Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Siege on
the Gaza Strip
· 20 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were wounded
by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.
· A number of these civilians were wounded by Israeli settlers
during a joint attack with IOF.
· IOF conducted 28 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 32 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children.
· IOF halted technical preparations related to a reception site
intended for the Pope’s visit.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF imposed severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian Christians during Easter.
· IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West
Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children.
· IOF have continued measures aimed at the changing the
demographic majority of east Jerusalem’s population.
· IOF started to establish a new settlement neighborhood in
the al-Sawahra area, southeast of Jerusalem.
· Media reports disclosed a plan to connect “Kidar”
settlement with “Ma’ale Adomim” settlement and annex 12,000 donums[1]
of Palestinian land.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· IOF resumed the establishment of a settler road to the south
of Hebron.
· Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in the north
and south of the West Bank.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting
period (23 – 28 April 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, 20
Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were wounded by IOF and Israeli
settlers in the West Bank.
On 24 April 2009, 12 Palestinian
civilians, including two children, were wounded when Israeli settlers and IOF
troops attacked ‘Ourif village, south of Nablus. This joint attack was the
second of its kind in the West Bank this April; IOF and Israeli settlers
launched a similar attack on Safa village, north of Hebron, on 08 April, in
which 9 Palestinian civilians were wounded.
On 26 April 2009, an Israeli settler
fired at a Palestinian child in Madama village, south of Nablus. The child was
seriously wounded by a gunshot that entered the back and exited the chest.
On the same day, a Palestinian
civilian was wounded when IOF moved into Rantis village, northwest of Ramallah,
and opened fire indiscriminately.
Also on the same day, IOF troops
positioned at Tarqoumia crossing, southwest of Hebron, fired at an old
Palestinian man, wounding him.
During the reporting period, 5 Palestinian
civilians, including two children, were wounded when IOF used force against
peaceful demonstrations organized to protest the construction of the Annexation
Wall.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 28 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. IOF arrested 32 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children.
During the reporting period, IOF
stormed the public yard opposite ‘Aaida refugee camp, north of Bethlehem. The
yard was being readied in advance of the Pope’s intended visit. IOF forced
workers to stop technical and construction preparations.
On 24 April 2009, IOF conducted a
joint operation with Israeli settlers against ‘Ourif village, south of Nablus. Both
forces fired at Palestinian civilians, wounding 12 of them.
Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT
and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
IOF have closed all Gaza Strip border crossings for more
than two years. The IOF siege of Gaza, 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 priority of the
1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of
food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.
· IOF have prevented the
entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than two
years.
· IOF 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.
· IOF 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 has reached
approximately 80% and unemployment has increased to approximately 60% in the
Gaza Strip.
· IOF have continued to
prevent the entry of spare parts intended for water networks and sewage
systems. Damages incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.
· IOF have imposed
additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and
humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of
several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.
· The Palestinian
civilian population’s living conditions have seriously deteriorated; levels of
poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.
· At least 900
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied family visitation for
more than 17 months.
· IOF have continued to
attack Palestinian fishers along the coast of the Gaza Strip.
West Bank
IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied
East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.
· IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem,
severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently
prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
· There are approximately permanent 630 roadblocks, 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 IOF 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 have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of
the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating
Palestinian land.
· At least 65% of the main roads leading to 18 Palestinian
communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of
72 roads).
· There are approximately 500 kilometers of restricted roads
across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank,
including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a
permit issued by the IOF. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.
· IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold
peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.
· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in
Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and
searched in the streets by IOF.
· During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at
military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians.
The establishment of
a majority Jewish demographic in Jerusalem: IOF have escalated measures against Palestinian
civilians in East Jerusalem intended to force them to leave the city. IOF
started the construction of a new settlement neighborhood in Arab al-Sawahra
area, southeast of Jerusalem, for nationalist Jews. The Israeli daily Ha’aretz
reported on 26 February 2009 that the construction of the new settlement
neighborhood started approximately one month ago on lands which the Israeli
Municipality of Jerusalem claim belong to it. The new settlement neighborhood will
be located in a Palestinian-populated area. During the reporting period, a
committee of the Israeli Ministry of Interior recommended annexing approximately
12,000 donums of land to the “Ma’ale Adomim” settlement, east of
Jerusalem, and including “Kidar” settlement – nearly 3 kilometers
away from the aforementioned settlement – in its boundaries. The Israeli
Military Radio reported on 25 April 2009 that this plan would increase the
population of “Ma’ale Adomim” settlement to 34,500 settlers. This
plan coincides with another plan revealed a few months ago, according to which
6,000 housing unit would be constructed in “Kidar” settlement and its
vicinity in order to create geographical contiguity with the “Ma’ale
Adomim” settlement. These plans would cut geographical contiguity between
the north and south of the West Bank and would isolate Jerusalem completely
from the Palestinian community, thus undermining the establishment of a viable
Palestinian State on lands occupied by Israel since 1967.
Settlement
Activities: IOF
have continued settlement activities in the OPT in violation of international
humanitarian law. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property. On 23 April 2009, IOF resumed leveling areas of
Palestinian land in Um al-Khair area near “Carme’il” settlement,
south of Hebron, to establish a new settler road. The establishment of the new
settler road would force 13 Palestinian families to leave the area. On the same
day, Israeli settlers armed with sharp tools chased Fawzi Mousa ‘Awadh, 65,
from Beit Uammar village north of Hebron, and forced him to leave his land near
“Kfar Etzion” settlement. ‘Awadh was able to escape from the area on
his tractor. Also on the same day, armed Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian
farmers in Jeet village, east of Qalqilya, and prevented them from farming
their land. They also attacked 5 houses in the village. IOF troops escorted the
settlers and did not stop such attacks. On 26 April 2009, Israeli settlers from
“Bein Ain” settlement to the north of Beit Uammar village north of
Hebron, attacked two Palestinian farmers while they were farming their land.
The two farmers sustained bruises and cuts.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (23 – 28 April
2009)
The full report is available PDF
format.