PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR): Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Summary for December 16 – 22, 2021

Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued to commit crimes and multi-layered violations against Palestinian civilians and their properties, including raids into Palestinian cities that are characterized with excessive use of force, assault, abuse, and arrests against civilians. The Israeli occupation released new guidelines for its soldiers “loosening restrictions” on shooting against Palestinians who throw stones on IOF, according to Kan 11, despite the fact that IOF actual shooting policy reflects unjustifiably loose shooting standards against Palestinians. As per the new guidelines, the occupation allows its soldiers to shoot at Palestinians who throw rocks and Molotov cocktails even after they -Palestinians- stop their action and leave the area.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Strip is in its 15th year under closure, as Israel exercise the worst known collective punishment in human history, exacerbating the humanitarian hardships across the territory.

IOF shooting and violation of right to life and bodily integrity:

During the reporting period, IOF killed 2 Palestinians following the new loose shooting standards guidelines issued for Israeli soldiers. On 21 December 2021, IOF killed Abdulazizi Hikmat Mousa (22) after opening fire on him while inside his vehicle; killing him and setting his car on fire. Mousa’s body was burnt black. IOF alleged he attempted a runover attack near a checkpoint at the entrance of Yabad, southwestern Jenin.

On 22 December 2021, Mohammed Issa Abbas (26) died a short while after IOF shot him in the back, after attacking the vehicle he was in, which was parked at Amari refugee camp’s roundabout in al-Bireh. IOF claimed that the vehicle was involved in a shooting on “Psagot“ settlement, which is hundreds of meters from the crime scene.

IOF attacks rendered 12 Palestinians wounded, including 4 children and a journalist, in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem: 4 wounded, including 2 children, in IOF attacks on 2 peaceful protests in Kafr Qaddum; a photojournalist was wounded in Jerusalem; a child in Hebron, a Palestinian male in Bethlehem, and another near the Annexation Wall in Jenin. Two others, including 1 children, were wounded in IOF attack on Ramallah.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF opened fire 7 times on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip.

IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:

IOF carried out 128 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids of civilian houses and shootings, enticing fear civilians, and attacking many of them. During this week’s incursions, 72 Palestinians were arrested, including 13 children and a woman.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF arrested 2 Palestinians attempting to cross the border area in northern Gaza. IOF also conducted a limited incursion into eastern Khan Younis.

Demolitions:

PCHR documented 3 incidents:

Occupied East Jerusalem: a Palestinian forced to self-demolish his house in Jabel al-Mukaber; evacuation notice served against a house and plot of land in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Bethlehem: a house demolished in Nahalin.

Settler-attacks:

PCHR documented 12 settler-attacks:

Nablus: settlers rioted and threw rocks on vehicles at the intersections of Huwwara, Madama, and Yitzhar road. They also assaulted civilian houses and set fire to a barracks in Burqa; assaulted a house in Qaryut and its owner causing him fractures and bruises, they also smashed his car. Another car was attacked at Burqa intersection; a house was assaulted and two cars smashed in Burin. Caravans were installed in the evacuated “Homesh”

Qalqilya: riots and rocks thrown on road 55, which connects Nablus and Qalqilya, and near al-Funduq. Settlers also assaulted a house in Kafr Qaddum.

Occupied East Jerusalem: a civilian assaulted in al-Qeshla.

Hebron: a Palestinian woman assaulted causing her to lose consciousness, it was alleged she had a sharp tool on her.

Salfit: terror acts and attacks with rocks near Burqin.

Tulkarm: house assaulted in Ramin.

Collective punishment policy:

As part of the collective punishment policy adopted by the Israeli forces against the families of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against Israeli soldiers or/and settlers, IOF delivered demolition notices to the families of 3 Palestinian prisoners, including 2 siblings, against their homes in Jenin. IOF took measures of both houses in prelude to the demolition.

Israeli closure policy and restrictions on freedom of movement:

The Israeli occupation authorities continued its collective punishment measures against the Gaza Strip as the 15-year Israeli closure imposed on the territory deepened the population’s humanitarian and living crises, as unemployment has skyrocketed at 45%, i.e. 217,000 able workers are unemployed, 63% of whom are youth.

More than half of the Gaza Strip population suffer in poverty, as the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics data shows that 53% of the Gaza Strip population is poor; meanwhile, more than 62.2% is classified as food insecure, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Additionally, IOF continued to divide the West Bank into separate cantons with key roads blocked by the Israeli occupation since the 2000 Second Intifada -still closed to this date- and with temporary and permanent checkpoints, where civilian movement is restricted, and they are subject to arrest, especially at al-Karama border crossing, alongside the Palestinian-Jordanian border.

I. Shooting and other Violations of the Right to Life and Bodily Integrity

Ibrahim Salem, the son of the house’s owner, Fatmah Salem, said that tens of civilians gathered in their house in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in solidarity with them against the decision issued against them to evacuate the house in favor of the settlement associations. Salem added that the family members and those in solidarity performed Zuhr prayer in the house yard, and after they finished, they were surprised with many Israeli soldiers surrounding the house ordering them to leave. Salem added that one of the officers threatened him to evacuate the house yard, but he refused and showed him the family papers pricing their property of the land. However, the Israeli officer refused to see them and told him to go the court to settle the alleged conflict over the land property. Salem said that IOF attacked him, his family members, and the persons in solidarity by pushing and beating them.


They then fired sound bombs heavily in the house yard, enticing fear among children. Salem added that IOF raided the house many times within 3 hours, attacking those in the yard and firing sound bombs at them. As a result, Mahmoud ‘Alian, a photojournalist at Associated Press, was hit with sound bomb shrapnel under his left eye after IOF beat him and smashed his glasses. Salem said that IOF suppression of the activists with the family recurred at around 15:30 after they prevented the participants in the weekly protest against settlement at the entrance to Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood from reaching his house. They suppressed the participants in the protest and fired sound bombs at them. They arrested Mohammed Hasan al-Kiswani (17) and Mohammed Ghatit (23).

As a result, a fire broke out in the Palestinian vehicle while the driver was inside. Meanwhile, IOF did not allow the Civil Defense crews and Palestinian ambulances to reach the vehicle on fire. Israeli crews arrived, extinguished the fire, and took him out of the car; he was a dead charred body that you cannot identify. The driver killed was later identified as ‘Abdel ‘Aziz Hikmat Mousa (22), from Marka village adjacent to the checkpoint, southwest of Jenin.

IOF said that they “failed an attempted car-ramming attack”, claiming that a Palestinian sped up towards several soldiers near a military site near Mevo Dotan settlement near Jenin, while “the soldiers opened fire at the car and neutralized the terrorist.” The Israeli radio said that a Palestinian drove towards an SUV and the Israeli soldiers inside opened fire at him. As a result, he was killed and fire burst in the car. No casualties were reported among the soldiers.

PCHR continues to investigate the incident circumstances and fears that IOF shooting that killed the driver and burnt him to death reflects the unjustified lenient shooting standards against the Palestinians. According to the initial information and considering the highly fortified watchtower and military SUV, IOF could have used less lethal force to control the car and the driver. Moreover, preventing the crews from extinguishing the fire in the car and so preventing taking out the driver and letting him burn to death constitute a violation of the international humanitarian law rules.

According to information obtained by PCHR’s fieldworker and a footage documenting the incident, at approximately 21:50 on Wednesday, 22 December 2021, 3 persons were traveling a white Mazda car and stopped next to al-Am’ari refugee camp intersection, south of Ramallah. Four minutes later, an IOF fortified SUV arrived and stopped around 50 meters away from the car. One of the soldiers stepped out of the SUV and fired 4-5 bullets at the car back. He returned to the SUV and fled away from the scene. The car’s driver opened the door for a moment and then closed it, speeding away to the Ramallah Governmental Hospital as the person sitting in the backseat was later found wounded with a bullet in his back. He was admitted to the operating room, where doctors tried to save his life until he was pronounced dead. He was later identified as Mohammed ‘Issa ‘Abbas (26).

II. Incursions and arrests

Thursday, 16 December 2021:

Friday, 17 December 2021:

Sunday, 19 December 2021:

Eyewitnesses said that IOF and Israeli Intelligence Services stormed the Ambassador Hotel before holding the business dinner which dozens of businessmen supposed to attend. IOF video taped the hotel hall and the attendees, then they hung a decision signed by the Israeli Minister of Internal Security, Omer Bar-Lev, to prevent holding this meeting in this hotel or any other place, under the pretext that its sponsored by the PNA. This decision came without issuing any written permission by the Israeli authorities according to the Activities Restriction Act of 1994, and before handing 2 summonses to the chef executives of Bank of Jerusalem, Salah al-Hedmi and Fayeq Habash, to refer to the Israeli Intelligence Services.

Monday, 20 December 2021:

Tuesday, 21 December 2021:

Wednesday, 22 December 2021:

III. Settlement Expansion and settler violence in the occupied West Bank

a. Land razing, demolitions, and notices

Mahmoud Salhiyia said that within 4 months, he received two notices to evacuate his house and his sister and mother’s house. He clarified that the last notice gave him until 25 January 2022 to evacuate. Salhiyia added that the Israeli Municipality issued a notice to confiscate their 6 dunums land 2 years ago, under the pretext of being a public utility and preluding to establish a school on it. He pointed out that his father had bought the land in 1967, and during those years, his family had built two houses on this land. He, his wife and their 5 children live in one of those houses, while his mother and his sister along with her 4 children live in the other. Salhiyia said that the Israeli Municipality attempted to seize their land, and during the past months, the municipality tried to negotiate with him and extend the eviction period for 8 months in exchange for signing papers, under which he becomes a tenant of the two houses established on the land, but he refused and stressed that he will continue to challenge the municipality decision, despite the high losses inflicted on him.


Also, he said that throughout the 2 years ago, he paid fines for the municipality estimated at more than 600,000 NIS, as well as lawyers’ fees and other fees for the courts. It should be noted that over 40 families living in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood are under the threat of eviction in favor of settlement associations and Municipality projects seeking for create Jewish Majority and displacing the families of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Najajrah said that IOF told him that he will return to demolish more houses in the village, and there are more than 120 houses and facility will be demolished according to the Israeli authorities’ structural scheme. He also said that during the past two weeks, the Israeli construction vehicles demolished 4 agricultural rooms and greenhouses and attempted to demolish more facilities, but the villagers confronted them. It should be noted that IOF confiscated more than 97% of Nahalin village lands, as its area decreased since 1948, from 23,000 dunums to 7,000, of those there is 1,000 dunums taken for the structural scheme and cannot be surpassed in construction; while 3,000 other dunums remain under the threat of confiscation.

b. Setters’ Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and their Property

Wael Mohammed Ahmed Moqbel said to PCHR’s fieldwork that;

“at approximately 03:30 on Friday, while my wife Samiha and I were sleeping in our house located in southern Qaryut village, near the village’s council, southeast of Nablus, my wife woke me up and told me that there is someone knocking on our house door. I immediately headed towards the door and found that its small widow is broken. I looked out of the window and found two persons standing behind the door; one in military clothes and the other wearing a white sweater. The officer was beating the other person and saying, “we are Israeli occupation forces, open the door.” At first glance, I thought that a person wearing white sweater is my son, so I opened the door. Afterwards, the officer pulled me out from my neck, and the person accompanied by was a settler. A number of settlers entered the house and damaged its contents, while other settlers severely beat me until I fainted. I did not wake up until the arrival of the villages, am ambulance and some paramedics. They then took me via the ambulance to Rafidia Hospital and my wife accompanied me. I was admitted to emergency department and I underwent to x-ray, which showed that I sustained fractures in my ribs in the left side of the chest and in the left side of my jaw, as well as swelling in the right eye and bruises over all my body. After that, I was admitted to the orthopedic department to complete the treatment. Later, I knew that the settlers broke my vehicle’s windows and punctured its tires with sharp tools. They also punctured the tires of two tractors and damage the front of one of them. Additionally, they damaged my house contents and pepper-sprayed my wife face. My wife entered our room and closed the door fearing for the settlers.”

Mohammed said to PCHR’s fieldworker that;

“at approximately 13:00 on Friday, my friend Hazem Hasan Mohammed Bahlas (38) and I headed to Bizzariya via my vehicle. When we arrived at the western entrance to Burqa village, we found Israeli settlers, under IOF’s protection, attacked Palestinians’ vehicles passing on the street. I immediately attempted to return back to the village, noting that we were 100 meters away from them, but unfortunately the settlers managed to catch us up and broke my vehicle’s windshield as well as the window in the left side. Also, the vehicle’s structure sustained damage.”

Mofleh said to PCHR’s fieldworker that;

“while I was sleeping, my daughter crawled to my room and woke me up. She was afraid. I went to see what happened. I found her room’s window was broken and the glass scattering on her bed. I saw a group of settlers outside. They were throwing stones at our house, noting that my daughter was sleeping below the window. I topped the house roof to see what is happening. I saw 3 vehicles carrying settlers who ‘were smashing the windows, so I threw stones at them. They then fled.”

See the full report in English here.
See the full report in Arabic here.