An Israel wagon pump disgusting-smelled
liquid at peaceful protestors against the construction of the annexation wall
in Nabi Saleh village near Ramallah

 

 

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

 

 

· Two Palestinian
children were wounded when IOF moved into Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah.

 

· IOF continued
artillery shelling in border areas in the Gaza Strip

–Four
Palestinian civilians, including two children and a woman, were wounded in the
east of Gaza Valley village.

–A
house was damaged.

 

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

– A child was
wounded in Bil’ein’s protest, west of Ramallah.

– IOF arrested 8
international human rights defenders.

 

· IOF conducted 39
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 

– IOF arrested 10
Palestinian civilians, including 4 children.

– The arrested
Palestinians include a PLC member and a former Minister from Hamas.

– A Palestinian
civilian from the Gaza Strip was arrested in mysterious circumstances.

 

· IOF continued
settlement activities and Israeli settlers continued their attacks in the West
Bank.

– IOF issued
further house demolition notices.

 

· Israel has
continued to impose a total siege on the Gaza Strip and tightened the siege on
the West Bank.

– IOF arrested at
least one Palestinian at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

– IOF maltreated
a Palestinian worker and sniffer dogs bit him.

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued
during the reporting period (28 April – 04 May 2011):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, IOF wounded
seven civilians, including five children and a woman, in the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip.  Three of the children were
wounded in Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah, as two of them were wounded when
IOF moved into the village on 28 April 2011 while the third child was wounded
in Bil’ein’s weekly protest. The other
four Palestinians, including two children and a woman, were wounded in an
artillery shelling that targeted a house in the Gaza Strip.

 

In the West Bank, on 28 April
2011, IOF moved into Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah. Some boys gathered and stoned IOF who
immediately responded by firing bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas
canisters and sound bombs. Two children
were wounded as a result and many civilians suffered gas inhalation. 

 

IOF used excessive force to disperse
peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities
and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. As a result, a Palestinian child was wounded
during the reporting period.  In
addition, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights
defenders participating in peaceful protests in the West Bank suffered from
tear gas inhalation and bruises as they were beaten by IOF.

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 28 April 2011, four Palestinian civilians
were wounded when IOF positioned on the border east of Gaza Valley (Juhor
al-Dik) village fired six artillery shells at a house belonging to Jaber Ismail
Abu Said, 66. Four of the shells
directly hit the house. Four civilians,
including two children and a woman, were wounded as a result. The shelling also caused damages to the
house, especially the second floor.  

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 39 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 10
Palestinian civilians, including 4 children.  The arrested Palestinians included PLC member
of Change and Reform Bloc, Ali Salim Suleiman Rumanin, 39, who was arrested
from his house in Jericho, and former Minister Issa Khalil al-Jaabari, 51, who
was arrested from his house in Hebron.

 

On 02
May 2011, IOF moved into Izbat al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya. They raided and searched a house belonging to
Bayan al-Tabib, Chairman of the Village Council. Al-Tabib told a PCHR fieldworker that IOF
stole 1,000 Jordanian dinars from his house.

 

IOF
have continued to attempt to prevent international human rights defenders from
participating in peaceful assemblies against settlement activities and the construction
of the annexation wall. As part of these
attempts, IOF arrested eight international human rights defenders, including
three ones who were arrested on 29 April 2011 in a peaceful protest in Nabi
Saleh, northwest of Ramallah, and the other five ones were arrested on 01 May
2011 when IOF attacked a protesting tent in Izbat al-Tabib village, east of
Qalqilya.

 

In the
Gaza strip, at approximately 15:00 on Sunday, 01 May 2011, Israeli
occupation authorities informed Khalil Mousa Issa al-Silawi, 41, that his son,
Khaled Khalil al-Silawi, 21, is detained in Ashkelon prison in Beersheba in
Israel. Al-Silawi said that his son disappeared
on Saturday, 30 April 2011, and they searched for him until they were informed
about his detention. He also said that
the Israeli occupation authorities asked him to apppoint a lawyer for his
son. They also told him that his son is
denied visitation right until 08 May 2011. Silawi indicated that he does not know any detail as to how his son was
captured by the Israeli occupation authorities.

 

Bulldozing
Works and House Demolition Notices:

 

On
01 May 2011, IOF delivered two notices to demolish two houses belonging to two
Palestinian civilians from Izbat al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya, under the
pretext of lacking licenses.

 

On
02 May 2011, IOF also delivered notices to two Palestinians from Beit Ummar
village, north of Hebron, to demolish three industrial and agricultural
establishments, including a bricks workshop, an agricultural shed and a vehicle
spare parts shop, located along the main road in the south and the east of Beit
Ummar, under the pretext that the establishments are close to the road which is
used by Israeli vehicles. IOF gave the
summoned Palestinians a deadline of one week.

 

Also
on 02 May 2011, in the afternoon, IOF delivered notices to several Palestinian
civilians from al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, to evacuate
approximately 80 donums[1]
where there are at least 13 agricultural wells, claiming that these lands are
owned by the State.

 

Restrictions
on Movement:

 

Israel
has continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and has 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 been steadily tightened
since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic
situation in the Gaza Strip. 

 

· The cooking gas crisis which has erupted last
November has continued to affect the Gaza Strip. This crisis was created when the Israeli
occupation authorities totally closed, on 04 January 2010, Nahal Oz crossing,
which used to be dedicated for the delivery of fuel and cooking gas supplies to
Gaza, and shifted fuel and cooking gas supplies to Karm Abu Salem crossing
which is not technically equipped to receive Gaza’s needs of fuel.  Karm
Abu Salem crossing, with its maximum absorptive capacity, can receive only 200
tons of cooking gas per day.

 

It should be noted that the Israeli occupation
authorities have worked over the past three years to make Karm Abu Salem
crossing, which is not appropriate for commercial purposes, as Gaza’s major and
sole crossing.  For this purpose, on 02 March 2011, the Israeli occupation
authorities totally closed al-Mentar (“Karni”) crossing which is the
major and largest commercial crossing in the Gaza Strip in terms of its
absorptive capacity to receive Gaza’s imports and exports.  In the
beginning of 2010, the Israeli occupation authorities closed Nahal Oz crossing,
east of Gaza City, which was dedicated for the supplies of fuel and cooking gas
to Gaza, and shifted fuel supplies to Karm Abu Salem crossing.  Three
years ago, these authorities totally closed Sofa crossing, southeast of Khan
Younis, and shifted humanitarian aid and food items which used to be delivered
via Sofa crossing to Karm Abu Salem crossing. 

· Approximately 80% of Gaza civilians have
continued to depend on alimentary aid provided by UNRWA and other relief
agencies, rates of families who are living below poverty line have continued to
be on the rise and approximately 40% of Gaza’s manpower has continued to suffer
from permanent unemployment as a result of shutting down the majority of Gaza’s
economic establishments.

· IOF have continued to impose a total ban on the
exportation of Gaza’s products, especially industrial products, leading to
undermining any real chances to rerun economic establishments. Facts on the ground refute IOF’s allegation
that they daily allow the export of 10 truckloads of agricultural products.

· Recently, IOF allowed the exportation of very
limited quantities of Gaza’s agricultural products, including flowers and
tomatoes, to European markers.

· For approximately four consecutive years, IOF
have continued to ban the delivery of construction materials to Gaza. During
the reporting period, IOF approved the delivery of limited quantities of
construction materials for a number of international organizations.

· Israel has
continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian civilians from
the Gaza Strip. IOF only allow the
movement of limited groups amidst severe restrictions, including long hours of
waiting in the majority of cases. IOF
have also continued to adopt a policy aimed at reducing the number of
Palestinian patients allowed to move via Beit Hanoun crossing to receive
medical treatment in hospitals in Israel or in the West Bank and
Jerusalem. IOF denied new categories of
Gazan patient permission to have access to hospitals via the crossing.

· Israel has
imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists
and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip.

·  For approximately 46 months, IOF have
continued to deny approximately 710 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza detained in
Israeli jails their visitation rights without providing any justification to
this measure, which violates the rules of the international humanitarian law.

 

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
in the 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, confiscating more 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 permits issued by IOF. Such
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.

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (28 April – 04 May 2011)

 

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

 

Thursday, 28 April 2011

 

· At approximately 10:30, IOF moved into Arraba village, southwest of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 12:30, IOF moved into Itra village, south of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.  

 

· Also at approximately 12:30, IOF moved into Ejja village, south of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 13:30, IOF moved Bil’ein village, west of
Ramallah.  They provocatively drove in
the streets.  Some boys gathered and stoned IOF who
immediately responded by firing bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas
canisters and sound bombs. Two children
were wounded as a result and many civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation
as a result.  IOF withdrew later and no
arrests were reported. The wounded
children are”

 

1. Jamal Atef
al-Khatib, 15, wounded by two bullets in the mouth and the abdomen.

2.  Nashmi Mohammed Abu Rahmeh, 16, wounded by a
bullet in the right foot.

 

· At approximately 14:00, IOF moved into Kharabtha al-Mesbah village,
west of Ramallah. They patrolled in the
streets for some time. They withdrew
later and no arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 21:10, IOF stationed on the border in the east of Gaza
Valley village (Juhor al-Dik) fired six shells at the house of Jaber Ismail Abu
Said, 66. Four shells hit the house directly. Four persons, including two children and a woman, were wounded as a
result.  The area of the targeted house
measures 100 square meters.  Two families
composed of 10 members, including 5 children, live in the house which is
approximately 400 meters far from the border.

 

The wounded are:

1. Sanaa Ahmed Abu
Said, 25, who sustained shrapnel wounds in the right leg.

2. Alaa Addin
Naser Abu Said, 10, who sustained shrapnel wounds in the neck and the abdomen.

3. Misa Naser Abu
Said, 5, who sustained bruises in the chest and the abdomen.

4. Mohammed Jaber
Abu Said, 27, who sustained shrapnel wounds in the face.

 

It should be noted that ambulances managed to have access to the
scene approximately 30 minutes after the shelling, after having coordination
with the Israeli side via the ICRC.  The
ambulances evacuated the wounded and the residents of the house.  It should be noted that earlier, the house was
under IOF shelling on 13 July 2010 when the wife of Abu Said’s son, Naser Jaber
Abu Said, was killed and another three persons, including two women and the
house owner, were wounded.

 

· At approximately 20:30, IOF moved into Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. They withdrew later and no arrests
were reported.

 

Friday,
29 April 2011

 

· At approximately 09:30, IOF moved into the area located between
Azzoun and Izbat al-Tabib villages, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. They withdrew later and no
incidents were reported.  

 

· At approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Jefna village, north of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets
for some time. They withdrew later and
no arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 12:15, IOF moved into Azzoun and Izbat al-Tabib
villages, east of Qalqilya. They
patrolled in the streets for some time. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 17:30, IOF moved into the wooded area located
between Azzoun and Izbat al-Tabib villages, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the area for some
time. Before withdrawing, they arrested
Abdul Aziz Shaher Salim, 17, who was driving a tractor in the area. One of the Palestinians saw Salim when IOF
arrested him.

 

· At approximately 21:00, IOF moved into Beit Leqia village, west of
Ramallah. They provocatively drove in
the streets. Some boys gathered and stoned
IOF who immediately responded by firing bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets,
tear gas canisters and sound bombs. Many
civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation as a result. IOF withdrew later and
no arrests were reported. 

 

Saturday,
30 April 2011

 

· At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Ya’bad village, southwest of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Qabatya village, south of Jenin.
 They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· At approximately 10:30, IOF moved into Arraba village, southwest of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 11:20, IOF moved into Jayous village, southeast of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 21:10, IOF moved into Azzoun village, east of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time. They raided and searched
two houses belonging to Hamza Abdul Halim Hussein, 49, and Ayman Khaled Abu
Hina, 40. They withdrew at approximately
22:40, and no arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 13:00, IOF moved into Fahma village, south of
Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for
some time. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 23:30, IOF moved into Bitonia village, west of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets
for some time. They withdrew later and
no arrests were reported.

 

Sunday, 01 May 2011

 

· At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Ematin village, northeast of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time. Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Bir Zeit village, north of
Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets
for some time. They withdrew later and
no arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Deir Ghazala village, north
of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets
for some time. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 10:45, IOF moved into Habla village, south of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
for some time. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 13:40, IOF moved into Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· At approximately 14:40, IOF moved into Izbat al-Tabib village, east
of Qalqilya. They raided two houses belonging
to Zeyad Yasser Mohammed Tabib and his brother Shadi Tabib, and delivered two
notices to demolish the two houses under the pretext of the lack of
licenses. 

 

At
approximately 15:00, Israeli occupation authorities informed Khalil Mousa Issa
al-Silawi, 41, that his son, Khaled Khalil al-Silawi, 21, is detained in
Ashkelon prison in Beersheba in Israel. Al-Silawi said that his son was missing on Saturday, 30 April 2011, and
they searched for him until they were informed about his detention. He also said that the Israeli occupation
authorities asked him to appoint a lawyer for his son. They also told him that his son is denied
visitation right until 08 May 2011. Silawi
indicated that he does not know any detail as to how his son was captured by the
Israeli occupation authorities.

 

·  At approximately 16:00, IOF
moved into Jeet village, northeast of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time. Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

· At approximately 17:40, IOF moved into Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· At approximately 19:00, IOF moved into Zabbouba village, northwest
of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets
for some time. Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 21:00, IOF moved into Bala’a village, northeast of
Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets
for some time amid firing sound bombs. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

Monday, 02 May 2011

 

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Oja village, northeast of
Jericho. They raided and searched a
house belonging to PLC member Ali Salim Suleiman Rumanin, 39. They withdrew at approximately 01:25 and
arrested Rumanin.

 

· Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Arraba village,
southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in
the streets for some time amid firing sound bombs. Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Housan village, west of
Bethlehem. They raided and searched many
houses. Before withdrawing, they
arrested four Palestinians and transferred them to “Kfar Etzion”
detention center, southwest of Bethlehem:

 

1. Ragheb Taha
Sabatin, 17;

2. Mohammed Khaled
Hamamra, 22;

3. Alaa Khaled
Shousha, 22; and

4. Mohammed Khaled
Sabatin, 23.

 

· At approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Izbat al-Tabib village, east
of Qalqilya. They raided and searched a
house belonging to Bayan al-Tabib, Chairman of the Village Council. Al-Tabib told a PCHR fieldworker that IOF
stole 1,000 Jordanian dinars from his house:

 

“At approximately 04:00 on Monday, 02 May 2011, the army
raided my house. They forced my wife and
children to leave the house. They
remained in the house till 06:00. They
searched the house and mishandled its content. They destroyed the television, computers and closets. They stole 1,000 Jordanian dinars.”  

 

· At approximately 08:30, IOF moved into Ramin village, northeast of Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some
time. Neither house raids nor arrests
were reported.

 

· At approximately 11:00, IOF moved into al-Zababda village, southeast
of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets
and then stationed near the “al-Dalah female hostel” for some
time. They withdrew later and neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 16:50, IOF moved into Jayous village, northeast of
Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets
and established a checkpoint near the entrance of the village. The officer stopped Palestinians and asked
them about their opinion about the “Intifada of 15 May 2011,” but
Palestinians did not respond and stoned IOF vehicles. IOF withdrew later and neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 20:50, IOF moved into Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets for some time
amid firing sound bombs. Neither house
raids nor arrests were reported.

 

Tuesday, 03 May 2011

 

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Aaida refugee camp, northwest
of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a
house belonging to Feras Aqel Mustafa Dar Haj, 22. Before withdrawing, they
arrested Dar Haj and transferred him to “Kfar Etzion” detention
center in the southwest of Bethlehem.

 

· At approximately 02:35, IOF moved into Qalqilya. They patrolled in the streets and held Saleh
Hassanin, a member of the Palestinian National Security, who was patrolling in
the area. They withdrew later and no
house raids or arrests were reported.

 

· At approximately 06:00, dozens of Israeli settlers backed by IOF
moved into the eastern area of Nablus. They performed religious rituals in the Tomb of Prophet Joseph near
Balata village, east of Nablus. In the
meanwhile, Palestinian boys gathered and stoned IOF vehicles. IOF immediately responded by firing bullets
and smoke bombs to disperse the boys. IOF also chased the boys and arrested two of them:

 

1. Ahmed Reyadh
al-Saheli, 16; and

2. Khaled
al-Bouhi, 16.

 

Wednesday, 04 May 2011

 

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into several neighborhoods in
Hebron. They raided and searched a house
belonging to former Palestinian Minister, Issa Khalil al-Jaabari, 51. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested al-Jaabari.

 

 

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, while dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders
suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises. Additionally, IOF arrested 8 international
activists; 3 of whom were arrested on 29 April 2011 during Nabi Saleh’s weekly
demonstration, northwest of Ramallah, and the 5 others were arrested on 01 May
2011, when IOF attacked a sit-in in Izbat al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya.

   

· Following the
Friday Prayer on 29 April 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and
international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful
demonstration in Bil’in village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction
of the annexation wall. Israeli soldiers
stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear
gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a
result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and
sustained bruises. In addition, Mohammed Iyad Bernat, 8, was hit by a tear gas
canister in the back.

 

· Also following
the Friday Prayer on 29 April 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 number of
demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation. 

 

· At the same
time, 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. 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. As a result, a number
of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation. Additionally, IOF arrested 3 international
activists, who were transported to an unknown destination.

 

· On Sunday, 01
May 2011, IOF supported with 20 military vehicles and a bulldozer broke into Izbat
al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya. They
bulldozed areas in the eastern part of the village in order to put a barbed
wire fence. They also demolished a
sit-in tent and attacked 5 international activists.

 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and the testimony of
Bayan al-Tabib, head of the local council of Ezbet al-Tabib, at approximately
12:30 on the aforementioned day, IOF supported with 20 military vehicles, a
bulldozer and an officer of the Civil Administration attacked Izbat al-Tabib
village, east of Qalqilya. They
immediately asked the civilians and international activists to evacuate the
sit-in tent that was established at the entrance of the village on 29 April
2011 in protest to an Israeli decision issued to confiscate the land at the
northern part of Izbat al-Tabib in order to establish a military fence. Negotiations had taken place between the
Civil Administration officer, his deputy and the Israeli commander for 2
hours. It resulted in demolishing the
tent and driving the international activists away from the area. After the civilians and activists refused to
evacuate the place, at approximately 14:30, IOF told them that a force would
head to the neighboring ‘Azzoun village, and they would keep the tent in case
no one intercepted that force. The force
started moving, while the tent was on the left. When they approached, an Israeli soldier hit a woman and pushed her down
to the ground. Other soldiers got the
activists away and surrounded the tent. Later, the bulldozer started working in the eastern part of the village,
at the yellow gate area, on the road leading to ‘Azzoun village. When the bulldozer got close to the olive
farms, a group of women tried to dismiss the Israeli soldiers. Later, when they approached the tent’s area,
4 international activists stood against them to protect the tent. The Israeli soldiers attacked all of them by
gun butts and then arrested them. IOF
remained there until 18:00. The
international activists who were attacked are: Trapi and Olivos, from Britain;
Rachel, from Sweden; Sandy and another unidentified activist, from the
USA. The 2 latter activists were
transported to Israel. 

 

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:

 

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

27
April – 03 May 2011

 

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

27
April – 03 May 2011

 

 

Notes:

 

· On Wednesday, 27 April 2011, IOF allowed the entry of 640 tons of
cement, 134 tons of iron for UNRWA. Additionally, they allowed the entry of 1,560 tons of fodders.

· On Thursday, 28 April 2011, IOF allowed the entry of 61 tons of
iron for UNRWA. They allowed the entry
of 1,599 tons of fodders.

· On Sunday, 01 May 2011, IOF allowed the entry of 240 tons of cement
and 91 tons of iron for UNRWA. They also
allowed the entry of 1,638 tons of wheat and 117 tons of fodders.  

· On Monday, 02 May 2011, IOF allowed the entry of 280 tons of cement
and 52 tons of iron for UNRWA. They also
allowed the entry of 1,677 tons of wheat.

· On Tuesday, 03 May 2011, IOF allowed the entry of 713 tons of
cement and 69 tons of aggregate for UNRWA. Additionally, they allowed the entry of 67 tons of iron for UNDP, while
1,755 tons of fodders were allowed into the Gaza Strip.

 

Exports  

· On Thursday, 28 April 2011, 42,000 flowers were exported.

· On Sunday, 01 May 2011, 62,000 flowers were exported. 

 

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

27
April – 03 May 2011

 

 

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. IOF imposed more restrictions on the movement of Palestinians during the
Christian feasts.

 

· Ramallah: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of the Palestinian
civilians in Ramallah, particularly, “Jaba’ – Qalandia” checkpoint
that was established in the southeast of Ramallah. At approximately 10:00 on Thursday, 28 April
2011, IOF established a checkpoint at Beit ‘Our al-Tahta – Beit ‘Our al-Foqa
road, west of Ramallah. At approximately
18:00, IOF established a similar checkpoint under the bridge of Karbatha
al-Mesbah village, west of Ramallah. At
approximately 21:30, IOF re-established their presence at ‘Atarah checkpoint at
the northern entrance of Bir Zeit village, north of Ramallah. At approximately 22:00, IOF established a
checkpoint near the intersection of Surda village, north of Ramallah.

At
approximately 08:00 on Friday, 29 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint near
the entrance of Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah. No arrests were reported. At approximately 18:00 on the same day, IOF
established a similar checkpoint near the entrance of Beit ‘Our al-Foqa
village, west of Ramallah, while they re-established their presence at ‘Atarah
checkpoint, north of Ramallah at 20:00. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.

At
approximately 19:30 on Saturday, 30 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint
near the entrance of Beit Liqya village, west of Ramallah.

At
approximately 22:30 on Monday, 02 May 2011, IOF established a checkpoint near
the entrance of Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah

At
approximately 20:30 on Tuesday, 03 May 2011, IOF re-established their presence
at ‘Atarah checkpoint at the northern entrance of Bir Zeit village, north of
Ramallah, and closed it completely.

 

· Nablus: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. At approximately 13:00 on
Thursday, 28 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint at the intersection of
“Yitzhar” settlement, south of Hawara checkpoint in southern
Nablus. At the same time, they
established a checkpoint near al-Taneeb factory for bricks on Nablus – Tulkarm
road.

At
approximately 06:00 on Tuesday, 03 May 2011, IOF established a checkpoint at
the entrance of the Eastern Lubban village, south of Nablus.

 

· Qalqilya: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Friday, 29 April 2011, IOF established 7
checkpoints around the town. On Sunday,
01 May 2011, they established 5 checkpoints around the town. 

 

· Tulkarm: IOF
have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. IOF established many
checkpoints at byroads. They stopped and
searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. Since the beginning of the Intifada, the road connecting Kafr
al-Labad with Shofah villages, east of Tulkarm, is closed. In addition, the road connecting Shofa
village and its farm is closed. At
approximately 09:00 on Thursday, 28 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint at
the northern entrance of Beit Leed village, east of Tulkarm.

At
approximately 09:00 on Friday morning, 29 April 2011, IOF established a
checkpoint at Tulkarm – Qalailya road near the entrance of Far’oun village,
south of Tulkarm. At approximately
17:00, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Leed village, east
of Tulkarm.

At
approximately 11:00 on Saturday, 30 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint at
the northern entrance of Beit Leed village, east of Tulkarm. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles. It should be noted
that this checkpoint is almost daily established and IOF keep military vehicles
in the area to guard the bypass road connecting “Avni Heifetz” and “Ennab”
settlements, east of Tulkarm, with “Shavi Shomron” settlement, west of
Nablus. At approximately 11:30 IOF
stationed at Ennab checkpoint on Tulkarm – Nablus road, east of Tulkarm,
imposed more restrictions against the Palestinian civilians. They stopped and searched Palestinian
civilian vehicles, but no arrests were reported.

At
approximately 08:00 on Sunday, 01 May 2011, IOF stationed at Ennab checkpoint,
east of Tulkarm, imposed more restrictions on the movement of
Palestinians. At approximately 11:30,
IOF established a checkpoint on Tulkarm – Qalqilya road at “Mothallath
Jbarah” area, south of Tulkarm. At
approximately 24:05, IOF established a similar checkpoint on Tulkarm – Qalqilya
road near the entrance of Far’oun village.

At
approximately 14:00 on Monday, 02 May 2011, IOF established a checkpoint on
Tulkarm- Qalqilya road at Mothallath Jbarah area, south of Tulkram.

At
approximately 18:00 on Tuesday, 03 May 2011, IOF stationed at Ennab checkpoint,
east of Tulkarm, imposed more restrictions against the movement of
Palestinians. 

 

· Jenin: IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. At approximately 19:00 on Friday, 29 April
2011, IOF established a checkpoint at the entrance of Kafrit village, 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 18:30 on
Thursday, 28 April 2011, IOF established a checkpoint near the entrance of
Fasayel village, north of Jericho. They
stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.

 

Arrests
at Military Checkpoints

 

· At approximately
16:30 on Sunday, 01 May 2011, Israeli troops stationed at the
“Container” checkpoint on the Eastern Sawahrah village – Wad al-Nar
road, northeast of Bethlehem, arrested Mohammed Hashem Mohammed Ermeilat, 25,
from Bani Na’im village, southeast of Hebron. He had been detained for few hours before he was transported to “Kfar
Etzion” detention center, southwest of Hebron.

 

 Harassments at Military Checkpoints

 

• On
  Sunday morning, 01 May 2011, on “International Workers’ Day”, Israeli
  troops stationed in al-Kassarah area, southwest of al-Ramadeen village near
  the annexation wall, chased a number of Palestinian workers while they
  were crossing to Israeli territory to search for work in Beersheba. A number of the Palestinian workers were
  beaten and one of them was attacked and mauled by sniffer dogs. As a result, two Palestinians sustained
  moderate and minor injuries:

 

1. Mohammed Nasser
Mohammed Tmaizi, 22, from Ethna village, northwest of Hebron. He was wounded in the forehead and right leg
and sustained bruises throughout the body and scratches in the legs; and

2. Na’im Mohammed
Hosheiyah, 45, from Yatta, south of Hebron. He sustained superficial wounds in the left leg, scratches in the limbs
and bruises throughout the body.

 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and the testimony of
Mohammed Nasser Mohammed Tmaizi, at approximately 02:30 on the aforementioned
day, Tmaizi and other 4 workers were heading by a taxi to al-Dhaheriyah
area. They drove a Mitsubishi Magnum to
transport them to the borders of the Israel. At approximately 04:00, they arrived at al-Kassarah area, southwest of
al-Ramadeen village. They started
walking on foot to cross the borders through a hole in the annexation
wall. At a distance of 3 meters away
from the fence, a worker saw a group of 4-5 Israeli soldiers with a huge
sniffer dog. The workers started running
away. Immediately, IOF let the dog chase
the workers until it pushed Tmaizi to the ground at a distance of 50 meters
east of the fence. The dog attacked him
and started biting his legs. In the
meanwhile, the soldiers surrounded him while he was lying on the ground. They kept watching the dog attacking him for a
few minutes. Later, the soldiers kicked
and beat him by gun butts, especially on the head and legs. As a result, he sustained a wound in the
forehead, wounds in the right leg, scratches in the legs and bruises throughout
the body.

 

In his testimony to PCHR, Tamiza said:

“After I was attacked, IOF forced me to walk towards the fence,
but I was exhausted and my forehead was bleeding, as I was hit by a gun butt.
They detained me without offering any medical treatment. I was obliged to lay down on my stomach for 4
hours before they asked me to get up and leave. I left immediately walking between valleys and hills to the east for a
distance of 3 kilometers until I reached al-Ramadeen village. I asked for help, and they called an
ambulance, which transported me to Hebron Hospital to receive the medical
treatment needed.”

 

• At
  approximately 16:20 on Sunday, 01 May 2011, IOF established a checkpoint
  at the eastern entrance of Qalqilya. They chased Saleh Wajeeh al-Qur’an, 20, while he was going home
  through an unpaved road.

In his testimony to PCHR, al-Qur’an said:

 

“I was in Nabi Elias village. When I was prevented from entering Qalqilya, I headed to another
road. As a result, the Israeli soldiers
saw me and ran after me. I fell off the
horse, due to which, I sustained bruises and was transported to the emergency
hospital in the city to receive the necessary medical treatment.”

 

4. Settlement Activities and Attacks by Settlers

 

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 14:40 on Sunday, 01 May 2011,
Israeli troops supported with many military vehicles broke into Izbat al-Tabib
village, east of Qalqilya. They broke
into two houses belonging to Zeidan and Shadi Yasser Mohammed Tabib. Before the Israeli troops withdrew, Tabib had
received notices of demolishing their houses under the pretext of not obtaining
a license.

 

· On Monday morning, 02 May 2011, IOF sent
Palestinians from Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, notices of demolition of 3
industrial and agricultural facilities adjacent to the main road, south and
east of the town.

According
to investigations conducted by PCHR and testimony of Mohammed ‘Ayyad ‘Awad,
spokesman of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall, officers of the
Israeli “Civil Administration” accompanied by Israeli troops
submitted 3 notices of demolition to owners of the 3 targeted facilities. These facilities are established on lands of
their owners on the main road connecting Hebron with Bethlehem. The facilities belonging to Saber Zamel Abu
Maria and Ahmed Hmeid Abu Maria are a workshop for construction blocks, an
agricultural shed and a workshop to sell cars’ spare parts. The demolition notices were issued under the
pretext that the facilities are close to the road used by Israeli
vehicles. The military notices offered a
one-week period to appeal the decision.

 

· On Monday also, 02 May 2011, IOF sent 8 notices
of evacuating dozens of donums to a number of Palestinians in al-Fawwar refugee
camp, south of Hebron, under the pretext that these famrs, which are located in
the southeast of the refugee camp, are “State Property”.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and testimonies of
the camp’s residents, an Israeli officer of the “Civil Administration”
and Israeli troops disseminated the notices around the targeted lands and
submitted some of them to farmers in or close to those lands at “Khalayel
al-Tobasi” area. The evacuation
notices include prevention of entering the lands or utilizing them. They are about 80 donums which include 13
wells for agricultural purposes. The
lands belong to a number of Palestinians, including Khaled Hassan Sarhanah,
Jebril Mostafa Sarhanah, Nezar Abdul Ra’ouf Janazrah, Amjad Jaber Shadafan,
Abdul Ra’ouf Sha’ban Janazrah and Samir Mohammed al-Hleiqawi.  

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
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