In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 06 – 12 October 2016, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that Israeli forces continued systematic crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories. 2 Palestinian civilians were killed in occupied Jerusalem. 6 civilians were wounded in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
Israeli forces have continued to commit crimes, inflicting civilian casualties. They have also continued to use excessive force against Palestinian civilians participating in peaceful protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the majority of whom were youngsters. During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinian civilians in Jerusalem and wounded 6 others in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
In the West Bank, on Sunday, 09 October 2016, Israeli forces opened fire at Mesbah Abu Sbeih (39) from Silwan after carrying out a shooting attack near “the Israeli Police Headquarter” in al-Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, north of East Jerusalem’s Old City.
Israeli forces killed on 11 October 2016, ‘Ali Shyoukhi (20) and wounded another one with a metal bullet in his eye when they moved into ‘Ein al-Lozeh neighbourhood in Silwan village. Young men then gathered to throw stones and Israeli forces fired live bullets and rubber-coated metal bullets. As a result, Shyoukhi was wounded with a bullet to the pelvis and left bleeding for more than an hour and a half as Israeli forces denied PRCS ambulances access.
On 07 October 2016, three Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli forces moved into al-Far’eah refugee camp, south of Tubas.
House Demolitions on Grounds of Collective Punishment:
On 11 October 2016, Israeli forces accompanied with military vehicles moved into Nablus, and stationed in the al-Shamaly Mount. They surrounded ‘Alawi building on al-Manjarah Street near Khadijah Mosque. An Israeli officer asked Salah ‘Alawi (56) to call the residents of the 8-storey building that sheltered 48 persons, including 25 children, and locked all of them in one room in the fourth floor. Ten minutes later, the Israeli officer called Salah and took him with other soldiers to an apartment belonging to his brother Amjad, who is still under the Israeli custody. While they were in the apartment, an Israeli officer showed Salah a paper written in Hebrew and read it for him. The paper was an administrative demolition notice issued by the Israeli High Court on 27 September 2016, to demolish Amjad’s house. It should be noted that Amjad was accused of established an ‘Izz al-Deen al-Qassam cell that is responsible for carrying out the “Itamar” settlement attack on 01 October 2016. Israeli forces also damaged the internal walls of Amjad’s 270-square-meter apartment inhabited by his wife and 7 children. The demolition continued till 04:25 and resulted in destroying all of the apartment internal walls.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, on 07 October 2016, a Palestinian civilian was wounded to the right leg when Israeli forces stationed along the border fence , east of al-Shuja’iyah, east of Gaza City, opened fire at dozens of young men who headed to Nahal ‘Oz area, east of al-Shuja’iyah, to participate in activities in solidarity with Jerusalem.
On the same day, a Palestinian civilian was wounded with a bullet to the left leg when Israeli forces stationed along the border fence, east of al-Bureij, opened fire and fired tear gas canisters at dozens of young men, who headed to the area, in solidarity with Jerusalem.
A Part of targeting Palestinian fishermen in the Sea, on 07 October 2016, Israeli forces stationed offshore abducted two Palestinian fishermen sailing within 5 nautical miles off Gaza shore. They took the fishermen to Ashdod Seaport, where they were questioned. One of them was released while the other is so far under arrest. Their boat was confiscated.
On 11 October, Israeli gunboats off al-Soudaniyah shore, west of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing within 3 nautical miles. The shooting recurred on 12 October 2016 as well. However, neither casualties nor damages to the boat were reported.
In the context of targeting the border areas, on 06 October 2016, Israeli forces fired artillery shells at a military site belonging to Hamas, east of al-Maghazi in the Central Gaza Strip. However, no casualties were reported.
On 09 October 2016, Israeli forces stationed along the border fence opened fire at farmers and their lands, east of al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
On 10 October 2016, Israeli forces stationed along the border fence opened fire at shepherds, east of al-Bureij in the central Gaza Strip. However, no casualties were reported, but farmers and shepherds were forced to flee for fear of being killed.
Israeli settlement activities:
During this week, Israeli forces raided many times an orphan school in Jerusalem’s old City and chased students under the pretext of throwing bottles and stones at the Israeli soldiers at the entrance to al-Aqsa Mosque. They abducted 4 students when they were on their way out from school. Moreover, they threatened the School Administration and their teachers and students of raiding the school another time.
In the context of settlers’ attacks, on Tuesday, 11 October 2016, dozens of settlers raided al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City under the protection of the Israeli Forces celebrating Yom Kippur.
On 09 October 2016, Israeli forces backed up with four bulldozers and 12 military jeeps accompanied with officers from the Organization and Construction Department in the Civil Administration, moved into Kherbet al-Ras al-Ahmar, east of Tubas. Israeli forces demolished 43 facilities belonging to 9 families of 46 members, including 26 children.
On 10 October 2016, Israeli forces demolished a 16-square-meter room in al-Deirat village, east of Yata, south of Hebron. This room used as a store for hand tools was built of bricks and tin plates and belongs to Mousa Mohammed Ibrahim al-‘Adrah. They also levelled a 1-dunum land belonging to Mohammed Mahmoud al-‘Adrah.
In the same context, Israeli settlers carried out several attacks against Palestinian olive pickers. On 07 October 2016, a group of Israeli settlers attacked a number of Palestinian farmers from Yasouf village, east of Salfit while picking olives in al-Mahawer area, east of the aforementioned village.
On 10 October 2016, a settler from “‘Eli Settlement” established on
Palestinian lands of Qaryout village, east Nablus, attack the family of Saher Mousa (63) while picking olives from their land near the aforementioned settlement.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
Israeli forces engaged in excessive force against peaceful demonstrations protesting settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall
Following the Friday prayer, 07 October 2016, Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organized protests in Bil’in and Ni’lin villages, west of Ramallah; al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of the city and Kufor Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqiliya. Israeli forces forcibly dispersed the protests, firing live and rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs. They also chased the protesters into olive fields and houses. As a result, some of the protesters suffered tear gas inhalation while others sustained bruises as Israeli soldiers beat them up. Eyewitnesses said to PCHR’s fieldworker, at approximately 16:00, during the demonstration in Bil’in village, Israeli forces attacked Mohamed al-Khatib (45), while he was attempting to access his agricultural field that was declared as a closed military zone by Israeli forces. They also confiscated his vehicle.
At approximately 14:00 on Friday, 07 October 2016, Israeli forces stationed at the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of al-Shuja’iya, east of Gaza City, fired live bullets and rubber-coated metal bullets at Palestinian young men, while they were on their way to Nahal ‘Oz area, east of al-Shuja’iya participating in activities held in solidarity with Jerusalem. The activities continued until 18:00. As a result, ‘Abed al-Salam Na’iem Abed al-Rahman al-‘Ejlah (25), was hit with a live bullet to the right leg that resulted in cutting his tendons. Abed al-Salam was taken by an ambulance to al-Shifa Hospital, where he underwent a surgery and medical sources classified his wound as moderate.
Around the same time, dozens of Palestinian young men headed to the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, south of al-Burij refugee camp, to Support Jerusalem. They threw stones at the Israeli soldiers, who fired live bullets and teargas canisters at them. As a result, Yousef Mohamed Ibrahim Abu Rahma (20) sustained a superficial bullet wounds to the left leg. He was then taken to al-Aqsa Hospital, where medical sources classified his wounds as moderate.
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 the United Nations confirm that holding war criminals in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a precondition to achieve stability and peace in the regions, and that peace cannot be built on the expense of human rights.
In addition, the PCHR called upon the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council to explicitly declare that the Israeli closure policy in Gaza and the annexation wall in the West Bank are illegal, and accordingly refer the two issues to the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel to compel it to remove them.
For the full text of the report, click on this link.
