Settlement building continued in Gilo’s settlement near East Jerusalem

 

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

 

 

· Two Palestinian
civilians were killed and a third one was wounded by Israeli settlers in Nablus
and Hebron.

 

· A Palestinian
child was killed in the Gaza Strip by the explosion of a mysterious object
apparently left by IOF.

 

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

– A Palestinian worker was wounded.

 

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

– A Palestinian child
was wounded.

 

· Israeli
warplanes bombarded a tunnel on the Egyptian border south of Rafah.

 

· IOF conducted 31
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  

– IOF arrested 23
Palestinian civilians, including a member of the Palestinian Legislative
Council and 7 children.

 

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

– Israeli
soldiers positioned at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 3
Palestinian civilians, including two children.

 

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

– Israeli settlers
burnt a car belonging to a Palestinian civilian south of Nablus.

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (27 January – 02 February 2011):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, two
Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed and a third one was
wounded by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. A Palestinian child was also wounded by IOF during peaceful protests
against the construction of the annexation wall. In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian child was
killed by the explosion of a mysterious object apparently left by IOF. A Palestinian worker who was collecting
scraps of construction materials was also wounded by IOF.

 

In the West Bank, two Palestinian
civilians, including a child, were killed and a third one was wounded by
Israeli settler. An 18-year-old civilian
was killed by an Israeli settler in Iraq Bourin village, south of Nablus, on 27
January 2011. The victim was farming his
land when the settlers shot him dead. 

 

The second victim, who is a
15-year-old child, was killed by Israeli settlers from “Beit Ain”
settlement who broke into Safa village, north of Hebron, and fired at
Palestinian civilians. Another civilian
was also wounded.  

 

During the reporting period, IOF
used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest
to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation
wall. As a result, a Palestinian child
was wounded, and dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights
defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation or sustained bruises. 

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 27 January 2011, a Palestinian child was
killed the explosion of a mysterious object apparently left by IOF in the
southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, nearly one kilometer away from the border
between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The victim
was grazing animals when the explosion occurred.

 

On 31 January 2011, a Palestinian worker
was wounded by Israeli soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip, when Israeli
soldiers positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at a
number of Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction
materials.

 

On 02 February 2011, Israeli
warplanes bombarded a tunnel on the Egyptian border, south of Rafah. 

 

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 31 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 23
Palestinian civilians, including a member of the Palestinian Legislative
Council and 7 children.

 

Restrictions
on Movement:

 

Israel
had continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

 

Gaza
Strip

 

Israel has continuously closed all
border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal
Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since
June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic
situation in the Gaza Strip. 

 

· The illegal closure has caused not only a
humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights and human dignity for the
population of the Gaza Strip. Measures declared recently to ease the
blockade are vague, purely cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of
the crisis, which can only be addressed by an immediate and complete lifting of
the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out of the Gaza Strip
and the ban on exports. PCHR is concerned that the new Israeli policy is simply
shifting Gaza to another form of illegal blockade, one that may become
internationally accepted and institutionalized. Palestinians in Gaza may no
longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but they will remain
economically dependent and unable to care for themselves, and socially,
culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world.

 

· Expanding the list of items allowed into Gaza
does not change the illegality of this policy, which is inconsistent with
Israel’s legal obligations both as an Occupying Power and under international
human rights treaties to which it is party, such as the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights. 

 

· Facts on the
ground refute Israeli claims with
respect to the easing of the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip and the
reduction of restrictions imposed on the entry of goods.

 

· Israeli
declaration of allowing new goods to be entered into the Gaza Strip constitutes
an attempt to delude the international community, as such goods do not meet the
minimal needs of the Gaza Strip. 

 

· IOF have
continued to ban the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip. 

 

· IOF have
imposed a ban on all exports from the Gaza Strip. 

 

· Israel had
continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing
to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social
visits.

 

· Israel has
imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists
and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented
representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from
entering the Gaza Strip.

 

· Living
conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated;
levels of poverty and unemployment have mounted sharply.

 

West
Bank

 

IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank,
including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

 

· IOF have
established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting
Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying
at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

 

· There are
approximately 585 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints
across the West Bank.

 

· When complete,
the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers
around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of
the Wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been
constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

 

· At least 65% of
the main roads that lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are
closed or fully controlled by IOF.

 

· There are
approximately 500
kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In
addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East
Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit issued by the IOF.
These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

 

· IOF continue to
harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the
construction of the Annexation Wall.

 

· Palestinian
civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem, and across the West
Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.

 

 

 

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 January 2011, a number of Israeli
settlers from “Yits’har” settlement to the north of ‘Ainabous
village, south of Nablus, set fire to a car belonging to Bassam Yousef
Rashdan. 

 

On 28 January 2011, a number of Israeli
settlers from “Jonathan” settlement outpost in Batn al-Hawa quarter
to the south of the old town of Jerusalem attacked Palestinian houses in the
area. They, escorted by IOF, threw
stones at houses. IOF also fired sound
bombs and tear gas canisters at these houses. As a result, fired broke out in the balcony of a house belonging to
‘Abbas Hamdan Qara’in. Palestinian
civilians rushed to extinguish fire, but IOF fired tear gas canisters at
them. Consequently, clashes erupted in
the area, as a result of which a number of civilian suffered from tear gas
inhalation. 

 

On 31 January 2011, a number of Israeli
settlers gathered near Beit Leed intersection on Tulkarm-Nablus road, east of
Tulkarm. They threw stones at
Palestinian civilian vehicles, but no casualties or damage were reported. 

 

 

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (27 January – 02 February 2011)

 

Two Palestinian Civilians, Including a Child,
Killed by Israeli Settlers in Nablus and Hebron

 

During the reporting period, two Palestinian civilians were killed
and a third one was wounded by Israeli settlers in Nablus and Hebron. 

 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately
13:20 on Thursday, 27 January 2011, an Israeli settler from “Brakha”
settlement to the south of Iraq Bourin village, south of Nablus, shot dead
‘Odai Maher Hamza Qadous, 18, using a pistol. The victim was hit by a bullet that entered the right shoulder and
settled in the kidney. In his testimony
to PCHR, the victim’s cousin, ‘Omar Ahmed Hamza Qadous, 21, stated: 

 

 “At approximately 08:00 on Thursday,
27 January 2011, my cousin ‘Odai Maher Hamza Qadous, 18, and I were farming our
land in al-Wedian area in the southeast of Iraq Bourin village, south of
Nablus. We left 10 sheep grazing atop of
a mountain near the land. At
approximately 12:30, after we had finished our work on the land, my cousin told
me that he would mount up the mountain to bring the sheep and go back to our
village.  ‘Odai went to the mountain and
stayed on the land. Twenty minutes
later, I heard him calling on me. He
told me that he found 7 sheep only, while the other sheep were missing. I went to search for the two sheep. Nearly half an hour passed and my cousin did
not come back. I mounted up the mountain
to search for him and the sheep. When I
arrived at the top of the mountain, I saw ‘Odai on al-Jaish (the army) road,
which leads to ‘Brakha’ settlement behind the mountain. ]An Israeli[ settler was standing in front of him. Later, I saw ‘Odai walking behind the
mountain and the settler was behind him, until I could not see them. Soon after, I heard the sound of a bullet. I followed them. I saw the settlers running away towards
Madama village, and my cousin was lying wounded on the ground. He immediately died. I tried to carry him, but I could not. I saw two farmers who were working on their
land and I told them what happened. They
immediately came to help me. We tried to
carry him, but we could not. I asked one
of them to put my cousin on my shoulder and I took him to the village. The farmers phoned the Palestinian police and
residents of the village of what happened. A number of residents came. They
brought a horse with them. We put my
cousin on the back of the horse and took him to the edge of the village, where
a Palestinian ambulance was waiting. It
transported him to Rafidya Hospital in Nablus.” 

 

At approximately 08:00 on Friday, 28 January 2011, at least 100
Israeli settlers from “Beit Ain” settlement broke into Safa village
to the north of Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron. A number of them were armed with pistols and
M16 rifles. The settlers moved inside the
village on foot towards Beit Ummar town. Palestinian civilians gathered in an attempt to prevent the settlers
from breaking into the town. Clashes
erupted between these civilians and Israeli settlers. The settlers fired directly at these
civilians. As a result, Murad Mohammed
Ekhlil, 20, was wounded by a bullet to the right elbow. Palestinian civilians threw stones towards
the settlers and forced them to run away towards an agricultural area known as
Khirbat Jaddour. At approximately 09:30,
a settler fired directly at Yousef Fakhri Mousa Ekhlil, 15, from Beit Ummar,
wounding him with a bullet to the head. The child was evacuated to a hospital in Hebron, where he underwent a
surgery, but he died at approximately 20:00. Soon, IOF moved into the area. They fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at
Palestinian civilians to allow Israeli settlers to withdraw from the area. 

 

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

 

Thursday, 27 January 2011

 

· At
approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Kharabtha al-Misbah, west of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No arrests were
reported.

 

· At
approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Nabi Saleh village, northwest of
Ramallah. They raided and searched a number
of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians, including a child:

 

1. ‘Omar
   Saleh al-Tamimi, 21; and
2. Mo’tassem
   Khalil al-Tamimi, 14.

 

· In the morning,
IOF moved into agricultural areas and the northern, western and southern parts
of Beit Ummar town and Safa village, north of Hebron, to prevent Palestinian
farmers and solidarity activists from farming their agricultural lands near
“Beit Ain” and “Karmi Tsur” settlements. Palestinian farmers and solidarity activists
intended to plant agricultural lands in the presence of Kamel Hmaid, Governor
of Hebron, Maher Ghunaim, Palestinian Minister of Settlement Affairs, the mayor
of Hebron and Daily Mack, the Political Attaché in the US Consulate in
Jerusalem. IOF attacked the farmers and
solidarity activists with sound bombs and tear gas canisters. 

 

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

 

· At
approximately 16:00, a heavy explosion occurred in al-Shouka village, east of
Rafah, nearly two kilometers away from the border between the Gaza Strip and
Israel. The explosion killed Bassel
Mohammed Nafe’ Abu ‘Edwan, 14, while he and his brother were grazing animals
near their house. According to medical
sources, the child body was dismembered. According to the child’s family, the area where the explosion occurred
had been subjected to repeated incursions by IOF, and that the explosion could
be resulted by a mysterious object left by IOF. The Palestinian police stated that the explosion was likely the result
of a mysterious object left by IOF, although no shrapnel of the object were
found in the area.  Two sheep were also
killed by the explosion. 

· In the evening,
the Israeli police moved into the yard of Rras al-‘Aamoud Mosque in Silwan
village to the old town of Jerusalem. They held a number of Palestinian civilians who were maintain the
yard. They checked these civilians and
ordered them to stop their work. Earlier, Israeli settlers had arrived at the area and attempted to
provoke these civilians. The Israeli
police arrived to the area apparently in response to the settlers’
demands. 

 

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

 

· At
approximately 18:35, IOF moved into Kufor Laqef village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 20:45, IOF moved into Jayous village, north of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

Friday,
28 January 2011

 

· At
approximately 16:00, IOF moved into Far’oun village, south of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 17:40, IOF moved into Jayous village, north of Qalqilya. They raided and searched a house belonging to
Ma’moun ‘Abdul Hafiz Shamasna and turned it into a military site. They withdrew from the village at
approximately 18:15 and no arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 21:00, IOF moved into Bir Zeit village, north of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

Saturday, 29 January 2011

 

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

 

· At
approximately 12:00, Israeli soldiers positioned on an observation tower and a
military checkpoint at the eastern entrance of Beit Ummar town, north of
Hebron, fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters at Palestinian civilians
participating in the funeral procession of Yousef Ekhlil who was killed by
Israeli settlers on the previous day. Soon, clashes erupted between the two sides and Israeli soldiers fired
at these civilians and beat a number of them. At least 25 civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation. Additionally, Israeli soldiers arrested
Ibrahim Fat’hi Bahar, 35, and Saddam Mahmoud ‘Awadh, 22. 

· At
approximately 12:50, IOF moved into Baqat al-Hatab village, northeast of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 15:00, IOF moved into Deir Jareer village, northeast of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 19:00, IOF moved into Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. No house raids or arrests were reported.

 

Sunday, 30 January 2011

 

· At
approximately 00:40, IOF moved into Deir Estia village, north of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 03:10, IOF moved into Brouqin village, west of Salfit. They raided and searched a house belonging to
Mahmoud Yousef Baker, 48, and summoned him for interrogation.

 

· At
approximately 14:00, IOF moved into Far’oun village, south of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 20:10, IOF moved into Jayous village, north of Qalqilya. They raided and searched a number of houses,
claiming looking for person who threw stones at Israeli soldiers positioned in
the vicinity of the annexation wall. They also threatened the mayor, Mohammed Taher Jaber, that his house
would be turned into a military site if stones continued to be thrown at the
annexation wall. IOF withdrew later, and
no arrests were reported.

 

Monday, 31 January 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Zabbouba village, northwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 7 Palestinian civilians, including two children:

 

1. ‘Imad Hassan Abu Zaytoun, 34;
2. Mohammed Ibrahim Jaradat, 19;
3. Ra’fat Ahmed Abu Nassar, 20;
4. Sa’d al-Din Mohammed Jaradat, 20;
5. Ahmed Fat’hi ‘Amarna, 17;
6. Ibrahim Jamal Ziqzaq, 16; and
7. Saddam Mahmoud Jaradat, 17.

 

Later, IOF
released the first three detainees, while kept the others in custody.

 

· Also at
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into ‘Eissi neighborhood in Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to
“Mohammed Jamal” ‘Alaa’ al-Din al-Natsha, 53, Member of the
Palestinian Legislative Council, and arrested him. Al-Natsha was released from Israeli jails 4
months ago.

 

· At
approximately 09:50, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation towers on the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the north of Beit Lahia town fired
at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction
materials from a site where the evacuated Israeli settlement of “Elli
Sinai” used to stand. As a result,
Mohammed Zakaria Halawa, 21, from Jabalya, was wounded by a bullet to the left
leg, when he was nearly 150
meters away from the border.

 

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

 

· At
approximately 22:30, IOF moved into Nahalin village, west of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested Ramzi Mohammed Fannoun, 19. 

 

· At
approximately 23:00, IOF moved into Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time
and withdrew later. No house raids or
arrests were reported. 

 

· At
approximately 23:30, IOF moved into al-Menya village, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Fa’eq Isma’il Kawazba, 18; and

2. Bassel Ibrahim Kawazba, 18.

 

Tuesday, 01 February 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:30, IOF moved in to Nabi Saleh village, northwest of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At
approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Beit ‘Our al-Fawqa village, west of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets
for some time and withdrew later. No
arrests were reported.

 

Wednesday, 02 February 2011

 

· At
approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Zahiriya village, west of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Samer
   ‘Eissa ‘Awadh, 26; and
2. Saddam
   ‘Eissa Tmaizi, 19.

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Jenin refugee camp, west of
Jenin town. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child:

 

1. Yousef
   ‘Imad ‘Aamer, 17;
2. Maisara
   Suleiman Kharyoush, 19; and
3. Wissam
   Salem Jalamna, 19.

 

· At noon, Israeli soldiers positioned in the vicinity of the
annexation wall in Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah, arrested 3 Palestinian
children:

 

1. Jamal ‘Aatef
al-Khatib, 14;

2. Mahmoud ‘Alaa’
Samara, 16; and

3. ‘Ammar Ra’ed
al-Khatib, 13.

 

· At approximately 18:00, Israeli warplanes bombarded a tunnel on the
Egyptian border near al-Shouka village, southeast of Rafah. No casualties were reported.

 

2. Use
of Excessive Force against Peaceful Demonstrations Protesting Settlement
Activities and the Construction of the Annexation Wall

 

During
the reporting period, IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized
by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders
in protest to the construction of the Wall and settlement activities in the
West Bank. As a result, a Palestinian child
was wounded. Dozens of Palestinian civilians
and human rights defenders also suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained
bruises.     

   

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 28 January 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction
of the annexation wall.  The demonstrators included also Dr. Mai
al-Kaila, Palestinian Ambassador to Chile, and a Chilean Parliamentary
delegation. Israeli soldiers stationed
in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas
canisters at the demonstrators. As a
result, Mohammed Nabeel Abu Rahma, 17, was hit by a tear gas canister to the
right hand, and a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.  

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 28 January 2011, 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, a
Palestinian civilian, who has not been identified, was hit by a tear gas
canister to the right foot. Additionally, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas
inhalation. 

 

 

3. Continued
Closure of the OPT

 

Israel has continued to impose a tightened closure of the OPT and
imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

 

Gaza
Strip

 

Israel has continuously closed all
border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal
Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since
June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic
situation in the Gaza Strip.

 

· The illegal
closure has caused not only a humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights
and human dignity for the population of the Gaza Strip. Measures declared
recently to ease the blockade are vague, purely cosmetic and fail to deal with
the root causes of the crisis, which can only be addressed by an immediate and
complete lifting of the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out
of the Gaza Strip and the ban on exports. PCHR is concerned that the new
Israeli policy is simply shifting Gaza to another form of illegal blockade, one
that may become internationally accepted and institutionalized. Palestinians in
Gaza may no longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but they will remain
economically dependent and unable to care for themselves, and socially,
culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world.

 

· Expanding the
list of items allowed into Gaza does not change the illegality of this policy,
which is inconsistent with Israel’s legal obligations both as an Occupying
Power and under international human rights treaties to which it is party, such
as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 

 

· Facts on the
ground refute Israeli claims with respect to the easing of the closure imposed
on the Gaza Strip and the reduction of restrictions imposed on the entry of
goods.

 

· Israeli
declaration of allowing new goods to be entered into the Gaza Strip constitutes
an attempt to delude the international community, as such goods do not meet the
minimal needs of the Gaza Strip. 

 

· IOF have
continued to ban the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip. 

 

· IOF have
imposed a ban on all exports from the Gaza Strip. 

 

· Israel had
continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing
to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social
visits.

 

· Israel has
imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists
and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented
representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from
entering the Gaza Strip.

· Living
conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated;
levels of poverty and unemployment have mounted sharply.

 

Movement
at Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

 

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

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

26 January
– 01 February 2011

 

 

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

26 January
– 01 February 2011

 

Note: PCHR apologizes for not providing details about the movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) and al-Mentar (Karni) crossings this week due
to the lack of such information. Such
details will be included in the next report.

 

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 evening, 28 January 2011, IOF closed Shu’fat checkpoint,
northeast of Jerusalem, without a warning.  Palestinian civilians were forced to resort to
a bypass road through ‘Anata village and Hazma checkpoint. Israeli soldiers positioned at the checkpoint
fired tear gas canisters at a number of Palestinian boys who gathered near the
checkpoint.   

 

· Ramallah: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of the Palestinian
civilians in Ramallah. IOF troops
positioned at the Jaba’ and Qalandiya checkpoints, southeast of Ramallah, have
imposed additional restrictions on movement and conducted prolonged checks of
Palestinian civilians. During the
reporting period, IOF established a number of temporary checkpoints, and
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At approximately 22:00 on Thursday, 27
January 2011, IOF established a checkpoint under Kharabtha al-Misbah Bridge,
west of Ramallah. They stopped and
searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At approximately 20:00 on Friday, 28 January 2011, IOF established a
checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Liqya village, west of Ramallah. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately 14:30
on Sunday, 28 January 2011, 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.  

 

· Qalqilya: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Thursday, 27 January 2011, IOF established
7 checkpoints around Qalqilya. On
Sunday, 30 January 2011, IOF established 3 checkpoints around Qalqilya.  On Monday, 31 January 2011, IOF established 5
checkpoints around Qalqilya. Israeli
soldiers stationed at these checkpoints stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles.  

 

· Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 13:00 on Saturday, 29
January 2011, Israeli soldiers positioned at Ennab checkpoint, east of Tulkarm,
imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At the same time, IOF established a
checkpoint near the entrance of Beit Leed village, east of Tulkarm. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. At approximately
16:00 on Monday, 31 January 2011, IOF established a checkpoint at al-Jaroushiya
intersection, north of Tulkarm. They
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.      

 

· Jenin: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 23:00 on Thursday, 27
January 2011, IOF established a checkpoint on Haifa road, north of Jenin.  They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian
vehicles.  At approximately 18:00 on
Monday, 31 January 2011, IOF established a checkpoint near Fahma intersection,
southwest of Jenin. They stopped and
searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.   

 

· Jericho: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 22:00 on Thursday, 27
January 2011, IOF established a checkpoint near the entrance of ‘Ein al-Dyouk
village, north of Jericho. They stopped
and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.  At approximately 10:30 on Tuesday, 01 February
2011, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Fassayel village, north
of Jericho. They stopped and searched
Palestinian civilian vehicles.

 

Arrests at Military Checkpoints

 

· On Thursday
morning, 27 January 2011, Israeli soldiers positioned near “Karmi
Tsur” settlement, north of Hebron, arrested Hamza Ahmed Abu Hashem, 12,
and Bilal Mahmoud ‘Awadh, 14. IOF
released the two children at noon.

 

· At
approximately 18:00 on the same day, Israeli soldiers positioned at Mavo Dutan
checkpoint, southwest of Jenin, arrested Laith Anees Hammad, 26, and Yousef
Hassan Yahia, 21, both from al-‘Araqa village southwest of Jenin. They released the two detainees about 8 hours
later. 

 

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 03:00 on Thursday, 27 January 2011, a number of Israeli
settlers from “Yits’har” settlement to the north of ‘Ainabous
village, south of Nablus, set fire to a car belonging to Bassam Yousef
Rashdan. The 2007 Peugeot Panther was
parked near Rashdan’s house, nearly one kilometer away from the aforementioned
settlement. The settlers also wrote in
Hebrew on the fence of the house “We will not forget ‘Ein Ali (a
settlement outpost dismantled by IOF a week ago near Surra village, southwest
of Nablus).” Rashadan informed the
Israeli military liaison and the Palestinian police. At approximately 05:00, 5 Israeli military
jeeps arrived and recorded his complaint. They also ordered him to erase the words written on the fence.  

· At approximately 15:00 on Friday, 28 January 2011, a number of Israeli
settlers from “Jonathan” settlement outpost in Batn al-Hawa quarter
to the south of the old town of Jerusalem attacked Palestinian houses in the
area. They, escorted by IOF, threw
stones at houses. IOF also fired sound
bombs and tear gas canisters at these houses. As a result, fired broke out in the balcony of a house belonging to
‘Abbas Hamdan Qara’in. Palestinian
civilians rushed to extinguish fire, but IOF fired tear gas canisters at
them. Consequently, clashes erupted in
the area, as a result of which a number of civilian suffered from tear gas
inhalation. 

 

· At approximately 20:30 on Monday, 31 January 2011, a number of Israeli
settlers gathered near Beit Leed intersection on Tulkarm-Nablus road, east of
Tulkarm. They threw stones at
Palestinian civilian vehicles, but no casualties or damage were reported. 

 

…………………………………………………………

 

 

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 (pchr@pchrgaza.org)
or telephone (+972 (0)8 282 4776 – 282 5893).