[News] Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights 14 20 May 2009
Anti-Imperialist News
news at freedomarchives.org
Thu May 21 11:02:02 EDT 2009
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)
Freedom Archives
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