An investigation carried out by an Israeli human rights group and published by Haaretz Israeli newspaper revealed that there is constant cooperation between Israeli soldiers and settlers to control privately-owned Palestinian lands using official military orders.

The investigation indicated that there is an ongoing cooperation between the soldiers and the settlers in illegally annexing and controlling privately owned Palestinian lands as the army issues military orders annexing the lands and the settlers take over while the residents cannot even see the related documents.

In recent weeks, the settlers constructed two homes in an illegal outpost north of Beit El settlement. Several settlers are currently living in those homes and the so-called Civil Administration Office, which belongs to the Israeli Army, issued orders annexing the lands in question.

The Civil Administration Office admitted recently that it made a mistake after annexing a land, privately owned by a Palestinian elderly woman, identified as Mahbooba Yassin Abdullah. The army said that this land was not included in the military orders; the settlers forced the woman out of her land and installed their illegal outpost.

Abdullah is from Doura Al Qare’ village, near the central West Bank City of Ramallah. She inherited her land from her father, and in 2003 the Civil Administration Office annexed the land to use it as a landing zone for military choppers.

Her son, Abdul-Ghani, said that the family did not receive any official order informing them of annexing the land, and the bulldozers prepared a sand road while the army fenced the land.

Abdul-Ghani added that that the Israeli Authorities annexed nearly 300 Dunams owned by his family and additional 800 Dunams owned by other residents of his village.  

In 2006, the Yesh Din Israeli Human Rights group said that even if the land was annexed by a military order, any construction on it remains illegal.

 The group also said that after investigating the issue, it was revealed that the military order was not regarding this land but was regarding a land on a nearby hill on the northeastern side, while the annexed land was on the western side of the hill.

On August 14, the Israeli military prosecutor responded to an appeal filed by the lawyer of Yassin family and claimed that the annex order is legal, but after new documents were provided the prosecutor admitted on August 27 that he was mistaken.  

According to official documents at the Civil Administration Office, vast areas of the northern neighborhoods of Beit El settlement were built on privately owned Palestinian lands.

The Israeli Army acquitted soldiers who shot and critically wounded a 40-year-old mentally-ill Palestinian man, and issued a press statement claiming that the soldiers acted according to protocol.

Anwar Srour, 40, was shot by four rubber-coated metal bullets at short range. Medial sources in Ramallah reported that one of the bullets hit his eye.

The Israeli army said that soldiers invaded Ni’lin village, near Ramallah, in order to kidnap the brother of Awad who is active in the nonviolent struggle against the Israeli Annexation Wall.

The friends of Anwar said that he did not threaten the soldiers in any way. His neighbor, Abu Mohammad, said that Awad stood on the doorway of the house and shouted “leave my brother alone”.
The soldiers then fired rubber-coated bullets at him.

Abu Mohammad added that he rushed to the home of Awad but the soldiers shouted at him and kept saying “Army, Army, Go away, he remained at the doorstep and eventually the soldiers opened the door.

Once the door was opened, Abu Mohammad saw Awad nearly dead and sinking in his own blood. “The soldiers did not even try to help him”, Abu Mohammad stated.

Palestinian Legislator, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, said that the Israeli Defense Minister and the soldiers who are responsible for such atrocities should be tried in the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

Several Human Rights Groups in Israel urged the Israeli attorney general and the judge advocate to launch a probe into the incident.

The army claims that soldiers attempted to give Awad first aid but they claimed that the critically injured man “shut himself in one of the rooms of the house.”

The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories (B’Tselem) also reported that Srour, father of four , was severely injured when a soldier fired a cylinder containing three rubber-coated steel bullets at him from short range.

B'Tselem added that its initial investigation indicates that two bullets penetrated his skull and a third struck him in the chest.

B’Tselem also stated that since the Intifada started in late September 2000, 21 Palestinians were killed by “rubber-coated street bullets” while Israel claims that these bullets are not lethal.

Dozens of Palestinian, international and Israeli civilians were treated for gas inhalation as the Israeli army showered them with CS gas during the weekly nonviolent anti-wall protest in the village of Bil’in, west of Ramallah.

A group of 150 protestors marched after the Friday prayers in the village towards the Wall built on the villagers’ land. The Israeli army attacked the civilian protesters with batons, concussion grenades and CS gas causing the head injury of a young man and dozens to suffer from gas inhalation. Eyad Burnat head of the popular committee against the wall and settlements in Bil'in reported from the protest. In addition, troops sprayed protestors with colored chemical water. Burnat told IMEMC he believes the water contained chemicals and could cause skin problems.

The Israeli army dispersed the weekly nonviolent protest in Nil'in village with tear gas and sound bombs, causing many civilians to suffer from gas inhalation, local sources reported.

A group of internationals and peace activists marched nonviolently in a protest of solidarity with the people of Nil'in village. The protest was against the wall being built on the village lands that has led to the illegal closures and confiscation of land and property. The coordinator of the local committee against the wall and settlement construction, Salah Al Khawaja, told IMEMC that troops dispersed the protest by shooting sound bombs and tear gas at the protestors, causing dozens to suffer from gas inhalation.

An Israeli military force attacked on Thursday midday a non violent protest in Nil'in village southern the central West Bank city of Ramallah, injuring 9 civilians and causing dozens to suffer from gas inhalation, local sources reported.

A group of peace activists, internationals and Nil'in villagers marched a non violent protest against the apartheid wall being built on the village lands and against the closures, killings, and kidnappings.

The Israeli soldiers attacked the protest wounding 9 protesters with rubber-coated steel bullets, including a 9-year-old Ayub Srour. Srour was shot in the head and was immediately transferred to a local hospital.

Dozens reported suffering from gas inhalation due to the Israeli tear gas among them a dozens women and children.

Moreover, Eye witnesses reported that a number of military vehicles positioned in the center of the village and declared the area a closed military zone.

Troops fired a number of tear gas canisters at civilians. At least nine school children were treated for gas inhilation including a pregnant women and a 4 month baby, identified as the daughter of Salah Al khawaja coordinator of the Popular Commitee Agains the Wall and settlements in Ni'lin.