According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)'s Weekly Report, during the week of 31 January – 6 February 2008, 12 Palestinians were killed and 22 were injured by the Israeli military. In addition, Israeli forces abducted 94 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children and a girl.Of those killed, 7 were police officers whose workplace in the southern Gaza Strip was bombarded by Israeli Forces. Of those injured, most were civilians, four were children, and one was an elderly woman.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the week, Israeli Forces conducted 35 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Israeli Forces positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank abducted at least 8 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children.
In these invasions, Israeli Forces killed 2 Palestinians and injured 13 others. In addition, Israeli Forces abducted 54 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children and a girl. The number of Palestinian civilians abducted by Israeli Forces in the West Bank since the beginning of the year now stands at 307.
On 31 January, Israeli Forces wounded a Palestinian civilian during an incursion into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilia. On 1 February, Israeli Forces wounded 6 Palestinian children, including a child, in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
On 2 February, Israeli Forces wounded 3 Palestinian children in al-Khader village, southwest of Bethlehem. In addition, 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli Forces used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, on 1 February.
On 4 February, Israeli Forces extra-judicially executed 2 activists of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad), and injured a third, in Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli Forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
Israeli Forces demolished 3 houses in Jerusalem and al-Jiftlik village.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron on several occasions during the week.
Israeli Annexation Wall:
Israeli Forces have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside West Bank territory.
On Thursday evening, 31 January, Israeli Forces warned 3 Palestinian civilians from Far’oun and Kherbat Jibara villages, south of Tulkarm, to vacate their homes, which would be demolished, claiming the houses were built without licenses. The houses are located 30 meters away from the Wall. The houses belong to ‘Emad Hazahza, Hussam Suleiman, and Bassam Suleiman, and they are inhabited.
2 Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli Forces used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized in protest of the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, on 1 February. Israeli Forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators, and violently beat them.
On Wednesday morning, 6 February, Israeli Forces demolished a room and a shed belonging to Khaled Sa’id Saleh in ‘Azzoun ‘Atma village, south of Qalqilya, near the Wall.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli Forces killed 10 Palestinians, including 7 police officers, and injured 9 others this week.
On 31 January, a Palestinian civilian was injured when an Israeli Forces aircraft opened fire at agricultural areas in Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip.
On 4 February, Israeli Forces extra-judicially executed a fighter with the Salah al-Din Brigades (the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees). A civilian bystander was also injured.
On 5 February, Israeli Forces killed 2 Palestinian resistance activists during an incursion into al-Shouka village, southeast of Rafah. On the same day, seven police officers of the dismissed Palestinian government were killed, and an eighth injured, when Israeli Forces fired a surface-to-surface missile at their workplace in ‘Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis.
On 6 February, 3 Palestinian resistance activists were seriously wounded in 3 separate attacks by Israeli Forces in Jabaliya and Beit Hanoun towns in the northern Gaza Strip, and in Gaza City. In one of these attacks, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a number of Palestinian resistance fighters who were in al-Qerem Street in the east of Jabalya town. One of them, 24-year-old Ra’fat Mohammed Hassouna, was seriously injured, and his legs were subsequently amputated. On the same day, an elderly woman was wounded when Israeli Forces bombed a farm near her house.
Recommendations:
Based on the number and severity of Israeli violations of international law and signed accords this week, the PCHR made several recommendations. They include a recommendation that international civil society organizations, including human rights organizations, bar associations and NGOs to participate in the process of exposing those accused of grave breaches of international law and to urge their governments to bring these people to justice.
In addition, PCHR calls upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
