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<div style="display: block;" id="reader-header" class="header"> <b><small><small><small><a
href="http://english.pnn.ps/2016/04/26/human-rights-new-report-by-pchr-march-2016/"
id="reader-domain" class="domain"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://english.pnn.ps/2016/04/26/human-rights-new-report-by-pchr-march-2016/">http://english.pnn.ps/2016/04/26/human-rights-new-report-by-pchr-march-2016/</a></a></small></small></small></b>
<h1 id="reader-title">Human Rights: new report by PCHR, March
2016 - PNN</h1>
<div id="reader-credits" class="credits">costa silveira</div>
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<p>PNN/Gaza</p>
<p>The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)
published a new report as part of the series of the
monthly “Closure Reports” addressing the latest
developments of the state of the Gaza Strip border
crossings in March 2016.</p>
<p>The report documents the impact of the ongoing
Israel-imposed siege on Palestinian civilians, which
affects their economic and social conditions. It also
refutes Israel’s claims that it has eased the closure of
the Gaza Strip for the ninth consecutive year.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the report highlights that the continuing
Israeli measures aim at the institutionalization of the
closure and making the illegal restrictions imposed on
the movement of persons and goods acceptable on the
international level although they violate the
international law, including the international
humanitarian and human rights laws.</p>
<p>During the reporting period, the number of truckloads
that were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip increased;
however, no remarkable change was witnessed on the
commercial level.</p>
<p>Israeli occupation forces allowed the entry of 17,241
truckloads, the majority of which were foodstuffs and
consumables; an average of 556 truckload daily.</p>
<p>Restrictions were also imposed on the entry of a number
of basic goods, especially materials needed for Gaza
reconstruction, infrastructure projects and materials
for manufacturing and production.</p>
<p>Moreover, many obstacles were imposed on the entry of
imports, including the frequent closure of the only
commercial crossing in the Gaza Strip, Karm Abu Salem
(Kerem Shalom); the crossing was closed for 9 days (29%
of the total period).</p>
<p>In a later step, the IOF prevented the entry of
construction materials for the private sector in Gaza
city.[1] As a result, hundreds of private
under-construction housing projects stopped in addition
to other Reconstruction projects carried out by the
private sector for the same reason.</p>
<p>Stopping construction works in these projects will
aggravate the suffering of civilians who are desperate
need of building their houses and facilities.</p>
<p>This will also inflict heavy losses on the private
sector’s companies due to stoppage of work and increase
the already high unemployment and poverty rates among
the workers and their families.</p>
<p>Concerning the exports, the IOF continued to impose a
ban on the Gaza Strip exports to the occupied West Bank,
Israel and abroad with the exception of limited
quantities.</p>
<p>During the reporting period, 100 truckloads were
allowed for exportation to the occupied West Bank,
including 87 truckloads of agricultural products, a
truckload of fish, 4 truckloads of furniture, 3
truckloads of cloths and 5 truckloads of scrap.</p>
<p>The rate of the Gaza Strip exports for March
constitutes 2.2% of the exports before June 2007.</p>
<p>As for the movement of persons, the Gaza Strip
population has been denied their right to the freedom of
movement and has been suffering due to obstacles imposed
on their movement at all border crossings that connect
the Strip with the West Bank and Israel.</p>
<p>Moreover, during the reporting period, the IOF imposed
severe restrictions on the movement of Gaza population
at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, the only crossing for
the movement of persons to the West Bank, including
Jerusalem, and/or Israel.</p>
<p>As a result, 2 million people have been denied their
right to the freedom of movement. A limited number of
Palestinians were allowed to travel via the crossing:
1,440 patients, 1,330 patient companions.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the IOF arrested 3 patients who were on
their back from hospitals in which they were transformed
to receive treatment. Those patients suffer from serious
diseases and could not found a cure in the Gaza Strip
hospitals.</p>
<p>The IOF also allowed 8,477 business people, 828 persons
for personal needs, 755 workers of international
humanitarian organizations, 204 persons travelling via
al-Karama crossing, 595 elderly people to perform
prayers in al-Aqsa Mosque and 415 Christians to travel
via Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing under very complicated
procedures resulting in prolonged waiting periods,
sometimes up to several days.</p>
<p>It should be noted that these statistics do not express
the number of people allowed to travel as the number
permit holders is far less than the passing times.</p>
<p>The permit holder is allowed to travel more than one
time via the Beit Hanoun crossing.</p>
<p>Israeli authorities also allowed 595 elderly persons to
cross the crossing for performing the Friday prayer in
al-Aqsa Mosque in addition to 415 Christians in light of
complicated security measures..</p>
<p>During the reporting period, Rafah International
Crossing Point was closed during March for 31 days. This
unveiled the reality of the situation in the Gaza Strip
under the policy of collective punishment and the
Israeli closure imposed over all border crossings,
especially Beit Hanoun crossing.</p>
<p>The number of Palestinians, who registered for
traveling via the crossing and are waiting for their
turn to travel, was over 25,000, in addition to
thousands of Palestinians who want to travel but did not
registered for traveling according to the Ministry of
Interior in Gaza.</p>
<p>In the report’s recommendations, PCHR called upon the
international community, particularly the High
Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention
Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time
of War, to immediately intervene to compel Israeli
authorities to open the Gaza Strip crossings and put an
end to the grave deterioration of humanitarian situation
in the Gaza Strip.</p>
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