3 july 2018
As the olive harvest season is approaching in Palestine, some Palestinian farmers like Mohamed Saqer Asida from Tell town in Nablus cannot collect their olive crops this year after extremist Jewish settlers set fire to vast tracts of land and destroyed their trees.
Farmer Asida and his family were anxiously waiting for the olive crop to ripen soon to harvest it before he paid a visit to his plot of land in the agricultural area of the town and was shocked to see all his trees damaged in a widespread fire deliberately caused by settlers, according to eyewitnesses.
The scene of torched olive trees and widespread land covered with soot and burnt grass in Tell town, especially in the area of Karam Shukir near the illegal settlement outpost of Havat Gilad, shows the enormity of the fire that spread over 70 dunums of land.
Local farmers say that about 300 olives trees have been destroyed in the fire.
Asida told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that almost a year ago, the olive harvest from his land alone produced 40 tin containers of oil (each container in Palestine holds from 8 to 15 liters according to its size), but following the fire, his land this year would yield only two or three containers of olive oil.
“The life has become black in front of my eyes after that crime, and the black color has become overwhelming. How can I make up for what happened?” he said as he was watching the area blackened and scorched by fire.
He affirmed that fellow farmers had seen settlers from the nearby outpost starting the fire before fleeing the scene quickly.
Similar arson attacks by settlers had taken place recently in agricultural areas in the West Bank towns of Madama and Asira al-Qibliya, which led to the burning of dozens of olive and almond trees.
Farmer Asida and his family were anxiously waiting for the olive crop to ripen soon to harvest it before he paid a visit to his plot of land in the agricultural area of the town and was shocked to see all his trees damaged in a widespread fire deliberately caused by settlers, according to eyewitnesses.
The scene of torched olive trees and widespread land covered with soot and burnt grass in Tell town, especially in the area of Karam Shukir near the illegal settlement outpost of Havat Gilad, shows the enormity of the fire that spread over 70 dunums of land.
Local farmers say that about 300 olives trees have been destroyed in the fire.
Asida told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that almost a year ago, the olive harvest from his land alone produced 40 tin containers of oil (each container in Palestine holds from 8 to 15 liters according to its size), but following the fire, his land this year would yield only two or three containers of olive oil.
“The life has become black in front of my eyes after that crime, and the black color has become overwhelming. How can I make up for what happened?” he said as he was watching the area blackened and scorched by fire.
He affirmed that fellow farmers had seen settlers from the nearby outpost starting the fire before fleeing the scene quickly.
Similar arson attacks by settlers had taken place recently in agricultural areas in the West Bank towns of Madama and Asira al-Qibliya, which led to the burning of dozens of olive and almond trees.
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Alarm bells continue to be sounded over Israeli measures seeking to grab hold of the eastern corners of Bab al-Rahma Cemetery adjacent to the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Located beneath the eastern walls of Occupied Jerusalem, the historical Bab al-Rahma Cemetery is home to the body remains of a number of companions of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him. Muslims’ bodies have been buried in the cemetery for over 1,400 years. It is bordered on the east by a wall leading to the Maghareba Gate and on the west by Jerusalem’s eastern wall, which also makes part of al-Aqsa Mosque wall. |
Head of the Committee of Islamic Cemeteries in Occupied Jerusalem, Mustafa Abu Zahra, said the occupation authorities have set up an iron wall south of the cemetery on an endowment land tract overseeing al-Husaini Hill.
He added that the targeted part covers an area of five dunums. One more dunum has been seized from the cemetery’s southern corners.
Speaking with a PIC news correspondent, Abu Zahra said the cemetery is an Islamic waqf (endowment), which is proved by historical documents.
He warned of Israeli intents to Judaize parts of the cemetery including an area which is home to the graves of 123 Egyptian soldiers buried in Occupied Jerusalem before 1948.
“The iron wall, finalized on Thursday, has taken way the largest area of the Egyptian martyrs’ graveyard,” said Abu Zahra, adding that touristic sites and Talmudic parks will be built in the area.”
He said a lawsuit has been filed at the Israeli Central Court in Occupied Jerusalem over Israel’s takeover of five dunums of the cemetery.
Others parts of the cemetery, from the southern side, were also seized a few years ago, particularly in the areas where Muslim burials are banned by the occupation authorities.
“We hope that the court verdict would be on Muslims’ side, though we know very well that the court adopts the claims of the (Israeli) Nature Authority that that there are no objections over the confiscation”, he said.
Abu Zahra expressed concerns over Israeli schemes to establish a cable car on the confiscated land, saying plans for the Israeli projects have been released.
“The targeted lands belong to every single Muslim in the world. They are adjacent to the third holiest site in Islam and make part of Palestine’s and Jerusalem’s historic land”, he said. “All Muslims should stand on guard to such schemes aiming to obliterate the Islamic identity of Jerusalem’s holy sites.”
He called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation along with the Egyptian and Turkish governments to take urgent action vis-à-vis Israel’s sacrilegious plots.
Bab al-Rahma Cemetery covers an area of 23 dunums, stretching from al-Asbat Gate down to al-Aqsa walls.
He added that the targeted part covers an area of five dunums. One more dunum has been seized from the cemetery’s southern corners.
Speaking with a PIC news correspondent, Abu Zahra said the cemetery is an Islamic waqf (endowment), which is proved by historical documents.
He warned of Israeli intents to Judaize parts of the cemetery including an area which is home to the graves of 123 Egyptian soldiers buried in Occupied Jerusalem before 1948.
“The iron wall, finalized on Thursday, has taken way the largest area of the Egyptian martyrs’ graveyard,” said Abu Zahra, adding that touristic sites and Talmudic parks will be built in the area.”
He said a lawsuit has been filed at the Israeli Central Court in Occupied Jerusalem over Israel’s takeover of five dunums of the cemetery.
Others parts of the cemetery, from the southern side, were also seized a few years ago, particularly in the areas where Muslim burials are banned by the occupation authorities.
“We hope that the court verdict would be on Muslims’ side, though we know very well that the court adopts the claims of the (Israeli) Nature Authority that that there are no objections over the confiscation”, he said.
Abu Zahra expressed concerns over Israeli schemes to establish a cable car on the confiscated land, saying plans for the Israeli projects have been released.
“The targeted lands belong to every single Muslim in the world. They are adjacent to the third holiest site in Islam and make part of Palestine’s and Jerusalem’s historic land”, he said. “All Muslims should stand on guard to such schemes aiming to obliterate the Islamic identity of Jerusalem’s holy sites.”
He called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation along with the Egyptian and Turkish governments to take urgent action vis-à-vis Israel’s sacrilegious plots.
Bab al-Rahma Cemetery covers an area of 23 dunums, stretching from al-Asbat Gate down to al-Aqsa walls.
Israel Hayom newspaper on Tuesday reported that Israel is seeking to take advantage of what it described as the "historic opportunity" embodied in the current US administration to legalize settlement outposts built in the West Bank during the past 20 years.
Israel's Minister of Transportation Yisrael Katz and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett had called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seize the opportunity and organize settlement construction in the West Bank by legalizing dozens of random outposts.
According to the Hebrew newspaper, Katz said that there is a legal plan already prepared to allow 300 Israeli families living in these outposts to settle down.
For his part, Bennet said that the US administration's policies, led by president Donald Trump, go in line with Israel's interests, adding that it is time for real actions in the international arena.
In response to the two ministers' requests, Netanyahu's office confirmed that the team established about a year and a half ago have made significant progress in that regard, and that the delay was due to bureaucratic reasons.
Israel's Minister of Transportation Yisrael Katz and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett had called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seize the opportunity and organize settlement construction in the West Bank by legalizing dozens of random outposts.
According to the Hebrew newspaper, Katz said that there is a legal plan already prepared to allow 300 Israeli families living in these outposts to settle down.
For his part, Bennet said that the US administration's policies, led by president Donald Trump, go in line with Israel's interests, adding that it is time for real actions in the international arena.
In response to the two ministers' requests, Netanyahu's office confirmed that the team established about a year and a half ago have made significant progress in that regard, and that the delay was due to bureaucratic reasons.
A horde of extremist Jewish settlers on Tuesday morning attacked a car boarded by a Palestinian family in Wadi Sa’ir area, north east of al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank.
Yousef Kawazbeh, a resident of Sa’ir town in al-Khalil, told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that settlers from the settlement of Asfar hurled stones at his car, which was also boarded by his wife and children, as they were traveling in Wadi Sa’ir area, east of their native town.
He added that the assault caused panic among his family members and damage to his car.
In a separate incident, Jewish settlers from the outpost in the Old City of al-Khalil pitched on Monday night several tents in al-Shuhada Street, whose native residents had been forced to leave it over the past 20 years.
At the same time, dozens of settlers started to build a road for themselves connecting Tel Rumeida neighborhood with al-Shuhada Street as a prelude to seizing the remaining Palestinian property in the area and annexing it to their outposts of Beit Romano and Beit Hadassah.
Yousef Kawazbeh, a resident of Sa’ir town in al-Khalil, told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that settlers from the settlement of Asfar hurled stones at his car, which was also boarded by his wife and children, as they were traveling in Wadi Sa’ir area, east of their native town.
He added that the assault caused panic among his family members and damage to his car.
In a separate incident, Jewish settlers from the outpost in the Old City of al-Khalil pitched on Monday night several tents in al-Shuhada Street, whose native residents had been forced to leave it over the past 20 years.
At the same time, dozens of settlers started to build a road for themselves connecting Tel Rumeida neighborhood with al-Shuhada Street as a prelude to seizing the remaining Palestinian property in the area and annexing it to their outposts of Beit Romano and Beit Hadassah.
The Israeli occupation forces demolished at daybreak Tuesday a Palestinian home in Battir village, to the west of Bethlehem, in the southern occupied West Bank.
The Israeli army demolished a 120-square meter house owned by Raed Abu Harthiyeh.
The demolition was carried out under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
The owner has reportedly obtained all the documents and plans from the Israeli authorities for constructing the house on his land.
The Israeli army demolished a 120-square meter house owned by Raed Abu Harthiyeh.
The demolition was carried out under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
The owner has reportedly obtained all the documents and plans from the Israeli authorities for constructing the house on his land.
2 july 2018
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) installed several caravans on Monday on a Palestinian land east of al-Khalil city in the southern West Bank.
According to WAFA news agency, the IOF installed the caravans near an Israeli military camp, which was constructed on a land lot belonging to the Jaber family about one month ago near the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement.
The Palestinian citizens in the area expressed concern over a possible Israeli intention to establish a new settlement outpost in the area.
According to WAFA news agency, the IOF installed the caravans near an Israeli military camp, which was constructed on a land lot belonging to the Jaber family about one month ago near the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement.
The Palestinian citizens in the area expressed concern over a possible Israeli intention to establish a new settlement outpost in the area.
The new settlement of “Amichai” has reportedly discharged sewage water, on Monday morning, that drenched Palestinian lands in a town called TurmusAyya, north-west of Ramallah.
Even though the residents tried to dig holes to collect the polluted water, it continued to flow toward adjacent lands. Locals fear that it would pose threat to their agricultural economy, especially for the owners of the land, since the situation has been ongoing for two months, intermittently.
The newly established settlement, under supervision of the “Maaleh Binyamin Regional Council” was built after the evacuation from “Amona” settlement, which currently has 40 families as dwellers, according to the PNN.
Despite objections from officials and local Palestinians, the new settlers confiscated the private Palestinian properties with protection from Israeli occupation forces.
Even though the residents tried to dig holes to collect the polluted water, it continued to flow toward adjacent lands. Locals fear that it would pose threat to their agricultural economy, especially for the owners of the land, since the situation has been ongoing for two months, intermittently.
The newly established settlement, under supervision of the “Maaleh Binyamin Regional Council” was built after the evacuation from “Amona” settlement, which currently has 40 families as dwellers, according to the PNN.
Despite objections from officials and local Palestinians, the new settlers confiscated the private Palestinian properties with protection from Israeli occupation forces.
Palestinian farmers from the West Bank city of Salfit on Monday said that the Israeli occupation forces prevented them from entering their farmlands located behind the Apartheid Wall.
Palestinian official Ibrahim al-Hamad told the PIC reporter that the Apartheid Wall gates are closed most of the time, which adversely affects the Palestinian farmers' main source of income.
For his part, the Palestinian researcher Khaled Ma'ali said that the Israeli forces sometimes refuse to open the gates for farmers despite earlier coordination. The gates are often opened a few days a year and sometimes during the olive harvest season.
Ma'ali described the Israeli practices as a "blatant violation of international humanitarian law".
He added that these practices fall in line with an Israeli plan aimed at forcing Palestinian farmers in Salfit to give up their lands which will be later annexed to Ariel settlement, the second largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
Palestinian official Ibrahim al-Hamad told the PIC reporter that the Apartheid Wall gates are closed most of the time, which adversely affects the Palestinian farmers' main source of income.
For his part, the Palestinian researcher Khaled Ma'ali said that the Israeli forces sometimes refuse to open the gates for farmers despite earlier coordination. The gates are often opened a few days a year and sometimes during the olive harvest season.
Ma'ali described the Israeli practices as a "blatant violation of international humanitarian law".
He added that these practices fall in line with an Israeli plan aimed at forcing Palestinian farmers in Salfit to give up their lands which will be later annexed to Ariel settlement, the second largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) removed early on Monday a Palestinian tent used to receive tourists coming to visit Bethlehem’s historic village of Battir.
According to the PIC reporter, Israeli forces stormed at dawn today the village accompanied by a number of bulldozers and removed the tent under the pretext of being built without permit.
Battir village joined the UNESCO’s world heritage sites list due to its unique terrace farming and irrigation channels. It is home to a Roman spring and bath, an Eco museum and some hiking trails.
According to the PIC reporter, Israeli forces stormed at dawn today the village accompanied by a number of bulldozers and removed the tent under the pretext of being built without permit.
Battir village joined the UNESCO’s world heritage sites list due to its unique terrace farming and irrigation channels. It is home to a Roman spring and bath, an Eco museum and some hiking trails.
Israeli soldiers demolished, Monday a carwash facility, and a barn, owned by Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem.
The soldiers, accompanied by personnel from the Jerusalem City Council, invaded Wadi Qaddoum area, in Silwan town, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and demolished a carwash facility.
The army also invaded Umm Tuba village, south of Jerusalem, and demolished a barn owned by a Palestinian shepherd.
The demolitions took place after dozens of soldiers, accompanied by bulldozers, invaded Silwan and Umm Tuba, and encircled the two areas, before surrounding the targeted structures.
The Israeli army claimed the structures were built “without permits” from the City Council, in the occupied city. video video
The soldiers, accompanied by personnel from the Jerusalem City Council, invaded Wadi Qaddoum area, in Silwan town, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and demolished a carwash facility.
The army also invaded Umm Tuba village, south of Jerusalem, and demolished a barn owned by a Palestinian shepherd.
The demolitions took place after dozens of soldiers, accompanied by bulldozers, invaded Silwan and Umm Tuba, and encircled the two areas, before surrounding the targeted structures.
The Israeli army claimed the structures were built “without permits” from the City Council, in the occupied city. video video
Israeli soldiers invaded, Monday, the al-Jawaya area, east of Yatta town, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and handed orders halting the construction of a home and a well.
Rateb Jabour, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall and Colonies in southern West Bank, said the targeted property belongs to Issa Hasan Shawaheen, and is being built on his own land.
He added that the army issued, over the past few months, more than ten orders, including demolition warrants, targeting Palestinian homes and structures in that area alone.
The Israeli army said the Palestinian did not obtain permits from the Israeli Civil Administration Office, which runs the administrative aspect of Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank.
Israel has been preventing the Palestinians from building, or expanding existing property, in Area C of the occupied West Bank, under full military and administrative control.
Area C is more than %60 of the West Bank and is also subject to the seriously-escalating construction and expansion of Israel’s illegal colonies, in direct violation of International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Rateb Jabour, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall and Colonies in southern West Bank, said the targeted property belongs to Issa Hasan Shawaheen, and is being built on his own land.
He added that the army issued, over the past few months, more than ten orders, including demolition warrants, targeting Palestinian homes and structures in that area alone.
The Israeli army said the Palestinian did not obtain permits from the Israeli Civil Administration Office, which runs the administrative aspect of Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank.
Israel has been preventing the Palestinians from building, or expanding existing property, in Area C of the occupied West Bank, under full military and administrative control.
Area C is more than %60 of the West Bank and is also subject to the seriously-escalating construction and expansion of Israel’s illegal colonies, in direct violation of International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
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Israeli media reports that, after receiving approval from Israel’s High Court, Israeli security forces have reportedly begun preparing for the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar village, in the occupied West Bank, according to the village’s residents, human rights activists, and Palestinian officials.
972mag, on Sunday, posted video footage from Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, showing Israeli police officers and military officials walking through the village and inspecting homes, that morning. Residents said that one police officer told them they would be better off if they left “voluntarily,” though he declined to provide any more |
information. B’Tselem has warned that the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and the forcible transfer of its residents would constitute a war crime.
1 july 2018
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday confiscated two vehicles owned by Palestinian citizens in Tammun town in the northern Jordan Valley.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the IOF soldiers stormed the town and seized a truck owned by the Palestinian citizen Kamal Abu Medraj and a bus owned by Mousa Minrama.
According to the local sources, the IOF claimed that the two vehicles transferred workers to al-Baqi'a and al-Ras al-Ahmar areas which were declared military zones in an attempt to end the Palestinian presence in these areas.
The IOF soldiers reportedly transferred the confiscated vehicles to a nearby military camp.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the IOF soldiers stormed the town and seized a truck owned by the Palestinian citizen Kamal Abu Medraj and a bus owned by Mousa Minrama.
According to the local sources, the IOF claimed that the two vehicles transferred workers to al-Baqi'a and al-Ras al-Ahmar areas which were declared military zones in an attempt to end the Palestinian presence in these areas.
The IOF soldiers reportedly transferred the confiscated vehicles to a nearby military camp.
Palestinian activists and national figures on Saturday participated in a sit-in protesting Israel’s intent to displace the Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar and demolish its structures in east Jerusalem.
Several Palestinian activists from the Negev, Jerusalem, and the West Bank as well as national and political figures attended the protest.
The participants expressed their solidarity with the residents of Khan al-Ahmar and their condemnation of Israel’s plan to displace them for the sake of its settlement construction activities.
Several Palestinian activists from the Negev, Jerusalem, and the West Bank as well as national and political figures attended the protest.
The participants expressed their solidarity with the residents of Khan al-Ahmar and their condemnation of Israel’s plan to displace them for the sake of its settlement construction activities.
Israel is in the process of enacting laws that would allow it to formally annex parts of the occupied West Bank, in serious violation of international law, a United Nations expert said on Friday, according to WAFA.
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Michael Lynk, said, after a fact-finding tour of the region, that he was gravely alarmed about the deterioration of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), saying that reports received during his visit to the region, this week, painted the most dispiriting picture yet, of the situation on the ground.
“After years of creeping Israeli de facto annexation of the large swathes of the West Bank through settlement expansion, the creation of closed military zones and other measures, Israel appears to be getting closer to enacting legislation that will formally annex parts of the West Bank,” he said. “This would amount to a profound violation of international law, and the impact of ongoing settlement expansion on human rights must not be ignored.”
Lynk travelled to Amman, Jordan, this week, where he met with Palestinian civil society, government officials and UN representatives, after Israel prevented him from entering the OPT. His mission was to collect information for his next report, to be presented to the 73rd session of the General Assembly, in October of 2018.
“This is my third mission to the region since I assumed the mandate in May 2016, and the reports I received this week have painted the bleakest picture yet of the human rights situation in the OPT,” he said.
“Palestinians in the West Bank face daily indignities, as they pass through Israeli checkpoints, face night raids of their homes, and are unable to build or expand their homes or work to develop their communities due to the complex system which makes building permits nearly impossible to obtain from the Israeli authorities,” the Special Rapporteur said.
Lynk cited the situation of Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin community near Jerusalem, which is at imminent risk of forcible transfer after the Israeli High Court of Justice upheld a demolition order for all structures in the community. “Its residents are living in a coercive environment that may lead to forcible transfer, not knowing where they may find themselves in the coming months and not knowing if they will be living in a place where they are able to continue their traditional way of life,” he said.
Lynk further stated that the situation in Gaza has continued to worsen, highlighting that the electricity crisis, for example, which became acute last June, had not been alleviated. “Residents are deprived of their most basic rights, including the rights to health, to education, and most recently, in attempting to exercise their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, they were deprived of the right to life,” Lynk said, in reference to the recent demonstrations along the fence during which Israeli security forces killed more than 140 and wounded thousands of Palestinian protesters.
He also expressed concern about the impact of significant cuts to the funding of UNRWA, the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees, noting its crucial role in providing health, protection and education services as well as employment in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Special Rapporteur heard eloquent testimony of the challenges facing the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, and expressed concern at information he received, recently, stating that the Israeli government and the West Jerusalem municipality have been advancing plans which risk denial of the residency rights of 120,000 Palestinians in the municipality, as part of a larger policy to maintain an Israeli Jewish majority in Jerusalem.
The Rapporteur was particularly concerned at information he received, this week, which indicated that many human rights organizations and human rights defenders – Israeli, Palestinian, and international – are facing increasing attacks aimed not only at their delegitimization, but at their ability to operate.
He is particularly concerned that these attacks are gaining traction with members of the international community. “The incredible, and extremely difficult work that these human rights organizations do is essential to preventing a further deterioration of the human rights situation in the OPT, and any effort to undermine this work only serves to weaken human rights in the OPT, and in the broader world.”
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Michael Lynk, said, after a fact-finding tour of the region, that he was gravely alarmed about the deterioration of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), saying that reports received during his visit to the region, this week, painted the most dispiriting picture yet, of the situation on the ground.
“After years of creeping Israeli de facto annexation of the large swathes of the West Bank through settlement expansion, the creation of closed military zones and other measures, Israel appears to be getting closer to enacting legislation that will formally annex parts of the West Bank,” he said. “This would amount to a profound violation of international law, and the impact of ongoing settlement expansion on human rights must not be ignored.”
Lynk travelled to Amman, Jordan, this week, where he met with Palestinian civil society, government officials and UN representatives, after Israel prevented him from entering the OPT. His mission was to collect information for his next report, to be presented to the 73rd session of the General Assembly, in October of 2018.
“This is my third mission to the region since I assumed the mandate in May 2016, and the reports I received this week have painted the bleakest picture yet of the human rights situation in the OPT,” he said.
“Palestinians in the West Bank face daily indignities, as they pass through Israeli checkpoints, face night raids of their homes, and are unable to build or expand their homes or work to develop their communities due to the complex system which makes building permits nearly impossible to obtain from the Israeli authorities,” the Special Rapporteur said.
Lynk cited the situation of Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin community near Jerusalem, which is at imminent risk of forcible transfer after the Israeli High Court of Justice upheld a demolition order for all structures in the community. “Its residents are living in a coercive environment that may lead to forcible transfer, not knowing where they may find themselves in the coming months and not knowing if they will be living in a place where they are able to continue their traditional way of life,” he said.
Lynk further stated that the situation in Gaza has continued to worsen, highlighting that the electricity crisis, for example, which became acute last June, had not been alleviated. “Residents are deprived of their most basic rights, including the rights to health, to education, and most recently, in attempting to exercise their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, they were deprived of the right to life,” Lynk said, in reference to the recent demonstrations along the fence during which Israeli security forces killed more than 140 and wounded thousands of Palestinian protesters.
He also expressed concern about the impact of significant cuts to the funding of UNRWA, the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees, noting its crucial role in providing health, protection and education services as well as employment in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Special Rapporteur heard eloquent testimony of the challenges facing the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, and expressed concern at information he received, recently, stating that the Israeli government and the West Jerusalem municipality have been advancing plans which risk denial of the residency rights of 120,000 Palestinians in the municipality, as part of a larger policy to maintain an Israeli Jewish majority in Jerusalem.
The Rapporteur was particularly concerned at information he received, this week, which indicated that many human rights organizations and human rights defenders – Israeli, Palestinian, and international – are facing increasing attacks aimed not only at their delegitimization, but at their ability to operate.
He is particularly concerned that these attacks are gaining traction with members of the international community. “The incredible, and extremely difficult work that these human rights organizations do is essential to preventing a further deterioration of the human rights situation in the OPT, and any effort to undermine this work only serves to weaken human rights in the OPT, and in the broader world.”
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