Author
Tierra Insurgente / Intifada Al Ard
This is a weekly summary of israeli war crimes committed in Palestine for the week ending 24 May 2006, 2mins, english
PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
No. 20/2006
18- 24 May 2006
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 9 Palestinians killed by IOF.
· IOF committed another extra-judicial execution in Gaza.
· IOF killed 4 Palestinians and wounded 35 others during an incursion into Ramallah.
· 26 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire.
· IOF continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip, especially the northern area.
· IOF conducted 50 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, particularly Nablus, and two incursions into the Gaza Strip.
· 78 Palestinian civilians, including two children and two women, were arrested by IOF.
· Two houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have continued to close border crossings of the Gaza Strip; the north of the West Bank has been separated from the south; and IOF arrested two Palestinian civilians at checkpoints in the West Bank.
· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF razed areas of agricultural land in the western countryside of Bethlehem; and the Israeli High Court issued two decisions allowing IOF to resume the construction of the Wall in al-'Eizariya and 'Aaboud villages.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law continued in the OPT during the reported period (18-24 May 2006):
Killing: During the reported period, IOF killed 9 Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, 20 May 2006, IOF extra-judicially executed a member of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, in Gaza City. This attack also killed three Palestinian civilians and wounded four others, all from the same family. PCHR's accountant was passing by the area at the time of the attack but escaped injury. IOF admitted responsibility for this attack. On Sunday morning, 21 May 2006, IOF shot dead a Palestinian woman, while she was looking through her window in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. The area was completely quiet, when IOF shot at her. On Wednesday afternoon, 24 May 2006, IOF shot dead 4 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, and wounded 35 others, including 8 children, in a two hour period during an incursion into Ramallah to arrest an allegedly wanted Palestinian.
Incursions: During the reported period, IOF carried out repeated incursions into Nablus. IOF conducted at least 50 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses and arrested 78 Palestinian civilians, including two children and two women. In addition, IOF transformed two houses into military sites. IOF used undercover units and trained dogs during these incursions. During the reported period, IOF moved twice into Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip, and leveled areas of land near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a comprehensive siege on the OPT, in violation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of Palestinian civilians.
IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a large prison. IOF have continued to monitor the movement of Palestinian civilians through Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border. Although IOF have allowed the transportation of food aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, southeast of Rafah, the crossing has not yet been officially opened. IOF have also continued to prevent Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip from reaching their work places in Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. They have continued to prevent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip from traveling to the West Bank. IOF have partially operated al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing, east of Gaza City. As a result of the repeated closures of the crossing, the economic conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated.
IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have continued to separate the north and south of the West Bank. For this purpose, they have closed Za'tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and re-established their presence at 'Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah. They have also erected two new checkpoints near Ramallah. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints around Nablus imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank abused a number of Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF at checkpoints in the West Bank arrested two Palestinian civilians.
Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank. On Sunday morning, 21 May 2006, IOF bulldozers started to dig a tunnel between al-Khader village and the western countryside, south of Bethlehem, in preparation for the construction of a section of the Wall in the area. According to a report published by the Agriculture Department in Hebron, IOF have confiscated 6,191 dunums[1] of land in Hebron - excluding Dura villages and subordinate villages - for the purpose of the construction of the Wall. In addition, thousands of dunums have been isolated behind the Wall. In addition, IOF have seized 16 wells. According to the same report, IOF have uprooted or sized 23,354 trees. The Israeli High Court issued two new decisions on Monday and Tuesday, 22 and 23 May 2006, allowing IOF to resume the construction of sections of the Wall in 'Aaboud village, northwest of Ramallah, and between Jerusalem and "Ma'ale Adumim" settlement. These decisions came two weeks following statements made by the Israeli Minster of Justice Haim Ramon before Israeli security officials on 9 May 2006, in which he vowed to make efforts with the judiciary to accelerate legal procedures to construct the remaining sections of the Wall. On Friday, 19 May 2006, IOF used forced to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Wall in Bal'ein village, west of Ramallah. IOF fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators. As a result, 12 Palestinians civilians, two international solidarity activists and 3 journalists were wounded. IOF also arrested 15 demonstrators, including 7 international and Israeli solidarity activists.
The full report is available online at:
html format:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2006/25-05-2006.htm
pdf format:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2006/pdf/weekly%20report…
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[1] 1 dunum is equal to 1000 square meters.
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