Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights during 14 – 20 May 2009

Occupying Zionist troops 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, PCHR reported..

11 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children and one woman, were wounded by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) gunfire in the West Bank.

A Palestinian resistance activist and a farmer were wounded by IOF in the Gaza Strip.

3 Palestinians were missed when IOF warplanes bombarded a tunnels in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip.

IOF conducted 15 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and bombarded civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip.

IOF arrested 7 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and two fishermen in the Gaza Strip.

IOF destroyed a workshop in the Gaza Strip.

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 one Palestinian civilian.

IOF have continued measures aimed at the Judaization of east Al-Quds.

IOF forced a Palestinian civilian to demolish his houses.

The Israeli judiciary ordered the evacuation of a number of Palestinian houses, which would render at least 70 civilians homeless.

IOF razed large areas of Palestinian land near the Container checkpoint. 

IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

The Israeli government approved the expansion of "Masikot" settlement in the northern Jordan Valley.

IOF established an iron fence near Beit Ummar village, north of Al-Khalil.

Zionist settlers and IOF attacked Palestinian farmers and expelled them from their lands.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting period (14 – 20 May 2009):

Shooting: During the reporting period, 11 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, were wounded by IOF in the West Bank, and a resistance activist and a farmer were wounded by IOF in the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, 9 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, were wounded when IOF used force against a peaceful demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal'ein village, west of Ramallah. 

On 18 May 2009, two Palestinian workers were wounded when IOF troops positioned at a checkpoint near Al-Khalilopened fire at a number of workers.

In the Gaza Strip, on 19 May 2009, a Palestinian resistance activist was wounded when IOF warplanes targeted him and other activists in Gaza City. On the same day, IOF warplanes bombarded residential areas located near the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, allegedly to destroy tunnels. As a result, 3 Palestinians were missed in a tunnel that had been attacked.

On 20 May 2009, a Palestinian farmer was wounded when IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at farmers in Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 13 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 7 Palestinian civilians, including the mother of an allegedly wanted person. In the Gaza Strip, IOF naval troops arrested two Palestinian fishermen in Rafah. 

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.

The main concern of 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of 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 few 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.

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.

Poverty had mounted to approximately 80% and unemployment has mounted to 60% in the Gaza Strip.

IOF have continued to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage systems. Losses incurred to this sector is estimated at US$ 6 million.

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. 

IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza Strip coast.

West Bank

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied East Al-Quds. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Al-Quds.

IOF have established checkpoints in and around Al-Quds, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds.

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 Al-Quds, 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 Al-Quds, 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.

Judaization of Al-Quds: IOF have escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians in East Al-Quds to force them to leave the city. On 16 May 2009, IOF forced 'Abdul Nasser 'Aadel Hamdallah to demolish his house in al-Sal'a quarter in al-Mukabber village expired. The Israeli Municipality of Al-Quds had already ordered Hamdallah to demolish his 55-square-meter house, claiming that it was built without a license.  On 17 May 2009, the Israeli District Court in Al-Quds issued a decision ordering the evacuation of houses belonging to the al-Hannoun and al-Ghawi families in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood by 19 July 2009, otherwise, heavy fines would be imposed on the two families. It is worth noting that at least 70 Palestinian civilians live in these houses. During the reporting period, IOF heavy bulldozers started to clear areas of Palestinian land in the villages of Abu Dees, al-Sawahra and al-'Eizariya, southeast of Al-Quds, apparently to esxapnd the Container checkpoint, which separates between the north and south of the West Bank. 

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 14 May 2009, a number of Israeli settlers from "Yits'har" settlement, south of Nablus, closed the bypass road located to the south of the city and prevented Palestinian civilian vehicles from traveling on the road.

On 18 May 2009, the Israeli government published an invitation for bids in Hebrew newspapers for the construction of 20 new housing units in "Maskiot" settlement in the northern Jordan Valley.

The Israeli military radio reported that the invitation for bids were published after the Israeli defense ministry had approved the expansion of the aforementioned settlement. It is worth noting that "Maskiot" settlement was built in 2006 in the place of an Israeli military post to absorb Israeli settlers who were evacuated from "Gush Qatif" settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip in summer 2005.

On the same day, IOF started to establish an iron fence between the east and southeast of Beit Ummar village, north of Al-Khalil, and the Al-Quds – Al-Khalilroad, allegedly to secure the movement of Israeli vehicles from stone throwing.

On 17 and 18 May 2009, IOF prevented at least 50 Palestinian farmers from Beit Uammar and Safa village, north of Al-Khalil, accompanied by a number of international and Israeli human rights defenders, from reaching agricultural area located in Wadi Abu al-Reesh area to the north of the two villages.

IOF besieged them and forced them to leave the area. On 19 May 2009, dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, attacked a number of Palestinian farmers who were working on their lands in Jeet village, northeast of Qalqilya. They violently beat a number of farmers and forced them to leave their lands. Soon after, the settlers brought tractors and tilled the lands.