During the last week, from November 4th to 10th, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights documented numerous violations of human rights by Israeli forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which the center then published in its Weekly Report on Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Territories.During the reported period, Israeli forces continued to fire at Palestinian workers, farmers and fishermen in border areas in the Gaza Strip. Two Palestinian workers were wounded. Israeli forces continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank. An Israeli human rights defender was wounded.
In addition, Israeli forces waged a campaign of arrests in Jerusalem and its suburbs. Israeli warplanes attacked a number of civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces conducted 4 limited incursions into Palestinian communities in the central and northern Gaza Strip, during which they leveled areas of Palestinian land, which they had already razed.
On Thursday November 4th, at approximately 06:15, Israeli soldiers stationed on observation towers near Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the northern Gaza Strip fired at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting raw construction materials from the debris of Erez industrial zone. As a result, Karam Talal al-Adham, 19, from Beit Lahia town,was wounded by a bullet to the left leg.
On 06 November 2010, Israeli warplanes bombarded and destroyed a tunnel at the Egyptian border near Yibna refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah.
On 10 November 2010, Israeli warplanes fired at Gaza International Airport, southeast of Rafah, targeting a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting raw construction materials.
Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure 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.
The illegal closure has caused not only a humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights and human dignity for the population of the Gaza Strip. Measures declared recently to ease the blockade are vague, purely cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of the crisis, which can only be addressed by an immediate and complete lifting of the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out of the Gaza Strip and the ban on exports. PCHR is concerned that the new Israeli policy is simply shifting Gaza to another form of illegal blockade, one that may become internationally accepted and institutionalized. Palestinians in Gaza may no longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but they will remain economically dependent and unable to care for themselves, and socially, culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world.
Expanding the list of items allowed into Gaza does not change the illegality of this policy, which is inconsistent with Israel’s legal obligations both as an Occupying Power and under international human rights treaties to which it is party, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
Israeli forces conducted 34 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they abducted 18 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children. Israeli forces abducted Secretary of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
On 04 November 2010, dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by Israeli forces, stormed the area of Joseph Tomb in the east of Nablus. They bothered Palestinian civilians in the area. They left the area a few hours later.
On the same day, Israeli forces razed areas of Palestinian land to the northwest of ‘Elli’ settlement, which stands on lands of the villages of Qaryout, al-Lubban al-Sharqi and al-Sawia, south of Nablus, in order to expand the settlement.
During the reporting period, the Israeli district committee of organization and construction in Jerusalem declared a plan to construct 1,000 housing units in ‘Har Homa’ settlement, which stands on Abu Ghunaim Mount between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Another plan to construct 320 housing unit in ‘Ramot’ settlement neighborhood was also published.
In the same context, Israeli forces approved the construction of 800 housing units in ‘Ariel’ settlement, north of Salfit. The mayor of ‘Ariel’ settlement, Ron Nahman, revealed that 195 housing units are currently being built by a private contractor, 100 ones are being built for settlers evacuated from settlements in the Gaza Strip and factories are being built in the industrial zone.
On 09 November 2010, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem ordered 3 Palestinian civilians in Silwan village to the south of the old town of Jerusalem to demolish their houses in 10 days.
Israeli Annexation Wall:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall. As a result, an Israeli human rights defender was wounded, and dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation or sustained bruises.
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 and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, an Israeli human rights defender was hit by a tear gas canister. Dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders also suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.
Following the Friday Prayer on 05 November 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah. They moved towards the annexation wall. Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises as they were beaten by Israeli soldiers.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 05 November 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest against the construction of the Annexation Wall. They clashed with Israeli troops positioned near the Wall. Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 05 November 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, in protest against land confiscations in the Wad al-Raya area between the villages of Nabi Saleh and Deir Nizam. When the demonstrators attempted to reach areas of land seized by Israeli settlers near ‘Halmish’ settlement, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, Ellison Ramir, 23, an Israeli human rights defender, was hit by a tear gas canister to the left foot. Several demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises, including Bilal ‘Abdul Salam Tamimi, 44, a photographer of the Israeli group B’Tselem.
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 international community pressure Israel to lift the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its occupation forces on access for international organizations to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The PCHR reiterates that any political settlement not based on international human rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful and just solution of the Palestinian question. Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and instability in the region. Any peace process or agreement must be based on respect for international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law.
For the full text of the report, click on the link below:
