The Palestinian Center for Human Rights issued its weekly report on the Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, revealing that Israeli soldiers conducted 81 invasions into the West Bank, and one into the Gaza Strip. Several injuries and arrests were reported in the Israeli attacks.Soldiers carried out 81 invasions into Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, and kidnapped 15 Palestinian civilians, including four children and one woman.
Soldiers continued the use of excessive force against nonviolent protests against Israel’s illegal Annexation Wall and Settlements, in the West Bank leading to one injury while dozens of civilians suffered from the effects of teargas inhalation.
The army also detained six nonviolent protestors, including two photojournalists, and two Israeli peace activists.
Israel also continued its illegal settlement activities in the West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem, in direct violation of International law. Settlers also continued their attacks against the Palestinians and their property.
The PCHR stated that on April, 23, 2012, soldiers invaded Wad Qabboun area, in Halhoul town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and destroyed two water storage tanks that are used for agricultural purposes.
The army claimed that the storage tanks were installed in Area “C” that falls under full Israeli control under the Oslo peace agreements.
Also on April 23, soldiers invaded Qalandia town, north of occupied East Jerusalem, and uprooted a Dunam of agricultural land. The lands are part of 400 Dunams of Palestinian lands that Israeli illegally snatched from the Palestinians in order to build the Annexation Wall in that area.
On the same day, Israeli settlers of the Yitzhar illegal settlement, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, attacked the ‘Orif Secondary School, in Orif village; local youths hurled stones at the invading settlers and the army fired gas bombs at them leading to several injuries. No injuries were reported among the soldiers and the settlers.
On April, 24, the army invaded Um Rukba area in Al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, and uprooted 150 square meters of barnyard under the pretext that it was established without a construction permit.
On the same day, dozens of Israeli settlers, and several Israeli soldiers, broke into the eastern part of Nablus, and headed to the Joseph Tomb in Balata village.
Furthermore, soldiers kidnapped three Palestinians at various roadblocks in the occupied West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition at Palestinian workers collecting scrap metal forcing them out of the area; no injuries were reported.
On April 24, Israeli Navy troops assaulted several Palestinian fishermen in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and kidnapped two, including a child. The soldiers went on to confiscate their boat.
Soldiers carried out a limited invasion into northern Gaza, while military bulldozers leveled Palestinian lands that were razed in a previous invasion.
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”, PCHR reported. “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”.
Full PCHR Report In English
