday, IOF established a checkpoint at the eastern entrance of
Qalqilya. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. At
approximately 10:30 on Friday, 27 August 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at
the entrance of ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
22:15 on Friday, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of ‘Assala
village, east of Qalqilya. They stopped
and searched Palestinian civilians vehicles. At approximately 08:10 on Saturday, 28 August 2010, IOF established a
checkpoint at the northern entrance of ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilians vehicles. At approximately
14:20 on Sunday, 29 August 2010, IOF established a checkpoint on Jayous-‘Azzoun
road, east of Qalqilya. At approximately
17:00 on the same day, IOF established a checkpoint at the northern entrance of
‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. At
approximately 20:45 also on Sunday, IOF established a checkpoint at Jainsafout
intersection, east of Qalqilya. Israeli
troops stationed at those checkpoints stopped and searched Palestinian civilian
vehicles. At approximately 09:00 on
Monday, 30 August 2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the eastern entrance of
Qalqilya. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles. At
approximately 14:00 on Monday, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of
‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They
held and handcuffed 4 Palestinian civilians for an hour. At approximately 00:10 on Tuesday, 31 August
2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of ‘Azzoun village, east of
Qalqilya. At approximately 11:30 on
Tuesday, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of ‘Izbat al-Tabib
village, east of Qalqilya. At
approximately 14:45, they established a checkpoint at the entrance of ‘Azzoun
village, east of Qalqilya.  

 

· Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 10 on Thursday, 26 August
2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Deir al-Ghossoun village,
north of Tulkarm. 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 19:30 on Monday, 30 August
2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Hares village, northwest
of Salfit. They stopped and checked
Palestinian civilians.  

 

Arrests
at Military Checkpoints

 

· On Thursday morning, 26 August 2010, IOF
arrested Zaid Burhan Hamdallah, 19, from ‘Anabta village east of Tulkarm, after
summoning him for interrogation. 

 

· At approximately 23:00 on Friday, 27 August
2010, IOF arrested Ahmed Rasheed Basheer, 20, from Jainsafout village east of
Qalqilya, when he was going to his work in “Emanuel” settlement. 

 

· At approximately 12:00 on Sunday, 29 August
2010, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Qiffin village, north of
Tulkarm. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles and arrested ‘Abdul Rahim Mohammed Daoud,
23. 

 

· At approximately 16:00 also on Sunday, IOF
arrested Mohammed Mashour Salim, 15, and Yousef Mahmoud ‘Edwan, 15, both from
‘Azzoun village east of Qalqilya, claiming that they threw stones at Israeli
cars traveling on bypass road #55 north of the village. 

 

· At approximately 18:00 on Monday, 30 August
2010, Israeli troops stationed at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, arrested
Hani Mohammed Mas’oud. 

 

· At approximately 17:30 on Tuesday, 31 August
2010, IOF established a checkpoint at Jeet intersection, east of Qalqilya. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles, and arrested Jalal Ameen Samara.

 

 

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.

 

· On Thursday morning, 26 August 2010, Israeli
settlers attempted to break into al-‘Ein Mosque in Silwan villahe in East
Jerusalem. According to eyewitnesses, at
least 10 Israeli settlers attempted to break into al-‘Ein Mosque in Wadi Hilwa
quarter in Silwan village. The settlers
were seen at approximately 03:30 sneaking into the area carrying tools to open
the gate of the mosque. Palestinian civilians
noticed the attempt and confronted it. Immediately, IOF arrived at the area to protect the settlers. Five hours earlier, the settlers attempted to
the attack the mosque, and in the beginning of this month, Israeli settlers
broke the gate of the mosque. 

 

On Monday
morning, 30 August 2010, IOF moved into Wad Hilwa quarter in Silwan
village. They waged an arrest campaign
against Palestinian civilians. They
arrested Su’ad Abu Ramouz and her brother Jawad. They released the woman a few hours later,
but kept her brother in custody. They
also attested Fadi Siam, 28, his brother Nour, 20, and Adam Samrin, 68, the
guard of al-‘Ein Mosque, but released them at noon. 

  

· The Israeli Jihon Water Company has recently
sent warnings to churches and nunneries in the old town of Jerusalem demanding
them to pay bills of water consumption accumulated since 1967, and threatening
to cut off water supplies if due fees were not paid. It is worth noting that churches and
nunneries in Jerusalem had been exempted from paying fees for water supplies
over hundreds of years.

 

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 14:00 on Friday, 27 August
2010, Israeli settlers attacked Jamal, Ahmed and Mohammed al-Nawaj’a, while
they were grazing animals in Sousia area, nearly 800 meters away from
“Sousia” settlement, south of Hebron. The settlers used stones and canes in the attack. 

 

· At approximately 07:30 on Tuesday, 31 August 2010, a number of Israeli
settlers from “Emanuel” settlement, northwest of Salfit, attacked 3
Palestinian civilians who were working on a tract of agricultural land near
Deir Estia village, northwest of Salfit. The settlers chased Yousef Mohammed al-Qaissi, 17, Sharaf Daoud ‘Obaid,
18, and ‘Odai ‘Azzam ‘Obaid, 18. They
caught al-Qaissi as he fell down. They
insulted him and warned him of being in the area again. 

 

· At approximately 20:00 on the same day, following
an attack against Israeli settlers near Hebron, a number of Israeli settlers
gathered near Jeet intersection, east of Qalqilya. They threw stones at Palestinian civilian
vehicles traveling on Nablus-Qalqilya road. A number of vehicles were damaged. The settlers also violently beat Nasser Nafe’ Mansour.

 

· On Tuesday evening, a number of Israeli
settlers from “Yits’har” settlement, south of Nablus, gathered at the
entrance of the settlement and threw stones at Palestinian civilian vehicles
traveling on a bypass road linking between Hawara intersection, south of
Nablus, and Jeet intersection, southwest of the city.

 

· At approximately 22:30 on the same day, a
number of Israeli settlers from “Karni Shomron” settlement, east of
Qalqilya, gathered at the entrance of the settlement and threw stones at
Palestinian civilian vehicles traveling on Nablus-Qalqilya road. 

 

· On Wednesday morning, 01 September 2010, a number of Israeli
settlers gathered at the entrance of “Yits’har” settlement, south of
Nablus. They threw stones at
Palestinian civilian vehicles traveling on a bypass road linking between Hawara
intersection, south of Nablus, and Jeet intersection, southwest of the city.

 

· At approximately 12:00 also on Wednesday, at
least 50 Israeli settlers from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of
Hebron, attacked a house belonging to Younis Mohammed Edris in al-Jalajel area,
using stones and empty bottles. They also set fire to grass near the house. The house was damaged.

 

· At approximately 17:30 on the same day, Israeli settlers, escorted
by IOF, stormed a 15-donum area of land belonging to ‘Ata ‘Abdul Jawad Jaber,
and started to establish a settlement outpost. IOF held Jaber’s family in their house, which is located only 150 meters away from the
targeted land. The settlers and IOF
remained in the area until 22:30.  

 

 

…………………………………………………………

 

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

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further information please visit our website (www.pchrgaza.org)
or contact PCHR’s office in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email (pchr@pchrgaza.org) or telephone (+972 (0)8
282 4776 – 282 5893).