Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
Commit Further War crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and
Continue to Impose a Total Siege on the Gaza Strip
· IOF killed three civilians, including a child, in the West
Bank.
· One of the dead was killed by Israeli settlement guards, and
another was killed in the Bil’in weekly protest.
· 11 Palestinian civilians, including three children, were
wounded in the West Bank.
· A civilian in the Gaza Strip was wounded while playing with
a suspicious object left by IOF.
· IOF gunboats continue to attack fishing boats at sea.
· A house was bombarded and completely destroyed east of Deir
al-Balah City, in the Gaza Strip.
· IOF conducted 27 incursions into Palestinian
communities in the West Bank.
· 15 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were
arrested in the West Bank.
· IOF continue chasing fishermen in the Gaza Strip and arrest
2 fishermen.
· IOF occupied 5 Palestinian houses, and reclassified them as
military sites.
· IOF continues to construct the Annexation Wall.
· IOF began to construct a section of the wall in the extreme
southwest of Hebron.
· IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settler
attacks continue in the West Bank.
· Ten civilian establishments in Hebron and a residential
house east of Jerusalem were demolished.
· Bulldozing works intended to establish an electricity
network for settlers continue in Hebron.
· Settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles on the Nablus-Jenin
road.
· IOF have continued to completely isolate the Gaza Strip from
the outside world and have tightened the siege imposed on the West Bank.
· Restrictions were imposed on Palestinian Christians on
Easter Day.
· 5 Palestinian children were arrested in agricultural lands
near the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting
period (16 – 22 April 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed
three Palestinian civilians, including two children, in the West Bank. Two of
the dead were killed by IOF in Ramallah, while Israeli settlement guards in
Hebron killed the third. IOF also wounded 11 Palestinian civilians, including three
children, in the West Bank. In addition, a civilian in the Gaza strip was
wounded while playing with a suspicious object left by IOF.
In the morning of Friday, 17 April
2009, Israeli settlement guards shot dead a Palestinian child from Daheyat al-Zeitoon
in Hebron City, in the West Bank. IOF claimed that the murdered boy had infiltrated
the Hagai settlement in the southwest of Hebron, and attacked a settler with a
knife. Investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights
(PCHR) prove that the boy was killed while attempting to cross the fence of the
settlement in an agriculture area far from houses. PCHR notes that IOF could
have used less fatal force against the child; arresting the boy and questioning
him in accordance with international law.
Also in the evening of 17 April
2009, IOF intentionally killed a Palestinian child and wounded another from the
al-Halazon Refugee Camp in the North of Ramallah City. Israeli military sources
claimed that IOF fired at the two boys after they had attempted to throw
Molotov cocktails at Israeli houses in Beit El settlement. PCHR investigations
indicate that the two boys were trying to throw stones at Beit El settlement
from long distance. IOF could have arrested the two boys and questioned them.
Also on 17 April 2009, IOF systematically
used excessive and lethal force against Palestinian civilians and Israeli and
international solidarity activists who were participating in the Bil’in weekly
protest against the continued construction of the Annexation Wall. IOF killed a
Palestinian civilian in the protest in Bi’lin village in the west of Ramallah
City. Ten other Palestinian civilians, including two children, were wounded in
the nearby village of Ni’lin. Eyewitnesses, who were participating in the
protest, reported that the Palestinian who was killed was standing on a high
location. He was addressing IOF, asking them to stop firing at protesters. A
soldier fired a tear gas bomb directly at the civilian who fell to the ground covered
with blood. He was shot from a distance of approximately 20 meters. Abdullah
Abu Rahma, coordinator of the Public Committee against the Wall and Settlements
in Bi’lin, reported that tear gas bombs are heavy and rapid grenades, known locally
as “missiles”.
In the Gaza Strip, on 9
April 2009, a
Palestinian civilian was collecting plastic pieces near al-Waha Tourist Resort
in the west of Beit Lahia Town. The civilian found a suspicious object that was
connected with wires. He took one of the wires and tried to pull the object
which exploded. The civilian lost consciousness. He was transferred to hospital
where he woke up.
On 16 April 2009, IOF warplanes
bombarded a Palestinian house in the east of Deir al-Balah, 300 meters to the west
of the border. The house was completely destroyed. On 18 April 2009, IOF
soldiers positioned along the border east of Deir al-Balah City fired at a
Palestinian farmer working in his land. He was approximately 400 meters to the
west of the border. The farmer was not hurt; however, four local houses were
partially affected. Also on 18 April 2009, IOF soldiers positioned at Beit Hanoun
(Erez) Crossing in the north of Beit Hanoun Town opened fire directly at two World
Vision (WV) employee; one Palestinian and one Japanese national. No injuries
were reported in the incident.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 27 military incursions into Palestinian communities across
the West Bank. IOF arrested 15 Palestinian civilians, including three children.
IOF occupied five Palestinian houses and transformed them into military sites.
One of the houses is in Western Tora Village in the southwest of Jenin City,
the second is in Safa village in the north of Hebron Village, and the other
three houses are in Kafel Hares Village in the north of Salfit.
On 19 April 2009, IOF military
vehicles moved into Kafel Hares Village in the north of Salfit, in order to
protect local settlers. In the evening, large numbers of settlers began to
arrive to the village. Eyewitnesses estimated the number of settlers at
approximately 6,000. IOF imposed a curfew on the village and prevented Palestinian
civilians from leaving their houses, while settlers performed religious rituals
in local shrines. The settlers attacked vehicles belonging to Palestinian
civilians in the village, and destroyed windows and doors in many Palestinian
houses. IOF protected the settlers as they committed attacks and did not
intervene.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF continued to attack Palestinian fishers and
impose restrictions on their movement. During the reporting period, IOF
gunboats stopped a Palestinian fishing boat off Rafah shore in the south of the
Gaza Strip. Two Palestinian fishers were arrested and taken to an unknown
destination.
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 continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza
Strip 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 the right 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,
including food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.
· IOF have continued to
prevent 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 was opened for a few days for a number of international
delegations, patients and holders of foreign residency permits and visas.
· IOF have continued to
close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian civilians wishing to travel
to the West Bank and Israel for medical treatment, trade or social visits.
· IOF have imposed
additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and
humanitarian workers attempting to enter the Gaza Strip. Dozens of
internationals were forced to travel to Egypt in order enter to Gaza via Rafah
crossing.
· The Palestinian
civilian population’s living conditions have seriously deteriorated; levels of
poverty and unemployment have sharply increased.
· At least 900
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied family visitation for
more than 17 months.
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 630 permanent roadblocks, and manned
and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, approximately 60-80
‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints are 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.
· IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold
peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.
· 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. Access to these roads is restricted to
those vehicles with Israeli license plates. 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.
· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in
Jerusalem, and across the West Bank. This harassment includes regular spot
checks and searches by IOF; these are often carried out in the street.
· During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at
military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested nine Palestinian civilians.
Annexation Wall: on 19 April 2009, IOF began to conduct construction works intended to
establish a new section of the Annexation Wall on the lands of ‘Arab al-Ramadin
Village, in the extreme southwest of Hebron. According to data available at
PCHR, IOF began conducting bulldozing work on civilian land, east of Ashklot
settlement. IOF installed cement blocks and barbed wire fences. Local
eyewitnesses reported that sections of the Annexation Wall were constructed
only 20 meters
from civilians’ houses in the west and in the south of the village. Local
sources said that the new section extends 20 kilometers into
the land of ‘Arab al-Ramadin Village, and the nearby al-Thaheria Village to the
northeast. The same sources reported that the wall annexes large areas of
civilian land, denying civilians access.
On 22 April 2009, IOF blocked approximately 4,000 donums of Palestinian
lands in the south of Hebron. Sources from the General Committee for the
Defense of Lands in Hebron reported that IOF prevented farmers from Dora
Village, al-Thaheria Village and al-Ramadin village from accessing their lands
in the south of Hebron and in the vicinity of Ashklot settlement. IOF had classified
these lands as closed military zones.
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 19 April 2009, IOF have continued bulldozing and
leveling works in Palestinian lands in Beit ‘Ummar Vilalge in the north of
Hebron, in order to continue the installation of new parts of the electricity
network that connects Kiryat Arba Settlement in the east of Hebron City and
Hadar Beta Settlement in the west of Husan Village in Bethlehem. At the time of
publication, approximately six donums of agriculture lands had been bulldozed
and vineyards trees were uprooted.
On 22 April 2009, IOF
demolished ten houses and bulldozed stockyards in al-Fajm District, east of
‘akraba Village, in the southeast of Nablus City. IOF had confiscated the contents
of the destroyed houses and stockyards. Eight extended Palestinian families of
50 members, mostly children, used to live in the demolished houses. Al-Fajm
District is located 1,000
meters southwest of Jetit Settlement. Some current Palestinians
inhabitants have resided the area for 80 years. Also on 22 April 2009, IOF
demolished a one-storey house belonging to Sami Hdaydoun in al-Mukaber
neighborhood in the east of Jerusalem City. The house occupies an area of 90 m2, where a
family of nine, including five children, lives. In 2005, the Israeli
municipality in Jerusalem issued an administrative order to demolish the house
under the pretext that the house was built without license from the
municipality.
In violation of
International Humanitarian Law, Israeli settlers have continued to commit
systematic attacks against Palestinian civilians and against property. On 18
April 2009, dozens of Israeli settlers arrived at the evacuated settlement of
Homesh, in the northwest of Nablus City. They attacked a number of Palestinian
vehicles traveling on the Jenin-Nablus road. The attacked vehicles sustained
damages as a result, while Palestinian passengers were frightened. Eyewitnesses
reported that Israeli settlers were hiding among olive trees and attacked
Palestinian civilians who were forced to leave their vehicles and hide among
trees to protect themselves and their children. Israeli settlers usually have
arms, and never hesitate to use them against Palestinian civilians.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (16 – 22 April
2009)
The full report is available PDF format.
