On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory No. 11/2009 12- 18 March 2009

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
www.pchrgaza.org

• 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.
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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 online at:
html format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/
English/2008/19-03-2009.htm
pdf format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/
2008/pdf/weekly%20report%2011-09.pdf
 
 
Public Document
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