in Hebron Al-Mafqara Mosque which was demolished by Israeli forces

Israeli Forces Continue
Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the occupied
Palestinian territory (oPt)

      

 

The
Israeli Forces killed a Palestinian civilian in the southern Gaza Strip.

 

A member
of a Palestinian armed group died of wounds he had sustained in the latest
Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

 

The
Israeli Forces killed a Palestinian civilian in the east of Tulkarm.

 

 

14 civilians, including 4 children, were wounded
along the border fence in the Gaza Strip.

 

The Israeli
Forces conducted 47 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank
and a limited one into the Gaza Strip. 

Israeli
Forces arrested 34 Palestinians, including 2 children and a woman with her son,
in the West Bank.

 

The
Israeli Forces continued to target fishermen in the Gaza Strip

Israeli
Forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats.

Israeli
Forces arrested 20 fishers, including 5 children, and damaged a fishing boat’s
engine.

 

The
Israeli Forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protests in
the West Bank.

At
least 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded in Bil’ein weekly protest, west of
Ramallah.

 

Israel
has continued to impose a total closure on the oPt and has isolated the Gaza
Strip from the outside world.

The Israeli
Forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank.

At
least 2 Palestinians were arrested at checkpoints in the West Bank.

 

Israel
had continued efforts to create Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem.

The
Israeli municipality of Jerusalem demolished a commercial building and forced a
Palestinian civilian to demolish his own house.

The
Israeli government offers projects of large settlement activities in occupied
Jerusalem

The
settlers seized a residential building in Jabal al-Mukabber area.

 

 

The Israeli
Forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank, and Israeli
settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

A
mosque in Hebron in addition to a room and an agricultural barrack in Nablus
were demolished.

The
settlers continued their attacks against the Palestinian civilians and their
property.

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli
violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt
continued during the reporting period (29 November – 05 December 2012):

 

Shooting:

 

During the reporting period, Israeli
Forces killed 2 Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.  Additionally, a member of an armed group died
of wounds he had sustained during the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza
Strip. The Israeli Forces also wounded 17 Palestinian civilians, including 5
children; 14 of these civilians, including 4 children were wounded in the Gaza
Strip, while the other 3 other 3 ones, including a child, were wounded in the
West Bank.  

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 30 November
2012, the Israeli Forces killed a Palestinian civilian in the east of al-Shouka
village, east of Rafah.  The
abovementioned civilian was killed when the Israeli soldiers along the border
fence to the east of Rafah opened fire at dozens of Palestinians.  As a result, a civilian was wounded by a
bullet to the pelvis and was transported to Abu Yusef al-Najjar hospital.  Due to his serious injury, he was transported
to Gaza European hospital in Khan Yunis.  However, he was pronounced dead on Saturday
morning, 01 December 2012.

 

On 29 November 2012, medical sources
in al-Salam hospital in Egypt pronounced declared that Husam al-Hams, 36, died
of serious wounds he had sustained during the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza,
when an Israeli warplane launched a missile at 2 members of an armed group near
a playground, west of Rafah. As a result of that attack, one of them was
immediately killed and al-Hams was seriously wounded.

 

During the reporting period, the
Israeli Forces wounded 14 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, along
the border fence while they were near the fence to challenge the Israeli
decision to impose a buffer zone in the area.

 

On 29 November 2012, a 17-year-old
boy was wounded when the Israeli Forces stationed along the border fence in the
east of Beit Hanoun opened fire at group of Palestinian civilians and farmers
near the fence.

 

On 30 November 2012, 10 civilians,
including 2 children, were wounded when the Israeli Forces stationed along the
border fence opened fire at them.

 

On 01 December 2012, 3 civilians
were wounded when the Israeli Forces along the border fence opened fire at
them.

 

On 03 December 2012, a Palestinian
child was wounded when the Israeli Forces along the border fence opened fire at
him in the east of al-Bureij refugee camp.

 

In the context of other shooting
incidents, the Israeli Forces stationed along the border fence in the east of
Beit Hanoun and Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian
civilians and farmers, who headed to the border area to challenge the Israeli
decision to impose a 300-meter buffer zone along the borders. It should be
noted that hundreds of Palestinian farmers have been denied access to their
lands in the mentioned area. These farmers decided to go to the border area in
light of the announcement of the cease-fire agreement between Israeli and the
Palestinian resistance groups.

 

In the context of targeting
fishermen in the Gaza Strip, on 29 November 2012, the Israeli gunboats
stationed off Beit Lahia shore in the northern Gaza Strip intercepted a fishing
boat boarded by 6 fishermen, including a child, which was 5 nautical miles off
the shore.  The Israeli Forces arrested
and questioned the 6 fishermen on board the gunboat.

 

On 01 December 2012, the Israeli
gunboats surrounded and opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat that was 3
nautical miles off Gaza City shore. They arrested 5 fishermen, including 2
children, and transported them to Ashdod Port, where they were questioned and
then released.

 

On the same day, an Israeli gunboat
attacked 2 fishing boats 2.5 nautical miles off the shore. The Israeli naval
forces opened fire at the 2 boats and damaged the engine of one of them.  None fishermen on board fishing boat were
arrested and transported to Ashdod Port for questioning.  Moreover, the 2 boats were kept in custody.

 

In the West Bank, on 03 December
2012, the Israeli Forces killed a Palestinian civilian when his car hit an
Israeli military jeep on Nablus-Ramallah road.

 

On 01 December 2012, a Palestinian
child was wounded when the Israeli Forces moved into Dora village, southwest of
Hebron, amidst firing sound bombs. 

 

In the same context, the Israeli
Forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protests organized by
Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders. As
a result, dozens of Palestinians were wounded, suffered from tear gas
inhalation or sustained bruises.     

 

Incursions:

 

During
the reporting period, the IOF conducted at least 47 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 
During these incursions, the IOF arrested at least 34 Palestinians,
including 2 children and a woman with her son. 

 

In
the Gaza Strip, on 29 November 2012, the Israeli Forces conducted a limited
incursion into the east of Khan Yunis. They also reached Abassan village to
level lands in the area.  

 

Restrictions
on Movement:

 

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

 

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. 
Recently-declared measures to ease the closure are vague, purely
cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of the crisis; the root causes
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.  Palestinians in Gaza may no
longer suffer from the same shortage of goods but, as long as the closure is
allowed to continue, they will remain economically dependent, unable to care
for themselves, and socially, culturally and academically isolated from the
rest of the world. 

 

The 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.

 

Efforts to
Create Jewish Majority in the Occupied East Jerusalem:

 

In the context of efforts to create a Jewish Majority in
the occupied East Jerusalem, the Israeli Forces have continued to confiscate
lands, demolish houses and build new settlement units.  PCHR stresses that these measures come in the
context of isolating East Jerusalem and annexing it to Israel according to an
Israeli policy that is in violation of the international humanitarian law.  PCHR calls upon the international community
to promptly take action and reiterates its call upon the High Contracting
parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligation under
article 1 of the Convention.

 

In the context of house and facility demolitions, on 04
December 2012, the Israeli Forces forced a Palestinian civilian to demolish his
own house .

 

As a part of the settlement expansion projects, the
office of the Israeli Prime Minister issued a decision approving the
construction of 3,600 settlement units in East Jerusalem.

 

On the level of seizure of houses, on Monday morning, 03
December 2012, a group of settlers raided a 5-storey house in Jabal al-Mukabber
area, southeast of East Jerusalem, claiming that a settlement society bought it
from its onwer 2 years ago.

 

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 04
December 2012, the Israeli Forces demolished a mosque in Kherbet al-Mafqara
area, south of Hebron.

 

On
the same day, the Israeli Forces demolished a 20-square-meter room in the
southeast of Nablus, in addition to a 50-square-meter barrack in the same area.

 

On
29 November 2012, dozens of settlers closed road linking Dora village,
southwest of Hebron, with the bypass road (60) and prevented Palestinians from
movement.

 

On
02 December 2012, a group of settlers in the east of Yatta, south of Hebron,
set fire to a 306 Peugeot vehicle and wrote racist slogans on a house south of
Dora. 

 

 

Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (29 November – 05 December
2012)

 

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

 

 

Thursday,
29 November 2012

 

At
approximately 00:00, the Israeli Forces moved into the area between Silet
al-Harthiya and al-Yamoun villages, northwest of Jenin.  An eyewitness stated to a PCHR fieldworker
that the Israeli Forces positioned in the area for a while and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli Forces moved into Allar village, northeast of Tulkarm. They
patrolled the streets, stationed at the main entrance of the village and
withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.   

 

At
approximately 01:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Yatta village, south of
Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed
Khalil al-‘Emour, 35, and arrested him.  

 

At approximately
02:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Beit Leqia village, southwest of Ramallah.
 They raided and searched a number of houses
using sniffer dogs amidst firing bullets and sound bombs. They intentionally
damaged the doors and contents of the houses. The Israeli Forces obliged the
residents to leave their houses and stay out. An Israeli intelligence officer
questioned Mohammed Rabah Shokri Asi, 27, under the pretext that he is wanted.  They wrote down the names of the residents and
their mobile numbers. The Israeli Forces raided a house belonging to Mohammed
Ibrahim Qeddis Dar Qeddis, and damaged its contents.  They also topped the house and turned it into
a military spot. At approximately 06:30, the Israeli Forces withdrew and no
arrests were reported. Dar Qeddis said that he lost his wife’s jewelry that is
estimated at approximately 60,000 NIS.

 

In his
testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Mohammed Ibrahim Dar Qeddis, 33, said:

 

“At
approximately 03:30 on Thursday, 29 November 2012, while I was sleeping with my
4 children, whose ages range between 4 and 11, on the second floor of our
2-storey house which is in the western part of Beit Leqia, I was surprised by
having my door broken.  I stood up and
tried to reach the door, and found 10 Israeli soldiers.  When they saw me, they asked in Arabic who was
at home. I told them I had my wife and 4 children, who woke up at that moment. They
ordered me to take everybody out, and more than 5 soldiers then came into the
house and started searching. They asked many questions about my job and about
Mohammed Rabah Assi. The Israeli Forces kept me and my children in the external
storage room and continued searching the house. At approximately 04:20, the
Israeli Forces withdrew. My wife checked the house and the bedroom and found
that her jewelry that was in the wardrobe was not there.  The jewelry is estimated at NIS 60,000.”

 

At
approximately 03:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Hebron.  They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Mohammed Hassan Rajab Abu Shkheidem, 27, and arrested him.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli Forces moved into al-Theheriya village, south of Hebron.  They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Mohammed Mesbah al-Jabareen, 27, and arrested him.

 

At
approximately 06:00, the Israeli Forces moved 100 meters into al-Qarara village,
east of Khan Yunis, through Kissufim military gate along the border fence.  They then moved southward to Abassan village
and started leveling lands.  They
withdrew two hour later through al-Faraheen gate.

 

At
approximately 10:15, the Israeli gunboats off Beit Lahia shore intercepted a
fishing boat boarded by 6 fishermen while sailing 5 nautical miles of the
shore. The fishing boat belongs to a fisherman, Fahed Ziyad Baker, 38, from
Gaza City. The Israeli naval forces arrested the 6 fishermen and questioned
them on board the gunboat before they were released at 12:30.  The fishermen are:

 

1- Fahed Ziyad
Baker, 38;

2- Ihab Jawad
Baker, 36;

3- Mohammed
Ziyad Baker, 32;

4- Na’im Fahed
Baker, 16;

5- Ziyad Fahed
Baker, 18; and

6- Ali Alaa’
Baker, 18.

 

At
approximately 10:30, the Israeli Forces stationed along the border fence in the
east of Beit Hanoun fired bullets and tear gas canisters at a group of
civilians and farmers near the border fence, as they were heading to the border
fence to challenge the Israeli decision to impose a 300-meter buffer zone along
the border fence.  As a result, Waheed
Majed Adel al-Fseifis, 17, from Jabalya refugee camp, was wounded by a bullet
to the left leg.  This step by the
Palestinians civilians and farmers came after reaching the cease-fire agreement
between the Palestinian resistance groups and Israel through Egyptian efforts.
The agreement included eliminating the buffer zone and allowing Palestinians to
have access to their lands in the area.

 

At
approximately 11:00, medical sources at al-Salam Hospital in Egypt declared
that Husam Sameer al-Hams, 36, from Rafah, died sustained of wounds he had
sustained during the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza.  According to investigations by PCHR, at
approximately 08:30 on Saturday, 17, November 2012.  The Israeli warplanes launched a missile at
least at 2 armed members of an armed group near a playground in the west of
Rafah.  As a result, one was killed
immediately and al-Hams was severely wounded. Al-Hams received medical
treatment at al-Salam Hospital in Egypt. 
Medical efforts to save his life failed and he was pronounced dead on
the above-mentioned date.

 

At
approximately 21:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Romanna village, northwest
of Jenin. They patrolled the streets for a while.  Some boys threw stones and empty bottles on
them.  In response, the Israeli Forces
opened fire at the boys. A number of passers suffered from tear gas inhalation.
 The Israeli Forces withdrew later, and neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.    

 

Friday, 30
November 2012

 

At
approximately 10:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Aboud village, northwest of
Ramallah. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At proximately
14:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Fasayel village, northwest of Jericho.
They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. 

 

At approximately
15:30, the Israeli Forces moved into the east of Jabalya town in the north of
the Gaza Strip, through Abu Safiya gate. They opened fire at a group of
Palestinian civilians and farmers near the border fence until 17:30.  As a result, 4 Palestinians were wounded:

 

1- Lo’ai Ahmed
Kamel Abed Rabbu, 14; from Jabalia, wounded by a bullet to the right leg;

2- Ahmed Anwar
al-Zaza, 18; from al-Sha’af area in Gaza City, wounded by a bullet to the right
knee;

3- Salman Osama
Salman Abu Ajwa, 24, from al-Sheja’iya in Gaza City, wounded by a bullet to the
right leg; and

4- Ahmed Mesleh
Salah, 26, from al-Toffah neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded by a bullet to the
right leg.

 

At approximately
16:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Anabta village, east of Tulkram. They
patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli Forces stationed at border fence to the east of Khan Yunis
opened fire at a group of civilians near the fence.  As a result, Bassam Mohammed Abu Rjaila, 22,
was wounded by a bullet to the leg.  His
wound was described as minor.

 

At
approximately 16:10, the Israeli Forces stationed along the border fence in the
northeast of al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip opened fire at about
70 civilians who were protesting near the border fence.  As a result, 4 persons, from al-Bureij refugee
camp, were wounded. They were transported to al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir
al-Balah, where their wounds were described as moderate.  The wounded are:

 

1- Hassan
Hammad Ibrahim al-Tebri, 39, s wounded by a bullet to the left leg;

2- Ahmed
Abdul Qader Omar Abu Jalal, 22, wounded by a bullet to the right leg;

3- Mohammed
Ahmed Sulaiman al-Awawda, 27, wounded by a bullet to the left leg; and

4- Mohammed
As’ad Mohammed al-Bardini, 23, wounded by a bullet to the right thigh.

 

In another use
of excessive force, the Israeli Forces killed a Palestinian civilian in
al-Shouka village, east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

 

According to
investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 16:30, the Israeli Forces
stationed along the border fence, east of al-Shouka village, opened fire at
dozens of Palestinians near the border fence.  As a result, Mahmoud Ali Jarghoun, 20, was
wounded by a bullet to the pelvis and was transported to Abu Yusef al-Najjar
hospital. Due to his serious injury, he was transferred to the European
Hospital in Khan Yunis.  Medical efforts
to save his life failed and he was pronounced dead in the early morning on
Saturday, 01 December 2012.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli Forces along the border fence, east of Beit Hanoun, opened
fire at a group of civilians and farmers near the fence.  As a result, Jihad Iyad Mohammed Abu Ouda, 16,
from Beit Lahia, was wounded by a bullet to the right leg.  

 

At
approximately 17:00, the Israeli Forces moved into al-Tabaqa village, southwest
of Hebron. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 21:00, the Israeli Forces moved into al-Sammou’ village, south of
Hebron.  They patrolled the streets for a
while and withdrew later.  Neither house
raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 21:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Beit Aur al-Tahta village,
southwest of Ramallah.  They patrolled
the streets for a while and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 10:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Qeffin village, north of
Tulkarm. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

Saturday, 01
December 2012

 

At approximately 00:00, Israeli forces moved into al-‘Aoja village,
northeast of Jericho.  They patrolled the
streets for some time and later withdrew. 
No arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 01:00, Israeli forces moved into the center of Hebron.  They patrolled Bab al-Zawya area and al-Salam
and Wad al-Tofah Streets for some time and later withdrew.  Neither house raids nor arrests were
reported.

 

At
approximately 02:30, Israeli forces moved into Beit Kahel village, northwest of
Hebron, and positioned at the village center. 
They raided and searched a house belonging to Ali Hasan Issa al-Zohour,
38, and later withdrew.  No arrests were
reported.

 

At
approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into Sinjel village, north of Ramallah.   They raided and searched several houses, and
arrested 5 Palestinians:

 

1- Hasan
Mohammed ‘Asfour, 22;

2- Wesam Basem
Four, 21;

3- Hussein Sami
Shabanah, 21;

4- Jaber Mousa
Khalil, 22; and

5- Ahmed Sami
Tawafshah, 18.

 

At
approximately 10:00, Israeli gunboats opened fire at a Palestinian fishing
boat, while Palestinian fishermen were fishing about 3 nautical miles off the Gaza shore. 
Israeli forces
surrounded the boat, arrested 5 fishers, including 2 children, and took them to
Ashdod Port where they were questioned before being released.

 

 In
his testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, one of the fishermen, Ramez Izzat Baker,
41, from Gaza City, said:

 

“At 06:30
on Saturday, 01 December 2012, I went fishing with my brother Rami, 34, and 3
of my cousins: Bayan Khamis Baker, 17; Mohammed Khaled Baker, 17; and Omar
Mohammed Baker, 22, off the Gaza shore. We started fishing about 3 nautical
miles off the shore. At 10:00, an Israeli gunboat approached and chased us
ordering us to stop. The Israeli forces started firing heavily at us. 
Therefore, we stopped fishing for fear of being harmed or our boats getting
damaged. They ordered us to take our clothes off, jump into the water and swim
towards the gunboat. We did what they ordered us to do. The Israeli forces
arrested us (my brother, three cousins and me) and transported us to Ashdod
seaport, where we were questioned. At 21:00, we were released, while our boats
remained in custody.”

 

At the same time, an Israeli gunboat attacked
2 fishing boats belonging to Sabri Mohammed Baker, (52), and Eid Mohsen Baker,
23, who are both fishermen and live in Gaza City. The 2 men were fishing
approximately 2 nautical miles off the shore when Israeli naval
forces opened fire at the boats, damaging the boat that belongs to Eid Baker.
The Israeli naval forces ordered the 9 fishermen who were on board of the 2
boats to stop fishing and then arrested them. They took them to Ashdod seaport
and interrogated them. The naval forces kept the two boats. At approximately
21:00, 8 fishermen were released:

 

1- Sabri Mahmoud Baker, 52;

2- ‘Aomran Sabri Baker, 21;

3- Abdallah Sabri Baker, 13;

4- Eid Mohsen Baker, 23;

5- Walid Mohsen Baker, 18;

6- Ziad Fahed Baker, 17;

7- Sadam Samir Baker, 26; and

8- Haitham Talal Baker, 26.

 

Emad Mohammed Baker, 33, from Gaza, remained in custody.

 

At approximately
14:30, Israeli forces positioned at the border fence, east of Abu Safeya Gate,
east of Jabalya town in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian
civilians and farmers, who were near the border fence.  As a result, Nedal Mohammed Abdallah, 21, from
Jabalya, was moderately wounded by a bullet to his right foot.

 

At
approximately 15:00, Israeli forces moved into Dora village, southwest of
Hebron.  They patrolled the streets and
randomly fired sound bombs at stores and vehicles.  A number of boys gathered and threw stones at
them, and Israeli forces immediately fired bullets and sound bombs at the
passing boys and civilians.  As a result,
Shadi Salamah Ibrahim Masharqa, 17, was wounded by a bullet to his abdomen and shrapnel from sound bombs to
his hand and chest.  The aforementioned
child was wounded when he came out of a shop where he works to see what’s going
on the street.  While he was standing in
front of the shop, a soldier fired at him.

 

At
approximately 16:30, Israeli forces positioned at the border fence, east of Abu
Safeya Gate, east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire and fired
tear gas again at Palestinian civilians and farmers, who were near the border
fence.  As a result, Mahmoud Mohammed
al-Adgham, 23, from al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, was wounded by
a bullet to his right foot.

 

At
approximately 16:30, Israeli forces positioned at the border fence to the east
of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire and fired tear gas
at Palestinian civilians and farmers, who were near the border fence.  As a result, Sami Saeed Rabi’a Hamdiya, (28),
from Jabalya, was wounded by a bullet to his right knee.

 

Sunday,
02 December 2012

 

 At approximately 04:00, Israeli forces moved
into Hindaza area, east of Bethlehem. 
They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Nader
Mohammed Ibrahim Jobran, 32, and then arrested him.

 

At
approximately 12:30, Israeli Forces moved into Thinnaba suburb, east of
Tulkarm.  They raided and searched a house
belonging to the family of Tha’er Saleh Mosa al-A’raj, 24. They confiscated 3
laptops, a military quiver and 3 pistols and withdrew later.   It should be noted that the Israeli Forces
arrested the aforementioned person at a military checkpoint at the same time of
raiding his house (See the section on Arrests at Military Checkpoints).

 

At
approximately 19:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Ramin village, east of
Tulkarm.  They patrolled the streets for
a while and withdrew later.  Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 23:40, the Israeli Forces moved into Jenin.  They patrolled the eastern neighborhood and
around the governmental hospital. Some boys gathered and threw stones at the
Israeli soldiers.  In response, the
Israeli soldiers fired tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them.  Some civilians suffered from tear gas
inhalation.  The Israeli soldiers withdrew
later and no arrests were reported.

 

 

Monday,
03 December 2012

 

At
approximately 01:30, Israeli forces moved into Qalqilya.  They patrolled the streets for some time and
later withdrew.  Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 01:50, Israeli forces moved into Ezbet al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya.  They patrolled the streets for some time and
withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor
arrests were reported.

 

At
the same time, Israeli forces moved into Kafr al-Deek village, west of
Salfit.   They raided and a house belonging to the
family of Ahmed Abdel Karim al-Deek, 45, and arrested him.  They also raided and searched another house
belonging to Fares ‘Aziz Kassoul, 42, after breaking down the outside door
house.  Israeli soldiers did not find the
aforementioned civilian, so they phoned him and told him to surrender
immediately.

 

At
approximately 02:30, the Israeli Forces moved into al-‘Ouja village, northeast
of Jericho. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 09:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Kherbatha al-Mesbah, southwest
of Ramallah. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither
house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

In the early
morning, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian after crashing his car
with their military vehicle on the road between Nablus and Ramallah in the
north of the West Bank. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 09:15, Hatem Mostafa Hussein Shadid, 39, from ‘Allar village,
northeast of Tulkarm, was driving his 2012 silver Peugeot car, with a
Palestinian license plate No. (6.7920.93), heading from Nablus to Tulkarm.  When he approached Beit Leed village, east of
Tulkarm, a collision happened between his car and a military vehicle.  As a result, Hatem’s car rolled over and was
badly damaged in the forefront.  Hatem
alighted from his car and Israeli soldiers immediately shot him dead.

 

Israeli forces
claimed, as Yediot Aharonot reported on its website, that a Palestinian
civilian car collided with a military vehicle resulting in the rollover of the
car.  The Palestinian driver, who
alighted from his car holding an ax in his hand, attacked the soldiers which
forced them to shoot at him.  Yediot
Aharonot also said that soldiers are members of General Security Service (Shabak)
and sustained injuries between moderate and minor.  However, a Palestinian witness stated to a
PCHRs fieldworker that a military vehicle was driving behind the Palestinian
car and crashed it from the back, resulting in pushing it to the far left and
falling in an open area and the vehicle rolled over on the right of the street.

 

Immediately
after the accident happened, ambulances belong to the Israeli David Red Star
and Israeli forces rushed to the spot and closed the scene. They declared the
area from ‘Ennab checkpoint, east of Tulkarm, to Deir Sharaf intersection, west
of Nablus, a closed military zone and blocked traffic.  They also prevented journalists from reaching
there and held, near ‘Ennab checkpoint, an ambulance of Palestine Red Crescent Society
and forced it to go back.

 

When the media
announced the name of the dead man, a number of his brothers and friends rushed
to the scene, but Israeli forces arrested his 3 brothers: Fayed, 44; Fadi, 36;
and Shadi, 33, and took them to Hawara detention center, southeast of Nablus.
At approximately 15:00, they were released after being questioned about their
bother, his conditions and his affiliation. 
Following the accident, Israeli forces moved into ‘Allar village and
positioned near the house of the dead man. 
They raided and searched the house and withdrew later.  No more incidents were reported.

 

It should be
mentioned that Israeli forces transferred the dead body to Abu Kabir Institute
of Forensic Medicine in Jerusalem.  The
dead man was driving a car belongs to a company where he works, Shadid Company
for Contracting and Public Undertakings.  He was also a father of five children; the
eldest of whom is 11 years old and the youngest is 6 months.

 

At
approximately 11:00, the Israeli Forces stationed along the border fence in the
east of al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip opened fire at Jihad Mesbah
Salim al-Sawarka, 16, and wounded him in the left knee. Al-Sawarka was grazing
sheep 300 meters away from the border fence when he was fired at.  

 

At
approximately 19:00, the Israeli Forces moved into al-Jiftlek village, north of
Jericho. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later.  No arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 21:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Burham village, northwest of
Ramallah.  They patrolled the streets for
a while and withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 21:40, the Israeli Forces moved into Ya’bad village, southwest of
Jenin. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later.  Neither house raids nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 22:00, the Israeli Forces moved into ‘Anabta village, east of
Tulkarm. They patrolled the streets and arrested Abdul Karim Sa’id Barakat, 25,
and Zaher Amer Barakat, 22. The Israeli Forces withdrew later transporting the
arrested persons to an unknown destination.

 

At
approximately 10:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Faqou’a village, northeast
of Jenin. They patrolled the streets and stopped some passing Palestinians.  An Israeli officer questioned them on the
spot.  Soon, some boys gathered and threw
stones and empty bottles at the Israeli soldiers, who fired at the boys.  The Israeli Forces withdrew later and no
further incidents or arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli Forces moved into Jericho. They patrolled the streets and
withdrew later. No arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 23:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Deir Jareer village,
northeast of Ramallah. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew
later. No arrests were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli Forces moved into Beit Our al-Tahta, southwest of Ramallah.
They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later. No arrested were
reported.

 

Tuesday,
04 December 2012

 

At
approximately 01:00, Israeli forces moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata
Refugee Camp.  They raided and searched
several houses and arrested 7 civilians, including 2 brothers; six of them were
arrested from the camp. Those who were arrested are: Yazan, 18; and Ahmed
Aziz  al-Khatib, 19, two brothers who
were arrested from their house near al-Arqam mosque; ‘Ameed Reyad Saqer, 19,
who was arrested from his house in al-Tairawiya quarter in the center of the
camp; Mojahed Nazih Abu Saris, 19, who was arrested from his house near Ebad
al-Rahman mosque at the entrance of the camp; Hamed Ghassan Hashash, 19; Mohammed
Mahmoud Ibrahim Hameidan, 18, both arrested from their houses in the southern
neighborhood; and Jihad Kamel Abu al-Hayyat, 21, who was arrested from his
house in al-Daheya al-‘Aolia neighborhood, south of Nablus.

 

At
approximately 14:30, Israeli forces moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north
of Hebron.  Israeli forces raided and
searched several houses and arrested 5 civilians, including 2 children:

 

1- Abdel Rahman
Ahmed al-Titi, 20;

2- Mohammed
Maher Abu Sham’aa, 17;

3- Bayan Khaled
al-Badawi, 19;

4- Hasan Maher
Abu Sham’a, 20; and

5- Ibrahim
Taisir al-Titi, 17.

 

At approximately
04:00, Israeli forces moved into al-Thaheriya, south of Hebron.  They raided and searched a house belonging to
the al-Samamrah family, arrested Mariam Abdel Hamid Samamrah, 50; and her son
Hamid Faisal al-Hawarin, 23.

 

At
approximately 09:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Marj Na’ja village, north of
Jericho. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later. No arrests
were reported.

 

At the same
time, the Israeli Forces moved into Deir al-Ghsoun village, north fo Tulkarm.
They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew later. Neither house raids
nor arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 11:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Beit Seera village,
southwest of Ramallah. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew
later. No arrests were reported.

 

At
approximately 21:30, the Israeli Forces moved into Dora al-Qare’ village,
northeast of Ramallah. They patrolled the streets for a while and withdrew
later. No arrests were reported.

 

 Wednesday, 05 December 2012

 

At approximately 01:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Tulkarm. They
patrolled in the streets for a while and stationed on the streets of Martyr
Thabet Thabet Hospital for a while.  They
withdrew later with no arrests reported.

 

At approximately 02:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Beit Ummar
village, north of Hebron.  They raided
and searched a number of houses and arrested Omar Mohammed Awad, 21, and Belal
Samir Ikhleil, 22. 

 

At approximately 03:00, the Israeli Forces moved into Yatta
village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and
arrested Nasser Mo’nes al-Haddar, 25, Qasem Mo’nes al-Haddar, 28, and Faraj Eid
Abdul Qader al-Jundi, 25. 

 

At the same time, the Israeli Forces moved into Deir Samet village,
west of Dora in the southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of
houses submitting notices for the houses’ owners to refer to the Israeli
Intelligence Service.  Of those who
received notices 2 Palestinian civilians were identified as: Mohammed Ali
al-Hroub, 24, and Ahmed Mohammed Salama al-Hroub, 25.  The Israeli Forces withdrew later and no
arrests reported.        

 

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

 

During
the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations
organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights
defenders in protest at the construction of the wall and settlement activities
in the West Bank.  As a result, 2
Palestinian civilians were wounded, and a number of demonstrators suffered from
tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises. 

 

Following the Friday Prayer on 30 November 2012, 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 gathered in the streets
of the village, chanting slogans calling for national unity.  The protesters aimed to stress the need to
adhere to national principles and the right of return, to resist the occupation
and to call for the release of all Palestinian prisoners.    The protesters raised Palestinian
flags and made their way towards the wall.  
 They called through megaphones
for Israeli settlers in “Mitityahu” settlement to leave Palestinian land.  Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the
demonstrators.  As a result, a 21-year-old
Palestinians was wounded by a bullet to the right hand, and a 40-year-old man was
hit in his right leg with a gas bomb.  A
number of demonstrators also suffered from tear gas inhalation and others
sustained bruises.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer on 30 November 2012, dozens of
Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders
organized a peaceful demonstration in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in
protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities.   The demonstrators moved towards areas of the
annexation wall.    Immediately, Israeli
soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs
and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators.  
As a result, some demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and
others sustained bruises.   

 

Around the same time on Friday, 30 November 2012, dozens of
Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders
gathered in the Martyrs Square in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to
hold a weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall
and settlement activities.   The
protesters walked towards the gate erected by Israeli forces near the entrance
of the village, which leads to Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the
nearby “Halmish” settlement are trying to seize. Israeli soldiers
fired live and rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the
protesters. As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas
inhalation. Israeli forces also arrested two Israeli human rights defenders and
transported them to an unknown destination.

 

Also following the Friday Prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians
and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in
the center of al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem, in protest at the ongoing
construction of the annexation wall.  The
protesters raised banners saying, “In accordance with General Assembly
resolution issued on 29 November 2012, you are in the State of Palestine, and
occupation must be ended immediately.”  As the protestors moved towards the gate of
the village, the Israeli forces closed it to prevent the demonstration from
gaining access to the confiscated lands.  
 Israeli soldiers fired
rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the
protesters.  Hassan Braijiya, coordinator
for the Popular Movement against the Wall and Settlement Activities, said that
a unit of the Israeli forces moved into the village in the early morning before
the beginning of the demonstration and hid behind the school awaiting for the
gathering to start.  He also added that
an intelligence officer accompanied the unit and questioned children present in
the area about the persons who threw stones at the Israeli forces.

 

3. Continued
Closure of the oPt

 

Israel has continued to impose a tightened closure on the oPt,
imposing 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 nearly 5 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 IOF
have tightened the closure of the Gaza Strip, making Karm Abu Salem crossing the
sole commercial crossing of the Gaza Strip, although it is not suitable for
commercial purposes, in terms of its distance and operational capacity. 

 

The IOF
have continued to apply their policy aimed at tightening the strangulation of
the commercial movement in the Gaza Strip, including imposing total control
over the flow of imports and exports. 

 

The
total closure of al-Mentar “Karni” crossing on 02 March 2011 has
created a terrible situation that has seriously affected the Gaza Strip.  Following this closure, all economic and
commercial establishments in Gaza Commercial Zone were shut off.  It should be noted that al-Mentar crossing is
the biggest crossing in the Gaza Strip, in terms of its operational capacity to
absorb the flow of imports and exports.  The
decision to close al-Mentar crossing was the culmination of a series of
decisions resulting in the complete closure of the Sofa crossing, east of the
Gaza Strip in the beginning of 2009, and the Nahal Oz crossing, east of Gaza
City, which was dedicated for the delivery of fuel and cooking gas to the Gaza
Strip, in the beginning of 2010. 

 

The IOF
have continued to impose a total ban on the delivery of raw materials to the
Gaza Strip, except for very limited items and quantities.  The limited quantities of raw materials
allowed into Gaza
do not meet the minimal needs of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. 

 

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

 

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

 

The IOF
have continued to impose a total ban on the export of products from Gaza,
especially industrial products, undermining any real chance of reopening economic
establishments.  The situation has been
aggravated since the Karm Abu Salem crossing was designated as Gaza’s sole
commercial crossing; the repeated closure of this crossing negatively affects
the quantity of Gaza products which are allowed to be exported.  

 

For approximately 6 consecutive years, the IOF have continued to
ban the delivery of construction materials to Gaza.  During the reporting period, the IOF approved
the delivery of limited quantities of construction materials for a number of
international organizations.

 

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

 

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

 

Movement
at Border Crossings during the Reporting Period:

 

Movement
at Rafah International Crossing Point

28
November 2012 –04 December 2012

 

 

 

 

Movement
at Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

28
November 2012 –03 December 2012

Imports:

 

 

Exports:

 

On Sunday, 02 December 2012, Israeli forces allowed the exportation
of 2 truckloads of strawberries, 200 kilograms of garlic and 300 kilograms of basil.

On Monday, 03 December 2012, Israeli forces allowed the exportation
of 2 truckloads of strawberries and a truckload of cherry tomatoes.

 

 

Other Imports:

 

On Wednesday, 28 November 2012, the Israeli forces allowed the
entry of 600 tons of cement, 32 tons of construction steel and 3,850 tons of
construction aggregate for UNRWA; and 260 tons of cement, 78 tons of
construction steel and 840 tons of construction aggregate for the German
Development Bank (GDB).  They also
allowed the entry of 663 tons of fodders and 234 tons wheat.

 

On Thursday, 29 November 2012, the Israeli forces allowed the entry
of 168 tons of cement, 115 tons of construction steel and 2,170 tons of
construction aggregate for UNRWA; and 40 tons of cement, 54 tons of
construction steel and 2,240 tons of construction aggregate for GDB.  They also allowed the entry of 546 tons of fodders
and 351 tons of wheat.

 

On Sunday, 02 December 2012, Israeli forces allowed the entry of 443
tons of cement, 44 tons of construction steel and 3,990 tons of construction
aggregate for UNRWA; and 33 tons of cement for ANERA and 2,800 tons of
construction aggregate for GDB.  They
also allowed the entry of 429 tons of fodders and 156 tons of wheat.

 

On Monday, 03 December 2012, Israeli forces allowed the entry of 480
tons of cement, 133 tons of construction steel and 4,340 tons of construction
aggregate for UNRWA; and 56 tons of cement and 840 tons of construction
aggregate for USAID, in addition to 2,940 tons of construction aggregate for Palestinian
Water Authority.  They also allowed the
entry of 780 tons of fodders and 156 tons of wheat.

 

Movement
at the Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

28
November 2012 – 04 December 2012

 

 

 

Note: The Israeli forces allowed 28 relatives of prisoners to visit 21
prisoners in Israeli jails.

 

Israel has imposed a tightened closure on the West Bank.  During the reporting period, IOF imposed
additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians:

 

Ramallah
and al-Bireh: Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians.  At
approximately 10:00 on Thursday, 29 November 2012, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint by the northern entrance of Beit Liqya village, southwest of
Ramallah.  At approximately 18:00,
Israeli forces re-established their presence on ‘Attara checkpoint, by the
northern entrance of Beir Zeit village, north of Ramallah. The checkpoints were
removed later; no arrests were reported. At approximately 10:30 on Friday, 30
November 2012, Israeli forces established an entrance at the entrance of
al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah. 
At approximately 13:30, Israeli forces re-established their presence on
‘Attara checkpoint, by the northern entrance of Beir Zeit village, north of
Ramallah.  At approximately 19:00,
Israeli forces established a checkpoint by the northern entrance of Beit Loqia
entrance, southwest of the city.  All
checkpoints were removed later; no arrests were reported.  At approximately 09:00 on Saturday, 01
December 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of
Kharabtha Bni Hareth village, west of Ramallah. 
At approximately 17:00, a checkpoint was established by Israeli forces
at the northern entrance of Beit Loqia village. 
At approximately 20:00, Israeli forces established a checkpoint under
the bridge of Kharabtha al-Mosbah village, southwest of Ramallah.  All checkpoints were removed later; no
arrests were reported. At approximately 10:30 on Sunday, 02 December 2012,
Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of Deir Nizam village,
northwest of Ramallah, and established another checkpoint at approximately
15:00 by the intersection of Beit ‘Our al-Foqa village.  The checkpoints were removed later; no
arrests were reported.

 

Qalqilya:
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians.  On Friday, 30
November 2012, Israeli forces established 4 military checkpoints throughout the
city.  The first checkpoint was
established at approximately 08:35 at the entrance of Qalqilya.  The second was established at approximately
10:00 near Jinasafout village, east of the city.  At approximately 12:10, the third checkpoint
was established at the entrance of Amatyn village, northeast of Qalqilya, while
the fourth checkpoint was established at approximately 18:00 at the entrance of
Izzbat al-Tabib village.  The four
checkpoints were established at Nablus-Qalqilya road, and were removed later
with no arrests reported.  At
approximately 21:00 on Monday, 03 December 2012, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint at the intersection of Jinasafout village, east of Qalqilya;
however, it was removed later and no arrests were reported.

 

Jenin:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 14:30 on Saturday, 1
December 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of Rummana
village, southwest of Jenin.  At
approximately 18:30, another checkpoint was established by the eastern entrance
of Y’abod village, southwest of Jenin. 
At approximately 10:30 on Thursday, 29 November 2012, Israeli forces
established a checkpoint at the entrance of Zabouba village, northwest of
Jenin; it was later removed with no reports were reported.  At approximately 20:00 on Tuesday, 04
December 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the intersection of
al-Jalma village, north of Jenin.  All
checkpoints were removed later; no arrests were reported.

 

Tulkarm:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 14:00 on Thursday, 29
November 2012, Israeli forces re-enforced the restrictions imposed on ‘Inab
military checkpoint, established on Tulkarm – Nablus road, east of Tulkarm;
however, restrictions were eased later in the evening and no arrests were
reported.  At approximately 21:00,
Israeli forces established a checkpoint on Natania (the Western) road, which
falls in Section (A) that falls under Palestinian jurisdiction according to the
Oslo Accords.  At approximately 13:00 on
Friday, 30 November 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the road
linking Tulkarm with its northern villages. 
At approximately 19:00, Israeli forces established a checkpoint on
Natania (the Western) road, west of the city. 
At approximately 13:00 on Sunday, 02 December 2012, Israeli forces established
a checkpoint at the entrance of Qaffin village, north of Tulkarm.  At 21:00, Israeli forces re-enforced the
restrictions imposed on ‘Ennab military checkpoint.

 

Hebron:  Israeli forces have continued to impose
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 07:30 on Friday, 30 November
2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at Abu Reisha Valley, west of
Ethna village, west of Hebron.  At
approximately 19:00, another checkpoint was established on the road by ‘Oyoun
Abu Yousif kherba, southwest of Doura. 
At approximately 21:00, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the
entrance of Beit ‘Amra village, south of Hebron.  All checkpoints were later removed; no
arrests were reported.

 

Jericho:
 Israeli forces have
continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians.  At approximately 11:30 on
Thursday, 29 November 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint by the
southern entrance of Jericho.  They
removed it later; however, re-established it at approximately 15:00.  At approximately 06:30 on Friday, 30 November
2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at the entrance of al-Zbidat
village, north of Jericho.  At
approximately 19:00, Israeli forces established another checkpoint by the
southern entrance of Jericho.  At
approximately 16:00 on Sunday, 02 December 2012, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint at the entrance of al-‘Ouja village, northeast of Jericho.  All checkpoints were later removed; no
arrests were reported.

 

Bethlehem:
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians.  At approximately
20:30 on Sunday, 02 December 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint at
the entrance of al-Wajla village, west of Bethlehem.  It was removed later and no arrests were
reported.

 

Salfit:  Israeli forces have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  At approximately 11:30 on Thursday, 29
November 2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint between Salfit and
Askaka village, east of the city.  It was
removed at approximately 12:00, no arrests were reported.  At approximately 19:40, another checkpoint
was established at the entrance of Kufor al-Deik village, west of Salfit.  At approximately 08:15 on Friday, 30 November
2012, Israeli forces established a checkpoint by the bridge of Askaka village,
east of Salfit.  The checkpoint was
re-established at approximately 20:50, and removed it again at approximately
21:00, and no arrests were reported.  At
approximately 18:00 on Monday, 03 December 2012, Israeli forces established a
checkpoint between Kuffol Hares and Hares village, north of Salfit.  It was removed later; no arrests were
reported.

 

Detention at Military Checkpoints

At approximately 16:00 on Thursday, 29 November 2012, Israeli
forces stationed on the Container checkpoint, southeast of Jerusalem, arrested Ibrahim
Ahmed Abdul-Hamid Khalil, from Beit Umar village, north of Hebron, and
transported him to an unknown destination.

At approximately 12:30 on Sunday, 02 December 2012, a special
Israeli force arrested Tha’er Salah Moussa al-‘Araj, 24, a member of the
Palestinian National Security Forces, while en route home from Jenin, where he
works, to Tulkarm.  He was arrested near
al-Bathan valley, on Tubas-Nablus road. 
According to PCHR’s investigations, al-‘Araj knew he was wanted for the
Israeli forces; therefore, he took another road, Jenin – Nabuls, instead of
going to Tulkarm directly.  However, he
was ambushed by an Israeli undercover unit, who dressed in civilian clothing
and drove a white Mercedes Caravelle, which had (Abu-Saleh for Heaters) written
on it for camouflage.

 

4. Efforts
to Create a Jewish Majority in Occupied East Jerusalem

 

Settlement Activities in Occupied East Jerusalem

 

In violation of international law, Israel is continuing its policy
of settlement expansion in the West Bank in general, and occupied East
Jerusalem in particular.  The Office of
the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the construction of
3,600 additional settlement units in East Jerusalem.

On Monday evening, 03 December 2012, it was reported that the new
construction plan would be implemented in “Ramat Shalom” and “Givat Hamatos”
settlement neighborhoods.  Moshe Gabai,
an official of the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem from the Likud Party,
stated that “the Israeli government’s decision to construct the settlement
units will assert that East Jerusalem is Jewish!” Also on Monday evening, the
Israeli daily, Ydiot Aharanot, reported on its website that the construction
and planning committee in occupied Jerusalem will discuss next week a plan to
construct 1,600 settlement units in “Ramat Shlomo” settlement in East
Jerusalem.

 

On Friday, 30 November 2011, in the hours following the UN General
Assembly’s adoption of a resolution accepting Palestine as a non-member
observer State in the United Nations, the Israeli government issued a plan to
construct 3,000 settlement units in East Jerusalem and the settlements of
“Ma’ale Adomim,” east of Jerusalem; “Ariel” in the north of the West Bank; and
“Efrat,” south of Bethlehem.  The Israeli
government also decided to accelerate structural plans to begin construction in
the “E1” area, which is aimed at linking the “Ma’ale Adomim” settlement with
Jerusalem.

 

The proposed construction of around 3,600 settlement units in this
area would render establishing geographical contiguity between the north and
south of the West Bank impossible, and diminish any chance to establish a
viable Palestinian state.

 

Settlers Cease a Building in Jabal al-Mukaber

 

At early morning hours on Monday, 03 December 2012, a group of settlers
stormed a Palestinian five-storey building in Jabal al Mukaber, southeast of
Occupied east Jerusalem.  The settlers
claimed that “Al’ad” association bought the building, located in
al-Farouq neighborhood, two years ago. 
According to Israeli daily Haaretz, it is seemingly intended to build a
new settlement outpost in the heart of the Palestinian neighborhood.  It should be mentioned that the building,
which was built many years ago, remained vacant of residents except for a
family residing in the upper floor until a group of “guards” came in,
changed the locks of the main gate and ceased the house.  This building is several meters away from a
building the settlers ceased in 2010 and changed it to a settlement outpost.  Peace Now, an Israeli organization, described
the settlers’ action as dangerous and provocative, as seizing houses in the
heart of the Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem raises tension in the
city.

 

Bulldozing of Houses and Shops

 

On 04 December 2012, Israeli forces bulldozed a commercial building
in Jabal al-Tour, and forced a civilian to demolish his house by himself in
Beit Safafa in occupied East Jerusalem.

 

At early morning hours on Tuesday, 04 December 2012, a group of the
Israeli “Border Guards” and the Israeli police, accompanied by
officers from the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem and a bulldozer, moved into
Jabal al-Tour, east of the old city. 
They surrounded a commercial building, belonging to Mohammad Abul-Hawa,
and started demolishing it.  The 2-storey
building was established on a 45-square-meter area.  The first floor was used as a car rental
office and the second one was used as a dentist clinic.  According to Abul-Hawa, he had built the
first floor in 2000 and added the second floor in 2009.  He added that nearly a month and a half ago,
he received a demolition notice from the Israeli municipality in the city,
following that he started preparing the necessary paperwork to obtain a
building license, but the municipality hastened in the demolition.

 

 In the same context, the
Israeli municipality of Jerusalem forced Moussa ‘Elian to destroy his house in
Beit Safafa village, following an order issued by the mentioned
municipality.  ‘Elian said that he built
his one-storey house on a 220-square-meter area six years ago, and he received
a notice from the Israeli municipality to stop the construction and demolish
it.  Nearly a month ago, he dug a hole in
the roof, but the Municipality refused to allow it and threatened him that they
would demolish his house on his expense and force him to pay NIS 250,000 as a
fee; therefore, he had to demolish it by himself to avoid paying the demolition
fees.

 

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 06:00 on Thursday, 29 November 2012, Israeli forces, accompanied
by a number of military vehicles and a vehicle from the Planning and Building
Department in the Israeli Civil Administration moved into Shi’ab al-Sair area,
east of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.  An
officer of the department handed a notice to Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil Moqbel, 44,
ordering the demolition of his two-storey house, established on a 220-square
meters area and occupied by a family of 13 members.  The notice term is due on 27 December 2012.

 

At
approximately 22:00 on Thursday, 29 November 2012, dozens of settlers from
“Nijhout” and “Beit Hagai” settlements, gathered on
Palestinian civilians’ lands in Hebron, closed the main street of Tarama
village, which link Doura, southwest of Hebron, with bypass road (60), and
disrupted the traffic.  According to
eyewitnesses, Israeli forces were deployed in the area to protect the settlers,
and did not intervene to stop their actions.

 

At
approximately 07:00 on Sunday, 02 December 2012, Israeli forces stopped the
Palestinian civilians and farmers from reaching their lands, near “Avigal”
settlement which is established on the lands of Palestinians, in the southern
side of Hebron, despite the fact that they have obtained permits and court
rulings from the Israeli Supreme Court allowing them to work in their
farmlands, nearing “Avigal” settlement.  In his testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Rateb
al-Jabour, member of the Popular Committee against Settlement Activities, said
that Israeli forces that were intensively deployed along the security fence of
“Avigal” settlement and the areas southeast of Yatta, purposefully
impose restrictions on the Palestinian civilians and farmers’ access to their
farmlands in order to confiscate them.

 

At
approximately 01:00 on Monday, 02 December 2012, a group of settlers from
“Sousia” settlement, gathered on the lands of Palestinian civilians,
east of Yatta, south of Hebron, burnt a 306 Peugeot, belonging to Mahmoud
Salman Suliman al-‘Arjan, 34, and wrote “Sousia, congratulations! More to
come!” on the walls of his house, located in Abu al-‘Asja village, south of
Dura, southwest of Hebron.  In his
testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Mahmoud al-‘Arjan said:

 

“At
approximately 01:30 on Monday, 02 November 2012, my wife awoke me and told me
that the trees in front of the house were burning.  I ran out and found my car and the trees
around it ablaze.  I called out
for help, and the neighbors helped me put the fire off until the Civil Defense
fire-engine arrived.  Afterwards, we
noticed slogans written in Hebrew on the walls saying, ‘Sousia,
congratulations! More to come!’ I called the Palestinian police.  Thee Israeli police came to the scene, took
my statement, and told me an investigation would be opened regarding the
incident.”

 

At
approximately 07:30 on Monday, 03 December 2012, an Israeli force, accompanied
by a car from the Israeli Civil Administration and a number of military
vehicles, moved into Sousia area, east of Yatta, south of Hebron.  The force patrolled the streets in the area
and closed it.  A group of Israeli
soldiers along with an official from the Israeli Planning Office stormed a
daycare and handed one of the employees a demolition notice.  Before leaving, they also submitted Ihsan
Mohammad Hussain al-Shafran a notice to destroy a sheep barn and Mohammad
Badawi Mohammad Jabour was submitted a notice to demolish a tent he occupies
with his family.

 

At
approximately 06:30 on Tuesday, 04 December 2012, Israeli forces, accompanied
by a car from the Israeli Planning and Building Department, a number of
vehicles and demolition equipment, moved into Kherba al-Mafkara area, south of
Yatta, in the southern side of Hebron. 
The forces surrounded the area, closed it and banned the civilians from
going near the mosque, and started demolishing the two-storey mosque,
established on a 120-square-meter area for the second time in two years.  In his testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Rajeb
al-Jabour, member of the Popular Movement against Settlement Activity, said
that a large number of Israeli forces stormed the area and started demolishing
the house for the second time.  He said
that it was first demolished in November 2011, and the civilians rebuilt it on
a 120-square-meter area, and the first floor was designed as a baby
daycare.  He also pointed out that the
Israeli forces aim to push the residents of the area out in order to confiscate
their lands for the expansion of “Avigal” and “Havat Maon”
settlements, established on the lands of Palestinian civilians east of the
city.

 

At
approximately 11:00 on Tuesday, Israeli forces, accompanied by a number of
military vehicles, three SUVs from the Planning and Building Department of the
Israeli Civil Administration and a bulldozer, stormed Kherbat al-Tawil area,
southeast of ‘Akraba village, southeast of Nablus, which is part of Area C
(under full Israeli control according to the Oslo Accords).  Immediately, the bulldozer started
demolishing an uninhabited room established on a 20-square-meter area belonging
to Abdul-Fatah Ma’arouf Bani Fadel.  They
also demolished a 50-square-meter barrack used a barn for animals and fodders,
belonging to Basem Salim Dola.

 

At
approximately 07:00 on Wednesday, 05 December 2012, Israeli forces, accompanied
by military vehicles and officers from the Planning and Building Department,
moved into al-‘Aroub Refugee Camp, north of Hebron, and closed the area.  Israeli soldiers submitted to Rebhi
Abdul-Rahman Jawabra, 42, a demolition notice for his 3-storey house under
claiming that it was built without a license. 
They also submitted other notices of demolition and removal, including for
a marble factory, a construction materials store, belonging to Khaled and
Yousif Abu-Samara, from Beit Umar; and a plantation, which belongs to Ibrahim
Khader Abdul-Mouhsen al-‘Alamy.  In his
testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Mohammad Awad, member of the Popular Movement against
the Wall and Settlement Activities, said that the Planning and Building
Department of the Israeli Civil Administration had issued these notices under
the pretext that they were built without licenses.  He also mentioned that the Israeli soldiers
took photographs of the buildings along Hebron – Jerusalem road, up to the
entrance of Beit Umar village.  Awad
pointed out further that the plantation had already been demolished by the
Israeli forces 4 times over the past few years.

 

 

 

Recommendations to the International
Community

 

 

1. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their
legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure Israel’s respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory.  PCHR believes that the
conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has encouraged
Israel to act as if it is above the law and encourages Israel continue to
violate international human rights and humanitarian law.

 

2. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to convene a
conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel’s respect of the Convention
in the OPT and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians.

 

3. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to comply with
their legal obligations detailed in Article 146 of the Convention to search for
and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war crimes.

 

4. PCHR calls for
the immediate implementation of the Advisory Opinion issued by the
International Court of Justice, which considers the construction of the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank illegal.

 

5. PCHR recommends
that international civil society organizations, including human rights
organizations, bar associations and NGOs, participate in the process of
exposing those accused of grave breaches of international law and urge their
governments to bring the perpetrators to justice. 

 

6. PCHR calls upon
the European Union to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association
Agreement, which provides that Israel
must respect human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between
the EU states and Israel.  PCHR further
calls upon the EU states to prohibit import of goods produced in illegal
Israeli settlements in the OPT. 

 

7. PCHR calls on
the international community to recognize the Gaza disengagement plan, which was
implemented in September 2005, for what it is – not an end to occupation but a
compounding of the occupation and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. 

 

8. In recognition
of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the
ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the
facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

 

9. PCHR
appreciates the efforts of international civil society, including human rights
organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and urges them to continue
their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel’s respect for human
rights in the OPT and to demand Israel end its attacks on Palestinian
civilians.

 

 

10. PCHR calls upon the international community to pressure Israel
to lift the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its
occupation forces on access for international organizations to the OPT.

 

11. PCHR reiterates that any political settlement not based on
international human rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful
and just solution of the Palestinian question. 
Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and
instability in the region.  Any peace
process or agreement must be based on respect for international law, including
international human rights and humanitarian law.

 

 

 

…………………………………………………………

Public Document

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