During the reporting period, OF conducted at least 15 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  OF arrested 13 Palestinian civilians, including one child. 

In the Gaza Strip, on 31 October 2009, an OF undercover unit moved into the northwest of the ex-settlement of Doghit in the northwest of Beit Lahia to arrest a Palestinian civilian. The civilian was wounded by an OF attack prior to the arrest. OF 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.

 The Zionist violation in the Gaza Strip

 OF have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The illegal OF blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

• 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.
• 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.
• OF have continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than two years.
• OF have not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.
• 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.
• OF have continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.
• Poverty and unemployment rates stand at approximately 80% and 60% respectively in the Gaza Strip.
• OF have continued to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage systems. Losses incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.
• OF have imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.
• Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment are among the highest in the world.
• At least 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied family visitation rights for more than three years. 
• OF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza Strip coast.

The Zionist violation in the West Bank

OF 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.

• OF 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.
• There are approximately permanent 630 roadblocks, and 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 OF every week.
• 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.
• At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by OF (47 out of 72 roads).
• 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 OF. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.
• OF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.
• Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by OF in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by OF.

During the reporting period, OF demolished four houses in Beit Hanina, al-Thawri neighborhood and Jabal al-Mukaber village and displaced four families of 34 individuals:

On 1 November 2009, OF bulldozed the house of Mousa Mashahra, 53, in al-Sala’a neighborhood in Jabal al-Mukaber village, southeast of occupied Jerusalem. A family of six used to live in the house that occupied an area of 50 m² and was composed of two rooms.  On 2 November 2009, OF bulldozed the house of Majed al-Rajji, 50, in al-‘Aqaba neighborhoos in Beit Hanina village, north of occupied Jerusalem. A family of 15 used to live in the house that stood on an area of 100 m² and was composed of three rooms.

Also on 2 November 2009, OF bulldozed the house of Haroun al-Qawasmi, 61, and the house of Naser al-Shweiki in al-Thawri neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. The house of al-Qawasmi, where a family of six used to live, was built 25 years ago. The house where the seven-member al-Shwiki family used to live was owned by Mohammed al-Qawasmi and was built on an area of 80 m².

OF have continued settlement activities in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 29 October 2009, OF bulldozed 14 donums of agricultural lands, including 11 donums that had been reclaimed recently in al-Buqa’a area, east of Hebron. They also demolished 1,000 meters of retaining walls, destroyed more than 300 meters of irrigation networks and destroyed two water collection pools. It should be noted that al-Buqa’a area is one of the most fertile agricultural areas in Hebron. Settlement Road no. 60 passes through the area which is close to “Kiryat Arba’a” and “Kharsina” settlements in the east of Hebron. OF impose a ban on construction works in al-Buqa’a area and obstruct the delivery of services to the area as part of their plans to force Palestinians to leave their houses and lands, OF and Israeli settlers repeatedly conduct attacks on civilians in al-Buqa’a area in order to take control of new areas of Palestinian lands by force.

Also on 29 October 2009, OF delivered notices to four civilians in Kherbat al-Hejri, southwest of Hebron, notifying them of OF intent to demolish their houses in Kherbat al-Hejri under the pretext of the lack of a building license.

On 30 October 2009, OF prevented the installation of power networks in al-Tawani village, opposite to “Ma’on” settlement south of Hebron. OF have banned the establishment of infrastructure in al-Tawani village, including power; water and telephone networks. OF have also prevented Palestinians in the village from constructing houses. Civilians are forced to live in caves or in shelters that had been established before 1967. Sometimes, Palestinians in the village construct houses without getting building licenses, but OF later demolish them.

On 31 October 2009, eight settlers from “Brakha” settlement, protected by OF, raided Iraq Borin village, south of Nablus. Dozens of Palestinian civilians gathered near the southern entrance of the village and stoned the settlers in an attempt to prevent them from entering the village. OF responded by firing bullets at the Palestinians.