PCHR - Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

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

· The Gaza Strip has suffered from shortages in fuels and basic goods.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (22 – 28 February 2007):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 4 Palestinians and wounded 28 others in the West Bank.

On Monday, 26 February 2007, an IOF sniper shot dead ‘Anan Mohammed al-Teebi, 42, with a bullet to the neck, and wounded his son, 24-year-old Ashraf, with a bullet to the hand, when he attempted to offer help to his father. The victim was on the roof of his house in the old town, when the IOF sniper shot him. IOF prevented ambulances from entering the area and arrested the son. On Wednesday morning, 28 February 2007, an IOF undercover unit extra-judicially executed 3 Palestinians in Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. The victims are members of the Islamic Jihad, and one of them is the leader of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad) in the northern West Bank. In addition, 28 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, 4 women and two journalists, were wounded by the IOF gunfire.

Incursions:

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 43 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During the reporting period, launched a wide scale military operation against Nablus and neighboring refugee camps. During this operation, which continued for two days, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded 8 others, including a child and two children. IOF also arrested at least 150 civilians, transformed a number of houses and two schools into military sites, raided a number of television and radio stations and obstructed the movement of medical crews. IOF withdrew from the city without declaring an end to their operation. During other incursions, IOF raided houses and arrested 55 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Thus, the number of Palestinians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has mounted to 564.

Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza Strip

IOF have imposed a strict siege on the Gaza Strip. They have closed its border crossings as a form of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.

IOF have closed Rafah International Crossing Point since 25 June 2006, even though they do not directly control it. During the reporting period, IOF partially reopened the crossing point for one day only. IOF have partially reopened commercial crossings, especially al-Mentar (Karni) crossing, but many goods and medical supplies have been lacked in markets in the Gaza Strip. IOF have also continued to close Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have been prevented from traveling through this crossing. IOF have allowed international workers to pass through the crossing. With this closure, only few Palestinian patients have been able to travel to hospitals in Israel and the West Bank. On Friday, 16 February 2007, IOF opened the new Erez International Crossing Point under new procedures. Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have to obtain permits from the IOF Civil Administration as it was the case before. However, Palestinians living in East Jerusalem have to hand their identity cards the Israeli Ministry of Interior to get travel documents. In the past, they had to hand identity cards to IOF at Erez crossing. This includes 800-1000 women from East Jerusalem married to men in the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinians who traveled through the new crossing point, IOF imposed the same restrictions on their movement as in the past. In addition, IOF have continued to prevent Palestinian fishermen from fishing for more than 8 months.

West Bank

IOF have tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have isolated Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. Contrary to Israeli claims, IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. During the reporting period, IOF soldiers positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including two children.

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF issued demolished 6 under-constructions houses in Far’oun village, south of Tulkarm which are located near the Wall. IOF also used force against a peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli solidarity activists in protest to the construction of the Wall in Bal’ein village, West of Ramallah. As a result, 13 Palestinian civilians, including two journalists and two children, were wounded.

Settlement Activities: During the reporting period, Israeli settlers living in the West Bank in violation of international law continued their systematic attacks on Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, IOF issued a military order seizing 199 donums of land in Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin, until the end of 2014 to establish a new settler road in the area. The order gave the owners 7 days to appeal against it. According to a report published by the Israeli Peace Now on Monday 26 February 2007, 21 settlements and 10 settlement outposts expanded to incorporate at least 1900 donums of land that are classified as protected natural areas.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (22 – 28 February 2007)

The full report is available online at:
html format:
http://www.pchrgaza.ps/files/W_report/English/2007/01-03-2007.htm
pdf format:
http://www.pchrgaza.ps/files/W_report/English/2007/pdf/Weekly%20Report%2008.pdf