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Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
No. 12/2009 19- 25 March 2009

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) 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 

• Ten Palestinian civilians, including one child and two journalists, were injured by IOF gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
   
• IOF warplanes bombarded targets in the Gaza Strip.
   
• IOF conducted 36 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
   
• IOF arrested 26 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and nine fishermen 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 to construct the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank.
   
• IOF continued to raze area of Palestinian land to the south of Qalqilya.
   
• IOF confiscated 30 donumms[1] of Palestinian land in Sho’fat refugee camp near Jerusalem to turn a military checkpoint into a crossing.
   
• IOF imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian farmers on both sides of the Wall.
   
• IOF have continued measures aimed at creating a demographic Jewish majority in east Jerusalem.
   
• IOF took a series of arbitrary measures to prevent celebration of Jerusalem as a capital of Arab culture for 2009.
   
• 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 construction of a new settlement in Hebron.
   
• The Israeli Defense Minister refused to issue an order to demolish nine settlement homes in “Oufa” settlement that had been built “without licenses.”

Summary
 
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting period (19 – 25 March2009):
 
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded 10 Palestinian civilians, including one child and two journalists, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.   
 
In the West Bank, on 24 March 2009, IOF troops positioned at Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus, wounded a Palestinian civilian, claiming that he had attacked soldiers with an iron bar.
 
During the reporting period, eight Palestinian civilians, including two journalists, were wounded when IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall.
 
In the Gaza Strip, on 22 March 2009, a Palestinian fisherman was wounded when IOF naval troops opened fire at a number of fishermen in near Gaza Harbor.
 
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 36 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and one into the Gaza Strip. IOF arrested 26 Palestinian civilians. On Thursday, 19 March 2009, IOF arrested four members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) affiliated to Hamas and a number of the movement’s political leaders in the West Bank. These arrests are forms of reprisal and collective punishment against Palestinian civilians, which are prohibited under Article 33 of the 1949 Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. PCHR calls upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Convention to ensure Israel’s compliance with the Convention. As an occupying power, Israel has a responsibility to uphold the Convention, which prohibits acts of reprisals against protected persons and their property.
 
In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted a limited incursion to the east of Khan Yunis, during which they leveled areas of Palestinian land.
 
During the reporting period, IOF naval troops arrested nine Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 being denied 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. 
 
At least 10% of the population of the Gaza Strip is living without electricity supplies.
 
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.

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.
 
Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF continued to raze areas of Palestinian land in Wadi al-Rasha and Ras Teera villages, south of Qalqilya, for the purpose of the construction of a section of the Wall in the area in the context of the new route of the Wall decided by the Israeli High Court. According to local sources, IOF have uprooted at least 400 olive trees. On 22 March, the Israeli High Court affirmed a decision taken by the Israeli Central Court confiscating 30 donumms of Palestinian land in Sho’fat refugee camp, northeast of Jerusalem, for the purpose of expanding a military checkpoint established near the entrance of the camp and transforming it into a crossing. According to local sources, the expansion of the checkpoint would cut off at least 45,000 Palestinians from Jerusalem, and result in the destruction of at least 30 shops and stores. The expansion of the checkpoint is part of plans of the ongoing construction of the Wall in the area.
 
On 25 March, IOF informed Palestinian civilians living in the southern part of ‘Azzoun ‘Atma village, south of Qalqilya, that they must obtain permits from the IOF Civil Administration to be able to move normally in the village. IOF had already established a fence annexing the southern part of the village. In addition, they informed local residents that the sole gate that links the villages of Far’oun, al-Ras, Kherbat Jebara and Kufor Sour with their agricultural land, which has been isolated by the Wall to the south of Tulkarm, will be closed from 1 April 2009. 
 
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 decided to prevent any Palestinian activities related to the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Arab culture for 2009. The Israel Internal Security Minister, Avi Dichter, issued an order banning any such activities in the city. To implement this decision, IOF troops were deployed throughout the city. They also stormed some institutions and schools and arrested some Palestinian civilians to suppress any attempt to carry out these cultural activities.
 
Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have, in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 20 March, a number of Israeli settlers from “Bakir Darom” settlement, northwest of Salfit, attacked a number of Palestinian farmers from Deir Estia village and prevented them from reaching their agricultural land in the area.
 
Also during the reporting period, the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the establishment of a new settlement named “Sensina” to the south of Hebron. According to Israeli plans, the new settlement will include 440 housing unit, in which at least 2,500 Israeli settlers will live. This decision is legalizing 50 housing units that had been built in the area without licenses, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.
 
During the reporting period, the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak abstained from ordering the demolition of nine Israeli settlement homes that were built on Palestinian private land and were annexed to “Oufra” settlement, northeast of Ramallah.
 
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on 23 March 2009 that 5 Palestinian civilians from ‘Ein Yabroud village filed a petition at the Israeli High Court demanding the Israeli Defense Minister to order the demolition of the illegal structures. In addition, on 23 March, IOF handed notices to the Yatta Services Council, south of Hebron, ordering a halt to the maintenance of eight water wells to the southeast of Hebron, apparently to force Bedouins living in the area to leave.
 
On Wednesday morning, 25 March, dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, broke into Joseph Tomb, east of Nablus, and conducted religious ceremonies.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (19 – 25 March 2009)

The full report is available online at:
html format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/26-03-2009.htm
pdf format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/
2008/pdf/weekly%20report%2012-09.pdf
 
Public Document
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