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<font size=3>PCHR Weekly Report: 2 Palestinians killed, 44 injured by
Israeli forces<br>
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Friday February 06, 2009
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by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News
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According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, over the week of 29
Jan. - 04 Feb. 2009, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinians, and another 2
Palestinians died of previous injuries. Forty four Palestinians, mostly
civilians, including 22 children, a pregnant woman, and an international
human rights defender, were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip.<br><br>
Israeli forces carried out intensive air strikes on the border area
between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, forcing local residents to evacuate the
area. Also, Israeli forces conducted 28 incursions into Palestinian
communities in the West Bank. <br>
<br>
Israeli forces have continued to impose a total siege and have isolated
the Gaza Strip from the outside world.<br>
<br>
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:<br>
<br>
In the Gaza Strip, on 2 February 2009, Israeli forces extra-judicially
executed a Palestinian resistance fighter and wounded two others. In
addition, two children in the vicinity were also injured in the attack.
An Israeli drone fired a missile at the car in which the fighters were
traveling.<br>
<br>
On 29 January 2009, an Israeli forces drone fired a missile at a Hamas
member who was riding a motorcycle near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. He
was injured in the attack, as were seventeen other civilian bystanders,
including 11 school children and a pregnant woman. <br>
<br>
During the reporting period, two Palestinians died of wounds sustained
during the Israeli forces offensive on the Gaza Strip.<br>
<br>
Israeli warplanes also launched a series of air strikes against targets
in the Gaza Strip, including two sites of the 'Izziddin al-Qassam
Brigades of Hamas, as well as the border area between the Gaza Strip and
Egypt, a police station and a workshop.<br>
<br>
Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza
Strip for more than two years. The Israeli forces 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.<br>
<br>
1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom
of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work,
health, education, food, medicines, water and electricity.<br>
<br>
The main concern of the people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain
their basic needs of The majority of the civilian population lack access
to safe drinking water. Electricity is cut off for hundreds of thousands
of civilians from 8-12 hours daily. The UN Relief and Works Agency
(UNRWA) has been repeatedly forced to suspend its humanitarian aid
program for at least 750,000 Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip.<br>
<br>
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:<br>
<br>
In the West Bank, on 2 February 2009, Israeli forces shot dead a
Palestinian civilian in Hebron, claiming that he fired at a military
checkpoint.<br>
<br>
On 29 January 2009, a man and a woman were wounded when Israeli forces
moved into Beit Ummar village and opened fire indiscriminately. On 30
January 2009, Israeli forces fired at a Palestinian peaceful
demonstration in Hebron. As a result, nine Palestinian civilians,
including 6 children, were wounded. On 2 February 2009, a Palestinian
child was wounded when Israeli forces fired at Palestinian children who
threw stones at military vehicles in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah.
<br>
<br>
During the reporting period, 10 Palestinian civilians, including two
children, and an international human rights defender, were wounded when
Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in
protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall west of Ramallah.<br>
<br>
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 28
military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During
those incursions, Israeli forces abducted 42 Palestinian civilians,
including three children. Also, on Monday morning, 2 February, Israeli
forces abducted Ibrahim Fayez al-Tahal, 18, from Jenin, when he was on
his way to Jordan through al-Karama International Crossing Point to
receive medical treatment.<br>
<br>
Israeli forces have continued to take measures aiming at the Judaization
of Jerusalem. Troops demolished four civilian houses in al-'Eissawiya and
Sho'fat. In addition, Israeli forces demolished commercial facilities in
the Jabal al-Tour area.<br>
<br>
Israeli Settlement activity:<br>
<br>
Israeli forces have escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian
civilians in East Jerusalem, in order to force them to leave the city.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces demolished four houses and a
number of civilian facilities in Jerusalem. Israeli forces also declared
the completion of works on the infrastructure of a settlement project
known as "E1", and stated they would start to build Jewish
settlement neighborhoods that can ensure geographical contiguity between
the "Ma'ale Adumim" settlement bloc, east of Jerusalem and the
areas of al-'Eissawiya, al-Za'im, Sheikh Jarrah and Jabal al-Tour.<br>
<br>
Israeli settlers living in the West Bank have, in violation of
international humanitarian law, continued to attack Palestinian civilians
and property. On 3 February, a number of Palestinian civilians from Sa'ir
village, northeast of Hebron, were violently beaten by Israeli forces and
settlers, when these civilian attempted to confront Israeli forces
leveling of their land. Israeli forces and Israeli settlers razed 50
donums of agricultural land planted with olive trees in al-'Odaisiya area
in the southwest of Sa'ir village. In addition, Israeli forces
confiscated three fuel tanks belonging to Taj Mohammed Karaja in Halhoul
town, northeast of Hebron. They claimed the tanks are illegal. On 4
February, Israeli forces continued to raze large areas of Mas'ha village
behind the Annexation Wall, west of Qalqilya, near "Eit
Ephraim", "Sha'ri Tikva" and "Alkanah"
settlements. According to local sources, the area of this land is
estimated at 90 donums.<br>
<br>
Israeli Annexation Wall:<br>
<br>
Israeli forces have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside
West Bank territory. 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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
Following the Friday Prayer on 30 January 2009, scores of Palestinian
civilians organized a peaceful demonstration in Bil'in 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, two Palestinian civilians and two
international journalists were wounded. Dozens of demonstrators also
suffered from tear gas inhalation.<br>
<br>
Also following the Friday Prayer on 30 January, dozens of Palestinian
civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized
a peaceful demonstration in protest at the construction of the Wall in
Ne'lin village, west of Ramallah. They moved towards areas of land which
are scheduled to be confiscated for the purpose of the construction of
the Wall. Israeli forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs
and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, 10 Palestinian
civilians, including two children, and a Swedish human rights defender,
were wounded.<br>
<br>
Recommendations to the International Community:<br>
<br>
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 High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva
Convention convene a conference to take effective steps to ensure
Israel's respect of the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian
civilians.<br>
<br>
The PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva
Convention to comply with its legal obligations detailed in Article 146
of the Convention to search for and prosecute those responsible for grave
breaches, namely war crimes.<br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
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