Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate
Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT)

· Two Palestinians were killed by IOF.

· One of the victims was extra-judicially executed by IOF in Jenin.

· 30 Palestinian civilians, including 15 children, were
wounded by IOF. 

· IOF waged at least 25 air strikes on civilian targets in the
Gaza Strip and a number of roads were destroyed.

· IOF conducted 37 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.

· Houses were raided and 70 Palestinian civilians, including 4
children and a girl, were arrested by IOF.

· An IOF dog attacked a child in Balata refugee camp.

· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; an
old man died at a checkpoint in the West Bank; border crossing of the Gaza
Strip were partially reopened; IOF imposed severe restrictions on the movement
of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank; and IOF arrested 11 Palestinian
civilians, including 3 children, at various checkpoints in the West Bank.

· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the
West Bank; IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in
protest to the construction of the Wall; 3 demonstrators sustained bruises and
IOF arrested 4 international solidarity activists.

· Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property in the OPT; 150 olive trees were cut and at least 120
donums[1]
of agricultural land were razed in the West Bank.  

Summary

Israeli
violations of international law continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT) during the reporting period (15 – 21 December 2005):

Killing:
During the reported
period, IOF killed two Palestinians. On
Saturday, 17 December 2005, IOF shot dead a Palestinian civilian in the Gaza
Strip as he attempted together with another civilian to enter Israel to search
for jobs. On Wednesday, 21 December
2005, IOF extra-judicially executed a Palestinian in Jenin. 

Shelling:
During the reported
period, IOF waged at least 25 air strikes on civilian targets in the Gaza
Strip. A number of civilian facilities were destroyed or damaged, and 7
Palestinian civilians, including an infant, were injured.  

Incursions: IOF
conducted 37 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, 23 Palestinian
civilians, including 13 children, were wounded by the IOF gunfire. IOF also raided houses and arrested 70
Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and a girl. IOF used undercover units and trained dogs during
these incursions.  An IOF dog attacked a
Palestinian child in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus.      

Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a
comprehensive siege on the OPT, in violation of civil, political, economic,
social and cultural rights of Palestinian civilians. 

IOF have continued to impose a
tightened siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a big jail. Rafah
International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border, the sole outlet for the
Gaza Strip to the outside world, was partially reopened following a two-month
closure.  An agreement was reached regarding the operation of the crossing
point. The crossing point is operated
for 8 hours a day only. On 16 December
2005, IOF closed Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian workers and
patients.  IOF have also continued to impose severe restrictions at
commercial border crossings and on fishing in the Gaza Strip.  In addition, IOF have continued to impose
severe restrictions on fishing through chasing and firing at Palestinian
fishing boats.

IOF have continued
to impose a tightened siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During the reported period, IOF closed a
number of roads in Hebron, and tightened the siege imposed on occupied
Jerusalem. On Thursday, 8 December 2005,
IOF closed Qalandya checkpoint, south of Ramallah. IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians through checkpoints. They
have prevented Palestinians aged 16-35 from crossing checkpoints. On 18 December 2005, an old man died from a
heart attack at an IOF checkpoint near Tulkarm. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints
arrested 11 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children. 

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank territory.  During the reported
period, IOF razed at least 345 donums of Palestinian agricultural land in Beit
Jala. They also used force to disperse a
peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians and international and
Israeli solidarity activists in protest to the construction of the Wall in
Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah. Three
demonstrators sustained bruises and IOF arrested 4 international solidarity
activists. 

Illegal
Settler Activities:
Israeli settlers in breach of international humanitarian law continue to reside
in the OPT and have launched a series of attacks against Palestinian civilians
and property. During the reported period, Israeli settlers cut at least 150
olives trees in Bourin village, south of Nablus. They also plowed at least 110 donums of
agricultural land in Kufor Thuluth village near Qalqilya, and razed 15 donums
of agricultural land in Yatta village, south of Hebron. Moreover, IOF razed a 500-square-meter area
of agricultural land in Hebron for the purpose of settlement expansion.  

Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (15 – 21 December 2005)

The full report is available PDF format.