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

· 4 Palestinian civilians were killed by IOF in the West Bank.

· One of the Victims was suffering from a psychological disorder.

· 2 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF.

· 11 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were wounded
by IOF.

· IOF conducted 30 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank, focusing particularly on Jenin.

· Houses were raided and 35 Palestinian civilians, including 18
children, were arrested by IOF. 

· 5 houses were transformed by IOF into military sites. 

· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; they have
closed all border crossings of the Gaza Strip; they prevented at least 1000
students from attending their school classes in the old town of Hebron; and
they arrested 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child and a girl, at various
checkpoints in the West Bank.

· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the
West Bank; at least 438 dunums[1]
of Palestinian land in Bethlehem were confiscated; IOF used force against
demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the Wall and
arrested two Israeli solidarity activists; and IOF imposed severe restrictions
on the movement of Palestinian civilians near the Wall.

· Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property in the OPT; 6 houses were demolished in East Jerusalem;
IOF started to place a fence along the “Trans-Samaria” road; and a
new settlement post was established in Yatta village, south of Hebron.  

Summary

Israeli
violations of international law continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT) during the reporting period (17 – 23 November 2005).

On 15
November 2005, an agreement regarding border crossings of the Gaza Strip was
concluded. This agreement serves to
reinforce the de facto control of IOF over the economy and movement of
the population of the Gaza Strip. The
agreement allows IOF to monitor the border crossings, which are the main artery
to the economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian civilian
population. The absence of actual
Israeli military presence inside the Gaza Strip does not mean that the Israeli
military occupation has come to an end.  The field conditions in the Gaza
Strip prove that IOF have continued to control movement to and from the Gaza
Strip.  This agreement reinforces the IOF control over, and occupation of
the Gaza Strip, which has not come to an end with the implementation of the
“Disengagement Plan” (for more
details about this agreement, see PCHR’s press release issued on 16 November
2005, and the section of this report on the siege imposed on the OPT). PCHR is concerned that IOF may continue to
perpetrate violations of international humanitarian law, especially the Fourth
Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of
War.  

Killings: During the reported period, IOF
killed 4 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. Two of the victims were extra-judicially
executed by IOF in Jenin, on 17 November 2005. IOF also killed a Palestinian civilian in Hebron on 18 November
2005. The fourth victim was killed by
IOF during an incursion into Jenin on 23 November 2005. In addition, 11 Palestinian civilians,
including 4 children, were wounded by IOF. 

Incursions: IOF
conducted 30 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses
and arrested 35 Palestinian civilians, including 18 children. IOF employed undercover units and trained
dogs in these incursions. IOF also
transformed 5 houses into military sites.   

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 prison.  Rafah International Crossing Point
on the Egyptian border, the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside
world, has remained closed for over two months.  An agreement was reached
regarding the operation of the crossing point. According to media reports, the crossing point will be operated by the
Egyptians and Palestinians with the presence of a European force as a third
party, whose responsibilities have not been determined. Goods and foreigners will not be able to
travel through the crossing point, rather they will travel through Kerem Shalom
crossing point to the southeast of Rafah. Israel insists on maintaining some authority at Rafah International
Crossing Point, including fixing cameras to monitor the movement at the
crossing and the handover of lists to the Europeans of those Palestinians
banned from travelling for alleged security reasons, in order to ensure their
ban. In the past weeks, IOF allowed
Palestinians to operate the crossing point for several hours in order to solve
the problem of those who had been trapped on both sides of the crossing
point. The continued closure of the
crossing point has deprived hundreds of Palestinian civilians of their rights
to education, health, work and social communication. In the meantime, IOF have continued to restrict
Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian workers and patients.  During
the reported period, IOF allowed several hundred workers to reach their work
places in Israel, while only a few patients suffering from serious diseases were
allowed to travel to Israeli hospitals through the crossing. IOF have also continued to impose severe
restrictions at commercial border crossings. IOF have also imposed severe restrictions on fishing in the Gaza
Strip. 

In the
West Bank, IOF have imposed more restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians. IOF have continued to prevent
Palestinian civilians living in Jenin from crossing Za’tara checkpoint, south
of Nablus, for more than 4 months. During
the reported period, IOF prevented schoolchildren in the old town of Hebron
from reaching their schools. During the
reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints arrested 4 Palestinian
civilians, including a child and a girl. 

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank, as the Israeli Defense Minsiter Shaul
Mofaz stated on 16 November 2005, that the Wall “must be completed.” IOF started to level land to construct a new
section of the Wall in ‘Aaboud village, northwest of Ramallah. The construction of this section of the Wall
is likely seize at least 5,330 dunums of land in the village, including 3,887
dunums which will be isolated behind the Wall. IOF razed 26 dunums of land belonging to the Municipality of Bethlehem
in the Joroun al-Hommos area, near a permanent IOF checkpoint at the northern
entrance of the town. During the
reported period, IOF handed military orders to Palestinian civilians
confiscating 94 dunums of land in Beit Jala town; 115 dunums in al-Khader
village; and 119 dunums in al-Walaja village, for the purpose of the
construction of a section of the Wall in the area. In addition, IOF used force to disperse
peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international
and Israeli solidarity activists in protest to the construction of the Wall. A number of demonstrators suffered from tear
gas inhalation and IOF arrested two Israeli 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, IOF started to place a
fence on both sides of the “Trans-Samaria” road. They also confiscated 9.5 dunums of land in
Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin, for “military purposes.” In East Jerusalem, IOF demolished 6
houses. Armed Israeli settlers continued
to establish a new settlement post to the south of Hebron.

Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (17 – 23 November 2005)

The full report is available PDF format.