Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF)
Continue Human Rights Violations in Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 2 Palestinian civilian was killed and 13 others, including 8
children, were wounded by IOF.
· IOF conducted 17 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· Houses were raided and 21 Palestinian civilians were
arrested by IOF.
· 2 houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have
continued to close Rafah International Crossing Point for the 8th
day and Erez crossing for the 5th week; and IOF arrested 11
Palestinian civilians, including 2 girls at military checkpoints in the West
Bank.
· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the
West Bank; IOF razed areas of land near Dahiat al-Barid checkpoint; IOF
confiscated 144 donums[1]
of Palestinian land in Beit Ejza village near Jerusalem for the purpose of the
construction of the Wall; and 2 Palestinian civilians and 50 international and
Israeli solidarity activists were arrested by IOF.
· Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property in the OPT; a woman and her child were seriously injured
when they were ran down by an Israeli settler and a Palestinian house was
demolished by IOF near the “French Hill” settlement post in occupied East
Jerusalem.
Summary
Israeli
violations of international law continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT) during the reporting period (1 – 7 September 2005):
Killing: On 8 September 2005, a few days before their redeployment in the Gaza Strip,
IOF killed an 18-year-old Palestinian civilian who was together with other
civilians near the fence of the evacuated “Gush Qatif” settlement
bloc, west of Rafah. Eight other
Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were also wounded by IOF. One of the children was wounded by IOF near
the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel after IOF had evacuated the Gaza
Strip. On 13 September 2005, IOF killed
a Palestinian civilian when they opened fire at a number of civilians who threw
stones. Four other civilians, including
a child, were wounded. Another
Palestinian child was wounded when IOF fired at a number of Palestinian
children who threw stones at IOF in Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus.
Incursions: IOF
conducted 17 military incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses
and arrested 21 Palestinian civilians. They
also imposed curfews on a number of communities and transformed 4 houses into military
sites. In the Gaza Strip, 2 Palestinian
houses were destroyed and a number of others were severely damaged, when IOF
destroyed Israeli facilities inside the evacuated settlements.
Restrictions on
Movement: On Monday
morning, 12 September 2005, IOF were redeployed around the Gaza Strip after
they had evacuated settlements one month ago. All roads in side the Gaza Strip were reopened following 5 years of
severe restriction on the movement of Palestinian civilians. Before their redeployment, IOF imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians through al-Matahen and
Abu Houli checkpoints on Salah al-Din Street (the main road between the north
and south of the Gaza Strip). The two
checkpoints were opened at night. These
measures impacted on the daily lives of Palestinian civilians living in the
Gaza Strip. IOF had also continued to
close a number of roads inside the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the
Intifada. While IOF
evacuated Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border, the sole
outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world, the crossing point has remained
closed for the 8th consecutive week, as no deal has been reached
concerning transportation across it. IOF insist to maintain control over
the movement of persons and goods through the crossing point, and have actually
moved equipment from the crossing point to “Kerem Shalom” area on the
Egyptian – Israeli border. The closure of Rafah International Crossing
Point has deprived hundreds of Palestinian civilians of their rights to freedom
of movement, education and health. In addition, the closure of the
crossing point has impacted living conditions of Palestinian families depending
on trade across the border as a source of income. In the meantime, IOF
have continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian
workers and patients for the 4th consecutive week. With the
closure of Rafah International Crossing Point and Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing,
the Gaza Strip has been transformed into a big jail, as IOF have maintained
control over the airspace and other border crossing of the Gaza Strip.
In the
West Bank, since the declaration of the northern West Bank as a closed military
zone on Monday morning, 15 August 2005, IOF have imposed severe restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. They erected a number of checkpoints on the main roads. They arrested at least 11 Palestinian
civilians. They have continued to isolate Jerusalem. They have also imposed severe restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians in Hebron. In addition, IOF imposed curfews on a number
of Palestinian communities.
Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank territory. IOF started to lay out the
infrastructure for a section of the Wall near Dahiat al-Barid checkpoint, north
of East Jerusalem. IOF issued a new
military order confiscating 144 donums of Palestinian land in Beit Ejza
village, northwest of Jerusalem, for the purpose of the construction of the
Wall. In the context of Israeli policies
that aim at the annexation of Palestinian land to Israel, IOF plan to annex
protected natural areas in the southern West Bank to Israel. During the reported period, IOF used force to
disperse a peaceful demonstration in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah. Two Palestinian civilians were wounded by
rubber-coated metal bullets and a number of other suffered from tear gas
inhalation. IOF also arrested 2
Palestinian civilians and 50 international and 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, an Israeli settler ran down a Palestinian woman and her child,
injuring them seriously. IOF also
demolished a Palestinian house in al-‘Eisawiya village, east of occupied
Jerusalem, to expand the “French Hill” settlement post.
Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (8-14 September 2005)
The full report is available PDF format.
