[News] 10 Palestinians injured, 35 abducted this week
Anti-Imperialist News
news at freedomarchives.org
Fri Mar 27 11:02:46 EDT 2009
PCHR Weekly Report: 10 Palestinians injured, 35 abducted this week
author
Friday March 27, 2009 09:26
author
by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News
http://www.imemc.org/article/59617
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, during the week
of 19- 25 March 2009, ten Palestinian civilians, including one child
and two journalists, were injured by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces abducted 26 Palestinian civilians
in the West Bank, including 4 Palestinian legislators and nine
fishermen in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces positioned at military
checkpoints in the West Bank abducted one Palestinian civilian.
In addition, Israeli forces tried to prevent a Palestinian festival
celebrating Jerusalem, and attacked celebrants in several locations.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 36
military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and
one into the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces abducted 26 Palestinian
civilians. On Thursday, 19 March 2009, Israeli forces abducted four
members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) affiliated with
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.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces wounded 9 Palestinian
civilians, including one child and two journalists, in the West Bank.
On 24 March 2009, Israeli forces positioned at Hawara checkpoint,
south of Nablus, wounded a Palestinian civilian, claiming that he had
attacked soldiers with an iron bar.
Also, eight Palestinian civilians, including two journalists, were
wounded when Israeli forces used force against peaceful
demonstrations organized in protest of the construction of the Annexation Wall.
Israeli forces continued to raze areas of Palestinian land to the
south of Qalqilya. Israeli forces confiscated 30 donums of
Palestinian land in Sho'fat refugee camp near Jerusalem to turn a
military checkpoint into a crossing.
Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by Israeli forces in
Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly
stopped and searched in the streets by Israeli forces. During the
reporting period, Israeli forces positioned at military checkpoints
in the West Bank abducted one Palestinian civilian.
Israeli forces have continued measures aimed at creating a
demographic Jewish majority in east Jerusalem. Israeli forces took a
series of arbitrary measures to prevent celebration of Jerusalem as a
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, Israeli forces were deployed
throughout the city. They also stormed some institutions and schools
and abducted some Palestinian civilians to suppress any attempt to
carry out these cultural activities. In one such incident, At
approximately 13:00 on Monday, 23 March, Israeli forces besieged a
tent, which had been erected in solidarity with residents of Sheikh
Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem, where a press conference for
religious figures was supposed to be held to declare the beginning of
the activities related to declaration of Jerusalem as a capital of
the Arab culture for 2009. As soon as people in the tent finished
their prayers, Israeli forces attacked them and violently beat a
number of them. As a result, 'Abeer Abu Khudair, 48, sustained
serious facial injuries. Israeli forces abducted her and other
people, including: Sheikh Ra'ed Salah; Attorney Khaled Zabarka; Ziad
Hammouri; Sheikh Jameel Hamama; Salah Diab; and three international
human rights defenders. Israeli forces also attacked journalist
Mahfouz Abu Truk, and forced people to evacuate the tent.
Israeli Annexation Wall:
Israeli forces have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside
West Bank territory. During the reporting period, Israeli forces used
force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian
civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in
protest at the construction of the Wall.
Following the Friday Prayer on 20 March, dozens of Palestinian
civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders
gathered in the center of Ne'lin village, west of Ramallah. They
moved towards the area where Israeli forces were razing land to
construct a section of the Wall in the village. Immediately, Israeli
forces fired at the demonstrators. As a result, 6 Palestinian
civilians were wounded. One of them, Hassan Nemer 'Andalib, 20, was
hit by a tear gas canister to the head.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 20 March, scores of Palestinian
civilians and international human rights defenders organized a
peaceful demonstration in Jayous village, northeast of Qalqilya. They
moved towards the gate of the Wall in the south of the village in an
attempt to cross it towards their lands that have been isolated by
the Wall. Immediately, Israeli forces fired at the demonstrators. As
a result, two journalists were wounded: Khalil Mohammed Riash, 31, a
photographer from Ma'an News Agency, wounded by a rubber-coated metal
bullet to the left thigh; and Bashar Mahmoud Nazzal, 30, a cameraman
from Reuters, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the leg.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 20 March, scores of Palestinian
civilians organized a peaceful demonstration in Bal'ein village, west
of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall.
The demonstrators moved towards the Wall and threw stones at Israeli
forces positioned in the area. Immediately, Israeli forces fired
gunshots, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas
canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, 5 demonstrators,
including 3 children, were wounded.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 20 March, scores of Palestinian
civilians organized a peaceful demonstration in Bal'ein village, west
of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall.
The demonstrators moved towards the Wall and threw stones at Israeli
forces positioned in the area. Immediately, Israeli forces fired
gunshots, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas
canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, dozens of demonstrators
also suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 20 March, scores of Palestinian
civilians and a number of international human rights defenders
organized a peaceful demonstration against the construction of the
Wall in al-Ma'sara village, south of Bethlehem. The demonstrators
moved towards the Wall, but Israeli forces intercepted them at the
entrance of the village. Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters at
the demonstrators. Dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas
inhalation. Israeli forces also beat a woman and child: Fatima
'Abdullah Braijiya, 33; and Sa'ed Suleiman Zawahra, 12. They
sustained bruises and were evacuated to hospital.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces 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, Israeli forces
have uprooted at least 400 olive trees.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces have continued settlement activities and Israeli
settlers living in the West Bank 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, Israeli forces 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 Israeli forces, broke into Joseph Tomb, east of Nablus, and
conducted religious ceremonies.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
On Monday, March 23rd, at approximately 14:30, Israeli forces naval
troops opened fire at a number of Palestinian children who were on
board a fishing boat sailing approximately two miles away from Gaza
Harbor. One of the children, 16-year-old Mahmoud Mahmoud Hijazi, 16,
was wounded by a gunshot to the foot, and one of his fingers was amputated.
Israeli forces have continued to impose a total siege and have
isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world. To that end, Israeli
forces have continued to prevent the entry of raw construction
materials into the Gaza Strip for more than two years. Israeli forces
have not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited
amounts of cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.
Israeli forces 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.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations
this week, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights made a number of
recommendations to the international community. Among these were a
recommendation that the international community pressure Israel to
lift the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and
its occupation forces on access for international organizations to
the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The PCHR reiterates that any political settlement not based on
international human rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a
peaceful and just solution of the Palestinian question. Rather, such
an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and instability in
the region. Any peace agreement or process must be based on respect
for international law, including international human rights and
humanitarian law.
For the full text of the report, click on the link below:
Related Link(s):
<http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/26-03-2009.htm>http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/26-...9.htm
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