According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights’ Weekly Report on Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian Territories, during the week of February 10 – 17, 2010, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a civilian who was killed in cold blood in Hebron. Israeli forces also wounded 5 Palestinians, including 4 children, 3 of whom are sisters.
The fifth wounded Palestinian is a member of the Palestinian resistance. Israeli forces fired bullets and projectiles from the ground, air and sea at civilians and civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
Israeli forces killed one civilian near Hebron, According to testimony provided to the PCHR by an attending medic, Israeli forces prevented medics from providing medical attention to the man. The medic told the PCHR, “ Fayez Faraj was on the ground and he was bleeding from different parts of his body. We found out later that he was wounded in the abdomen, pelvis, thigh and left hand. We intervened and tried to provide first medical aid. He was still alive. We tried to stop the bleeding in his right thigh. We carried him on a stretcher to the ambulance. The Israeli soldiers were surrounding the ambulance and pointing their guns at us. We asked them to make space because we wanted to transfer the wounded person to the hospital and told them that his condition was serious. They refused to allow us pass. We repeated our request and we warned of the consequences. We continued to provide first aid to the wounded person inside the ambulance. In the meanwhile, an Israeli officer came and told us that he was a military doctor. He got into the ambulance and we explained the conditions of the wounded person to him. He checked the wounded person and assessed his condition. He did not provide any help and left the ambulance. Before leaving, he told us that we were allowed to drive to the hospital immediately. We had already controlled approximately 6% of the external bleeding. As the ambulance moved only one meter, Israeli soldiers shouted at us. They stopped us, pointing their guns at us. They surrounded the ambulance and opened its door. They got inside while pointing their guns at us. They pulled the wounded person by force. They carried him on a stretcher to an armored personnel carrier. The carrier was not holding any medical signs. The wounded person waved his hand protesting against this action and trying to resist. A number of the soldiers even clashed with him with hands. They put him by force into the carrier and they drove away at approximately 16:40. We tried to follow the carrier, but the soldiers prevented us. At approximately 17:45, the PRCS emergency center received a phone call from the Israeli military liaison office requesting an ambulance to transfer the body of the victim. They required the ambulance to be driven to the northern entrance of Hebron”.
Israeli forces conducted 14 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they abducted 44 Palestinian civilians, including 21 children, in the West Bank. Israeli forces abducted 10 civilians in the Gaza Strip, 8 of whom were released.
Israeli troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West Bank abducted one Palestinian civilian. Israeli forces destroyed a stockyard in “Wadi al-Hussain” area in the southeast of Hebron. 6 agricultural wells and 5 rooms were demolished in Ethna village near Hebron.
On 12 February 2010, Israeli forces willfully killed a Palestinian civilian in Hebron. Israeli forces fired at him from a close range without any warning while he was walking normally on a branch road of al-Shallala Street in the Center of Hebron. Israeli forces prevented medical personnel who arrived at the scene from attending the victim. They pulled him by force into an armored personnel carried and left.
In this context, Israeli forces maltreated a number of members of the Jaradat family in Sa’irr village, northeast of Hebron.
During the reporting period, al-Jalazon refugee camp, north of Ramallh, witnessed the largest incursion, during which Israeli forces abducted 20 civilians, including 18 children.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, on 11 February 2010, Israeli forces killed a member of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, and wounded another one, when a warplane fired one missile at them, near ‘Obeid fuel station in al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City.
Also on 11 February 2010, Israeli troops stationed along the Gaza Strip border to the east of Juhor al-Dik village, east of Gaza City, wounded 3 sisters from the al-Tarabin family. They fired artillery shells at the village. One of the shells landed on the house of Isma’il Suleiman al-Tarabin, 42, and three of his daughters were wounded by shrapnel.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces conducted 2 limited incursions. On 11 February 2010, Israeli forces moved approximately 400 meters into the east of Juhor al-Dik village in the central Gaza Strip. They stationed in the vicinity of the waste garbage dumping site in the area. Lorries that transfer garbage to the site were not able to access the site for several hours.
Also on 11 February 2010, a special unit of Israeli forces moved approximately 250 meters into the al-Ghoul family’s land, north west of the evacuated ‘Dogit’ settlement to the northwest of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. They unit abducted 6 Palestinians who were collecting and breaking rubble from destroyed houses to sell it to brick factories.
On 13 February 2010, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation towers at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Jabalya town in the northern the Gaza Strip opened fire at a number of Palestinian farmers who were working on their farms located to the east of al-Karama Street (the eastern street). The farmers were forced to flee in fear for their lives and no casualties or damages were reported.
On 14 February 2010, a Palestinian minor was wounded in Gaza Valley village in the central Gaza Strip when he was fired at by Israeli soldiers who stepped out from a military jeep that was patrolling along the border opposite to the village. The wounded minor who is a student in the secondary school told a PCHR fieldworker that he was going on a picnic and as he became 300 meters to the west of the border, the soldiers fired at him.
On 14 February 2010, Israeli gunboats fired at two fishing boats that were sailing opposite to al-Waha Resort, northwest of Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip. Four Palestinian fishermen were on board of the fishing boats. Two gunboats surrounded the Palestinian fishing boats and forced them to sail towards Israel. Israeli forces confiscated the boats and held the fishermen. At approximately 19:00 on the same day, Israeli forces released two of the held fishermen through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the north of the Gaza Strip, while the other fishermen have remained in custody.
On 17 February 2010, Israeli troops stationed on observation towers at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the north of al-Seyafa area, northwest of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at a group of Palestinian workers who were collecting bricks and aggregate from destroyed buildings and roads. No casualties were reported.
Israeli forces have continued to impose a total siege and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
During the reporting period, the Israeli Supreme Court upheld a decision taken by the Israeli Central Court to evacuate and demolish three shops in Bab al-‘Amoud area in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli forces delivered evacuation and demolition notices to the owners of the affected shops. This decision is in line of the declared intent of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem to close Bab al-‘Amoud area and the market from Bab al-‘Amoud to the al-Buraq Wall for 2-4 years under the pretext of developing the infrastructure of the old town of Jerusalem. The application of this intent means paralyzing commercial and economic transactions in the old city. This decision is part of measures taken by Israeli forces in order to create a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR and testimony of Jamal, at approximately 12:00, on Wednesday February 11th, Israeli troops driving 5 vehicles headed by an officer from the Israeli ‘Civil Administration’, a ‘Settlements’ Security’ jeep and a bulldozer belonging to settlers living in the neighboring ‘Kiryat Arba’ settlement stormed the area. They immediately started destroying the stockyard, because settlers refused its existence adjacent to the said settlement according to the Israeli claim. The stockyard is established on a land officially owned by Abu Es’ifan family and its space amount to 150 square meters. Jamal said that he was granted the livestock and the stockyard from ICRC and he gave them to his family two years and a half ago. He indicated that he received a demolish notification from Israeli forces two years ago, as the officer of Israeli ‘Civil Administration’ in Beit ‘El told him that the demolition was upon the request of the settlers.
Israeli Annexation Wall
Israeli forces continued to systematically use excessive force to disperse demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall, settlement activities and attacks of Israeli settlers. Many demonstrators sustained bruises as they were beaten by Israeli forces, while others suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Israeli forces also harassed activists working against the construction of the Annexation Wall and international human rights defenders. Israeli forces abducted two solidarity activists and a cameraman: Janita, 32, an Israeli solidarity activist; Santa, 27, an Israeli solidarity activist; and ‘Arafa Jamal ‘Amira.
On 11 February 2010, Israeli forces destroyed 6 agricultural wells and 5 neighboring rooms near the Annexation Wall in Ethna village, northwest of Hebron. They also confiscated a number of power generators and water pumps. These wells and rooms which were destroyed under the pretext of being constructed near the Annexation Wall without licenses belong to the families of al-Tumaizi, al-Jeyyawi and al-‘Asoud.
On 17 February 2010, Israeli forces delivered two demolition notifications to two houses’ owners. The two houses are under construction and located in al-Khader village, south of Bethlehem. The two houses are built near the Annexation Wall which is parallel to the bypass street no. 60.
Israeli forces also imposed restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians on both sides of the Annexation Wall in the north of the West Bank. On Monday morning, 15 February 2010, Israeli forces stationed near the gate erected on the Annexation Wall, southeast of Qalqilia, prevented students from ‘Arab al-Ramadin from going to the schools in Habla village, south of Qalqilia.
Israeli forces also imposed restrictions on the movement at the gates of ‘Azzoun ‘Atma village which is isolated by the Wall, southeast of Qalqilia. The gates are the only exit for the residents of the village, especially after the eastern side of the village was closed with the establishment of “Sheri Tekva” settlement, while the western side of the village was closed after the establishment of “Oranit” settlement. The southern and northern sides of the village are closed by the Annexation Whale in which two electronic gates are erected to allow the movement of locals. By closing the two gates, the village became completely closed.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made a number of recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention convene a conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel’s respect of the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians.
The PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to comply with its legal obligations detailed in Article 146 of the Convention to search for and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war crimes.
For the full text of the report, click on the link below:
