[News] Attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers on farmers in Hebron as well as shooting at demo

[Anti-Imperialist News]

PCHR report on attacks by soldiers and settlers 
on farmers in Hebron as well as shooting at demo
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5175

29.04.09 - 18:00

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reports 
on Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights 
for the reporting period of 23 – 28 April 2009.

Gaza City / PCHR - 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

20 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, 
were wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.

A number of these civilians were wounded by 
Israeli settlers during a joint attack with IOF.

IOF conducted 28 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

IOF arrested 32 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children.

IOF halted technical preparations related to a 
reception site intended for the Pope’s visit.

IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the 
OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

IOF imposed severe restrictions on the movement 
of Palestinian Christians during Easter.

IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in 
the West Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children.

IOF have continued measures aimed at the changing 
the demographic majority of east Jerusalem’s population.

IOF started to establish a new settlement 
neighborhood in the al-Sawahra area, southeast of Jerusalem.

Media reports disclosed a plan to connect "Kidar" 
settlement with "Ma'ale Adomim" settlement and 
annex 12,000 donums[1] of Palestinian land.

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

IOF resumed the establishment of a settler road to the south of Hebron.

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in 
the north and south of the West Bank.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and 
humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the 
reporting period (23 – 28 April 2009):

Shooting: During the reporting period, 20 
Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were 
wounded by IOF and Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

On 24 April 2009, 12 Palestinian civilians, 
including two children, were wounded when Israeli 
settlers and IOF troops attacked 'Ourif village, 
south of Nablus. This joint attack was the second 
of its kind in the West Bank this April; IOF and 
Israeli settlers launched a similar attack on 
Safa village, north of Hebron, on 08 April, in 
which 9 Palestinian civilians were wounded.

On 26 April 2009, an Israeli settler fired at a 
Palestinian child in Madama village, south of 
Nablus. The child was seriously wounded by a 
gunshot that entered the back and exited the chest.

On the same day, a Palestinian civilian was 
wounded when IOF moved into Rantis village, 
northwest of Ramallah, and opened fire indiscriminately.

Also on the same day, IOF troops positioned at 
Tarqoumia crossing, southwest of Hebron, fired at 
an old Palestinian man, wounding him.

During the reporting period, 5 Palestinian 
civilians, including two children, were wounded 
when IOF used force against peaceful 
demonstrations organized to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF 
conducted at least 28 military incursions into 
Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF 
arrested 32 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children.

During the reporting period, IOF stormed the 
public yard opposite 'Aaida refugee camp, north 
of Bethlehem. The yard was being readied in 
advance of the Pope’s intended visit. IOF forced 
workers to stop technical and construction preparations.

On 24 April 2009, IOF conducted a joint operation 
with Israeli settlers against 'Ourif village, 
south of Nablus. Both forces fired at Palestinian 
civilians, wounding 12 of them.

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 closed all Gaza Strip border crossings 
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 priority of the 1.5 million people 
living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic 
needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

IOF have prevented 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 has reached approximately 80% and 
unemployment has increased to approximately 60% in the Gaza Strip.

IOF have continued to prevent the entry of spare 
parts intended for water networks and sewage 
systems. Damages incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.

IOF have imposed additional access restrictions 
on international diplomats, journalists and 
humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. They have 
prevented representatives of several 
international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian civilian population’s living 
conditions have seriously deteriorated; levels of 
poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.

At least 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli 
jails have been denied family visitation for more than 17 months.

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

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 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 leading to 18 
Palestinian communities in the West Bank are 
closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

There are approximately 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 5 Palestinian civilians.

The establishment of a majority Jewish 
demographic in Jerusalem: IOF have escalated 
measures against Palestinian civilians in East 
Jerusalem intended to force them to leave the 
city. IOF started the construction of a new 
settlement neighborhood in Arab al-Sawahra area, 
southeast of Jerusalem, for nationalist Jews. The 
Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported on 26 February 
2009 that the construction of the new settlement 
neighborhood started approximately one month ago 
on lands which the Israeli Municipality of 
Jerusalem claim belong to it. The new settlement 
neighborhood will be located in a 
Palestinian-populated area. During the reporting 
period, a committee of the Israeli Ministry of 
Interior recommended annexing approximately 
12,000 donums of land to the "Ma'ale Adomim" 
settlement, east of Jerusalem, and including 
"Kidar" settlement – nearly 3 kilometers away 
from the aforementioned settlement – in its 
boundaries. The Israeli Military Radio reported 
on 25 April 2009 that this plan would increase 
the population of "Ma'ale Adomim" settlement to 
34,500 settlers. This plan coincides with another 
plan revealed a few months ago, according to 
which 6,000 housing unit would be constructed in 
"Kidar" settlement and its vicinity in order to 
create geographical contiguity with the "Ma'ale 
Adomim" settlement. These plans would cut 
geographical contiguity between the north and 
south of the West Bank and would isolate 
Jerusalem completely from the Palestinian 
community, thus undermining the establishment of 
a viable Palestinian State on lands occupied by Israel since 1967.

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued 
settlement activities in the OPT in violation of 
international humanitarian law. Israeli settlers 
have continued to attack Palestinian civilians 
and property. On 23 April 2009, IOF resumed 
leveling areas of Palestinian land in Um al-Khair 
area near "Carme'il" settlement, south of Hebron, 
to establish a new settler road. The 
establishment of the new settler road would force 
13 Palestinian families to leave the area. On the 
same day, Israeli settlers armed with sharp tools 
chased Fawzi Mousa 'Awadh, 65, from Beit Uammar 
village north of Hebron, and forced him to leave 
his land near "Kfar Etzion" settlement. 'Awadh 
was able to escape from the area on his tractor. 
Also on the same day, armed Israeli settlers 
attacked Palestinian farmers in Jeet village, 
east of Qalqilya, and prevented them from farming 
their land. They also attacked 5 houses in the 
village. IOF troops escorted the settlers and did 
not stop such attacks. On 26 April 2009, Israeli 
settlers from "Bein Ain" settlement to the north 
of Beit Uammar village north of Hebron, attacked 
two Palestinian farmers while they were farming 
their land. The two farmers sustained bruises and cuts.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (23 – 28 April 2009)




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