In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 21– 27 April 2016, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that Israeli forces continued to use excessive force in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. A Palestinian woman and her brother were killed at Qalandia military checkpoints, north of occupied Jerusalem. Four Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a photojournalist, were wounded in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 56 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 6 in occupied East Jerusalem and its suburbs.
Also during the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian woman and her brother at Qalandia checkpoint, north of occupied Jerusalem, and wounded 3 others in the West Bank, including a child and photojournalist.
In the West Bank,in a new crime of using lethal force, on 27 April 2016, Israeli forces stationed at Qalandia military checkpoint, north of occupied Jerusalem, opened fire at killed Maram Saleh Abu Ismail (23) and her brother Ibrahim (16). The 2 siblings were left bleeding to death at the checkpoint, as Israeli soldiers denied the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s (PRCS) crews access to the scene. Israeli forces claimed that the siblings attempted to carry out a stabbing against two Israeli soldiers after the former took the vehicles’ track, which is mainly used to check the drivers’ IDs, although they were warned. Eyewitnesses said that the warning took few seconds only and the 2 siblings seemed to be ignorant about the track they should have taken. It should be noted that Maram and Ibrahim are from Qatannah village, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, but Maram was married and had 2 girls and used to live in Beit Soreek village.
In the context of using force against peaceful protests, 3 civilians, including a child and a photojournalist, were wounded. The child sustained a bullet wound to the left hand during a peaceful protest in QuforQaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilya on 22 April 2016. Moreover, a 20-year-old male sustained a bullet wound to the right hand during a protest in the same village on 23 April 2016.
On 26 April 2016,Sa’ed al-Hawari, Reuters’ cameraman, was hit with a tear gas canister to the chest while covering a protest organized against the arrest of Omer Nazzal, member of the General Secretariat of the Journalists Union, on front of Ofer Prison, southwest of Ramallah.
Israeli forces conducted 56incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 44 civilians, including 5 children and awoman, were abducted. 34 of them, including 3 children and a woman, were abducted in occupied Jerusalem. 600-gram jewellery, NIS 1,500 and JD 150 were confiscated from a house in Beit Ommer village.
Dozens of temporary checkpoints were established in the West Bank and others were re-established to obstruct the movement of Palestinian civilians. 3 Palestinian civilians, including photojournalist Omer Nazzal, were abducted at military checkpoints in the West Bank.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip,concerning force employed against Palestinian civilians participating in protests against Israeli forces in the vicinity of the annexation wall between the Gaza Strip and Israel, a child sustained bullet shrapnel wounds to the legs on 22 April 2016. The child was then transported to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to receive the necessary medical treatment. His wounds were minor.
As part of Israeli attacks on fishermen in the Gaza Strip Sea, on 24 April 2016, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing offal-Waha shore, northwest of Beit Lahia village, north of the Gaza Strip. A gunboat approached a fishing boat sailing within 3 nautical miles and manned by Uranus al-Sultan (19) and Ibrahim al-Sultan (23), both from al-Salateen neighbourhood in Beit Lahia village. Israeli officers abducted both of them and took them to an unknown destination.
In the Gaza Strip, on 27 April 2016, Israeli forces moved about 100 meters to the west of the border fence, east of al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip. They levelled lands and withdrew later.
On 21 April 2016, Israeli forces stationed at the border fence, east of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip, abducted Azmi al-Massri (26) after he sneaked through the border fence. He was been in detention since then.
Israeli settlement activities:
Settlement activities continued in the West Bank. Settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and threw stones at a bus in the east of Qalqilya, due to which one of the bus’ windows was smashed.
In the context of house demolitions, on 22April 2016, Israeli municipal crews moved into Silwan village, south of East Jerusalem. They distributed demolition notices to a number of residential and commercial facilities.
Regarding settler attacks in al-Aqsa Mosque, on 24 April 2016, in coincidence with the Jewish Passover holiday, 115 settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque via al-Maghariba Gate under the protection of Israeli special forces.
The settlers’ raids recurred during the Passover holiday, as 532 settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque in 3 days via al-Maghariba Gate, whose keys were seized by the Israeli authorities since the occupation of Jerusalem.
At approximately 20:00 on Saturday, 23 April 2016, a group of settlers from “Emanuel” settlement, east of Qalqilya, gathered on a hill overlooking the main street adjacent to the settlement. They threw stones at Palestinian vehicles, as a result, a bus was hit with the stones.
On 26 April 2016, a group of settlers from settlements established in the east of Yatta, south of Hebron, raided al-Baraka archaeological site, west of the city. They performed their rituals there and swam in the archaeological pool to celebrate their Passover holiday.
Israeli forces continued their efforts to create Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem. The Israeli municipality issued dozens of demolition notices for houses in Silwan village.
An eyewitness said to a PCHR fieldworker that municipality crews backed by Israeli soldiers took photos of facilities in the neighbourhoods of Wadi Hilweh, Bir Ayoub, Einal-Lozeh, al-Bustan and Abbasiyeh. They hung demolition notices on several establishments and handed owners of several properties documents “warning before submitting indictments against them for not obeying a court’s decision.”
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
Israeli forces have 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.
Following the Friday prayer, on 22 April 2016, dozens of Palestinian civilians organized protests against the Israeli policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories at the western entrance to Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah, in the vicinity of “Ofer” prison,southwest of the city, and at the southern entrance to al-Jalazonerefugee camp, north of the city. Israeli forces used force to disperse the protestors by firing live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs. As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises as Israeli soldiers beat them up.
At approximately 12:50, on Friday, 22 April 2016,Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organized a protest in the center of KuforQaddoum village, northeast of Qalqiliya, and then made their way to the eastern entrance to the village in protest against closing that entrance since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada with an iron gate. When the protesters approached the entrance, Israeli forces fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation, while another child (15) was hit with a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left hand.
Following the Friday prayer, dozens of Palestinians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organised protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities in Bil’in and Nil’in villages, west of Ramallah and al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of city. Israeli forces used force to disperse the protesters by firing live bullets, metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs and chased the protesters into the olive fields and between houses. As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises as Israeli soldiers beat them up.
At approximately 18:00, on Saturday, 23 April 2015, Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organized a protest in the center of KuforQaddoum village, northeast of Qalqiliya, and then made their way to the eastern entrance of the village in protest against closing that entrance since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada with an iron gate. When the protesters approached the entrance, Israeli forces fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation, while one 20-year-old young man was hit with a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right hand.
At approximately 14:30, on Friday, 22 April 2016, Israeli forces stationed at Beit Hanoun “Erez” crossing, northwest of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip, fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at dozens of Palestinian civilians, who were on the road between the Palestinian and Israeli sides of the crossing. The protesters threw stones at the soldiers in protest at the Israeli violations against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The clashes continued until 20:30. As a result, 2 civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and were treated in the spot.
At approximately 15:00, on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians headed to the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of al-Shuja’iya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City. The protesters threw stones at Israeli soldiers stationed along the fence. Israeli soldiers stationed behind the sand barriers opened fire at the protesters in response. As a result, Ahmed FayizSarhan al-Jedi (16), from al-Shuja’iya neighbourhood, sustained shrapnel wounds to the legs and was then taken to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to receive medical treatment. Medical sources there classified his wounds as minor.
At approximately 12:50, on Friday, 22 April 2016,Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organized a protest in the center of KuforQaddoum village, northeast of Qalqiliya, and then made their way to the eastern entrance to the village in protest against closing that entrance since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada with an iron gate. When the protesters approached the entrance, Israeli forces fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation, while another child (15) was hit with a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left hand.
Following the Friday prayer, dozens of Palestinians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organised protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities in Bil’in and Nil’in villages, west of Ramallah and al-Nabi Saleh village, northwest of city. Israeli forces used force to disperse the protesters by firing live bullets, metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs and chased the protesters into the olive fields and between houses. As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises as Israeli soldiers beat them up.
At approximately 18:00, on Saturday, 23 April 2015, Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organized a protest in the center of KuforQaddoum village, northeast of Qalqiliya, and then made their way to the eastern entrance of the village in protest against closing that entrance since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada with an iron gate. When the protesters approached the entrance, Israeli forces fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation, while one 20-year-old young man was hit with a rubber-coated metal bullet to the 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 the international community act in order to stop all Israeli settlement expansion activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through imposing sanctions on Israeli settlements and criminalizing trading with them;
In addition, PCHR calls upon the UN General Assembly to transfer the Goldstone Report to the UN Security Council in order to refer it to the International Criminal Court in accordance with Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute.
For the full text of the report, click here.
