In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 02 – 08 Aug. 2012, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that the Israeli military killed one Palestinian fighter and wounded another in a missile strike in Gaza.In addition, Israeli forces used force to disperse peaceful protest organized by Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. 2 Palestinian civilians, including a journalist, were wounded in the Kafr Qaddoum demonstration, northeast of Jenin.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the last week, Israeli forces conducted 36 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. In those invasions, Israeli forces abducted 17 Palestinians, including 4 children. Israeli forces also abducted two children at a checkpoint in the old town of Hebron.
In one example of this week’s 36 incursions, on Sunday, 05 August 2012 at approximately 01:30, the Israeli forces moved into the Solwad village, northeast of Ramallah. They raided and searched 2 houses. Before withdrawing, they abducted 2 children – Alaa Abdul Karim al-Kharraj (16); and Ahmed Raji Ayad (17) – and transferred them to the Ofer’ military detention center.
In another example, also on Sunday August 5th, at approximately 02:00 am, the Israeli forces moved into Halhoul, north of Hebron. They patrolled in the streets for some time and raided the house of Mohammed Abdul Hadi al-Baw and delivered him a notice requiring him to appear before the Israeli intelligence. The Israeli forces withdrew later and no further incidents were reported.
Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank and hindered the movement of Palestinian civilians.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
During the reporting period, a Palestinian resistance fighter was killed and another was wounded when an Israeli forces aircraft targeted them in the south of the Gaza Strip. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 14:00 on Sunday, 05 August 2012, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a motorbike that was ridden by 2 Palestinian resistance members. They were close to Canada Well in Tal al-Sultan in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. As a result, Eid Nadi Eid Okal (20), from Rafah, was killed due to shrapnel wounds throughout his body and Ahmed Salem Sa’id Isma’il (22), from al-Toffah neighborhood in Gaza City, was wounded by shrapnel throughout his body. Isma’il’s health conditions are serious. He was transported to the Abu Yusef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, but due to his serious wounds, he was transferred to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. Medical sources in Nasser Hospital state that Isma’il sustained second degree burns and his left leg was amputated.
On Sunday 05 August 2012, the Israeli forces positioned at the border with Israel near Karm Abu Salem crossing in the south of Rafah fired shells at the vicinity of Gaza International Airport and the eastern outskirts of Rafah. Helicopters flying in the sky of the area also opened fire for approximately two hours. The local population panicked, but no casualties were reported.
Israel has continued to impose a total closure and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world. 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 recently declared 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. Palestinians in Gaza may no longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but they remain economically dependent and unable to care for themselves, and socially, culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world.
Israeli settlement activity:
Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
On Thursday morning, 02 August 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from the “Giv’at Ariel” settlement, north of Ramallah, tried to blow up a car belonging to a Palestinian. The car, belonging to Abdul Kareem Khalil, was parked in the yard of a house. The settlers put flammable materials under the vehicle, where they also put cigarettes with matches fixed at the end; as a result, when the cigarette is finished the matches start and blow up the vehicle. The cigarette was put out and nothing happened. The settlers wrote on the walls of the house Hebrew statements that mean “Get away from our land, pay the price.”
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
During the reporting period, the Israeli forces used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest of the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded, including a journalist, Ashraf Abu Shawish (42), who sustained wounds from a tear gas canister to his right leg. The other civilian sustained wounds from a tear gas canister to his right hand. Dozens of demonstrators also suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Following the Friday Prayer on 03 August 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in the Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest of the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. They moved towards areas of the annexation wall. They called through megaphones for Israeli settlers in the Mitityahu settlement to leave Palestinian land. 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.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 03 August 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in the Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest of the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The demonstrators moved towards areas of the annexation wall. Immediately, Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, some demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 03 August 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders gathered in the center of the Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to start the weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The protesters walked towards the gate erected by the Israeli forces near the entrance of the village and leading to Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby Halmish settlement are trying to seize. Israeli soldiers, who had been extensively deployed in the area and near all the entrances of the village since the morning, began to confront the protesters who wanted to walk towards the affected lands. Israeli soldiers fired live and rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the protesters. As a result, some demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.
At approximately 13:15, also on Friday, on 03 August 2012, Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in the Kufor Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest to the continued closure of the eastern entrance of the village by the Israeli forces. They moved towards the entrance. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. As a result, 2 Palestinian civilian were wounded, including journalist Ashraf Abu Shawish (42), who was hit by a tear gas canister in his right leg and another tear gas canister in his right hand.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that, in recognition of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The PCHR appreciates the efforts of international civil society, including human rights organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and urges them to continue their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel’s respect for human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to demand Israel end its attacks on Palestinian civilians.
For the full text of the report, click on the link below:
