Sunday 19 October 2014

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (02- 15 October 2014)

Israeli forces continue systematic attacks against Palestinian civilians and property in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt)

FULL REPORT HERE  


2 Palestinian civilians died of wounds they sustained during the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces continued to open fire at border areas in the Gaza Strip.

A worker collecting metal pieces and stones was wounded in the northern Gaza Strip.
 
7 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a woman, were wounded in different shooting incidents in the West Bank.

3 children were wounded while mishandling a sound bomb of the Israeli weapons' remnants.
 
Israeli forces continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.

A child and a photographer of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall and Settlement Activities were wounded in al-Nabi Saleh village.
 
Israeli forces conducted 55 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

51 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were arrested in the West Bank.
13 of those civilians, including 3 children, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem.
 
Israel has continued to impose a total closure on the oPt and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank.

At least 5 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were arrested at military checkpoints in the West Bank.
A Palestinian civilian was arrested at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, north of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli navy forces continued to target Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip sea.
Israeli navy forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats 5 times in the northern and southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

124 olive trees were cut-off and burnt in the northern West Bank.
Israeli settlers set fire to Abu Baker al-Seddiq Mosque in Aqraba village, southeast of Nablus.


Summary

Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt continued during the reporting period (02– 15 October2014).
 
Shooting:

  During the reporting period, 2 Palestinian civilians died of wounds they sustained during the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and a worker collecting metal pieces and stones in the northern Gaza Strip was wounded.  In the West Bank, 12 Palestinian civilians were wounded , including 6 and a woman who was wounded in East Jerusalem.

 In the Gaza Strip, on 10 October 2014, medical sources at Shifa Hospital pronounced Arafat Tafesh (30) dead due to wounds he sustained on 30 July 2014 during the Israeli offensive.

 On 11 October 2014, medical sources at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis pronounced Jamal Abu Lebdah (50) dead of wounds he sustained on 03 August 2014 during the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

 On the same day, a worker collecting metal pieces and stones was wounded when Israeli forces stationed along the border in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at a group of workers near the border.
 In the context of targeting fishermen, on 10 October 2014, Israeli gunboats opened fire thrice at Palestinian fishing boats sailing off al-Waha resort in the northern Gaza Strip, and off Rafah shore in the southern Gaza Strip.

 On 11 and 13 October, Israeli gunboats opened fire at fishing boats off al-Waha resort and off Rafah shore respectively. However, neither casualties nor material damage were reported.

 In the West Bank, 4 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were wounded in Nablus when Israeli forces moved into the city and its refugee camps to secure settlers who went to Joseph Tomb area to perform religious rituals.

 On 14 October 2014, a civilian sustained a bullet wound to the face in al-Fare'ah refugee camp, south of Tubas, while a pregnant woman sustained injured in the chest as a window was broken due to the explosion of sound bomb around her house.

 On the same day, 3 children from Beit Za'tah area in the east of Beit Ommar village, north of Hebron, sustained moderate wounds to their hands due to the explosion of a sound bomb of the Israeli weapons' remnants around their houses.

 On 15 October 2014, a Palestinian woman was wounded when Israeli forces moved into various areas in East Jerusalem's Old City after worshipers had went out of the al-Aqsa mosque in which they gathered to prevent settlers from raiding the mosque on the last day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday. Israeli forces fired sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets at the worshipers, due to which, a 22-year old woman sustained a bullet wound to the back and her 17-year-old brother sustained a fracture to the leg.

 Israeli forces used excessive force against peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, a 15-year-old male was hit by a sound bomb to the face and a 48-year-old male sustained burns to the face as Israeli forces sprayed pepper spray on his face during al-Nabi Saleh weekly protest. It should be noted that he is the photographer of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall and Settlement Activities in the said village.
 
Incursions:

 During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 55 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 51 Palestinians, including 6 children and a woman.  Thirteen of these civilians, including 3 children, were arrested in Jerusalem.

 On 14 October 2014, Israeli forces moved into al-Fare'ah refugee camp, south of Tubas. They raided a number of houses and searched them using sniffer dogs. They detained residents of these houses for hours and fired a sound bomb at a house belonging to the heirs of Ibrahim Abu Shqair, due to which, fire was set to the house, but residents of the area extinguished it with water.
 
Restrictions on movement:

 Israel continued to impose a tight closure of the oPt, imposing severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
 The illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, which has been steadily tightened since June 2007 has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.  The Israeli authorities impose measures to undermine the freedom of trade, including the basic needs for the Gaza Strip population and the agricultural and industrial products to be exported. For 7 consecutive years, Israel has tightened the land and naval closure to isolate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and other countries around the world. This resulted in grave violations of the economic, social and cultural rights and a deterioration of living conditions for 1.7 million people.  The Israeli authorities have established Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shaloum) as the sole crossing for imports and exports in order to exercise its control over the Gaza Strip’s economy.  They also aim at imposing a complete ban on the Gaza Strip’s exports.

 Israeli forces 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.

 As part of using military checkpoints and border crossings as traps to arrest Palestinian civilians under the pretext they are wanted, Israeli forces arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including a child, at military checkpoints in the West Bank, and a 6th one at Erez crossing in the Gaza Strip.

Settlement activities

 Israel has continued its settlement activities in the oPt, in a direct violation of international humanitarian law, and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
 
On 02 October 2014, Israeli moved into Kherbat Safi., east of Yatta, south of Hebron. They handed Isamil Bader Awad Makhamera a notice to demolish his house under the pretext of not having a construction permit.

 On 09 October 2014, Israeli bulldozers guarded by Israeli forces moved into an agricultural land near al-Kahder village and Nahlin village borders. They bulldozed 3 dunums in Sirb al-Teen area near “Danial” settlement and placed a sign that says that a public park for settlers will be established instead.

 On 10 October 2014, Israeli forces moved into Kherbat Om Sarara in al-Musafer complex, east of Yatta, south of Hebron. They stationed at its center and handed Ibrahim Ali Awad a notice to stop construction in a residential tent with an area of 30 square meters and a barn made of stones and plastic with an area of 40 square meters under the pretext of not having a construction permit.
 
Attacks by Israeli Settlers

 On 09 October 2014, Israeli settlers form “Givat Runim” settlement which is established on the lands of Burin village, south of Nablus, moved into a land belonging to Ahmed Abdel Fattah Khalifa in al-Thaniya gate area. They chopped down 15 olive trees and picked the olives of 104 square meters of land in which 400 olive trees are grown.

 On 07 October 2014, Israeli settlers of “Givat Runim” settlement attacked Mahmoud Raja Mahmoud Eid (47) near al-Thaniya gate when he was picking olives. They threw stones at him over 15 minutes and he sustained wounds to his chest and legs.

 On 10 October 2014, Israeli settlers from “Taffouh settlement” attacked the lands of Yasouf village, east of Salfit. They set olive trees on fire using tiers and plastic. They also destroyed 6 other trees in revenge. The Palestinians put the fire out and prevented it from spreading.

 On the same day, Israeli settlers from “Taffouh” settlement burnt and chopped down olive trees in al-Masamek area which belong to brothers Isam and Nafez Ali Abdullah Mansour. 3 trees were destroyed and the owners of the lands could not reach their property due to repeated attacks against them.
 On the same day, Israeli settlers of “Ariel” settlement set fire on the eastern mountain of Marda village, north of Salfit. As a result, 100 trees were burnt while the owner of the land was picking olives with a group of French solidarity groups.

 On 11 October 2014, Israeli settlers attacked Alaa Fathi Naim ‘Ataine (30), from Yasouf village, when she was picking olives with her husband. As a result, she sustained bruises. The settlers had attacked them with iron bars and sticks.

 On the same day evening, a group of settlers from “Beit ‘Itid”, which is established on confiscated lands form al-Asfir village, southeast of Yatta, south of Hebron, attacked two children, Saqer Abu Qbeita (17) and his brother Osama (8), with sticks and sharp tools. It should be noted that al-Asfir area lies behind the annexation wall and its residents moved across  using special permits.

 On 14 October 2014, Israeli settlers set fire to Abu Baker al-Siddiq Mosque in ‘Aqraba village, southeast of Nablus. It should be noted that the mosque is located in Ras Karkas quarter in the southern side of ‘Aqraba village, which is less than 400 meters from Trans-Samaria road. The settlers wrote a slogan in Hebrew on walls of the mosque and signed it 'Price Tag in Taffoah settlement'. The slogan further says that this attack was in revenge for Kahana, a settler from the aforementioned settlement, who was killed several years ago by a Palestinian from ‘Aqraba on the same date. 

On 14 October 2014, Israeli forces backed by several military vehicles moved into al-Karmel village, east of Yatta, south of Hebron. They deployed along the village entrances and neighborhoods. They established checkpoints to clear the way for settlers who were to preform religious rituals at an archeological site till the evening hours. No arrests were reported.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
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