In its weekly summary of Israeli attacks for the week of 30 July – 06 August 2008, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reports that Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah. In addition, 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded by the Israeli gunfire. During 38 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank,Israeli forces abducted 49 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children. Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded 2 others in the West Bank.
On 30 July 2008, following the funeral procession of a Palestinian child who had been killed by Israeli forces on the preceding day, dozens of Palestinian civilians demonstrated and threw stones at Israeli forces military vehicles. Israeli forces fired at those civilians. As a result, Yousef Ahmed ‘Amira, 18, was seriously wounded by 2 gunshots to the head. He died of his wound on 4 August 2008. Another civilian was also wounded.
On 31 July 2008, a Palestinian civilian was wounded in ‘Anabta village, east of Tulkarem, when Israeli forces troops fired at a number of Palestinian boys who threw stones at military vehicles.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 38 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces abducted 49 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children. Thus, the number of Palestinian civilians abducted by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the beginning of 2008 has mounted to 1,718.
In one example, on August 4th, at approximately 21:30, an Israeli forces infantry unit moved into al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas. Israeli forces troops besieged a house belonging to the family of Yousef Mohammed Sarhan, 27. Soon after, Israeli forces military vehicles moved into the camp to support the infantry unit. Israeli forces called through megaphones on Sarhan and his family to get out and they did. Israeli forces troops abducted Sarhan. Israeli forces troops moved into the house and searched it. They confiscated 2 computer sets. Before besieging the house, Israeli forces troops abducted 4 Palestinian civilians who were near the house, but released them later.
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. During the reporting period, Israeli forces troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank abducted 4 Palestinian civilians.
Israeli Annexation Wall:
Israeli forces have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside West Bank territory. During the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Wall in Bil’in and Ne’lin villages, west of Ramallah.
Following the Friday Prayer on 1 August 2008, scores of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders demonstrated in Bil’in village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Wall. The demonstrators moved towards the Wall, but Israeli forces closed all gates designed for crossing the Wall. The demonstrators then set fire to tires in protest to the closure of gates. Immediately, Israeli forces troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the West Bank in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, Israeli settlers launched 10 attacks against Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank. As a result of those attacks, 13 Palestinian civilians, including 4 women, 4 children and 3 old men, were injured.
At approximately 18:00 on Thursday, 31 July 2008, a number of Israeli settlers who live on a tract of land they had already seized in Wadi al-Nassara neighborhood in the southeast of Hebron, accompanied by a number of settlers from the nearby “Kiryat Arba” settlement, launched a series of attacks using stones, iron bars and empty bottles against Palestinian houses in al-Ras, Wadi al-Hussaim and al-Nassara neighborhoods. Israeli settlers also set up 2 tents on the seized land. The attacks continued until 20:30, during which time the settlers attacked a wedding party in a house belonging to ‘Abdul Karim al-Ja’bari in al-Ras neighborhood. As a result, 3 Palestinian civilians, ages 20, 22, and 72, sustained bruises.
On Friday noon, 1 August 2008, dozens of Israeli settlers, accompanied by a bulldozer, moved into Khellat al-Fahem area in the south of al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem to raze and seize areas of Palestinian land. Dozens of Palestinian civilians stopped the settlers and later, Israeli forces troops intervened to provide protection of the settlers who left the area.
On Friday evening, a Palestinian woman and her child were seriously injured when Israeli settlers threw stones at the car in which they were traveling near “Yits’har” settlement south of Nablus. According to information available to PCHR, Israeli settlers threw a large rock at a car belonging to Hazem Ma’alla, from Bitounia town southwest of Ramallah, when he and his family were traveling from the north of the West Bank towards Ramallah. The rock hit Ma’alla’s wife, 31-year-old Falasteen Sa’ad Ma’alla, and their child, 7-year-old Hadeel. The wife was seriously injured and she was evacuated to an Israeli hospital.
At approximately 10:30 on Saturday, 2 August 2008, Israeli forces troops, accompanied by a number of Israeli settlers, who had already seized a house in the southeast of Hebron, stormed a house belonging to Majdi Kayed al-Ja’bari to abducted his son, 20-year-old Fadi, who had been injured by settlers’ attacks. The settlers claimed that he attacked them.
At approximately 16:20 also on Saturday, Israeli settlers launched a series of attacks against Palestinian civilians and property in the southeast of Hebron. During the attacks, Israeli settlers who had seized a house in the area chased 15-year-old Hamza Sofian Abu Hatta. They pushed him down from the roof of his house. He sustained fractures to the right leg and bruises throughout the body. Yasser Daoud al-Salaima, 34, also sustained bruises as he was violently beaten by Israeli settlers.
At approximately 09:00 on Monday, 4 August 2008, Ibrahim Khalil Yassin, 72, from Yassouf village east of Salfit, was injured in the face and the hands. According to one of his relatives, 4 Israeli settlers from “Taffouh” settlement attacked him while he was grazing animals, and stole 23 sheep. Two Israeli settlers riding tractors moved into the village and opened fire into the area to cover the withdrawal of their colleagues. Later, the Israeli police moved into the village and raided a number of houses under the pretext of searching for sheep stolen from an Israeli settler.
At approximately 17:20 also on Monday, a number of Israeli settlers from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron, attacked Na’im ‘Abdul Salam Da’na, 73, and his wife ‘Izziya, 67, when she were on their way back home to their house in Wadi al-Nassara neighborhood. They sustained bruises and cuts to the face and the body.
On Tuesday morning, 5 August 2008, Israeli settlers from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron, launched a series of attacks against Palestinian civilians and property in Wad al-Hussain and al-Ras neighborhoods. They violently attacked ‘Aayesh Rabee’ al-Ja’bari, 80, with batons and stones. He sustained bruises and cuts to the head and the back and a fracture to the right hand.
At approximately 16:30 also on Tuesday, a number of Israeli settlers who had already seized a tract of land belonging to Mahmoud ‘Abdul Halim Jaber in the southeast of Hebron attacked a house belonging to Rania Da’na, 26, a mother of 5 children. They violently beat her and her nephew, 15-year-old Yazid Kayed Da’na. It is worth noting that the child lost his right eye during a similar attack by Israeli settlers 2 years ago.
Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip:
Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings of the Gaza Strip for more than one year and a half. The total siege imposed by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip has left disastrous impacts on the humanitarian situation and has violated the economic and social rights of the nearly 1.5 million Palestinian civilian population, particularly the rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. It has also paralyzed most economic sectors.
Furthermore, severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the Palestinian civilian population. The siege imposed on the Gaza Strip has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various economic sectors. Israeli forces have continued to prevent the entry of raw materials into the Gaza Strip, and subsequently many factories have stopped their industrial activities.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations against the Palestinian people this week, the PCHR made a number of recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the European Union 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 called upon the EU states to prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The PCHR also called on the international community to recognize the Gaza disengagement plan, which was implemented last year, for what it is – not an end to occupation but a compounding of the occupation and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
For the full report, click on the link below:
