Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
www.pchrgaza.org

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 

• Five Palestinian civilians, including two children and one woman, were wounded by IOF gunfire.
   
• IOF conducted 15 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
   
• IOF arrested 12 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, and four in the Gaza Strip.
   
• IOF arrested the mother of an allegedly wanted Palestinian.
   
• 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 five Palestinian civilians, including a child and a girl.
   
• IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
   
• Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and their property.
   
• At least 110 donums[1] were annexed to “Burkan” settlement in the northern West Bank.

Summary
 
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting period (07 – 13 May 2009):
 
Shooting: During the reporting period, five Palestinian civilians, including two children and one woman, were wounded in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
 
In the West Bank, four Palestinian civilians, including two 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.  
 
In the Gaza Strip, on 07 May 2009, a Palestinian woman was wounded when IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at Palestinian houses in al-Shouka village, east of Rafah. During the reporting period, IOF gunboats fired on Palestinian fishing boats.
 
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 15 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 12 Palestinian civilians, including the mother of an allegedly wanted person. In the Gaza Strip, IOF naval troops detained four Palestinian fishermen for several hours.
 
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 the rights to freedom of movement, 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 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.
 
IOF have continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to 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 for water networks and sewage systems. Losses incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.
 
IOF have imposed access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers seeking to enter 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 denied family visitation rights for more than 17 months. 
 
IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishers 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 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 630 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, IOF erect approximately 60-80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints across the West Bank each 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 have 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 five Palestinian civilians, including a child and a woman.
 
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 8 May 2009, a number of Israeli settlers from “Kharsina” settlement, southeast of Hebron, attacked a tract of Palestinian agricultural land in the nearby al-Bwaira area. They attempted to damage plantations, but Palestinian civilians were able to stop them.  On 12 May 2009, a number of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, broke into the evacuated “Homesh” settlement, northwest of Nablus, and performed religious ceremonies. During the reporting period, Israeli settlers resumed razing area of Palestinian land in Sarta village, west of Salfit, in order to expand “Burkan” settlement. According to local sources, at least 110 donums of land have been designated for razing.   

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (07 – 13 May 2009)
The full report is available online at:
html format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/14-05-2009.htm
pdf format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/
2008/pdf/weekly%20report%2019-09.pdf
 
Public Document
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