[News] Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights 14 – 20 May 2009

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights 
documented during the period of 14 – 20 May 2009
21.05.09 - 16:09
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5433

Gaza City / PCHR - Occupying Israeli forces 
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.

11 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children 
and one woman, were wounded by the IOF gunfire in the West Bank.

A Palestinian resistance activist and a farmer 
were wounded by IOF in the Gaza Strip.

3 Palestinians were missed when IOF warplanes 
bombarded a tunnels in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip.

IOF conducted 15 incursions into Palestinian 
communities in the West Bank and bombarded 
civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip.

IOF arrested 7 Palestinian civilians in the West 
Bank and two fishermen in the Gaza Strip.

IOF destroyed a workshop 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 measures aimed at the Judaization of east Jerusalem.

IOF forced a Palestinian civilian to demolish his houses.

The Israeli judiciary ordered the evacuation of a 
number of Palestinian houses, which would render 
at least 70 civilians homeless.

IOF razed large areas of Palestinian land near the Container checkpoint.

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 expansion of 
"Masikot" settlement in the northern Jordan Valley.

IOF established an iron fence near Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. .

Israeli settlers and IOF attacked Palestinian 
farmers and expelled them from their lands.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and 
humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the 
reporting period (14 – 20 May 2009):

Shooting: During the reporting period, 11 
Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, were 
wounded by IOF in the West Bank, and a resistance 
activist and a farmer were wounded by IOF in the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, 9 Palestinian civilians, 
including 5 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.

On 18 May 2009, two Palestinian workers were 
wounded when IOF troops positioned at a 
checkpoint near Hebron opened fire at a number of workers.

In the Gaza Strip, on 19 May 2009, a Palestinian 
resistance activist was wounded when IOF 
warplanes targeted him and other activists in 
Gaza City. On the same day, IOF warplanes 
bombarded residential areas located near the 
Egyptian border, south of Rafah, allegedly to 
destroy tunnels. As a result, 3 Palestinians were 
missed in a tunnel that had been attacked.

On 20 May 2009, a Palestinian farmer was wounded 
when IOF troops positioned at the border between 
the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at farmers 
in Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF 
conducted at least 13 military incursions into 
Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF 
arrested 7 Palestinian civilians, including the 
mother of an allegedly wanted person. In the Gaza 
Strip, IOF naval troops arrested two Palestinian fishermen in Rafah.

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.

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 few 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 in the face of 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 form water networks and sewage systems. 
Losses incurred to this sector is estimated at US$ 6 million.

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.

IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen 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 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.

Judaization of Jerusalem: IOF have escalated 
arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians 
in East Jerusalem to force them to leave the 
city. On 16 May 2009, IOF forced 'Abdul Nasser 
'Aadel Hamdallah to demolish his house in 
al-Sal'a quarter in al-Mukabber village expired. 
The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem had already 
ordered Hamdallah to demolish his 55-square-meter 
house, claiming that it was built without a 
license.  On 17 May 2009, the Israeli District 
Court in Jerusalem issued a decision ordering the 
evacuation of houses belonging to the al-Hannoun 
and al-Ghawi families in Sheikh Jarrah 
neighborhood by 19 July 2009, otherwise, heavy 
fines would be imposed on the two families. It is 
worth noting that at least 70 Palestinian 
civilians live in these houses. During the 
reporting period, IOF heavy bulldozers started to 
clear areas of Palestinian land in the villages 
of Abu Dees, al-Sawahra and al-'Eizariya, 
southeast of Jerusalem, apparently to expand the 
Container checkpoint, which separates between the 
north and south of the West Bank.

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 14 May 
2009, a number of Israeli settlers from 
"Yits'har" settlement, south of Nablus, closed 
the bypass road located to the south of the city 
and prevented Palestinian civilian vehicles from 
traveling on the road. On 18 May 2009, the 
Israeli government published an invitation for 
bids in Hebrew newspapers for the construction of 
20 new housing units in "Maskiot" settlement in 
the northern Jordan Valley. The Israeli military 
radio reported that the invitation for bids were 
published after the Israeli defense ministry had 
approved the expansion of the aforementioned 
settlement. It is worth noting that "Maskiot" 
settlement was built in 2006 in the place of an 
Israeli military post to absorb Israeli settlers 
who were evacuated from "Gush Qatif" settlement 
bloc in the Gaza Strip in summer 2005. On the 
same day, IOF started to establish an iron fence 
between the east and southeast of Beit Ummar 
village, north of Hebron, and the Jerusalem – 
Hebron road, allegedly to secure the movement of 
Israeli vehicles from stone throwing.  On 17 and 
18 May 2009, IOF prevented at least 50 
Palestinian farmers from Beit Uammar and Safa 
village, north of Hebron, accompanied by a number 
of international and Israeli human rights 
defenders, from reaching agricultural area 
located in Wadi Abu al-Reesh area to the north of 
the two villages. IOF besieged them and forced 
them to leave the area. On 19 May 2009, dozens of 
Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, attacked a 
number of Palestinian farmers who were working on 
their lands in Jeet village, northeast of 
Qalqilya. They violently beat a number of farmers 
and forced them to leave their lands. Soon after, 
the settlers brought tractors and tilled the lands.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (14 – 20 May 2009)




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