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
· 3 international human rights defenders and a Palestinian
journalist were injured when Israeli Forces used force against peaceful
demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall
in the West Bank.
· Israeli Forces conducted 31 incursions into Palestinian
communities in the West Bank.
· Israeli Forces arrested 25 Palestinian civilians, including
two children, and an American human rights defender in the West Bank.
· Israeli Forces have continued to impose a total closure on
the OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· Israeli troops positioned at military checkpoints in the
West Bank arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child.
· Israeli Forces have continued measures aimed at establishing
a Jewish majority in occupied east Jerusalem.
· Israeli Forces seized houses belonging to Palestinian
civilians living in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and handed them over to Israeli
settlers; 52 Palestinian civilians, including 25 children, have become
homeless.
· Israeli Forces ordered the demolition of 5 houses in
al-Bustan neighborhood.
· Israeli Forces have continued illegal settlement activities
in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property.
· Israeli settlers continued their attempts to seize more
Palestinian land.
· Israeli settlers razed and set fire to areas of agricultural
land in the West Bank.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the
reporting period (30 July – 05 August 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, 7
Palestinians civilians, including one child and one woman, were wounded by Israeli
gunfire in the West Bank.
On 24 July 2009, 3 international
human rights defenders and a Palestinian journalist were injured when Israeli
forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian
civilians to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank. In
Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, a number of demonstrators also suffered from
the inhalation of a substance that had a disgusting smell used by Israeli
forces. Israeli soldiers have used the same substance since 08 August 2008.
Incursions: During the reporting period, Israeli
forces conducted at least 31 military incursions into Palestinian communities
in the West Bank. Israeli forces arrested 25 Palestinian civilians, including
two children, and an American human rights defender. On 28 July 2009, Israeli forces arrested 200
Palestinian workers from Barta’a village, west of Jenin.
Gaza Strip
Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings
to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The Israeli-imposed illegal 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.
· Israel has continued
to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more
than two years.
· Israel has 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.
· Israel has 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 stands at
approximately 80% and unemployment at 60% in the Gaza Strip.
· Israel has continued
to prevent the entry of spare parts for water networks and sewage systems. Losses
incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.
· 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 deteriorated; levels of poverty and
unemployment continue to increase.
· 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 fishers 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 IOF.
· During the reporting period, Israeli troops positioned at
military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 3 Palestinian civilians.
Efforts Intended to Establish a Jewish majority in
occupied east Jerusalem:
Israel has recently
escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem to
force them to leave the city. PCHR has devoted this section in the Weekly
Report to highlight violations of human rights perpetrated by Israeli forces against
Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem. On 02 August 2009, the Israeli police besieged the Sheikh Jarrah
neighborhood and closed all roads leading to it. They stormed houses belonging to the al-Ghawi
and Hannoun clans and violently beat their residents. They forced 52 civilians and at least 20
international human rights defenders out of the houses. Four civilians were injured. Following the
evacuation of the families, Israeli forces allowed a number of Israeli settlers
into the houses. On the same day, Israeli
forces used force against peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians
and international solidarity activists in the area. They arrested 15 protestors. On the following day, Israeli forces dispersed
a solidarity sit-in in the area and arrested at least 10 Palestinian
civilians. On Tuesday, 04 August 2009, Israeli
forces arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including two children, who used to
live in the confiscated houses. Also on
02 August 2009, a bulldozer of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem razed an
area of land, on which Fawzia al-Kurd had set up a tent; Israeli forces seized al-Kurd’s house on 09
November 208. On 05 August 2009, Israeli
forces moved into the al-Bsutan neighborhood in the south of the old town of
Jerusalem. They stormed 5 houses
belonging to the ‘Ouda and ‘Abbassi families, and issued demolition
orders. Israeli forces plan to demolish
the whole neighborhood, which includes 88 houses, to establish a park. During this raid, Israeli forces attacked
residents of the area. As a result, 8
civilians sustained bruises.
Settlement
Activities: Israel
has continued settlement activities in violation of international humanitarian
law and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have continued to attack
Palestinian civilians and property. On
31 July 2009, a number of Israeli settlers gathered and camped on a tract of
land in Kufor Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, which overlooks
Nablus-Qalqilya. On the same day, at
least 30 Israeli settlers broke into areas of Palestinian land in al-Baq’a
area. They set up a tent, fenced it and
planted some trees. Palestinian
civilians living in the area foiled this attempt to seize the land. On the same day, a number of Israeli settlers
razed large areas of Palestinian agricultural land to the north of Hebron. They uprooted many trees and destroyed the
fence of the land, which belongs to 26 Palestinian farmers, who have been
denied access to their land. On 01 August 2009, at least 10 Israeli settlers
living in Beit Hadasa settlement in the center of Hebron attacked a Palestinian
civilian using sticks and sharp tools. As a result, he sustained cuts and bruises all over his body. At
approximately the same time, a number of Israeli settlers from “Abraham
Avino” settlement in the center of the old town of Hebron mounted up to
the roof of a nearby house belonging to Nidal Salem al-‘Owaiwi. They damaged water tanks on the roof. On 02
August 2009, a number of Israeli settlers set fire to at least 10 donums[1] of
Palestinian agricultural land planted with grapes and olives, located to the
east of the aforementioned settlement. At least 80 trees were burnt and equipment was damaged.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (30 – 05
August July 2009)
The full report is available PDF format.
