04-06-2011,10:01

 

Shooting:

During the reporting period, IOF wounded two Palestinian civilians, including a child, in the West Bank. The child was wounded when IOF moved into Iraq Bourin village, south of Nablus, while the other Palestinian was wounded in a peaceful protest against settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank.  

On 30 June 2011, IOF moved into Iraq Bourin village, south of Nablus, amid intensive firing of sound bombs and tear gas canisters. A number of boys gathered and stoned IOF who immediately replied by firing rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters. A 16-year-old child was wounded as a result. 

 

IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. As a result, Ibrahim Abdul Fattah Burnat, 29, was hit by a tear gas canister in the right shoulder and his eye was affected because of the gas. In addition, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders participating in peaceful protests in the West Bank suffered from tear gas inhalation and bruises as they were beaten by IOF.

 

Incursions:

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 47 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 29 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and 2 women.

The widest incursion was implemented by IOF on 31 May 2011 into Jenin, during which IOF waged a wide scale campaign against the Islamic Jihad in Jenin. IOF moved into villages in Jenin and arrested 12 members of the Islamic Jihad, including 2 women. They also confiscated the contents of two associations affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, but they failed to arrest Khader Mousa, a political leader of the Islamic Jihad, after raiding his house.

 

IOF have continued to attempt to crack down peaceful protests and to prevent international human rights defenders from participating in peaceful assemblies against settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall. As part of these attempts, IOF arrested 15 protesters, including a child. The arrested protesters included 7 Palestinian civilians and 8 international human rights defenders. 

IOF has also continued to use checkpoints as traps to arrest Palestinians allegedly wanted by IOF. During the reporting period, IOF arrested at least 4 Palestinians at checkpoints in the West Bank including, a PLC Member of the Change and Reform Bloc, Nezar Abdul Aziz Ramadan, 47. Ramadan was with PLC Speaker Dr. Aziz Dweik and PLC members Anwar Zboun, from Bethlehem, and Basem al-Zaarir, from Hebron, when IOF held them for more than 4 hours at an Israeli checkpoint.

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 31 May 2011, IOF moved nearly 300 meters into the east of al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip. They conducted bulldozing and leveling works until 13:00. They then redeployed beyond the border fence.  

Israeli Settlers' Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property:

 

Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of the international humanitarian law have continued to commit systematic crimes against Palestinian civilians and Palestinian property with protection provided by IOF who ignore conducting investigations into complaints submitted by Palestinian civilians against settlers.

 

On 29 May 2011, IOF moved into the northern plain of Kafr Dan village, northwest of Jenin. IOF soldiers stepped down from vehicles and deployed in Palestinian farms and told Palestinian farmers that they had orders to demolish 12 artisan wells claiming that they were established without licenses. Guarded by soldiers, IOF bulldozers and digging machines started demolishing the wells. Two hours after the start of the demolition works, large numbers of Palestinians from Kafr Dan village and from Jenin arrived at the scene and gathered in farms closed to IOF’s locations.  Some of the Palestinians stopped in front of bulldozers trying to stop them. IOF talked with the Palestinians who were protesting in the scene and agreed to stop the demolition works asking Palestinians to withdraw from the scene. At this time, IOF had already completed the demolition works.

On 30 May 2011, IOF moved into Jinsafout village, east of Qaqilya. They raided a shop of construction materials owned by Mahmoud Yousef Mohammed Sukkar, 31. IOF then bulldozed the shop with the materials inside it under the pretext of the lack of license.

 

On 26 May 2011, a group of settlers from "Yitzhar" settlement which is established on parts of Palestinians' lands in the south of Madma village, south of Nablus, used clubs to beat Hamad Jaber Ahmed al-Qet, 66. Al-Qet sustained wounds, crumple in the head and bruises throughout the body.

On 30 May 2011, nearly 10 settlers from "Yitzhar" settlement which is established on parts of Palestinians' lands in the south of Madma village, south of Nablus, set fire to farms planted with barleys in Ein al-Eshreh and al-Sawawin areas which are located nearly 2 kilometers from "Yitzhar" settlement. The fire destroyed nearly 4 donums of land planted with barleys before the Palestinian villagers manage to extinguish the fire. The damaged farms belong to Hassan Mohammed Zyada, member of the Local Council of Madma village.

 

Restrictions on Movement:

 

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

Gaza Strip

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings of the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal Israeli-imposed 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 cooking gas crisis which has erupted last November has continued to affect the Gaza Strip. This crisis was created when the Israeli occupation authorities totally closed, on 04 January 2010, Nahal Oz crossing, which used to be dedicated for the delivery of fuel and cooking gas supplies to Gaza, and shifted fuel and cooking gas supplies to Karm Abu Salem crossing which is not technically equipped to receive Gaza's needs of fuel.  Karm Abu Salem crossing, with its maximum absorptive capacity, can receive only 200 tons of cooking gas per day.

It should be noted that the Israeli occupation authorities have worked over the past three years to make Karm Abu Salem crossing, which is not appropriate for commercial purposes, as Gaza's major and sole crossing. 

In the beginning of 2010, the Israeli occupation authorities closed Nahal Oz crossing which was dedicated for the supplies of fuel and cooking gas to Gaza, and shifted fuel supplies to Karm Abu Salem crossing. They also totally closed Sofa crossing, southeast of Khan Yunis, and shifted humanitarian aid and food items which used to be delivered via Sofa crossing to Karm Abu Salem crossing. Lately, they exceptionally opened Sofa crossing for four consecutive days in the end of March 2011 and on 17 April 2011 to allow the delivery of construction aggregate for UNRWA.

• Approximately 80% of Gaza civilians have continued to depend on alimentary aid provided by UNRWA and other relief agencies, rates of families who live below poverty line have continued to be on the rise and approximately 40% of Gaza's manpower has continued to suffer from permanent unemployment as a result of shutting down the majority of Gaza's economic establishments.
• IOF have continued to impose a total ban on the exportation of Gaza's products, especially industrial products, leading to undermining any real chances to rerun economic establishments. Facts on the ground refute IOF's allegation that they daily allow the export of 10 truckloads of agricultural products.
• Recently, IOF allowed the exportation of very limited quantities of Gaza's agricultural products, including flowers and tomatoes, to European markers.
• For approximately four consecutive years, IOF have continued to ban the delivery of construction materials to Gaza. During the reporting period, IOF approved the delivery of limited quantities of construction materials for a number of international organizations.
• Israel has continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian civilians from the Gaza Strip. IOF only allow the movement of limited groups amidst severe restrictions, including long hours of waiting in the majority of cases. IOF have also continued to adopt a policy aimed at reducing the number of Palestinian patients allowed to move via Beit Hanoun crossing to receive medical treatment in hospitals in Israel or in the West Bank and Jerusalem. IOF have denied new categories of Gazan patient permission to have access to hospitals via the crossing.
• Israel has imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip.
• For approximately 46 months, IOF have continued to deny approximately 710 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza detained in Israeli jails their visitation rights without providing any justification to this measure, which violates the rules of the international humanitarian law.

West Bank

IOF 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.

• IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying in the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
• There are approximately 585 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank.
• 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 have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, confiscating more Palestinian land
• At least 65% of the main roads that lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF.
• There are approximately 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 permits issued by IOF. Such permits are extremely difficult to obtain.
• IOF continue to harass and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the annexation wall.
• Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.

Israeli Settlers' Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property:

Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of the international humanitarian law have continued to commit systematic crimes against Palestinian civilians and Palestinian property with protection provided by IOF who ignore conducting investigations into complaints submitted by Palestinian civilians against settlers

On 14 May 2011, a number of settlers from "Gilad" settlement attacked three Palestinian farmers from Jeet village, northeast of Qaqilya. The Palestinians were attacked while they were going to their work. The attack took place before the eyes of IOF.

On 15 May 2011, a group of Israeli settlers from "Kirat Arba" settlement, southeast of Hebron, attacked a house belonging to the Abu Se'ifan family in Wadi al-Hussain neighborhood which is adjacent to "Kriat Arba" settlement. The settlers tried to set the house alight and put the residents' lives at risk. It should be noted that the attacked house and other houses belonging to the Abu Se'ifan family are only few steps from the high wall of "Kriat Arba" settlement. These houses and their residents have been repeatedly attacked by settlers. Some of the Abu Se'ifan family's members were wounded as a result and damages were inflicted on their property.

On 17 May 2011, a number of Israeli settlers raided the Orphanage School in occupied East Jerusalem.  The settlers attacked the students in classrooms. Later, the Israeli police raided the school and arrested the headmaster, Ibrahim Shawar, and the deputy headmaster, Isam al-Tawil, for investigations.