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<font size=4><b>Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights documented
during the period of 14 – 20 May 2009 <br>
</b></font><font size=3>21.05.09 - 16:09 <br>
<a href="http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5433" eudora="autourl">
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5433<br>
<br>
</a>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.<br><br>
11 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children and one woman, were
wounded by the IOF gunfire in the West Bank.<br>
<br>
A Palestinian resistance activist and a farmer were wounded by IOF in the
Gaza Strip. <br>
<br>
3 Palestinians were missed when IOF warplanes bombarded a tunnels in
Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip. <br>
<br>
IOF conducted 15 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank
and bombarded civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip.<br>
<br>
IOF arrested 7 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and two fishermen
in the Gaza Strip. <br>
<br>
IOF destroyed a workshop in the Gaza Strip. <br>
<br>
IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and have isolated
the Gaza Strip from the outside world.<br>
<br>
IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested
one Palestinian civilian.<br>
<br>
IOF have continued measures aimed at the Judaization of east
Jerusalem.<br>
<br>
IOF forced a Palestinian civilian to demolish his houses. <br>
<br>
The Israeli judiciary ordered the evacuation of a number of Palestinian
houses, which would render at least 70 civilians homeless. <br>
<br>
IOF razed large areas of Palestinian land near the Container
checkpoint. <br>
<br>
IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli
settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.<br>
<br>
The Israeli government approved the expansion of "Masikot"
settlement in the northern Jordan Valley. <br>
<br>
IOF established an iron fence near Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. .
<br>
<br>
Israeli settlers and IOF attacked Palestinian farmers and expelled them
from their lands. <br>
<br>
Summary<br>
<br>
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law escalated in
the OPT during the reporting period (14 – 20 May 2009): <br>
<br>
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.
<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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.
<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
Gaza Strip<br>
<br>
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. <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 and education.<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials
into the Gaza Strip for more than two years. <br>
<br>
IOF have not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding few
amounts of cooking gas, since 10 December 2008. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
Poverty had mounted to approximately 80% and unemployment has mounted to
60% in the Gaza Strip. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously
deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.
<br>
<br>
At least 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived
for family visitation for more than 17 months. <br>
<br>
IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza Strip
coast. <br>
<br>
West Bank <br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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>
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).<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful
protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall. <br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at military
checkpoints in the West Bank arrested one Palestinian civilian.<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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.<br><br>
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (14 – 20 May
2009)<br><br>
<br><br>
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