PCHR Weekly Report: 7 Palestinians injured, 32 abducted by Israeli forces; 2 dead due to occupation

In its weekly summary of Israeli human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of November 20 - 26, 2008, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights has reported a number of human rights violations.  An elderly Palestinian man died of a heart attack when Israeli forces forced him from his home.  A patient in Gaza died after being denied exit from the Gaza Strip for medical treatment, because he refused to act as an informant for the Israeli military.

 

Premature babies in Gaza threatened by electricity cutoff

The PCHR reported that 7 Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli forces, and 32 Palestinians were abducted during 17 separate incursions.  Also this week, Israeli settlers wrote racist words on the body of a Palestinian ambulance.

Israeli attacks in the West Bank:

 

During the last week, 7 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank.

 

On 21 November 2008, 5 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were wounded when Israeli forces opened fire at dozens of civilians who organized a peaceful demonstration in protest of the attempts by Israeli settlers to re-establish their presence in the evacuated "Homesh" settlement, northwest of Nablus.

 

On 26 November 2008, a Palestinian child was seriously wounded during clashes between dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli forces at the entrance of Qalandya refugee camp, south of Ramallah.

 

During the reporting period, a Palestinian civilian was wounded when Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest of the construction of the Annexation Wall west of Ramallah.

 

During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 17 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces abducted 32 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children. Thus, the number of Palestinian civilians abducted by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the beginning of 2008 has mounted to 2,216.

 

Israeli forces also handed military orders to the owners of four houses in Hebron seizing the houses for 4 days for "military purposes." Israeli forces held the families on the first floor of each house and turned the roofs into military sites. According to eyewitnesses, the military orders restrict the movement of Palestinian civilians living in 50 houses located neat "Kiryat Arba" settlement, east of Hebron.

 

Israeli closure of Palestinian areas continued this week. There are approximately permanent 630 roadblocks, manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some 60-80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by Israeli forces every week.

 

At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by Israeli forces (47 out of 72 roads). There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit issued by the Israeli forces. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

 

Israeli Annexation Wall:

 

Israeli forces have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside West Bank territory. When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall has already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

 

Israeli forces continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall. During the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Wall.

 

Following the Friday Prayer on Friday, 21 November 2008, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders gathered in the center of Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah. They moved towards the area where Israeli forces were razing land to construct a section of the Wall in the village. Immediately, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, Safi Nemer Safi, 36, was wounded by 4 rubber-coated metal bullets to the back, the hand and the leg. Dozens of demonstrators also suffered from tear gas inhalation.

 

Also on Friday, 21 November 2008, scores of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders demonstrated in Bil’in village, west of Ramallah, in protest of the construction of the Wall. The demonstrators moved towards the Wall. Immediately, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators. Dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

 

In a third anti-Wall protest on Friday, 21 November 2008, Israeli forces attacked a peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders in Jayous village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest to the construction of the Wall. They fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators. A number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation. Israeli forces held Waleed 'Assaf, Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and Tayseer Khaled, Member of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization in a house in the village. They also detained 2 solidarity activists from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, but released them on the following morning. Additionally, Israeli forces imposed a curfew on the village for several hours.

 

Israeli settlement activities:

 

Israeli forces have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the West Bank in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

 

On 23 November 2008, hundreds of Israeli settlers from "Kiryat Arba" settlement, east of Hebron, accompanied by dozens of settlers from other settlements attacked Palestinian civilians and property between the aforementioned settlement and the Ibrahimi Mosque. According to eyewitnesses, the settlers used stones, empty bottles and iron bars.

 

On 24 November 2008, Israeli settlers who had already seized the al-Tajabi builing near "Kiryat Arba" settlement, east of Hebron, attacked 5 Palestinian civilian vehicles. They cut the tires and broke windows.

 

On 26 November 2008, a number of Israeli settlers attacked an ambulance of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Deir Istiya village, northwest of Salfir. They wrote provocative and racist words on the body of the ambulance.

 

On the same day, Israeli settlers who had already seized al-Rajabi building, accompanied by settlers from "Kiryat Arba" settlement, attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron.

 

Israeli expansion activities in Jerusalem:

 

Israeli forces have escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem to force them to leave the city – actions which resulted in the death of one elderly Palestinian.

 

On 21 November 2008, Israeli forces banned the organization of a student assembly in the Palestinian National Theater in Jerusalem under the auspices of a number of NGOs and in cooperation with a number of schools.

 

On 22 November 2008, Mohammed Kamel Mohammed al-Kurd, 62, died from a heart attack. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, on 9 November 2008, al-Kurd suffered from a heart attack when Israeli forces seized his house in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Israeli forces prevented ambulances from attending him. After Israeli forces had expelled the family out of the house, he was evacuated to French Hospital in Jerusalem. He received medical treatment, but in the end, medical efforts to save his life failed and he died on 22 November 2008.

 

On 24 November 2008, Israeli forces demolished a 130-square-meter, newly built house belonging Mohammed Mahoud Maz'aru in al-'Eizariya village, east of Jerusalem.

 

Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip:

 

 

This week, A Palestinian patient died when Israeli security forces attempted to practice extortion on him to cooperate with them to be able to received medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip. Thus, the number of Palestinian patients who died because Israeli forces did not allow them to receive medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip or due to the lack of medicines in the Gaza Strip has mounted to 47, including 16 women and 10 children.

Israeli forces have continued to impose a total siege and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world. The Gaza Strip is suffering from a serious humanitarian crisis due to the closure of border crossings. 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

This week, the Gaza Power plant completely stopped operation due to the lack of energy fuel. Over the past three weeks, Israeli forces have allowed only 1,721,610 liters of energy fuel into the Gaza Strip, an amount which can operate the power plant for only 5 days.

 

The majority of the civilian population lack access to drinking water. Electricity is cut off for 100,000s of civilians from 8-12 hours daily, which has impacted at least 500,000 students or various stages of education who are currently having exams. In addition, UNRWA was forced to suspend its humanitarian aid program for at least 750,000 Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip for 5 days this week.

 

At least 45 bakeries in the Gaza Strip (75%) have been closed due to the lack of electricity supplies and cooking gas, whereas the remaining 18 bakeries have been forced to work in a lower capacity.

 

The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for 3 days only to allow 2,100 Palestinian civilians, mostly patients and students, to travel abroad, and 780 others to travel back to the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the face of Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.

 

Israeli forces have imposed additional restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have decreased the number of patients allowed to travel through Erez crossing to receive medical treatment in hospitals in the West Bank and Israel to an average of 17 patients daily, which marks a decrease by 15% in comparison with the first quarter of 2008.

 

Health conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated and all medical facilities have been impacted as scores of medical sets are operated by electricity. At least 94 medicines have been lacking.

 

The lives of at least 30 newly born premature babies is endangered, as they need medical equipment operated by electricity.

 

Fuel supplies allowed into the Gaza Strip through the Nahal Ouz crossing have sharply dropped to amounts that could hardly satisfy the minimum needs of the population; the Gaza Strip has received only 19.6% of its daily needs of energy fuel required for the operation of the power plant; 4.1% of the daily needs of benzene; 2.9% of the daily needs of diesel; and 4.8% of the daily needs of cooking gas.

 

Recommendations to the international community:

 

Due to the number and severity of Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights this week, the PCHR made a number of recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure Israel's respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The PCHR stated their belief that the conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has encouraged Israel to act as if it is above the law and encourages Israel continue to violate international human rights and humanitarian law.

 

The PCHR called upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to convene a conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel's respect of the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian territories and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians.

 

For the text of the full report, click on the link below: