Monday 24 November 2014

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (13- 19 November 2014)

Israeli forces destroyed al-Shaloudi house in Silwan village in Jerusalem
Thursday, 20 November 2014 00:00

FULL REPORT Here
Palestinian bus driver was strangled to death in West Jerusalem.

A Palestinian child from Rafah died of wounds he sustained during the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.
 
Israeli forces continued to open fire at border areas in the Gaza Strip
3 civilians, including a child, were wounded in the northern and central Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.
A volunteer photographer of B'Tselem was wounded in Bil'in weekly protest, west of Ramallah.
6 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were wounded in other protests.
13 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were wounded during Israeli incursions; 7 of whom were wounded in Jerusalem.
A civilian was wounded, north of Jerusalem, due to the explosion of a suspicious object of the Israeli forces' military remnant.
 
Israeli forces continued to destroy houses on the grounds as a form of collective punishment.
A house belonging to the family of al-Shaloudi family in Selwad was destroyed and 3 nearby houses sustained damage.
 
Israeli forces conducted 54 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
78 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children, were arrested
46 of these civilians, including 5 children and 2 women, were arrested in East Jerusalem.
2 civilians were arrested in the southern Gaza Strip while attempting to infiltrate  into Israel via the borders.
 
Israeli navy forces continued to target Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip Sea.
Israeli navy forces drowned a fishing boat and damaged 2 others, but no casualties were reported.

Israel continued to impose a total closure on the oPt and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank.
At least 6 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a woman, were arrested at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

Israeli forces continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
7.5 dunums in Deir Estya village, northwest of Slafit, were confiscated.
Israeli Settlers attacked Ourif School for boys, south of Nablus.
A Palestinian civilian was stabbed by settlers in West Jerusalem.


Summary
 
Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in theoPt continued during the reporting period (13 - 19 November2014).
 
During the reporting period, Israeli forces allowed settlers and extremist settler groups headed by Israeli ministers and members of the Knesset into the al-Aqsa Mosque's yards to perform Talmudic prayers. The Israeli government also threatens to divide the mosque like the division of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron since Baruch Goldstein committed a massacre on 25 February 1994, when 29 Palestinian worshipers were killed. PCHR confirms the legal status of East Jerusalem as an occupied city and stresses that such decisions and measures are part of the Israeli government's schemes to fully creating a Jewish demographic majority in the city.
 
Shooting:

During the reporting period, a Palestinian bus driver from Abu Dees village, southeast of occupied East Jerusalem, was strangled to death in the West Jerusalem. There are suspicions that extremist settlers committed this crime. Moreover, 21 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were wounded in the West Bank. In the Gaza Strip, 3 civilians, including a child, were wounded near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel. A Palestinian child from the Gaza Strip died of wounds he sustained during the latest Israeli offensive.
 
In the West Bank, on 17 November 2014, a 32-year-old bus driver from Abu Dees village, southeast of east Jerusalem, was found strangled to death in the industrial zone of "Givat Shaul" settlement in Deir Yassin village, west of the city. There are suspicions that a number of extremist settlers committed this crime, especially in view of the escalation of settlers' attacks against Palestinian civilians mainly in occupied Jerusalem. PCHR calls upon Israeli authorities to seriously and objectively investigate the crime and publish the results.
 
On 13 November 2014, 3 civilians, including a child, were wounded when Israeli forces moved into the new Askar refugee camp, northeast of Nablus.
 
On the same day, an 11-year-old male sustained a bullet wound to the right eye, due to which he lost vision and sustained fractures to the nose and skull. The boy was wounded during an Israeli incursion into al-Eisawiya village, north of East Jerusalem.
 
On 15 November 2014, a 21-year-old civilian from Qalandya refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, sustained wounds to the right arm, due to which his right arm was amputated from the shoulder. He was wounded due to the explosion of a suspicious object of the Israeli forces' military remnants.
 
On 18 November 2014, a 17-year-old civilian sustained 2 bullet wounds to the left shoulder and right side of the chest and a 21-year-old civilian was hit by a gas canister to the left leg when about 40 settlers from "Yitzhar" settlement attacked Ourif secondary school for boys under the protection of Israeli forces.
 
On the same day, 6 Palestinian civilians, including a paramedic, were wounded when Israeli forces raided houses belonging to the families of Ghassan and Ouday Abu Jamal in al-Mukkaber Mount village, southeast of East Jerusalem. Israeli soldiers attacked residents of the houses and fired sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets. They also searched the 2 houses and damaged their contents.
 
Also on the same day, a 19-year-old civilian from Beitin village, northeast of Ramallah, sustained a bullet wound to the lower jaw during an Israeli incursion into the village.
 
Israeli forces used excessive force against peaceful protests organised by Palestinian civilians, international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, a 38-year-old civilian working as a volunteer photographer at B'tselem was hit by a tear gas canister to the right thigh.
 
In the same context, 6 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were wounded during other protests against the Israeli forces' and settlers' attacks in al-Aqsa mosque.
 
In the Gaza Strip, on 14 November 2014, 2 Palestinian boys were wounded when Israeli forces stationed along the border fence, east of Jabalya, in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at a group of young men who were present in the area.
 
On 16 November 2014, a 15-year-old child from al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, sustained a bullet wound to the neck when Israeli forces stationed along the border fence opened fire at him, as he was attempting to sneak into Israel through the border. The boy was taken to Soroka Hospital in Israel. He has been still there for he sustained a serious wound.
 
On 18 November 2014, medical source at a Turkish Hospital pronounced a 15-year-old child dead of wounds he sustained on 21 July 2014 during the latest Israeli offensive.
 
As part of Israeli navy forces' attacks against Palestinian fishermen and fishing boats, on 15 November 2014, Israeli gunboats opened fire at a boat anchoring 1.5 nautical miles off Rafah fishermen harbour in the southern Gaza Strip. As a result, the boat sustained serious damage.
 
On 17 November 2014, Israeli gunboats opened fire at 2 fishing boats anchoring 1.5 nautical miles off Rafah fishermen harbour in the southern Gaza Strip. As a result, one of the boats was drowned and another one sustained serious damage.
 
Collective punishment measures and demolition of houses:

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued instructions for the Israeli security services to take a series of collective punishment measures against Palestinians, who run down and/or stab Israeli settlers and soldiers, by demolishing, destroying or closing their houses. Since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, Israeli forces had destroyed dozens of houses.  This policy was renewed following the killing of 3 settlers in a village in Hebron in June 2014.
 
During the reporting period, on 19 November 2014, Israeli forces moved into Selwan village, south of east Jerusalem to demolish a house belonging to the family of Abdul Rahman al-Shaloudi, who ran down Israeli settlers and was shot dead on 22 October 2014.

Incursions:
 
During the reporting period,Israeli forces conducted at least 54 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.During these incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 78 Palestinians, including 12 children.  46 of these civilians, including 5 children and 2 women, were arrested in East Jerusalem.
 
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces arrested 2 civilians aged 19 each from Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip while attempting to sneak into Israel in search for work via the border fence near al-Nahda neighbourhood in Rafah.
 
Restrictions on movement:
 
Israel continued to impose a tight closure of the oPt, imposing severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
 
The illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, which has been steadily tightened since June 2007 has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.  The Israeli authorities impose measures to undermine the freedom of trade, including the basic needs for the Gaza Strip population and the agricultural and industrial products to be exported. For 7 consecutive years, Israel has tightened the land and naval closure to isolate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and other countries around the world. This resulted in grave violations of the economic, social and cultural rights and a deterioration of living conditions for 1.8 million people.  The Israeli authorities have established Karm Abu Salem (KeremShaloum) as the sole crossing for imports and exports in order to exercise its control over the Gaza Strip’s economy.  They also aim at imposing a complete ban on the Gaza Strip’s exports. During the reporting period, Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian patient who obtained a permit to travel to the West Bank for medical treatment, while another civilian accompanying his father was arrested while the father was denied travel for medical treatment.
 
 
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

Efforts to create a Jewish demographic majority in occupied East Jerusalem
 
Shooting

At approximately 07:00 on Sunday, 13 November, dozens of residents of Isawiah village gathered at the eastern entrance of the village and closed it with trash and stones. This came in protest if the closure of the northern and southern entrances of the village by Israeli soldiers as part of their policy against the residents of the neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Immediately, Israeli forces stormed into the village and released police dogs and fired rubber-coated metal bullets at the protestors. Furthermore, they fired tear gas canisters at a bus moving element school students and spread panic among the children. The clashes continued between the village residents and Israeli soldiers till the afternoon. As a result, an 11-year-old child sustained a bullet wound to his right eye and he lost eyesight in his wounded eye and suffered fractured nose and skull.
 
Bulldozing activities

At approximately 11:00 on Thursday, 13 November 2014, Israeli special forces and border guard accompanied by the occupation municipality staffs moved into al-Bustan village, south of the Old City in Jerusalem. They forced money fines on some civilians allegedly for construction encroachments.
 
At approximately 15:00 on Monday, 17 November 2014, the occupation municipality staff and Israeli special forces moved into Silwan village, south of the Old City in Jerusalem. They handed demolition notices for a number of houses and Barracks.
 
Incursions and arrests

During the reporting period, Israeli forces moved in several areas in East Jerusalem.  They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 46 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children and 2 women.
 
Attacks by Israeli settlers

Yousif Hassan Ramouni (32), from Abu Dis village, was killed in the industrial area in “Jifat Shoul” settlement which is established on the lands of Deir Yasin. There are claims that the crime was committed by Israeli settlers. PCHR demands Israeli authorities to conduct a serious investigation into the incident.
 
In another incident, a group of settlers attacked Fadi Jalal Radwan (22) when he was walking in Yafa Steeet in Jerusalem.

  1. Settlement activities and attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians and property

Israel has continued its settlement activities in the oPt, a direct violation of international humanitarian law, and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

Attacks carried out by Israeli forces
 
Israeli forces moved into Salfit. They raided a Barraks belonging to Amin ghazi Odeh, an officer in the Protective Security Service, and took photos of the surrounding area.
 
Furthermore, they handed the residents of Deir Istia via the Palestine liaison notices by which they are informing them that 7 and a half acres in Jabal al-Deeb area are confiscated.
 
In another event, they moved into Shiukh al-Arroub area, north of Hebron and Kherbat Um al-Kheir.
 
Attacks carried out by settlers
 
Nearly 1000 settlers gathered at the intersection of ‘Aber al-Samerah Street, west of Hares village. Furthermore, about 40 settlers from “Yatsahar” settlement attacked ‘Orif high school with stones and Molotov cocktails. On another occasion, settlers from “Adoura” threw stones at Palestinian vehicles on bypass (60). No injuries were reported. Additionally, settlers from "Givat Runim" settlement, south of Nablus, attacked two houses.
 
In another incident, a settler deliberately hit the back of a Palestinian civilian's motorcycle. The wounded civilian was moved to Nablus Hospital and it turned out that he suffers a concussion and fractures in his hands.
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
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