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
· 19 Palestinian civilians, including nine children, and an
American human rights defender were injured by IOF gunfire in the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip.
· IOF warplanes bombarded targets in the Gaza Strip.
· Intensive air strikes on the border between the Gaza Strip
and Egypt, forced civilians to evacuate their homes in the area.
· IOF conducted 39 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 36 Palestinian civilians, including six children.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West
Bank arrested three Palestinian civilians, including two children.
· IOF have continued measures aimed at creating a demographic
Jewish majority in east Jerusalem.
· IOF demolished five houses rendering 49 Palestinian
civilians homeless.
· IOF ordered three families in the old city of Jerusalem to
evacuate their houses so they can be demolished.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· Israeli settlers added six mobile homes to two settlement
outposts in Hebron.
· IOF have continued to establish a new road for settlers in
the southern West Bank.
· Israeli settlers held a human rights defender and a
journalist in Hebron.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (12 – 18 March2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF injured
19 Palestinian civilians, including nine children, and an American human rights
defender in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, on 13 March 2009, a Palestinian child was injured when
IOF moved into Housan village, west of Bethlehem, and fired at a number of
children who threw stones at military vehicles.
On 15 March, four Palestinian civilians, including three children, were injured
by IOF gunfire in similar circumstances.
During the reporting period, 12 Palestinian
civilians, including four children, and an American human rights defender were
wounded when IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in
protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall.
In the
Gaza Strip, on 13 March, a Palestinian child was injured when IOF moved into
al-Shouka village, east of Rafah, and opened fire indiscriminately.
On 17
March, a Palestinian fisherman was seriously injured when IOF naval troops
opened fire at a number of fishermen in the northern Gaza Strip.
Incursions:
During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 39 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank and one into the Gaza Strip. IOF arrested 36 Palestinian civilians,
including 6 children.
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 their rights to appropriate living
conditions, work, health and education.
· Hundreds of thousands
of civilians continue to endure power cuts, which adversely affect their
quality of life.
· 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 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. Some internationals have also crossed in and out of Gaza via Rafah.
· IOF have continued to
close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the face of Palestinian civilians wishing
to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social
visits. In the past two months, five patients, including two children, died due
to the denial of their access to medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip.
· IOF have imposed
additional restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and
humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of
several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.
· Living conditions of
the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of
poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.
· At least 900
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived for 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 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 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 IOF (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 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 one Palestinian civilian.
Creating a
Demographic Jewish majority in east Jerusalem: IOF have escalated arbitrary
measures against Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem to force them to leave
the city. During the reporting period, IOF demolished five houses in Jerusalem,
rendering 49 Palestinian civilians homeless. IOF also ordered fourty people
from three families to evacuate their homes, which are scheduled to be
demolished.
Settlement Activities:
IOF have continued
settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have, in
violation of international humanitarian law, continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property. During the reporting period, Israeli settlers living in
“Kiryat Arba” and “Kharsina” settlements, east and
northeast of Hebron, placed six mobile homes in the vicinity of the two
settlements as part of the expansion of the settlement. In the same context,
IOF continued to level areas of Palestinian land in Um Lasfa village, southeast
of Hebron, in order to establish a new settler road to the south of
“Carme’el” settlement. On 16 March, Israeli settlers from
“Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron, attacked Ayat ‘Abdul
Karim al-Ja’bari, 24, when she was on her way home in the al-Ras area. She was
injured in the head and also sustained bruises throughout the body. IOF troops
were present in the area, but did not intervene to stop the attack. On 18 March,
members of the so-called settlement security service positioned in the vicinity
of “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron, stopped ‘Eissa
Isma’il ‘Amru, 29, a field worker of B’Tselem, and Jennifer Alice, 33, a
Canadian journalist. They detained the field worker and the journalist for an
hour.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (12 – 18 March
2009)
The full report is available PDF format.