In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 25 April- 01 May 2013, the Palestinian Cdenter for Human Rights (PCHR) found that Israeli forces extra-judicially executed a member of a Salafi-Jihadist group in the Gaza Strip.
In addition, Israeli forces have continued to open fire in the border areas in the Gaza Strip. 1 child was wounded in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli forces wounded 4 civilians, including 1 child, while offering protection to Israeli settlers as they carried out attacks.
Israeli forces have continued to use excessive force against peaceful protesters in the West Bank. 3 protesters were wounded during peaceful protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 63 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces abducted at least 32 Palestinians, including 7 children and 2 lecturers at al-Najah National University in Nablus.
Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank. 8 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were abducted at checkpoints.
Israeli forces have continued activities aimed at creating a Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem. On Monday, 29 April 2013, Israeli forces bulldozed two housing apartments in al-Tour village, in occupied East Jerusalem. According to data acquired by PCHR, at approximately 06:30, Israeli forces, including special forces units, accompanied by two bulldozers, officers of the Israeli Municipality in Jerusalem, and officers of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, moved into Khelat al-‘Ayn neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli forces cordoned off the neighbourhood, surrounded the houses of a Palestinian man and his sister, and banned other civilians and journalists from accessing the area. Israeli forces forced the families to evacuate their homes and then demolished the buildings. One of the demolished buildings was an apartment building of 160 square metres, occupied by 13 individuals, including an elderly woman who is suffering from cancer, and belonging to a Palestinian who also suffers from cancer. The second apartment building was 80 square metres, and occupied by 11 individuals, including 5 children.
On Tuesday, 30 April 2013, Israeli forces bulldozed an extensions to a house belonging to Tawfiq Mohammed Abu-Snaina (60), under the pretext that Abu-Snaina had not obtained a building permit prior to building the extension. The extension consisted of two unused storeys, the 60 square-metre roof of which was used as a balcony for Abu-Snaina’s house.
On 30 April 2013, Israeli forces wounded 4 Palestinian civilians, including 1 child, while offering protection to Israeli settlers as they carried out attacks in Nablus following the killing of a settler that morning at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus. 3 were wounded in ‘Ourif village, south of Nablus, while the fourth was wounded in Asira village, south of the city.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded 2 others in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded 7 civilians in the Gaza Strip.
In the Gaza Strip, on 30 April 2013, Israeli forces extra-judicially killed a Palestinian member of the Salafi-Jihadist movement when an attack was launched from an Israeli drone as he was on his motorbike in front of Bader military site, northwest of Gaza City. As a result, he died immediately. The deceased was a security officer at Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Israeli forces admitted carrying out the attack; representatives of the Israeli forces stated that they had executed a senior official in the Gaza Strip who had carried out many operations involving the launching of rockets, and who had been planning to launch rockets on Eilat from Egypt. It should be noted that this is the first extrajudicial killing following the cease-fire agreement that was reached on 21 November 2012, following the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.
On 28 April 2013, a Palestinian child was wounded when Israeli forces stationed along the border fence opened fire at a group of boys near al-Shuhada’ cemetery, east of Jabalia refugee camp, in the north of the Gaza Strip.
On 01 May 2013, a Palestinian fisherman sustained serious wounds when Israeli gunboats stationed off Rafah shore, in the south of the Gaza Strip, opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats that were sailing within the limit of 3 nautical miles.
Israeli forces continued their attacks on Palestinian fishermen. On 27 April 2013, Israeli gunboats stationed off the shore of the central Gaza Strip opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats that were sailing within 2 nautical miles of the shore, within the 2 nautical mile limit. On 27 and 28 April 2013, similar attacks occurred off the shore of Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
On 30 April and 01 May 2013, Israeli gunboats stationed off the shore of Deir al-Balah opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats at sea.
On 28 April, an Israeli warplane launched a missile at a plot of open land, north of Asdaa’ media centre, in the northwest of Khan Yunis. No casualties were reported.
On the same day, Israeli warplanes launched a missile at a military training site belonging to the National Resistance Brigades (the armed wing of the Democratic Front), northwest of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported.
Israel has continued to impose a total closure on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
Israeli forces closed the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel for 3 days.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces have continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
On Thursday, 25 April 2013, a military vehicle, accompanied by a vehicle of the Israeli Civil Administration, moved into Qwaiwees, in the southeast of Yatta, in the south of Hebron. The Civil Administration officer handed notices to a number of Palestinian civilians, ordering them to halt construction work that included the construction of two rooms and two tents.
On Monday, 29 April 2013, Israeli forces bulldozed a water well of 50 cubic metres and an agricultural shed of 10 square metres, belonging to a Palestinian farmer, on agricultural lands adjacent to al-Fawwar refugee camp, in the south of Hebron.
Also on Monday, Israeli forces placed two notices on the lands of two farmers in Khelat al-Nahla area, between Bethlehem and its southern countryside. The notices ordered that the 20-dunum land be evacuated and that all olive seedlings be uprooted. The notices gave the farmers a period of 45 days to challenge the orders in court.
Also on Monday, Israeli forces demolished an agricultural shed of 60 square metres, belonging to a 45-year old man from al-Neis valley village, in the southwest of Bethlehem. The room was used for storing farm tools.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
Israeli forces continued the systematic use of excessive force against peaceful protests organised by Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded. One was wounded during the Ni’lin weekly protest, west of Ramallah, while 2 others were wounded during the Kofur Qaddoum weekly protest, northeast of Qalqilia.
Palestinian civilians organised many peaceful protests in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails, especially those on hunger strike. Israeli forces used excessive force against the protestors; as a result, many civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation while others sustained bruises.
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 light of continued arbitrary measures, land confiscation and settlement activities in the West Bank, and the continued aggression against civilians in the Gaza Strip, especially the latest offensive that lasted for 8 days in November, PCHR calls upon the international community, especially the United Nations, the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention and the European Union – in the context of their natural obligation to respect and enforce the international law – to cooperate and to use all available means to allow the Palestinian people to enjoy their right to self-determination, through the establishment of the Palestinian State, which was recognized by the UN General Assembly with a vast majority, using all international legal mechanisms, including sanctions to end the occupation of the State of Palestine.
For the full text of the report, click on the link below:
