PCHR Weekly Report: 6 Palestinians injured, 40 abducted during 28 Israeli invasions

According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights’ Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, during the week of 05-11 Nov. 2009, 6 Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli forces in the West Bank. 5 of these civilians were wounded when Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.

Israeli forces conducted 28 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and one into the Gaza Strip. During these invasions, Israeli forces abducted 40 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children. In addition, Israeli naval troops continued to attack Palestinian fishermen and boats in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli attacks in the West Bank:

During the reporting period, 6 Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli forces in the West Bank.

During the reporting period, Israeli troops violently beat two journalists and fired a tear gas canister at a car belonging to a third one, while they were covering clashes between Palestinian civilians and Israeli settlers in Iraq Bourin village near Nablus.

On 07 November 2009, a Palestinian civilian was seriously wounded in Hebron, when Israeli troops intentionally fired at his car.

During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 28 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Israeli forces abducted 40 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children.
Israeli troops positioned at military checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank abducted 8 Palestinian civilians.

Israel has continued measures aimed at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem. Israeli forces issued evacuation and demolition orders against 15 houses in the Silwan quarter. During the reporting period, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem issued orders to demolish more houses in Jerusalem and surrounding suburbs.

At approximately 09:00 on Sunday, 09 November 2009, Israeli forces, accompanied by officials from the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem, stormed al-Bsutan, ‘Ein al-Louza and Yemen quarters in the south of the old town of Jerusalem. They stuck copies of demolition orders on the walls of 15 houses. These orders referred exclusively to house numbers without mentioning the names of the owners. The orders gave the owners 20 days to appeal, however, the orders were issued 18 days earlier. It is worth noting that these families had already received demolition orders in the context of a plan for the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem to demolish 88 houses in order to establish a park.

In one example of the 28 invasions this week, on Thursday, 05 November 2009, at approximately 00:00, Israeli forces moved into the African Colony quarter in the old town of occupied East Jerusalem. They raided a house belonging to the family of 15-year-old Jihad Nasser Qous and abducted him, claiming that he participated in protests against attempts by Israeli settlers to break into the al-Aqsa Mosque two weeks earlier.

Israeli Annexation Wall:

During the reporting period, 5 Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli forces used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.

Following the Friday Prayer on 06 November 2009, dozens of Palestinian civilians gathered in the center of Bil’in village, west of Ramallah. They moved towards the Wall and following provocation threw stones at Israeli troops positioned in the area. Immediately, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. Dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Also following the Friday Prayer on 06 November 2009, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall. They clashed with Israeli troops positioned near the Wall. Israeli forces troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. As a result, 5 Palestinian civilians were wounded.

Also following the Friday Prayer on 06 November 2009, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem. Israeli troops closed the entrance of the village and attacked the demonstrators. They fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators and violently beat a number of them. As a result, two Palestinian children sustained bruises: Zaid Mahmoud Zawahra, 12; and ‘Abada ‘Ali Braijiya, 9.

Israeli Settlement Activity:

Israel has continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. Two Palestinian children were injured this week as a result of attacks by settlers.

On 07 November 2009, a number of Israeli settlers form “Brakha” settlement, escorted by Israeli forces, broke into Iraq Bourin village, south of Nablus. Dozens of Palestinian civilians gathered at the entrances of the village and threw stones at the settlers to stop the raid. Immediately, Israeli troops fired bullets and tear gas canisters at these civilians and chased them. On the same day, Israeli settlers organized a provocative march from “Beit Hadasa” settlement outpost in the center of Hebron towards “Kiryat Arba” settlement. During the march, dozens of settlers attacked Palestinian houses in Wad al-Hussain and Jaber quarter in the southeast of the town using stones. Israeli forces escorted the settlers and did not intervene to stop such attacks.

On 10 November 2009, Israeli settlers from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron, attacked Palestinian civilians and houses in Wad al-Nassara neighborhood, using stones and empty bottles. Israeli troops were present in the area, but did not intervene to stop the attacks. On the same day, two Palestinian children sustained bruises when they were beaten by 3 Israeli settlers who live in “Ramat Yishai” settlement outpost in Tal al-Rumaida neighborhood in the center of Hebron.

Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:

Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The illegal Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, 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.

Recommendations to the international community:

Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made a number of recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the international community recognize the Gaza disengagement plan, which was implemented in September 2005, for what it is – not an end to occupation but a compounding of the occupation and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

In recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Source: http://www.imemc.org