Sunday 9 November 2014

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (30 Oct.- 05 Nov. 2014)

Jerusalem – Israeli forces impose additional restrictions in occupied Jerusalem

FULL REPORT HERE

Thursday, 06 November 2014 00:00

Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinian civilians in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli forces continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.
2 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded during al-Nabi Saleh protest, northwest of Ramallah.
11 civilians, including 3 children, were wounded during other protests.
3 civilians, including headmistress of al-Mukabber Secondary School and a student, were wounded in occupied East Jerusalem.
 
Israeli forces conducted 45 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
50 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children and 2 women, were arrested
35 of those civilians, including 8 children and a woman, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem.
3 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were arrested by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip while sneaking into Israel via the border fence.
 
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 Palestinian civilian was arrested at a military checkpoint in the West Bank.

Efforts to create Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem.
Al-Aqsa mosque was completely closed for the first time since the city was occupied, but it was partially opened later.
3 houses were demolished in Selwan village and al-Tour neighbourhood.
Israeli government decided to impose a 20-year-imprisonment against Jerusalemite children throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.

Israeli forces continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
A bulldozer and digger were confiscated under the pretext they worked in area (C).
3 sheds, 2 tents and 5 dunums planted with almonds and olive trees were demolished.

Summary
 
Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt continued during the reporting period (30 October – 05 November 2014).
 
In a serious development, during the reporting period, Israeli forces closed the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque and allowed dozens of thousands of settlers and extremist settler groups led by Israeli ministers and members of the Knesset into the 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, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinian civilians in occupied East Jerusalem and wounded 16 civilians, including 5 children and 2 women; 3 of whom were wounded in occupied East Jerusalem, including a child and a woman.
 
In the West Bank, in excessive use of force, on 30 October 2014, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian in al-Thawri neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. They claimed that he attempted to assassinate Rabbi Yehuda Glick on the previous night.
 
On 05 November 2014, in excessive use of force as well, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian, who drove his van into a group of persons waiting at a light rail in al-Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, north of the Old City of East Jerusalem. As a result, an Israeli officer was killed and 13 others sustained various wounds. It should be noted that Israeli forces could wound the attacker and arrest him, especially as he was not armed.
 
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 12-year-old male sustained a bullet wound to the right leg and a 27-year-old male sustained a (toto) bullet wound to the right leg also during al-Nabi Saleh weekly protest, northwest of Ramallah.
 
In the same context, 11 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and an elderly woman, were wounded during other protests against attacks by the Israeli forces and settlers in al-Aqsa Mosque. On 30 October 2014, a 17-year-old male was hit by a gas canister to the head during a protest organized by dozens of school students near Attara checkpoint, north of Bir Zeit village, north of Ramallah. Moreover, on the same day, a 19-year-old male sustained a bullet wound to the left leg during a protest, east of Abween village, northwest of the city. On 31 October 2014, 6 civilians, including 3 children and an elderly woman were wounded during a protest around Qalandya checkpoint, north of occupied Jerusalem. On 02 November 2014, 3 civilians were wounded during a protest organized around Qalandya checkpoint too.
 
In East Jerusalem, on 31 October 2014, a 43-year-old male sustained shrapnel wound to the head when Israeli forces raided the condolences tent of Mo'taz Hejazi in al-Thawri neighbourhood, east of East Jerusalem, and fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters at mourners in the tent.
 
On 03 October 2014, Israeli special forces wounded headmistress of al-Mukabber Secondary School and a student when Israeli forces raided the school under the pretext of looking for "young men who threw stones at them and fled".
 
Incursions:
 
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 45 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 50 Palestinians, including 10 children and 2 women.  Thirty-five of these civilians, including 8 children and a woman, were arrested in East Jerusalem.
 
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces arrested a child and a young man while attempting to sneak into Israel in search for work via the border fence, east of Johr al-Deek, in the central Gaza Strip.
 
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 (Kerem Shaloum) 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 Majority in Jerusalem

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian in al-Thawri neighborhood, east of the Old City in Jerusalem. They claimed that the aforementioned shot at Rabbi Yehuda Glick the night before.
 
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered at the entrance of Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood near al-Asbat Gate in the Old City in Jerusalem to organize a demonstration in protest and condemnation of the killing of Mutaz Hijazi. Israeli forces arrested Tawfiq Ibrahim al-Kherbawi (23) and took him to an unknown destination.
 
Furthermore, Israeli forces raided a condolences tent for Mutaz Hijazi in al-Thouri neighborhood. They fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the people. As a result, Attya Shabanah (43) sustained shrapnel wounds after he was hit a sound bomb to his head.
 
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian when he stormed the light train station with his commercial car in Shimoun Street, in al-Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, north of the Old City in Jerusalem, and ran over a group of people who were standing there.
 
On30 October 2014, Israeli authorities closed all gates of the al-Aqsa Mosque for the first time since the city was occupied in 1967. Moreover, Israeli forces besieged the mosque and denied Palestinian worshippers access to it to perform their 5 daily prayers.
 
Moreover, the employees of the Islamic Endowments (Waqef) in Jerusalem discovered a hole leading to al-Aqsa Mosque from a tomb in al-Rahma Gate cemetery. They discovered that an anonymous person or more tried to raid the mosque through the hole which was dug under an archeological site.
 
In the context of a policy of destroying civilian’s homes, Israeli forces destroyed two houses belonging to Khalil Abu Rajab and Isam Abu Sbeih in Yasoul neighborhood in Silwan village, south of the Old City in Jerusalem.
 
Moreover, an Israeli bulldozer destroyed a house under construction belonging to Hasan Shueib al-Hidra in the New Street area under the pretext of building in a “C” area according to Oslo Accords without a prior license from the Israeli authorities.
 
During the reporting period, Israeli forces arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a woman and a child, in East Jerusalem.
 
As part of the Israeli policies aiming to suppress protests against the Israeli practices in the city, in which children participate, on Sunday, 02 November 2014, the Israeli government approved a bill to impose additional penalties on Palestinian children, who throw stones at Israeli soldiers, mounting to 20-year imprisonment sentences.
 
Settlers' Attacks:
 
An Israeli settler deliberately ran down Yahya Ahmed Darwich (36) from al-Isawiah village, north of Jerusalem when he was riding his motorcycle in Street No. 1 near al-Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Moreover, another Israeli settler deliberately ran down Ali al-Sahwish (21) from the Old City in Jerusalem.

Settlement activities
 
Israel has continued its settlement activities in the oPt, in a direct violation of international humanitarian law, and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
 
On 30 October 2014, Israeli forces moved into al-Zghfan area in al-Shiukh village, northeast of Hebron. They stationed near al-Taqadum Company for Marble and confiscated a digging machine and a saw. They also confiscated a bulldozer belonging to Adnan Nimer Taqatqa under the pretext of building in a “C” area according to Oslo Accords without a prior license from the Israeli authorities.
 
On 02 November 2014, Israeli forces backed by military vehicles and a vehicle belonging to the Construction and Organization Department in the Civil Administration moved into Atouf area, east of Tubas. They confiscated digging machines.

Furthermore, Israeli forces backed by military vehicles and a vehicle belonging to the Construction and Organization Department in the Civil Administration and 3 GCB bulldozers moved into Khilat Abu Nakhla area in the southern side of Doura. They also moved into Kherbat Um al-Kheir, east of Yatta, south of Hebron.

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