[News] Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

[Anti-Imperialist News]

imemc.org
<https://imemc.org/article/pchr-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-20/>
“Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”
By IMEMC News - January 12, 2023
------------------------------

*These are weekly reports - they vary little from one week to another
rather indicate the systemic nature of settler colonial violence - ed*

*The Palestinian Center For Human Rights – PCHR:  (Weekly Update 05 – 11
January 2023)*
<https://pchrgaza.org/en/israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-weekly-update-05-11-january-2023/>

*Violation of the right to life and bodily integrity:*

10 Palestinians, including 2 children, were injured, and dozens of others
suffocated in IOF attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Details are as follows:

*On 05 January 2023*, a 14-year-old child was wounded with a live bullet in
the foot during clashes with IOF in Al-‘Aroub refugee camp, north of Hebron.

*On 06 January 2023*, 2 Palestinians were wounded with rubber-coated metal
bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum peaceful weekly protest,
northern Qalqilya. On the same day, a 15-year-old child was wounded with a
live bullet in the head during clashes with IOF in ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee
camp in Jericho.

*On 07 January 2023, *2 Palestinians were wounded with rubber-coated metal
bullets during IOF’s suppression of a peaceful protest in Beit Ummar, north
of Hebron. On the same day, 2 Palestinians were injured by stun grenade
shrapnel during IOF’s suppression of a peaceful protest in the eastern
desert of Yatta, south of Hebron, and arrested 2 Palestinians.

*On 09 **January 2023**, *2 Palestinians were wounded with live bullets
during clashes with IOF after the latter’s incursion into ‘Aqaba village in
Tubas. IOF arrested one of them and handed him to the Palestine Red
Crescent later at the Jalameh checkpoint, north of Jenin.

In the Gaza Strip, 10 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in
the eastern and northern Gaza Strip, and 8 shootings were reported on
fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores. No injuries or damage were
reported.

*”So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 6 Palestinians, including 2 children,
and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups; one was a child,
and dozens were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.*

*Land razing, demolitions, and notices*

IOF displaced 2 families of 36, including 5 women and 11 children, after
demolishing 3 houses.  IOF also destroyed 2 facilities, a well and a
container and confiscated an excavator and a truck in the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

 *On 06 January 2023*, IOF confiscated an excavator and a truck belonging
to Al-Dhahiriya municipality, east of Al-Dhahiriya, southern Hebron, while
collecting garbage before taking it to the main landfill.  As a result, the
waste collection crisis exacerbated as the municipality provides services
to about 35,000 citizens. This is the second excavator confiscated by IOF
within 2 days under the pretext that the landfill is located in Area C.

*On 08 January 2023*, IOF notified 5 Palestinians to stop construction
works in 3 houses, 2 wells and a wooden shed in Yatta, south of Hebron,
under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C.

 *On 09 January 2023, *IOF, accompanied with the Israeli occupation
municipality crews and surveyors, raided a plot of land in Beit Safafa
village in East Jerusalem, and surveyed it in a prelude to seize it for
settlement purposes.

IOF then arrested one of the land owners after beating and pushing him, but
later released him. The plot of land is 24 dunums and parts of it were
previously confiscated by IOF to establish settlement units as announced
last year in the *“Givant Hatmos”* settlement established on the
neighborhood lands.

At the time, the landowners resorted to the Israeli court, which ruled in
favor of the landowners. However, the occupation municipality crews raided
the land again and began surveying it.

*On 10 January 2023,* IOF demolished a 90-sqm house of one floor in
Al-Dayouk Al-Tahta village, west of Jericho, rendering a family of 7
homeless, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C.

On the same day, IOF demolished a 2-storey house and a well in Kafr Al-Dik
village, west of Salfit, displacing a family of 11, under the pretext of
unlicensed construction in Area C. IOF also demolished fences around two
plots of 3000-sqm land, a stone chain and a container of car ties in ‘Anata
village in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

*On 11 January 2023,* IOF demolished a 300-sqm under-construction house of
2 floors, east of Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in
Area C. IOF previously demolished another house for the same owner on 23
October 2022 as 3 families of 18, including 11 children and 3 women, was
supposed to move into the house.

On the same day, IOF handed a notice to a Palestinian to demolish his
100-sqm house, where 6 people, including 4 children, lived in Yatta, south
of Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C.

*”Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 16 families homeless, a total of
103 persons, including 16 women and 33 children. This was the outcome of
IOF demolition of 13 houses: owners of 4 of these houses were forced to
self-demolish them while 2 were demolished on grounds of collective
punishment. IOF also demolished 4 other civilian objects, razed other
property and delivered dozens of notices of demolition, cease-construction,
and evacuation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.*

*Settler-attacks*

Settlers, protected by IOF, carried out 5 attacks on Palestinians and their
property in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

*On 08 January 2023*, settlers uprooted 30 olive seedlings in Tarqumiya
village in Hebron.

*On 09 January 2023,* a settler tried to run over a group of Palestinians
in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, north of East Jerusalem, coinciding with
IOF’s incursion into the neighborhood. Instead of arresting the settler,
IOF arrested one of the Palestinians, whom the settlers ran over, from his
home.

On the same day, settlers attacked 2 Palestinians, including a woman, with
sticks and stones, causing them injuries and bruises and breaking the
windows of 3 vehicles in Khalayel Al-Louz village, south of Bethlehem.
Settlers also assaulted a Palestinian after IOF stopped his vehicle at a
military checkpoint at the entrance to the Nabi Saleh village in Ramallah
before arresting him.

*On 10 January 2023, *it was found that settlers uprooted and cut down 18
olive trees in Yasouf village in Salfit, as the owner knew about it when he
arrived at his land.

*”Since the beginning of the year, settlers conducted at least 10 attacks
against civilian Palestinians and their properties.*

*IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:*

 IOF carried out *187 *incursions into the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses
and facilities and the establishment of checkpoints.

During those incursions, *108* Palestinians were arrested, including 11
children; one was arrested inside the Israeli Magistrate’s Court in East
Jerusalem while attending his brother’s court hearing.

During this week, IOF used violence during their house raids, including
beating the detainees and their families during their arrests and damaging
the houses’ contents. On 10 January 2023, IOF carried out a limited
incursion in eastern Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip.

*”So far in 2023, IOF conducted 348 incursions into the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem, during which 180 Palestinians were arrested,
including 20 children. IOF also conducted 2 limited incursions into eastern
Gaza Strip.*

*New Israeli Steps against PA in Response to Latter’s Moves at ICJ*

On Thursday, 05 January 2023, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved new
steps in response to so-called “the Palestinian Authority’s decision to
wage political and legal war against the State of Israel.”

These measures include disbursement of 139 million shekels to the families
of so-described as “victims of Palestinian militant attacks” from the tax
revenues, which Israel collects on behalf of the PA (according to the
Palestinian-Israeli Interim Agreement), as well as offsetting the stipends
the PA pays to the families of Palestinian detainees in the Israeli prisons.

These punitive measures also include a freeze on Palestinian construction
projects in the West Bank’s called Area C that is under full Israeli
control; repealing the VIP passes, which the Israeli occupation issues for
the Palestinian figures; and taking steps against organizations in the West
Bank promoting hostile activity, including legal and political activity
under the “guise of humanitarian work.”

PCHR believes that these measures constitute a complex crime against the
Palestinian people: Israel commits the crime and punishes anyone trying to
prosecute it or hold it accountable before the international courts!

These measures will have serious consequences on the PA’s financial
performance and the movement of the PA figures, especially the staff of the
Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry, which leads Palestine’s efforts at
the UN and international forums. These measures also foreshadow a new
campaign targeting the human rights organizations, which work on
prosecuting Israel before the international courts. (For more details: press
release
<https://pchrgaza.org/en/pchr-condemns-new-israeli-steps-against-pa-in-response-to-latters-moves-at-icj/>
)

*Banning peaceful assemblies and meetings*

 *On 07 January 2023, *IOF banned the convening of a students’ parents
meeting in Jerusalem in Arba’een Diwaniya Hall in Al-‘Issawiyya in East
Jerusalem, under the pretext of being sponsored by the Palestinian
Authority.  The ban came upon the orders of the new Israeli National
Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir.

Raed Taha, Member of the Students’ Parents Council, told PCHR’s fieldworker
that moments after the meeting began, Israeli intelligence and police
officer raided Al-Diwaniyya Hall, interrogated members of the Students’
Parents Council, summoned many of them for interrogation, and forced
everyone in the hall to leave.  They then closed the hall and fixed a
decision signed by Ben Gvir at its gate banning the meeting according to
the Law Implementing Agreement on Gaza and Jericho Areas (Restrictions of
Activity) 1994.

*Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement**:*

Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the
Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update
<https://pchrgaza.org/en/state-of-the-gaza-strip-border-crossings-01-30-november-2022/>
in
the Gaza crossings.

*On 10 January 2023,* IOF prevented Diaa Abu Daher (28), from Rafah, from
traveling via Beit Hanoun “Erez” crossing in the northern Gaza Strip while
he was on his way for treatment from a brain tumor to Al-Mutala’ Hospital
in East Jerusalem.

In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose
restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent
checkpoints, IOF established 106 temporary military checkpoints in the West
Bank, including East Jerusalem, arrested 9 Palestinians at those
checkpoints.

During this week, IOF closed Al-Jib military checkpoint on 08 January 2023
and reopened it at a later time while they tightened procedures at
al-Jabe’a military checkpoint on 06 January 2023. On 05 January 2023, IOF
closed the detector gate at the northern entrance to Tekoa village, and on
07 January 2023, closed the eastern and western entrances to Husan village
and reopened them later on the same day.

*”So far in 2023, IOF established 191 temporary military checkpoints and
arrested 10 Palestinians at those checkpoints.*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20230112/bf342eb2/attachment.htm>