Weekly Report: Israeli OT Human Rights Violations

PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
http://www.pchrgaza.org

Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

- 3 Palestinians, including a child, were killed by IOF.

- One of the victims was extra-judicial executed by IOF.

- 27 Palestinians, including 9 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire.

- IOF continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip.

- IOF conducted 46 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

- 84 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and 5 girls, were arrested by IOF.

- 7 houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.

- IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; Qalandya checkpoint was transformed into a border crossing between the West Bank and Israel; IOF have continued to closed Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the Gaza Strip; IOF arrested 9 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, at checkpoints in the West Bank; and IOF detained the Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs for several hours at a military checkpoint.

- IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF continued the construction of the Wall in Dahiat al-Barid area to the north of Jerusalem; IOF have isolated the al-Mawahel quarter of Beit Hanina village near Jerusalem; and IOF used forced against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest against the construction of the Wall.

- Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the OPT; a Swiss peace activist and two Palestinian civilians were injured; and Israeli settlers uprooted at least 60 olive trees near “Kiryat Arba” settlement near Hebron.
Summary

Israeli violations of international law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (30 March–5 April 2006):

Killing: During the reported period, IOF killed 3 Palestinians, including a child. On Monday morning, 3 April 2006, IOF extra-judicially executed Ra’ed ‘Ebayat, 31, the leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement, in Beit Sahour town in the West Bank. On Monday evening, IOF killed 15-year-old Mohammed Zayed, from Qalandya refugee camp south of Ramallah. They claimed that the child had been destroying parts of the Annexation Wall in the area, but PCHR’s investigations refute this claim, as the child was killed 500 meters away from the Wall. On Tuesday, 4 April 2006, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia, while they were shelling the area.

During the reported period, IOF continued to shell areas in the Gaza Strip. They fired artillery shells at houses. IOF also employed war planes to shell civilian targets. A number of houses and civilian facilities were damaged and 6 civilians, including two children, were injured.

During the reported period, 21 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were wounded by the IOF gunfire.

Incursions: IOF conducted 46 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses and arrested 84 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and 5 girls. In addition, IOF transformed 7 others into military sites. IOF used undercover units and trained dogs during these incursions.

Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a comprehensive siege on the OPT, in violation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of Palestinian civilians.

IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a large prison. IOF have continued to monitor the movement of Palestinian civilians through Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border. Even though IOF allowed the transportation of food aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, southeast of Rafah, the crossing has not been officially opened. IOF have also continued to prevent Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip from reaching their work places in Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. They have continued to prevent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip from traveling to the West Bank. On 4 April 2006, IOF closed al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing, east of Gaza City. The Gaza Strip has suffered from a severe economic crisis for weeks, as a result of the closure of al-Mentar crossing.

IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank and have imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the region. On Tuesday, 4 April 2006, IOF declared the transformation of Qalandya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem into a border crossing. Only residents of Jerusalem who have Israeli identity cards and residents of the West Bank who have permits to enter Jerusalem will be allowed to pass through the “crossing.” Following an attack on Israeli settlers on Thursday evening, 30 March 2006, in the northern West Bank, IOF positioned at various checkpoints imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF positioned at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, have continued to prevent residents of Tulkarm from passing through the checkpoint. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints around Nablus prevented Palestinians aged between 16 and 35 from passing through the checkpoint. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 9 Palestinian civilians, including two children.

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank. During the reported period, IOF continued to construct a section of the Wall in the Dahiat al-Barid area, north of Jerusalem. By the completing the construction of this new section of the Wall, all entrances to Dahiat al-Barid area and al-Ram village will be closed. IOF also declared that they would establish a barbed wire fence around the al-Mawahel quarter of Beit Hanina village, north of Jerusalem. During the reported period, IOF resumed the construction of the separating fence around “Shavi Shomron” settlement. IOF also used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli peace activists in protest to the construction of the Wall in Bal’ein and Beit Siera villages, west of Ramallah. Six Palestinian civilians were wounded, and others suffered from tear gas inhalation. IOF also arrested 3 Israeli solidarity activists and an Australian one.

Illegal Settler Activities: Israeli settlers in breach of international humanitarian law continue to reside in the OPT and have launched a series of attacks against Palestinian civilians and property. During the reported period, two Palestinian civilians and a Swiss peace activist were injured. The settlers also uprooted at least 60 olive trees and killed 15 sheep in Nablus.

The full report is available online at:
html format:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2006/06-04-2006.htm
pdf format:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2006/pdf/weekly%20report%2013.pdf

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