Israeli Forces Continue Systematic Attacks
against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Closure on the Gaza Strip
· Israeli warplanes bombarded areas in the southern Gaza Strip
allegedly to destroy smuggling tunnels.
· Israeli Forces used force against peaceful demonstrations
organized to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
· Israeli Forces conducted 17 incursions into Palestinian
communities in the West Bank and 3 limited ones into the Gaza Strip.
· Israeli Forces arrested 17 Palestinian civilians, including 7
children, in the West Bank and two fishers in the Gaza Strip.
· Israeli Forces razed at least 60 donums[1]
of agricultural land in the east of Gaza City.
· Israeli Forces have continued to impose a total closure on
the OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West
Bank arrested two Palestinian civilians, including a child.
· Israeli Forces have continued measures aimed at establishing
a Jewish majority in occupied east Jerusalem.
· Israeli Forces forced a Palestinian family to demolish part
of a structure added to their house in the Wad al-Jouz area.
· A road in Silwan village collapsed due to Israeli
excavations.
· Israeli Forces have continued settlement activities in the
West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians
and property.
· Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians injuring 4
civilians, including a woman.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (06 – 12 August 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, Israeli
forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian
civilians in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West
Bank. A number of demonstrators also suffered from the inhalation of an unkown
substance ell used by Israeli forces in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes
bombarded the border strip between the Gaza Strip and Egypt allegedly to
destroy smuggling tunnels.
Incursions: During the reporting period, Israeli
forces conducted at least 17 military incursions into Palestinian communities
in the West Bank. Israeli forces arrested 17 Palestinian civilians, including 7
children. Israeli forces also turned a
Palestinian house into a military site.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces conducted
3 limited incursions into Palestinian communities in the Gaza Strip, during
which they razed at least 60 donums of Palestinian agricultural land.
On 06 August 2009, Israeli forces arrested
two Palestinian fishers opposite Rafah. They interrogated the two fishers for several hours and released them
later.
Gaza Strip
Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings
to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The 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.
· 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights,
including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living
conditions, work, health and education.
· The main concern of
1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of
food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.
· Israeli forces have
continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza
Strip for more than two years.
· Israeli forces have
not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of
cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.
· The Rafah
International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number of
patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the
Gaza Strip.
· Israeli forces have
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.
· Poverty and
unemployment rates stand at approximately 80% and 60% respectively in the Gaza
Strip.
· Israeli forces have
continued to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage
systems. Losses incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.
· Israeli forces have
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 sharply mounted.
· At least 900
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied family visitation
rights for more than two years.
· Israeli forces have
continued to attack Palestinian fishera along the Gaza Strip coast.
West Bank
Israeli forces 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.
· Israeli forces have established checkpoints in and around
Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are
frequently prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
· There are approximately permanent 630 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 Israeli
forces 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 has already been constructed. Approximately 99% of
the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating
Palestinian land.
· At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian
communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by Israeli forces (47
out of 72 roads).
· There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across
the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including
occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit
issued by the Israeli forces. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.
· Israeli forces continue to harass, and assault demonstrators
who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.
· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by Israeli
forces in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly
stopped and searched in the streets by Israeli forces.
· During the reporting period, Israeli troops positioned at
military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested two Palestinian civilians.
Efforts aimed at establishing a Jewish majority in
occupied east Jerusalem: Israeli forces have continued arbitrary measures against Palestinian
civilians in East Jerusalem in an attempt to force them to leave the city. On 6 August 2009, Israeli forces forced Mos’ab
Abu Khalaf, 30, to demolish a part of his house in the Wdi al-Jouz neighborhood
in East Jerusalem. The Israeli
Municipality of Jerusalem ordered Abu Khalaf to demolish a 45-square-meter
structure added to his house no later than 01 September 2009, claiming that it
was built without a license. On 10
August 2009, a road in Silwan village in East Jerusalem collapsed due to
Israeli excavations in the area. According to eyewitnesses, the collapse occurred in the center of the Wadi
Hilwa area, causing a hole, whose depth was estimated at 4.5 meters, in Wadi
Hilwa Street. The place of the hole is
only two meters away from excavations carried out by Israeli archaeologists and
by Israeli forces. Due to the collapse,
the road was closed for several hours. Israeli
forces paved over the road to hide what occurred. On 11 August 2009, about 20-30 Israeli
settlers broke into the yards of the al-Aqsa Mosque under Israeli police escort,
where they conducted religious ceremonies.
Settlement
Activities: Israeli
forces have continued settlement activities in violation of international
humanitarian law and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have continued
to attack Palestinian civilians and property. Following the Friday Prayer on 07 August 2009, dozens of Palestinian
civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a
peaceful demonstration in the center of Bourin village, southeast of
Nablus. They moved towards Wad Suleiman
areas between ‘Iraq Bourin village and “Brakha” settlement to the
north, where Israeli forces were razing large areas of Palestinian land to
serve as agricultural fields for the aforementioned settlement. The demonstrators threw stones at an Israeli
solider, who fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters. A number of demonstrators suffered from tear
gas inhalation. On 09 August 2009, 3
Israeli settlers attacked Jawad Khader Abu Turki, 37, from Hebron, when he was
on his way back home through a bypass road near Qalqis neighborhood. He sustained acute bruises throughout the
body. On Monday, 10 August 2009, 3 armed
Israeli settlers attacked Jazia Jebril Nawaj’a, 42, when she was grazing animals
about 150 meters away from Kherbat Sousia area, south of Hebron. They attempted to steel a number of
sheep. When she attempted to stop them
and defend herself, they violently beat her. She screamed and some Palestinian civilians arrived at the area and
confronted the settlers. The women
sustained bruises throughout the body. Another
civilian, 27-year-old Nasser Mohammed Nawaj’a, also sustained bruises to the
right hand. On the same day, at least 10
Israeli settlers attacked Younis ‘Ata Abadat, 48, from ‘Awarta village
southeast of Nablus, when he was driving his car near Shilu intersection on the
Ramallah – Nablus road. They threw
stones at the car, smashing the front window and injuring ‘Abadat in the neck
and the chest.
Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (06 – 12 August July 2009)
The full report is available PDF format.