PCHR Weekly Report: 11 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, wounded by Israeli forces
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, during the week of 25 June- 01 July 2009, 5 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were wounded by Israeli forces in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. 6 Palestinian civilians, including a journalist, and an Israeli human rights defender, were wounded when Israeli forces used force against peaceful protest against the Annexation Wall.
House demolished June 30th in Jerusalem (photo PCHR)
Israeli forces conducted 18 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Israeli forces positioned at military checkpoints in the West Bank abducted 3 Palestinian civilians. 12 Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli settlers.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the reporting period, 5 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were wounded by Israeli forces gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
On 01 July 2009, 4 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were wounded when Israeli forces soldiers waiting in an ambush to the south of Nablus fired at them.
During the reporting period, 6 Palestinian civilians, including a journalist, and an Israeli human rights defender were wounded when Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
Israeli forces abducted 28 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children, in the West Bank in 18 different incursions.
In just one example of this week’s 18 incursions, on Saturday morning, 27 June 2009, Israeli forces erected a checkpoint at al-Tahreer intersection in the southwest of Hebron. They stopped and checked Palestinian civilians. On Sunday morning, 28 June 2009, Israeli forces stationed in the south and southeast of Hebron prevented Palestinian medical and civil defense crews from reaching al-Ras area in the southeast of Hebron to carry out their humanitarian mission following the explosion of a gas canister inside a house belonging to al-Ja'bari family near "Kiryat Arba" settlement. Israeli forces besieged the house and declared the area a closed military zone.
Israeli forces have continued measures aimed at establishing a Jewish majority in occupied east Jerusalem. Israeli forces demolished a structure recently added to a house and violently beat 5 women from the family. At approximately 08:00 on Tuesday, 30 June 2009, Israeli forces, accompanied by officials of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem, moved into al-Tour village, southeast of Jerusalem. They besieged a house belonging to Samer Ahmed Abu Jom'a, 30, in which 7 people, including 3 children, live. They violently beat and forced the family and relatives out. Five women were injured. Soon after, they demolished a 50-square meter structure that had been added to the house less than 45 days earlier, claiming that it was built without a license.
Israeli Annexation Wall:
Israeli forces have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside West Bank territory. During the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Wall.
At approximately 11:00 on Saturday, 27 June 2009, dozens of Palestinian farmers and international and Israeli human rights defenders gathered in Abu al-Reesh area near "Bat Ain" settlement to the north of Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron, to farm Palestinian agricultural land and organize a sit-in, in protest at the restrictions imposed on Palestinian farmers trying to reaching their lands in the area.
Israeli forces attacked the participants and fired tear gas and sound bombs at them. As a result, 6 Palestinian civilians, including a journalist, and an Israeli human rights defender were injured. Israeli forces also abducted 15 human rights defenders. Israeli forces claimed that the participants "provoked security forces," while Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone.
Those who were injured are: Yousef 'Abdul Hamid Abu Maria, 28, sustained bruises and cuts to the back, the chest and the face; Mohammed 'Abdullah al-Slaibi, 47, sustained bruises and cuts to the back, the chest, the face and the limbs; Mohammed 'Ayad 'Awadh, 32, sustained bruises to the back; 'Abdul Hamid Hammad al-Slaibi, 26, sustained bruises and cuts to the shoulders and the left leg; Rashed Mousa 'Awadh, 30, sustained bruises throughout the body; Nayef Deeb Hashlamoun, 45, a cameraman for Reuters, sustained bruises and cuts to the face and the shoulder; and Golda, 32, an Israeli human rights defender, sustained bruises throughout the body.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
At approximately 08:00 on Friday, 26 June 2009, at least 50 Israeli settlers from settlements located neart Kufor al-Labad village, east of Tulkarm, attacked a tract of agricultural land belonging to Ibrahim Mahmoud Kayed. They raised the Israeli flag and set up a tent on the land. They also attacked Kayed's two sons and expelled them from the land: Samer, 30; and Jamal, 20.
On Saturday afternoon, 27 June 2009, dozens of Israeli settlers attacked several houses in al-Salima and al-Sahla neighborhoods in the south of Hebron, using stones and empty bottles. Palestinian civilians, especially children, were extremely terrified, and the windows of a house belonging to Mohammed 'Abdul Hai al-Muhtasseb were broken.
At approximately 21:00 on the same day, 4 Israeli settlers who live in houses they had already taken up in previous years in Silwan village, southeast of Jerusalem, attacked Tamara Yousef 'Assila, 28, her baby and a number of other civilians in Baidoun Street. The settlers attempted to prevent the woman from parking her car near her family's house. When her brother, 30-year-old Rami, intervened to protect her, the settlers and their guards attacked him and other civilians in the area using sticks and gun butts. They also opened fire into the air. As a result, at least 10 civilians were injured, 4 of them were evacuated to hospitals, including a baby 1 month old.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, on 29 June 2009, a Palestinian child was wounded when Israeli forces positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at Palestinian communities.
Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The Israeli forces 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.
Israeli forces have continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than two years.
Israeli forces have continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have allowed only diplomats, a number of international journalists, workers at international agencies and a few patients who suffer from serious diseases to pass through the crossing. They have continued to prevent Palestinian civilians from visiting their relatives who are detained in Israeli jails.
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 are a recommendation that the international community to pressure Israel to lift the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its occupation forces on access for international organizations to the OPT.
The PCHR reiterates that any political settlement not based on international human rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful and just solution of the Palestinian question. Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and instability in the region. Any peace agreement or process must be based on respect for international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law
