August 4, 2009

PNN - Some 900 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for over two years.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights report for the week of 23 through 29 July also notes this week that Israeli forces arrested 200 workers from Barta’a Village which is isolated by the Wall.

A report by the Prisoners’ Society noted today that three Palestinians have just passed 17 years in Israeli prisons while Israeli forces arrested 312 Palestinians during month of July and 3,372 since beginning of the year.

The full PCHR general report on weekly human rights violations continues.

PCHR - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Siege on the Gaza Strip

7 Palestinian civilians, including one child and one woman, were wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.

IOF conducted 21 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and one into the Gaza Strip.

IOF arrested 14 Palestinian civilians, including two children, in the West Bank.

IOF arrested 200 Palestinian workers from Barta'a village, which is isolated by the Annexation Wall.

IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested one Palestinian civilian.

IOF have continued measures aimed at the Judaization of east Jerusalem.

Israeli settlers seized a Palestinian house in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Scores of Israeli settlers broke into the yards of al-Aqsa Mosque.

IOF ordered two families in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in two weeks.

IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

The number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, excluding Jerusalem and random settlement outposts, mounted to more than 300,000.

IOF ordered stopping construction works in a number of Palestinian houses.

Israeli settlers launched a series of attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property.


Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting period (23 – 29 July 2009):

Shooting: During the reporting period, 7 Palestinians civilians, including one child and one woman, were wounded by the IOF gunfire in the West Bank.

On 24 July 2009, 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF used force against a peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Ne'lin village, west of Ramallah. A number of demonstrators also suffered from the inhalation of a substance that had a disgusting smell used by IOF. IOF had used the same substance for the first time on 08 August 2008.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 21 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 14 Palestinian civilians, including two children. On 28 July 2009, IOF arrested 200 Palestinian workers from Barta'a village, west of Jenin.

Gaza Strip

IOF have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The IOF siege of Gaza, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

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.

The main concern of 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than two years.

IOF have not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding few amounts of cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.

The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

IOF 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.

Poverty had mounted to approximately 80% and unemployment has mounted to 60% in the Gaza Strip.

IOF have continued to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage systems. Losses incurred to this sector is estimated at US$ 6 million.

IOF 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.

Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.

At least 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived for family visitation for more than two years.

IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza Strip coast.

West Bank

IOF 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.

IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

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 IOF every week.

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.

At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (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 IOF. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.

Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.

During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested one Palestinian civilian.

Judaization of Jerusalem: IOF have escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem to force them to leave the city. On 26 July 2009, Israeli settlers seized a house in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. On 27 July 2009, Israeli settlers stormed a house in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and attacked neighboring houses from it. On 28 July 2009, IOF ordered two Palestinian families to vacate their houses in two weeks. On 29 July 2009, scores of Israeli settlers broke into the yards of al-Aqsa Mosque and conducted Jewish ceremonies.

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 27 July 2009, IOF moved into Kufol Hares village, northwest of Salfit. They handed noticed to 8 Palestinian civilian civilians ordering them to stop construction works in their houses. On 23 July 2009, a number of Israeli settlers from "Yits'har" settlement, south of Nablus, attacked Palestinian houses in the east of Southern 'Assira village, south of the city. On 24 July 2009, dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, started to establish an iron fence around a 40-donum[1] area of land in Bourin village, south of Nablus, to establish a new settlement outpost. According to the biannual report issued by the Israeli "Civil Administration," by the end of June 2009, the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank had been 304,569. This figure does not include settlers living inside and around Jerusalem and in settlement outposts not registered by the "Civil Administration." The number of Israeli settlers who are not under the administration of local councils increased by 4.4%. Settlements of an ideological nature witnessed the highest increase of population.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (23 – 29 July 2009)