5 july 2013
Israeli forces destroy Palestinian land near Bethlehem
In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 27 June- 03 July, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that 1 Palestinian civilian was killed and 5 others were wounded during incursions in the West Bank. In addition, 3 protesters were wounded during peaceful protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a 19-year-old Palestinian and wounded 8 others; 5 civilians were wounded during Israeli incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, including the nephew of the victim, while 3 other civilians were wounded in peaceful protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities.
In the West Bank, on 02 July 2013, Israeli forces killed 19-year-old Moutaz Edris Abdel-Fatah Sharawna after being hit by a sound bomb then being stepped on by Israeli soldiers. His nephew, Bahaa (22) sustained a bullet wound while trying to rescue his uncle in Doura, southwest of Hebron. This took place when Israeli soldiers, who had moved into the town, fired live ammunition, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at a group of youngsters.
On 28 June 2013, 4 Palestinian civilians sustained bullet and shrapnel wounds after Israeli forces engaged in clashes with Palestinians during an incursion into Qalandia refugee camp.
Israeli forces conducted 65 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 64 Palestinian civilians were abducted in the West Bank, including a Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and 6 children.
Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank. 7 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and a woman, were abducted at checkpoints in the West Bank.
On Thursday, 27 June 2013, Israeli forces moved into Susya village, in the southeast of Yatta, south of Hebron, and distributed 34 notices to halt construction work in various establishment, and 1 demolition notice that held number (392286). The notices ordering to halt construction work were given to tents, barns, water wells and solar panels.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces continued to pursue fishermen at sea. On 03 June 2013, Israeli gunboats stationed off al-Soudanya area, northwest of Beit Lahia in the north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats that were around 6 nautical miles offshore. The shooting was focused on a fishing boat boarding 7 Palestinian fishers causing fear among them.
As a result, while Sharif Hussein Khalil ‘Arafat(29), son-in-law of the owner of the boat, from al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, was trying to hide from the shooting, his right leg stuck in the fishing spinner and wrapped around it causing the leg to bleed.
Israeli forces conducted 2 limited incursions into the Gaza Strip. The first incursion was conducted on 02 July 2013 in the east of al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Younis. They started digging and levelling the area along the border fence with Israel before redeploying behind the boarder. The second incursion was conducted on 03 July 2013 in the border fence area in the east of Deir al-Balah, during which they levelled area of land that were formerly bulldozed.
The illegal closure 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. The illegal closure has not only caused a humanitarian crisis, but also a human rights crisis and the erosion of human dignity for the people of the Gaza Strip. Recently-declared measures to ease the closure are vague, purely cosmetic, and fail to deal with the root causes of the crisis. The root causes can only be addressed by an immediate and complete lifting of the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out of the Gaza Strip and the ban on exports.
Palestinians in Gaza may no longer suffer from the same shortage of goods but, as long as the closure is allowed to continue, they will remain economically dependent on Israel, unable to care for themselves, and socially, culturally, and academically isolated from the rest of the world.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces have continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
34 notices to halt construction work and a demolition notice were distributed in Susya village, to the southeast of Yatta, south of Hebron.
On Thursday, 27 June 2013, a group of settlers from "Ramat Yishai" settlement outpost, which is established on Palestinians' lands in Tal al-Remida neighborhood, in the center of Hebron, destroyed the metal fence surrounding the playground of Cordoba Primary School, which is located between Tal al-Remida neighborhood and Martyrs street.
On Sunday, 30 June 2013, a settler attacked 'Omar Mokhtar Hussain Abdel-Qader (23), a Palestinian civilian from Kuffor Laqef village, east of Qalqilya, while he was driving on the main Nablus-Qalqilya road. The settler stopped his car and held him near the entrance of Azzoun village at gunpoint.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
Israeli forces continued the systematic use of excessive force against peaceful protests organised by Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded: a 23-year-old male was hit in the right thigh by a tear gas canister; a 35-year-old male sustained a bullet wound in the back; and a 24-year-old male sustained a bullet to the shoulder. Also, dozens of civilians suffered due to tear gas inhalation and others sustained wounds.
Following the Friday Prayer, 28 June 2013, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activity. The demonstrators marched through the streets of the village, chanting slogans calling for national unity, raised Palestinian flags and made their way towards the lands adjacent to the annexation wall. Israeli forces had closed all entrances to the village since early morning to prevent Palestinians, journalists, and international activists from joining the protest. The demonstrators walked along the wall and attempted to breach it. Israeli forces stationed behind the western side of the wall, and dozens of soldiers who were deployed along the route of the wall, fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, tear gas canisters, and waste water at the demonstrators, and chased them across olive fields.
As a result, Mohammed Ja'far (23) was hit by a tear gas canister in the right thigh. Also, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises.
Also, following the Friday Prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The demonstrators made their way towards the annexation wall. Israeli forces closed the wall gate with barbed wire and, when the demonstrators attempted to access the lands behind the barbed wire, they were stopped by Israeli soldiers. The demonstrators threw stones at the Israeli soldiers who responded with live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters, and chased them across fields of olive trees as far as the outskirts of the village.
As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.
Around the same time on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians, Israeli and international human rights activists gathered at the Martyrs Square in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to hold a weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The protesters walked towards Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby "Halmish" settlement are trying to seize. From the morning, Israeli forces had closed all entrances to the village to prevent Palestinians, international activists, and journalists from joining the demonstration. Upon their arrival in the area, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters, chased the demonstrators into the village and sprayed them and civilian houses with waste water.
As a result, dozens of Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises, and two Palestinians and an unidentified Spanish solidarity activist were abducted: Ms. Rana Nazzal (25) and Nariman Mahmoud Tamimi (37) were taken to HaSharon junction, which is located within Israel.
Following Friday Prayer, dozens of inhabitants of al-Mas'ra village, south of Bethlehem, international and Israeli human rights activists, and activists in the Popular Resistance Committees gathered for the weekly peaceful demonstration against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activity, which was titled "Water." It started outside Shomou' Cultural Centre in the centre of the village; and while on their way to the wall, Israeli forces, backed-up by Israeli police and border guards, fired tear gas canisters at them in order to disperse them. Many demonstrators suffered due to tear gas inhalation.
At approximately 13:30 on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Kufor Kadoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest at the continuous closure of the eastern entrance of the village which has been ongoing since the outbreak of al-Aqsa Intifada. Upon the demonstrators' arrival to the afore-mentioned gate, Israeli forces had set up ambushes for them and started chasing them, firing rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canister at them.
As a result, 2 Palestinians sustained wounds: Nasser Ahmed Daoud 'Akel (35) sustained a metal bullet to the back; and Raslan Abdel-Ra'ouf Jum'a (24) sustained a bullet wound to the shoulder.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among them were a recommendation that the European Union activate Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides that both sides must respect human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel, and the EU must not ignore Israeli violation and crimes against Palestinian civilians;
In addition, PCHR calls upon the Palestinian leadership to sign and accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Geneva Conventions, and calls upon the international community, especially the United Nations, to encourage the State of Palestine to accede to international human rights law and humanitarian law instruments.
Fore the full text of the report, click on the link
In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 27 June- 03 July, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that 1 Palestinian civilian was killed and 5 others were wounded during incursions in the West Bank. In addition, 3 protesters were wounded during peaceful protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a 19-year-old Palestinian and wounded 8 others; 5 civilians were wounded during Israeli incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, including the nephew of the victim, while 3 other civilians were wounded in peaceful protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities.
In the West Bank, on 02 July 2013, Israeli forces killed 19-year-old Moutaz Edris Abdel-Fatah Sharawna after being hit by a sound bomb then being stepped on by Israeli soldiers. His nephew, Bahaa (22) sustained a bullet wound while trying to rescue his uncle in Doura, southwest of Hebron. This took place when Israeli soldiers, who had moved into the town, fired live ammunition, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at a group of youngsters.
On 28 June 2013, 4 Palestinian civilians sustained bullet and shrapnel wounds after Israeli forces engaged in clashes with Palestinians during an incursion into Qalandia refugee camp.
Israeli forces conducted 65 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 64 Palestinian civilians were abducted in the West Bank, including a Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and 6 children.
Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank. 7 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and a woman, were abducted at checkpoints in the West Bank.
On Thursday, 27 June 2013, Israeli forces moved into Susya village, in the southeast of Yatta, south of Hebron, and distributed 34 notices to halt construction work in various establishment, and 1 demolition notice that held number (392286). The notices ordering to halt construction work were given to tents, barns, water wells and solar panels.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces continued to pursue fishermen at sea. On 03 June 2013, Israeli gunboats stationed off al-Soudanya area, northwest of Beit Lahia in the north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats that were around 6 nautical miles offshore. The shooting was focused on a fishing boat boarding 7 Palestinian fishers causing fear among them.
As a result, while Sharif Hussein Khalil ‘Arafat(29), son-in-law of the owner of the boat, from al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, was trying to hide from the shooting, his right leg stuck in the fishing spinner and wrapped around it causing the leg to bleed.
Israeli forces conducted 2 limited incursions into the Gaza Strip. The first incursion was conducted on 02 July 2013 in the east of al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Younis. They started digging and levelling the area along the border fence with Israel before redeploying behind the boarder. The second incursion was conducted on 03 July 2013 in the border fence area in the east of Deir al-Balah, during which they levelled area of land that were formerly bulldozed.
The illegal closure 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. The illegal closure has not only caused a humanitarian crisis, but also a human rights crisis and the erosion of human dignity for the people of the Gaza Strip. Recently-declared measures to ease the closure are vague, purely cosmetic, and fail to deal with the root causes of the crisis. The root causes can only be addressed by an immediate and complete lifting of the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out of the Gaza Strip and the ban on exports.
Palestinians in Gaza may no longer suffer from the same shortage of goods but, as long as the closure is allowed to continue, they will remain economically dependent on Israel, unable to care for themselves, and socially, culturally, and academically isolated from the rest of the world.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces have continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
34 notices to halt construction work and a demolition notice were distributed in Susya village, to the southeast of Yatta, south of Hebron.
On Thursday, 27 June 2013, a group of settlers from "Ramat Yishai" settlement outpost, which is established on Palestinians' lands in Tal al-Remida neighborhood, in the center of Hebron, destroyed the metal fence surrounding the playground of Cordoba Primary School, which is located between Tal al-Remida neighborhood and Martyrs street.
On Sunday, 30 June 2013, a settler attacked 'Omar Mokhtar Hussain Abdel-Qader (23), a Palestinian civilian from Kuffor Laqef village, east of Qalqilya, while he was driving on the main Nablus-Qalqilya road. The settler stopped his car and held him near the entrance of Azzoun village at gunpoint.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
Israeli forces continued the systematic use of excessive force against peaceful protests organised by Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded: a 23-year-old male was hit in the right thigh by a tear gas canister; a 35-year-old male sustained a bullet wound in the back; and a 24-year-old male sustained a bullet to the shoulder. Also, dozens of civilians suffered due to tear gas inhalation and others sustained wounds.
Following the Friday Prayer, 28 June 2013, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activity. The demonstrators marched through the streets of the village, chanting slogans calling for national unity, raised Palestinian flags and made their way towards the lands adjacent to the annexation wall. Israeli forces had closed all entrances to the village since early morning to prevent Palestinians, journalists, and international activists from joining the protest. The demonstrators walked along the wall and attempted to breach it. Israeli forces stationed behind the western side of the wall, and dozens of soldiers who were deployed along the route of the wall, fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, tear gas canisters, and waste water at the demonstrators, and chased them across olive fields.
As a result, Mohammed Ja'far (23) was hit by a tear gas canister in the right thigh. Also, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises.
Also, following the Friday Prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The demonstrators made their way towards the annexation wall. Israeli forces closed the wall gate with barbed wire and, when the demonstrators attempted to access the lands behind the barbed wire, they were stopped by Israeli soldiers. The demonstrators threw stones at the Israeli soldiers who responded with live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters, and chased them across fields of olive trees as far as the outskirts of the village.
As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.
Around the same time on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians, Israeli and international human rights activists gathered at the Martyrs Square in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to hold a weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The protesters walked towards Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby "Halmish" settlement are trying to seize. From the morning, Israeli forces had closed all entrances to the village to prevent Palestinians, international activists, and journalists from joining the demonstration. Upon their arrival in the area, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters, chased the demonstrators into the village and sprayed them and civilian houses with waste water.
As a result, dozens of Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises, and two Palestinians and an unidentified Spanish solidarity activist were abducted: Ms. Rana Nazzal (25) and Nariman Mahmoud Tamimi (37) were taken to HaSharon junction, which is located within Israel.
Following Friday Prayer, dozens of inhabitants of al-Mas'ra village, south of Bethlehem, international and Israeli human rights activists, and activists in the Popular Resistance Committees gathered for the weekly peaceful demonstration against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activity, which was titled "Water." It started outside Shomou' Cultural Centre in the centre of the village; and while on their way to the wall, Israeli forces, backed-up by Israeli police and border guards, fired tear gas canisters at them in order to disperse them. Many demonstrators suffered due to tear gas inhalation.
At approximately 13:30 on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Kufor Kadoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest at the continuous closure of the eastern entrance of the village which has been ongoing since the outbreak of al-Aqsa Intifada. Upon the demonstrators' arrival to the afore-mentioned gate, Israeli forces had set up ambushes for them and started chasing them, firing rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canister at them.
As a result, 2 Palestinians sustained wounds: Nasser Ahmed Daoud 'Akel (35) sustained a metal bullet to the back; and Raslan Abdel-Ra'ouf Jum'a (24) sustained a bullet wound to the shoulder.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among them were a recommendation that the European Union activate Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides that both sides must respect human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel, and the EU must not ignore Israeli violation and crimes against Palestinian civilians;
In addition, PCHR calls upon the Palestinian leadership to sign and accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Geneva Conventions, and calls upon the international community, especially the United Nations, to encourage the State of Palestine to accede to international human rights law and humanitarian law instruments.
Fore the full text of the report, click on the link
Amnesty International has accused the Israeli authorities of bullying and judicial harassment of Nariman Tamimi, a Palestinian rights activist who was placed under partial house arrest on Thursday to prevent her taking part in peaceful protests while she awaits trial next week.
"This is an unrelenting campaign of harassment, the latest in a litany of human rights violations against Nariman Tamimi, her family, and her fellow villagers. These arbitrary restrictions should be lifted immediately and the charges should be dropped," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme Director.
Tamimi was arrested along with another activist Rana Hamadi on Friday 28 June, when villagers of Nabi Saleh walk towards a nearby spring in protest against the loss of their land. In 2009 Israeli settlers occupied the Al-Qaws spring near Nabi Saleh village where Tamimi lives. The illegal settlement now enjoys the protection of the military.
During the protest a soldier approached them waving a piece of paper and saying they could be arrested if they did not leave. When they tried to leave the area, more soldiers approached and arrested them. Both women were charged with being in a "closed military zone".
Following their release on bail on Monday, the court has now put them under partial house arrest. They are not allowed to leave their family homes between 9am to 5pm on Fridays when the weekly protest takes place.
"They have been denied the basic human right to peacefully protest over land illegally seized by Israeli settlers, and the Israeli judiciary has used spurious legal tools to punish them for exercising their basic human right to peaceful protest," said Philip Luther.
Speaking to Amnesty International following her arrest, Nariman Tamimi described how the two women were kept in conditions that included being held in leg-cuffs, detained overnight in a car, and held in a van carrying male Israeli prisoners who she said shouted verbal abuse at them and intimidated them physically.
Tamimi has already suffered previous arrests and raids on her home. Her husband Bassem has been jailed least twice and held as a prisoner of conscience.
Her brother Rushdi Tamimi was shot in the back with live ammunition by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration last year. He died two days later in hospital. Video evidence shows that Israeli soldiers delayed his family's attempts to take him to hospital.
"This shows the sustained brutality of the military and the Israeli authorities' determination to target and harass those prepared to stand up for their rights. They use every tool in the box to intimidate activists and their families into silence," said Philip Luther.
"This is an unrelenting campaign of harassment, the latest in a litany of human rights violations against Nariman Tamimi, her family, and her fellow villagers. These arbitrary restrictions should be lifted immediately and the charges should be dropped," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme Director.
Tamimi was arrested along with another activist Rana Hamadi on Friday 28 June, when villagers of Nabi Saleh walk towards a nearby spring in protest against the loss of their land. In 2009 Israeli settlers occupied the Al-Qaws spring near Nabi Saleh village where Tamimi lives. The illegal settlement now enjoys the protection of the military.
During the protest a soldier approached them waving a piece of paper and saying they could be arrested if they did not leave. When they tried to leave the area, more soldiers approached and arrested them. Both women were charged with being in a "closed military zone".
Following their release on bail on Monday, the court has now put them under partial house arrest. They are not allowed to leave their family homes between 9am to 5pm on Fridays when the weekly protest takes place.
"They have been denied the basic human right to peacefully protest over land illegally seized by Israeli settlers, and the Israeli judiciary has used spurious legal tools to punish them for exercising their basic human right to peaceful protest," said Philip Luther.
Speaking to Amnesty International following her arrest, Nariman Tamimi described how the two women were kept in conditions that included being held in leg-cuffs, detained overnight in a car, and held in a van carrying male Israeli prisoners who she said shouted verbal abuse at them and intimidated them physically.
Tamimi has already suffered previous arrests and raids on her home. Her husband Bassem has been jailed least twice and held as a prisoner of conscience.
Her brother Rushdi Tamimi was shot in the back with live ammunition by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration last year. He died two days later in hospital. Video evidence shows that Israeli soldiers delayed his family's attempts to take him to hospital.
"This shows the sustained brutality of the military and the Israeli authorities' determination to target and harass those prepared to stand up for their rights. They use every tool in the box to intimidate activists and their families into silence," said Philip Luther.
Israel is considered by both International Human Rights organisations and media polls as one of the worst countries regarding human rights abuses, due to its dreadful record of human rights violations. Amnesty International and Middle East Monitor issued various reports in which they expressed concerns about the Israel's practices.
A BBC World Service poll in 2007 revealed that Israel is perceived by the majority of people as top country for having a negative influence in the world and a more recent public poll carried out in Norway and Germany circumscribed Israel as "a hostile entity". This negative image of Israel is caused by its frequent violations of international law since its forced establishment in 1948.
Read full report, click here [PDF]
A BBC World Service poll in 2007 revealed that Israel is perceived by the majority of people as top country for having a negative influence in the world and a more recent public poll carried out in Norway and Germany circumscribed Israel as "a hostile entity". This negative image of Israel is caused by its frequent violations of international law since its forced establishment in 1948.
Read full report, click here [PDF]
4 july 2013
"Construction in Judea and Samaria1 will continue, and is continuing still today, but we must be aware of what is happening around us" (Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, June 30th 2013).
Since January 2013, US President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have led a new effort in order to resume negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that he is willing to negotiate "without preconditions." Such an Israeli approach, illustrated by Israeli facts on the ground, is an Israeli attempt at normalizing daily agression, oppression, discrimination and attacks against the occupied people of Palestine. It shows once again that Israel is not interested about reaching a just and lasting peace but rather in maintaining the status quo while resisting international pressure.
An Israeli commitment to the two-state solution in line with the vision of Palestine and the rest of the international community would be a positive step. Unfortunately, statements and actions made by prominent members of the Israeli government prove that there is a clear rift within the Israeli government on the issue of the peace process, while Palestine and the international community is exerting effort to resume meaningful negotiations. Many prominent figures of the ruling Israeli coalition are publicly opposing the two-state solution. At the same time, continued actions on the ground, many of which fall under the banner of Israel's illegal settlement enterprise, demonstrate a clear intention to destroy the possibility of two states living side by side.
This report, which was published by the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, [PDF] summarizes Israeli attacks and other acts of aggression committed by the Israeli Occupation Authorities, military forces and settlers against the people of Palestine in the recent period when Israeli officials have been "talking about talking."
LINK TO FULL REPORT [PDF]
Since January 2013, US President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have led a new effort in order to resume negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that he is willing to negotiate "without preconditions." Such an Israeli approach, illustrated by Israeli facts on the ground, is an Israeli attempt at normalizing daily agression, oppression, discrimination and attacks against the occupied people of Palestine. It shows once again that Israel is not interested about reaching a just and lasting peace but rather in maintaining the status quo while resisting international pressure.
An Israeli commitment to the two-state solution in line with the vision of Palestine and the rest of the international community would be a positive step. Unfortunately, statements and actions made by prominent members of the Israeli government prove that there is a clear rift within the Israeli government on the issue of the peace process, while Palestine and the international community is exerting effort to resume meaningful negotiations. Many prominent figures of the ruling Israeli coalition are publicly opposing the two-state solution. At the same time, continued actions on the ground, many of which fall under the banner of Israel's illegal settlement enterprise, demonstrate a clear intention to destroy the possibility of two states living side by side.
This report, which was published by the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, [PDF] summarizes Israeli attacks and other acts of aggression committed by the Israeli Occupation Authorities, military forces and settlers against the people of Palestine in the recent period when Israeli officials have been "talking about talking."
LINK TO FULL REPORT [PDF]
The Palestinian Detainees Center for Studies issued its monthly report documenting Israeli violations in June, revealing that the army carried out more than 247 invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and kidnapped more than 340 Palestinians.
The center said that some of the kidnapped residents have been released after being interrogated for several days, or hours, but the majority remained imprisoned.
Most of the arrests have been carried out in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, as the army kidnapped 95 Palestinians.
The center further stated that 45 children, and one woman, were among the kidnapped in June, and added that the soldiers kidnapped eight Palestinians in Gaza, including two fishermen. The army also confiscated the fishing boats of the two fishermen.
It said that the soldiers kidnapped Palestinian legislator, Abdul-Jabbar Foqaha, 47, and issued a military order illegally imprisoning his under Administrative Detention, without charges or trial, for six months.
Head of the Detainees Studies Center, researcher Riyadh Al-Ashqar, stated that the army has kidnapped 45 children, and that the youngest child is Ismael Thiab Ar-Rajaby, 10, who was kidnapped near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
Another child, identified as Husam Omar Khalifa, 12, from Bethlehem, was kidnapped at a roadblock, and was violently beaten by the soldiers; he was injured and moved to the Hadassah Israeli medical center in Jerusalem.
Furthermore, resident Ali Fares Ad-Douda, 65, was kidnapped after the soldiers broke into his home, north of Hebron, and Mohammad Fathy Al-Ja’bary, 55, was kidnapped in the center of Hebron.
The Center further reported that two heart patients identified as Wael Sharawna and Monjed Sweity, have also been kidnapped and denied medical attention.
A sixteen–year-old, identified as Saja Sweity, was kidnapped in occupied East Jerusalem, for carrying a Palestinian flag. She was interrogated, and violently beaten, before she was released.
In related news, the Ofer Israeli military court decided to illegally deport detainee Eyad Abu Fannoun, 23, from Batteer town, west of Bethlehem, to the Gaza Strip for ten years.
He is still imprisoned by Israel; Abu Fannoun was kidnapped on April 24 2012, and remained imprisoned under Administrative Detention, without charges, since then. Israel did not set a date for exiling him out of the West Bank.
The center said that some of the kidnapped residents have been released after being interrogated for several days, or hours, but the majority remained imprisoned.
Most of the arrests have been carried out in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, as the army kidnapped 95 Palestinians.
The center further stated that 45 children, and one woman, were among the kidnapped in June, and added that the soldiers kidnapped eight Palestinians in Gaza, including two fishermen. The army also confiscated the fishing boats of the two fishermen.
It said that the soldiers kidnapped Palestinian legislator, Abdul-Jabbar Foqaha, 47, and issued a military order illegally imprisoning his under Administrative Detention, without charges or trial, for six months.
Head of the Detainees Studies Center, researcher Riyadh Al-Ashqar, stated that the army has kidnapped 45 children, and that the youngest child is Ismael Thiab Ar-Rajaby, 10, who was kidnapped near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
Another child, identified as Husam Omar Khalifa, 12, from Bethlehem, was kidnapped at a roadblock, and was violently beaten by the soldiers; he was injured and moved to the Hadassah Israeli medical center in Jerusalem.
Furthermore, resident Ali Fares Ad-Douda, 65, was kidnapped after the soldiers broke into his home, north of Hebron, and Mohammad Fathy Al-Ja’bary, 55, was kidnapped in the center of Hebron.
The Center further reported that two heart patients identified as Wael Sharawna and Monjed Sweity, have also been kidnapped and denied medical attention.
A sixteen–year-old, identified as Saja Sweity, was kidnapped in occupied East Jerusalem, for carrying a Palestinian flag. She was interrogated, and violently beaten, before she was released.
In related news, the Ofer Israeli military court decided to illegally deport detainee Eyad Abu Fannoun, 23, from Batteer town, west of Bethlehem, to the Gaza Strip for ten years.
He is still imprisoned by Israel; Abu Fannoun was kidnapped on April 24 2012, and remained imprisoned under Administrative Detention, without charges, since then. Israel did not set a date for exiling him out of the West Bank.
3 july 2013
The Israeli occupation has continued its violation of Palestinian media freedom in June including the deliberate shooting, beating and detaining journalists. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has also continued its violation of Palestinian media freedom in this period, while no violations by Gazan authorities were registered. The Palestinian Information Ministry reported in its monthly report the following violations by Israeli forces:
The report confirmed that the Israeli soldiers stationed at Karama crossing prevented Nawwaf al-Amer from traveling through the crossing on 6 June where he intended to cover events in Jordan and visit his sick mother.
The journalist al-Amer was arrested more than once in Israeli jails most recently in 2011 and he was deported to Marj Zhour in 1992.
On 9 June, Israeli forces arrested photojournalist Said al-Qaq during his coverage of a peaceful protest in Jerusalem.
On 10 June, journalist Khaled Maali suffocated after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers while storming Salfit city.
The IOF attacked a group of journalists during their coverage of the weekly march against settlement in Nabi Saleh village including journalist Bilal Tamimi, who was injured in the hand by shrapnel from a tear gas canister before he was attacked and severely beaten by Israeli soldiers.
Furthermore, the Israeli soldiers beat media workers of Palestine TV crew, and arrested Ahmed Shawer and Bashar Nazzal during their coverage of a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Kafer Kadoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest at the continuous closure of the eastern entrance of the village which has been ongoing since the outbreak of al-Aqsa Intifada..
On 25 June, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected an appeal submitted by the journalist Osama Hussein Shahin, 31, for the second time without reasons and approved its previous order to renew his administrative detention for 6 more additional months.
Shahin was arrested in October 2012 where he was administratively held for 6 months that were extended for 6 additional months. Shahin was an activist in prisoners' issue and the director of Palestine Center for Prisoners' Studies. He spent 5 years in Israeli jails. He suffers many health problems most notably asthma.
The following violations of Palestinian media freedoms were committed by Palestinian authorities in June:
PA Public Prosecution summoned the journalist George Anawati, director of Radio Bethlehem 2000, where he has been suspended from work for 48 hours. He was investigated for publishing a statement issued by Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades on the radio before denying it.
The report confirmed that the Israeli soldiers stationed at Karama crossing prevented Nawwaf al-Amer from traveling through the crossing on 6 June where he intended to cover events in Jordan and visit his sick mother.
The journalist al-Amer was arrested more than once in Israeli jails most recently in 2011 and he was deported to Marj Zhour in 1992.
On 9 June, Israeli forces arrested photojournalist Said al-Qaq during his coverage of a peaceful protest in Jerusalem.
On 10 June, journalist Khaled Maali suffocated after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers while storming Salfit city.
The IOF attacked a group of journalists during their coverage of the weekly march against settlement in Nabi Saleh village including journalist Bilal Tamimi, who was injured in the hand by shrapnel from a tear gas canister before he was attacked and severely beaten by Israeli soldiers.
Furthermore, the Israeli soldiers beat media workers of Palestine TV crew, and arrested Ahmed Shawer and Bashar Nazzal during their coverage of a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Kafer Kadoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest at the continuous closure of the eastern entrance of the village which has been ongoing since the outbreak of al-Aqsa Intifada..
On 25 June, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected an appeal submitted by the journalist Osama Hussein Shahin, 31, for the second time without reasons and approved its previous order to renew his administrative detention for 6 more additional months.
Shahin was arrested in October 2012 where he was administratively held for 6 months that were extended for 6 additional months. Shahin was an activist in prisoners' issue and the director of Palestine Center for Prisoners' Studies. He spent 5 years in Israeli jails. He suffers many health problems most notably asthma.
The following violations of Palestinian media freedoms were committed by Palestinian authorities in June:
PA Public Prosecution summoned the journalist George Anawati, director of Radio Bethlehem 2000, where he has been suspended from work for 48 hours. He was investigated for publishing a statement issued by Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades on the radio before denying it.
by The Jerusalem Post
Despite recent attempts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to restart the peace talks, only 10 percent of Israelis and 27% of Palestinians believe negotiations with Palestinians will resume and violence will end, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
The Hebrew University's Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace conducted the survey jointly with the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.
According to the 601 Israelis and 1,270 Palestinians polled, each side views the other as a continual threat to its existence.
On the Palestinian side, 57% of those surveyed believe that Israel's long-term goals are to extend its border into Palestinian territory and drive out the Arab citizens. An additional 25% of Palestinians believe Israel's goals are to annex the West Bank and deny Palestinians their political rights.
Likewise, 17% of Israelis believe that Palestinians ultimately hope to conquer the State of Israel, while an additional 37% believe Palestinians hope to eradicate as much of the Israeli Jewish population as possible.
The survey came about in light of the new modifications to the Saudi-inspired Arab Peace Initiative accepting minor territorial swaps, and an intensive United States effort to revitalize Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that have been halted since 2008.
The original initiative, first offered in 2002, called for the establishment of a Palestinian state and an Israeli retreat from all territories captured in 1967, including Gaza, the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
In April, Kerry persuaded the Arab League to revive interest in the initiative by allowing the final borders between Israel and a future Palestine state to deviate from the 1967 lines through agreed land swaps.
The modification was supposed to provide a way for Israel to keep some of the West Bank settlements and holy sites in east Jerusalem.
However, the poll suggests that the new Arab modification did not make the plan more popular with Israelis.
A year ago, only 36% of Israelis supported the plan, but since the modifications, that percentage has dwindled to 24%. Even though 54% of Palestinians support the plan, only 17% believe Israel will actually withdraw from one or all of the territories conquered in 1967.
Although Palestinian leadership in Ramallah has been officially nudging toward a two-state solution based on the pre- 1967 lines, and the Israeli government supports a two-state solution under Israeli sovereignty, 68% of Israelis and 69% of Palestinians view the chances of an independent Palestinian state's formation in the next five years as low or nonexistent.
Despite the low expectations, 62% of Israelis and 53% of Palestinians support a two-state solution. However, 51% of Israelis believe it is bound to fail because of the settlements, and 58% of Palestinians believe it is no longer viable.
Both sides were even more critical of a proposed one-state solution in which Arabs and Jews enjoy equality: 63% of Israelis and 69% of Palestinians reject such a result.
The peace-process pessimism is not just limited to boundary disputes, but encompasses intense fear of violence as well. The study found that 50% of Israeli participants are worried that their families may be harmed by Arabs, while 74% of Palestinians are worried that Israelis will harm their families, confiscate their land or demolish their homes.
The poll, conducted in mid- June, has a 4.5% margin of error. The Palestinian sample was interviewed face-to-face in the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip; the Israeli sample was interviewed by phone.
Despite recent attempts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to restart the peace talks, only 10 percent of Israelis and 27% of Palestinians believe negotiations with Palestinians will resume and violence will end, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
The Hebrew University's Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace conducted the survey jointly with the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.
According to the 601 Israelis and 1,270 Palestinians polled, each side views the other as a continual threat to its existence.
On the Palestinian side, 57% of those surveyed believe that Israel's long-term goals are to extend its border into Palestinian territory and drive out the Arab citizens. An additional 25% of Palestinians believe Israel's goals are to annex the West Bank and deny Palestinians their political rights.
Likewise, 17% of Israelis believe that Palestinians ultimately hope to conquer the State of Israel, while an additional 37% believe Palestinians hope to eradicate as much of the Israeli Jewish population as possible.
The survey came about in light of the new modifications to the Saudi-inspired Arab Peace Initiative accepting minor territorial swaps, and an intensive United States effort to revitalize Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that have been halted since 2008.
The original initiative, first offered in 2002, called for the establishment of a Palestinian state and an Israeli retreat from all territories captured in 1967, including Gaza, the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
In April, Kerry persuaded the Arab League to revive interest in the initiative by allowing the final borders between Israel and a future Palestine state to deviate from the 1967 lines through agreed land swaps.
The modification was supposed to provide a way for Israel to keep some of the West Bank settlements and holy sites in east Jerusalem.
However, the poll suggests that the new Arab modification did not make the plan more popular with Israelis.
A year ago, only 36% of Israelis supported the plan, but since the modifications, that percentage has dwindled to 24%. Even though 54% of Palestinians support the plan, only 17% believe Israel will actually withdraw from one or all of the territories conquered in 1967.
Although Palestinian leadership in Ramallah has been officially nudging toward a two-state solution based on the pre- 1967 lines, and the Israeli government supports a two-state solution under Israeli sovereignty, 68% of Israelis and 69% of Palestinians view the chances of an independent Palestinian state's formation in the next five years as low or nonexistent.
Despite the low expectations, 62% of Israelis and 53% of Palestinians support a two-state solution. However, 51% of Israelis believe it is bound to fail because of the settlements, and 58% of Palestinians believe it is no longer viable.
Both sides were even more critical of a proposed one-state solution in which Arabs and Jews enjoy equality: 63% of Israelis and 69% of Palestinians reject such a result.
The peace-process pessimism is not just limited to boundary disputes, but encompasses intense fear of violence as well. The study found that 50% of Israeli participants are worried that their families may be harmed by Arabs, while 74% of Palestinians are worried that Israelis will harm their families, confiscate their land or demolish their homes.
The poll, conducted in mid- June, has a 4.5% margin of error. The Palestinian sample was interviewed face-to-face in the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip; the Israeli sample was interviewed by phone.
Mo'ataz 'Abdel Fatah al-Sharawnah 19
In an excessive use of lethal force, on Tuesday, 02 July 2013, Israeli forces killed a 19-year old Palestinian civilian in Dura, southwest of Hebron, when Israeli forces, which moved into the village and fired live bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters at a group of young men, who threw stones at them.
According to investigation conducted by Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and testimonies given by witnesses, at approximately 01:00, Israeli forces moved into Dura town, southwest of Hebron in the south of the west Bank. A number of Palestinian young men gathered and threw stones from a distance of 2 meters at the Israeli forces.
A number of soldiers got out of their vehicles and chased the young men, who fled to an entrance that leads to Karisa neighborhood in the centre of the town, as Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, sound bomb and tear gas canisters. Mo'ataz 'Abdel Fatah al-Sharawnah (19) was hit by a sound bomb thrown at his chest from a distance of around 18 meters and fell onto the ground.
Meanwhile, his brother, Saher, approached Mo'ataz to try to rescue him, but Israeli soldiers fired at him. As a result, he sustained a bullet wound to the shoulder and he then escaped. However, he was arrested several meters away by Israeli special forces. A number of Israeli soldiers gathered around Mo'ataz, who was lying on the ground, and violently stepped on his chest and abdomen. They then left, and a number of young men brought an ambulance of Palestine Red Crescent Society to transfer him to the Society's station. He was then transferred to Hebron Governmental Hospital where he passed away a few minutes later. According to medical sources at hospital, he died due to sustaining a cut in the chest and bruises causing him extensive bleeding.
It should be mentioned that the dead body was transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Dis to reveal the real reasons of death.
PCHR expresses deep concern for such crimes which reflect the continued use of excessive force by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in disregard for their lives.
PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes and reiterates its call for the parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949 to fulfill their obligations under Common Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Article 85 of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions.
In an excessive use of lethal force, on Tuesday, 02 July 2013, Israeli forces killed a 19-year old Palestinian civilian in Dura, southwest of Hebron, when Israeli forces, which moved into the village and fired live bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters at a group of young men, who threw stones at them.
According to investigation conducted by Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and testimonies given by witnesses, at approximately 01:00, Israeli forces moved into Dura town, southwest of Hebron in the south of the west Bank. A number of Palestinian young men gathered and threw stones from a distance of 2 meters at the Israeli forces.
A number of soldiers got out of their vehicles and chased the young men, who fled to an entrance that leads to Karisa neighborhood in the centre of the town, as Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, sound bomb and tear gas canisters. Mo'ataz 'Abdel Fatah al-Sharawnah (19) was hit by a sound bomb thrown at his chest from a distance of around 18 meters and fell onto the ground.
Meanwhile, his brother, Saher, approached Mo'ataz to try to rescue him, but Israeli soldiers fired at him. As a result, he sustained a bullet wound to the shoulder and he then escaped. However, he was arrested several meters away by Israeli special forces. A number of Israeli soldiers gathered around Mo'ataz, who was lying on the ground, and violently stepped on his chest and abdomen. They then left, and a number of young men brought an ambulance of Palestine Red Crescent Society to transfer him to the Society's station. He was then transferred to Hebron Governmental Hospital where he passed away a few minutes later. According to medical sources at hospital, he died due to sustaining a cut in the chest and bruises causing him extensive bleeding.
It should be mentioned that the dead body was transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Dis to reveal the real reasons of death.
PCHR expresses deep concern for such crimes which reflect the continued use of excessive force by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in disregard for their lives.
PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes and reiterates its call for the parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949 to fulfill their obligations under Common Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Article 85 of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions.
2 july 2013
Palestinians and Israelis continue to display pessimism regarding the peace process despite efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to renew the peace process, a joint Palestinian-Israeli poll said on Tuesday. Only 27% of the Palestinians and 10% of the Israelis think that the two sides will return to negotiations and violence will stop while 34% of the Israelis and 31% of the Palestinians believe that negotiations will resume but some armed attacks will continue as well.
The poll was conducted jointly by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah.
It said that 44% of the Israelis and 15% of the Palestinians think that the two sides will not return to negotiations and armed attacks will not stop and 21% of the Palestinians believe that the two sides will not return to negotiations but that violence will not resume.
Furthermore, findings indicate that each side perceives the other side as constituting a threat to its very existence: 57% of Palestinians think that Israel’s goals in the long run are to extend its borders to cover all the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and expel its Arab citizens, and 25% think the goals are to annex the West Bank while denying political rights to the Palestinians.
At the same time, 37% of the Israelis think that the Palestinian aspirations in the long run are to conquer the State of Israel and destroy much of the Jewish population in Israel; 17% think the goals of the Palestinians are to conquer the State of Israel.
The poll was conducted jointly by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah.
It said that 44% of the Israelis and 15% of the Palestinians think that the two sides will not return to negotiations and armed attacks will not stop and 21% of the Palestinians believe that the two sides will not return to negotiations but that violence will not resume.
Furthermore, findings indicate that each side perceives the other side as constituting a threat to its very existence: 57% of Palestinians think that Israel’s goals in the long run are to extend its borders to cover all the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and expel its Arab citizens, and 25% think the goals are to annex the West Bank while denying political rights to the Palestinians.
At the same time, 37% of the Israelis think that the Palestinian aspirations in the long run are to conquer the State of Israel and destroy much of the Jewish population in Israel; 17% think the goals of the Palestinians are to conquer the State of Israel.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed 2 martyrs and arrested more than 230 Palestinians during June throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Tadamum Foundation for Human Rights revealed. Ahmad Bitawi, a researcher at the Foundation, confirmed that 2 Palestinians were martyred during June namely: Khaled Jamal Khryosh, 27, from Tulkarm refugee camp, who died on June 11 of wounds sustained in 2004, and Mohamed al-Azraq, 27, from Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza strip of wounds sustained in 2010.
The Foundation documented more than 230 arrests throughout West Bank and the border area in the Gaza Strip including 40 children and 10 university students.
More than 70 arrests took place in al-Khalil, 45 Palestinians were arrested in Nablus, 35 arrests were documented in Jenin, while 10 Palestinians were arrested in Gaza, Bitawi explained.
Bitawi pointed out that some detainees were suffering various illnesses including Mohammed Walid Qawariq, from Nablus, whose right hand was amputated due to the explosion of a bomb and the mentally disabled prisoner Haron Ibrahim Abu Mohamed from Bethlehem.
The Foundation stated that among the detainees there were 15 liberated prisoners in addition to the MP Abdel Jaber Fuqaha.
Several arrests were carried out at Israeli military checkpoints erected throughout the West Bank cities and villages. Some other arrests were documented at the Karama border crossing between Jordan and occupied West Bank.
The Foundation documented more than 230 arrests throughout West Bank and the border area in the Gaza Strip including 40 children and 10 university students.
More than 70 arrests took place in al-Khalil, 45 Palestinians were arrested in Nablus, 35 arrests were documented in Jenin, while 10 Palestinians were arrested in Gaza, Bitawi explained.
Bitawi pointed out that some detainees were suffering various illnesses including Mohammed Walid Qawariq, from Nablus, whose right hand was amputated due to the explosion of a bomb and the mentally disabled prisoner Haron Ibrahim Abu Mohamed from Bethlehem.
The Foundation stated that among the detainees there were 15 liberated prisoners in addition to the MP Abdel Jaber Fuqaha.
Several arrests were carried out at Israeli military checkpoints erected throughout the West Bank cities and villages. Some other arrests were documented at the Karama border crossing between Jordan and occupied West Bank.
The information center for wall and settlement affairs in the West Bank said that the Israeli occupation regime had built 3,341 new settlement units and demolished 23 Palestinian homes and structures last month. In its monthly report, the center stated that most of the Israeli demolitions took place in the Jordan Valley and Jenin, adding that Israel also issued during last June 74 demolition orders against Palestinian homes and buildings in Al-Khalil, Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
According to the report, Israel built 3,341 housing units in the settlements of Abu Ghuneim Mount (Har Homa), Gilo, Itamar, Barkan, Ramot and Susia.
The report also covered the Israeli Judaization activities in Jerusalem and pointed out to different plans to build Jewish buildings, underground corridors and roads in occupied Jerusalem.
The report also said that the Jewish settlers under military protection assaulted more than 14 Palestinian citizens in the West Bank, and burnt and damaged more than 30 cars during the reporting month.
During the month, the Jewish settlers also tried to burn a stone cutting machine in Hawara town and steal Palestinian antiquities in Wadi Rahal in Bethlehem.
According to the report, Israel built 3,341 housing units in the settlements of Abu Ghuneim Mount (Har Homa), Gilo, Itamar, Barkan, Ramot and Susia.
The report also covered the Israeli Judaization activities in Jerusalem and pointed out to different plans to build Jewish buildings, underground corridors and roads in occupied Jerusalem.
The report also said that the Jewish settlers under military protection assaulted more than 14 Palestinian citizens in the West Bank, and burnt and damaged more than 30 cars during the reporting month.
During the month, the Jewish settlers also tried to burn a stone cutting machine in Hawara town and steal Palestinian antiquities in Wadi Rahal in Bethlehem.
1 july 2013
In its monthly report, the Information Center of the Wall and settlement documented an escalation in Israeli attacks during June including demolition notices, settlement expansion. The report issued on Sunday monitored 98 Israeli assaults during June including 23 demolition operations mostly in Jordan alley and Jenin.
The report also pointed out that 57 demolition orders in al-Khalil, 11 demolition notifications in Jerusalem, and 6 other in Bethlehem.
During June, the Israeli authorities declared the establishment of 3341 housing units in West Bank settlements, and approved the construction of a huge building in Wadi al-Hilweh known as Giv'ati parking as part of the Israeli Judaization schemes in occupied Jerusalem.
Israel's Jerusalem District Committee for Planning and Building has put an outline to connect the Jewish quarter in the Old Town Square with Al-Buraq Square through building underground elevators and corridors, the report added.
For its part, the Israeli Municipality has established a new road to link between the occupied city of Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim settlement.
The monthly report referred to Israeli settlers' escalated attacks where 14 Palestinian citizens were assaulted, and 30 cars were burned, in addition to stealing Palestinian monuments in Bethlehem and closing main streets that connect Palestinian villages and cities.
The Information Center also documented several Israeli break-ins into al-Aqsa mosque during June.
The report also pointed out that 57 demolition orders in al-Khalil, 11 demolition notifications in Jerusalem, and 6 other in Bethlehem.
During June, the Israeli authorities declared the establishment of 3341 housing units in West Bank settlements, and approved the construction of a huge building in Wadi al-Hilweh known as Giv'ati parking as part of the Israeli Judaization schemes in occupied Jerusalem.
Israel's Jerusalem District Committee for Planning and Building has put an outline to connect the Jewish quarter in the Old Town Square with Al-Buraq Square through building underground elevators and corridors, the report added.
For its part, the Israeli Municipality has established a new road to link between the occupied city of Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim settlement.
The monthly report referred to Israeli settlers' escalated attacks where 14 Palestinian citizens were assaulted, and 30 cars were burned, in addition to stealing Palestinian monuments in Bethlehem and closing main streets that connect Palestinian villages and cities.
The Information Center also documented several Israeli break-ins into al-Aqsa mosque during June.
The Israeli Civil Administration document confirmed that the Palestinian population of the West Bank stood at 2.6 million in May 2012. The document obtained by Haaretz Hebrew newspaper pointed out that the Palestinian population of the West Bank stood at 2,657,029 in contrast with the Israeli right-wing group that says Palestinians exaggerate population by 1 and half million.
New research from the American-Israel Demographic Research Group, says Palestinians exaggerate population by 1 million, argues time and demographics are on Israel's side. However, Israeli authorities say the number stands at 2.5 million, the newspaper added.
Israeli geographer and a professor of Geography Arnon Sofer criticized the right-wing group research, saying that it works to spread lies and tricks.
New research from the American-Israel Demographic Research Group, says Palestinians exaggerate population by 1 million, argues time and demographics are on Israel's side. However, Israeli authorities say the number stands at 2.5 million, the newspaper added.
Israeli geographer and a professor of Geography Arnon Sofer criticized the right-wing group research, saying that it works to spread lies and tricks.
The Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights have reported that Israeli soldiers kidnapped 1790 Palestinians in the first six months of this year, including 300 who were kidnapped in June, and added that 16 Palestinians have also been shot and killed by Israeli military fire in six months.
The Ahrar Center said that dozens of women, children, elderly, legislators, intellectuals and journalists were among the kidnapped.
The center added that the arrests took place in every part of the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, in addition to 25 arrests in the Gaza Strip, including fishermen and five arrests on border terminals.
Most of the arrests have been carried out in the Hebron district, in the southern part of the West Bank. The second highest number of arrests was carried out in Jerusalem, followed by Nablus.
Ahrar said that February witnessed the largest number of arrests as the soldiers kidnapped 382 Palestinians, while 350 have been kidnapped in January, 300 in June, 263 in May, 259 in April and 236 in March.
The center further reported that the army also kidnapped 7 Palestinian legislators identified as Ahmad Attoun, Hatem Qfeisha, Abdul-Jabbar Foqaha, Imad Nofal, Basem Za’areer, Mahmoud Ramahi, and Mohammad Jamal An-Natsha.
Furthermore, Ahrar said that the army also kidnapped 33 women, including wives and relatives of political prisoners held by Israel, and that 17 of the kidnapped women are still imprisoned by Israel.
The Ahrar Center also said that 14 Palestinians, including 10 from the West Bank, and four from the Gaza Strip, have been shot and killed by the Israeli army since the beginning of this year, in addition to two Palestinian political prisoners who died in Israeli prisons.
Detainee Arafat Jaradat, 33, from Hebron, died of extreme torture by Israeli interrogators, and detainee Maisara Abu Hamdiyya, 64, died of an advanced stage of cancer resulting from the lack of medical treatment in Israeli prisons.
Four more Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military fire in the Gaza Strip.
Head of the Ahrar Center, Fuad Al-khoffash, stated that the center documented daily Israeli military invasions; daily arrests and assaults, and demanded the International Community to act against the ongoing and escalating Israeli violations.
The Ahrar Center said that dozens of women, children, elderly, legislators, intellectuals and journalists were among the kidnapped.
The center added that the arrests took place in every part of the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, in addition to 25 arrests in the Gaza Strip, including fishermen and five arrests on border terminals.
Most of the arrests have been carried out in the Hebron district, in the southern part of the West Bank. The second highest number of arrests was carried out in Jerusalem, followed by Nablus.
Ahrar said that February witnessed the largest number of arrests as the soldiers kidnapped 382 Palestinians, while 350 have been kidnapped in January, 300 in June, 263 in May, 259 in April and 236 in March.
The center further reported that the army also kidnapped 7 Palestinian legislators identified as Ahmad Attoun, Hatem Qfeisha, Abdul-Jabbar Foqaha, Imad Nofal, Basem Za’areer, Mahmoud Ramahi, and Mohammad Jamal An-Natsha.
Furthermore, Ahrar said that the army also kidnapped 33 women, including wives and relatives of political prisoners held by Israel, and that 17 of the kidnapped women are still imprisoned by Israel.
The Ahrar Center also said that 14 Palestinians, including 10 from the West Bank, and four from the Gaza Strip, have been shot and killed by the Israeli army since the beginning of this year, in addition to two Palestinian political prisoners who died in Israeli prisons.
Detainee Arafat Jaradat, 33, from Hebron, died of extreme torture by Israeli interrogators, and detainee Maisara Abu Hamdiyya, 64, died of an advanced stage of cancer resulting from the lack of medical treatment in Israeli prisons.
Four more Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military fire in the Gaza Strip.
Head of the Ahrar Center, Fuad Al-khoffash, stated that the center documented daily Israeli military invasions; daily arrests and assaults, and demanded the International Community to act against the ongoing and escalating Israeli violations.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up 90 Palestinian citizens in various areas of Al-Khalil province in the past month of June. The Palestinian prisoner’s society said in a statement on Monday that IOF soldiers’ arrest campaigns focused in Al-Khalil city and the Arub and Fawar refugee camps in addition to nearby villages.
The society said that the detainees included 15 children, 17 sick persons, and 14 secondary school and university students among others.
The society said that the soldiers unleashed hounds in a number of arrest campaigns and on some other occasions blasted their way into the homes of civilians other than terrorizing the inhabitants in the violent storming of houses.
The society said that the detainees included 15 children, 17 sick persons, and 14 secondary school and university students among others.
The society said that the soldiers unleashed hounds in a number of arrest campaigns and on some other occasions blasted their way into the homes of civilians other than terrorizing the inhabitants in the violent storming of houses.
30 june 2013
Physical violence during arrest, transfer or interrogation occured in 74 percent of the 108 affidavits collected by DCI-Palestine during 2012 from Palestinian children. (Photo courtesy of Ihab Gafree)
Defence for Children International Palestine submitted a report to four separate United Nations independent human rights experts [PDF] this week that details the widespread and systematic ill-treatment Palestinian children encounter in the Israeli military detention system.
The report is based on 108 affidavits collected during 2012 from Palestinian children arrested in the West Bank and prosecuted in the Israeli military detention system. The report details the type of violations children encounter in the system, including:
“It is no secret that systematic ill-treatment of Palestinian kids has been occurring for several years,” says Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at DCI-Palestine. “There are too many reports, what we need is action.”
Impunity for violations continued to be a significant obstacle in 2012. DCI-Palestine filed eight complaints with Israeli authorities concerning the ill-treatment and torture of children while in Israeli military detention. While investigations were opened in several of the complaints, not a single indictment has been issued against a perpetrator. Many Palestinian families refuse to file complaints for fear of retaliation or simply because they do not believe the system is fair or impartial.
The report concludes by declaring that recent amendments to Israeli military law relating to children have had little impact whatsoever on their treatment during the critical first 48 hours after an arrest, where most of the ill-treatment occurs at the hands of soldiers, policemen and interrogators.
Since 1967, Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have been living under Israeli military law and prosecuted in military courts. Israel is the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes children in military courts. Palestinian children, some as young as 12 years old, are detained, interrogated and imprisoned within the Israeli military detention system.
Defence for Children International Palestine submitted a report to four separate United Nations independent human rights experts [PDF] this week that details the widespread and systematic ill-treatment Palestinian children encounter in the Israeli military detention system.
The report is based on 108 affidavits collected during 2012 from Palestinian children arrested in the West Bank and prosecuted in the Israeli military detention system. The report details the type of violations children encounter in the system, including:
- Use of hand ties in 97% of cases
- Use of blindfolds in 95% of cases
- No lawyer present during interrogation in 99% of cases
- Physical violence during arrest, transfer or interrogation in 74% of cases
- Verbal abuse, humiliation and intimidation in 68% of cases
- Strip searches in 89% of cases
- Use of solitary confinement for interrogation purposes in 19% of cases
“It is no secret that systematic ill-treatment of Palestinian kids has been occurring for several years,” says Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at DCI-Palestine. “There are too many reports, what we need is action.”
Impunity for violations continued to be a significant obstacle in 2012. DCI-Palestine filed eight complaints with Israeli authorities concerning the ill-treatment and torture of children while in Israeli military detention. While investigations were opened in several of the complaints, not a single indictment has been issued against a perpetrator. Many Palestinian families refuse to file complaints for fear of retaliation or simply because they do not believe the system is fair or impartial.
The report concludes by declaring that recent amendments to Israeli military law relating to children have had little impact whatsoever on their treatment during the critical first 48 hours after an arrest, where most of the ill-treatment occurs at the hands of soldiers, policemen and interrogators.
Since 1967, Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have been living under Israeli military law and prosecuted in military courts. Israel is the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes children in military courts. Palestinian children, some as young as 12 years old, are detained, interrogated and imprisoned within the Israeli military detention system.
A Palestinian study revealed that Israel collects 40 million shekels ($11 million) per year from Palestinians, in return for issuing Permits and Magnetic cards that allow them enter the occupied territories and work in the Israeli market. The Applied Research Institute ARIJ in the city of Bethlehem revealed on Saturday in a study that the Palestinian citizen pays a fee of 100 NIS for the magnetic card.
According to ARIJ's study, the total number of Palestinian workers in the occupied territories and the settlements reached 100,000 workers who are forced to pay permit fees to be able to work in the 1948-occupied Palestine
The magnetic card was an almost indispensable condition for entry the Occupied Palestinian Territory, although having the card itself was not enough to guarantee receiving a permit, but it is a proof that the people who apply for the permits are not considered a security risk.
According to ARIJ's study, the total number of Palestinian workers in the occupied territories and the settlements reached 100,000 workers who are forced to pay permit fees to be able to work in the 1948-occupied Palestine
The magnetic card was an almost indispensable condition for entry the Occupied Palestinian Territory, although having the card itself was not enough to guarantee receiving a permit, but it is a proof that the people who apply for the permits are not considered a security risk.
Al-Mizan center for human rights said there is a frenzied race between the Jewish Knesset members to devise racist and discriminatory laws against the Palestinian Arabs. The center stated that the latest racist bill was introduced by MK Yariv Levin, head of the Likud- Yisrael Beiteinu government coalition, and MK Ayelet Shaked from the Jewish home party, and it seeks to determine the nature of the state of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people.
The bill, which is referred to as "the basic law proposal: Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people" has received the support of another 39 Knesset members who consist of both members of the coalition and the opposition alike. The bill is currently in early legislative stages and still has not passed a preliminary reading.
According to the new bill, Israel is considered the national and historical home for the Jewish people alone and its national identity is solely defined by the Jewish people.
Al-Mizan center added that more dangerous draft laws regarding the Jewish state would be submitted by other Jewish Knesset members in the coming days in the context of the hectic race in the Israeli political arena to enact racist laws against the Palestinian Arabs.
"The attempt to forge the history through the enactment of laws will not change the truth a bit, as the stones, the trees and the human beings will always bear witness to the identity of the rightful owners of this homeland," the center underlined.
The bill, which is referred to as "the basic law proposal: Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people" has received the support of another 39 Knesset members who consist of both members of the coalition and the opposition alike. The bill is currently in early legislative stages and still has not passed a preliminary reading.
According to the new bill, Israel is considered the national and historical home for the Jewish people alone and its national identity is solely defined by the Jewish people.
Al-Mizan center added that more dangerous draft laws regarding the Jewish state would be submitted by other Jewish Knesset members in the coming days in the context of the hectic race in the Israeli political arena to enact racist laws against the Palestinian Arabs.
"The attempt to forge the history through the enactment of laws will not change the truth a bit, as the stones, the trees and the human beings will always bear witness to the identity of the rightful owners of this homeland," the center underlined.
28 june 2013
The United Nations Special Committee* to investigate Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories warned on Thursday, that popular discontent could result in another round of violence in the occupied territories, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a press release.
At the end of its latest fact-finding visit to Amman and Cairo (22-27 June 2013), the Committee also expressed serious concern at the wide range of Israeli practices that violate its obligations as the Occupying Power of the Palestinian and other Arab territories.
"Israel's continued detention of an estimated 5,000 Palestinians should be of deep concern to the world," said Ambassador Palitha T.B. Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York, who currently heads the UN Special Committee. "Especially 20 prisoners who are on hunger strikes to protest abuses such as arbitrary detention, poor prison conditions, denial of family visits, solitary confinement, lack of access to education and negligent medical treatment."
"Witnesses informed the Committee that Israeli prison doctors have betrayed their Oath – the fundamental premise of the medical profession that their patients' health comes first," he said.
Ambassador Kohona noted that several witnesses had raised the case Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, who died earlier this year from cancer after being misdiagnosed and mistreated - having had to wait for over four months before being sent to hospital. "Witnesses also discussed the death of Arafat Jaradat, citing clear evidence of torture while under Israeli interrogation," he said.
"The most alarming testimony concerned the systematically abusive detention and interrogation by Israeli authorities of Palestinian children" the Committee's chair noted. Witnesses reported that approximately 200 children are in Israeli detention at any given time, and that children are often taken away in the middle of the night, blindfolded and hands tied, after being shocked awake by Israeli soldiers busting in with sound grenades, smashed glass and instructions screamed at the entire family.
"Witnesses stated that Palestinian children are denied requests to be accompanied by a parent, denied access to a lawyer, and put at serious risk of torture and ill-treatment at the hands of Israeli security officials," the Ambassador said. Referring to a recent UNICEF report, the Special Committee stressed the urgent need for Israel to abide by international human rights law and practice, especially in relation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
"For over six years the lives of Palestinians in Gaza have been profoundly disrupted by Israel's blockade," Ambassador Kohona stressed. "Under the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20 nautical mile area for Palestinian fishermen in Gaza, but the Israeli Government has militarily enforced a three nautical mile limit. The Committee was informed that Israel has extended access for fishermen up to six nautical miles, but was also informed that Israel had again reduced it to three nautical miles during the prime fishing season. "Gaza's 4,000 fishermen used to catch four tons of fish each year, now they bring in only 1.5 tons," the Committee members said.
Today 80 per cent of Palestinian fishermen live in poverty. In turn, Israel's severe punishment of Palestinian fishermen, including by confiscating their motors, reduces access to health care and educational opportunities for their families," they explained. "Again this year we received allegations of Palestinian fishermen being subjected to arrest, confiscation of their equipment and abusive treatment by Israeli security forces."
"Gaza's farmers find themselves in similar circumstances," the Committee observed, "they aren't maximizing the cultivation of their traditional crops of strawberries, carnations, herbs and sweet peppers, due to Israel's near total restriction on exports and enforcement of a buffer zone inside of Gaza."
The Committee expressed regret that testimony concerning the buffer zone mirrored what they have been told during previous visits, namely that a lack of clarity regarding the Israeli-enforced no-go area creates grave dangers for Palestinian farmers, since Israeli soldiers fire live ammunition at persons between 300 and 1000 metres from the fence.
"Farmers in Gaza can't till all of their land and much of what they do produce can't be exported," Ambassador Kohona noted. "The Committee was told that 5 persons have been killed and 92 injured near the buffer zone since the end of November 2012 alone."
"The international community must pressure the Israeli Government to let Palestinians farm, fish and export. Otherwise Israel will entrench Gaza's dependence on the international community," he stressed.
The Committee also pointed out that six years of blockade is bifurcating Palestinian society. "We heard of many Palestinians in Gaza who haven't seen family members in the West Bank for years, owing to Israeli restrictions on movement between Gaza and the rest of Palestine," the Ambassador said. "There is a sense that dividing the Palestinian population between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is an objective driving Israel's blockade. This should be an urgent concern to the UN Security Council."
Again this year the Committee heard disturbing testimony about the treatment of Palestinians who seek a permit to leave Gaza, including efforts by Israeli officials to pressure them in to becoming informants and force women to undergo humiliating strip searches. "The Committee deplores such treatment and strongly urges the Israeli Government to treat all Palestinians with respect and dignity," Ambassador Kohona said.
Witnesses from Gaza further informed the Committee of the extremely limited educational opportunities open to their children, owing to Israel's restrictions on travelling outside of Gaza to study in Palestinian schools in the West Bank.
The Committee members were extensively briefed on Israel's attacks during its 14 to 21 November 2012 'Operation Pillar of Defense.' "While we have a range of concerns regarding Israel's compliance with the basic principles of international humanitarian law during Pillar of Defense, of particular worry were reports of Israeli attacks that targeted journalists covering the conflict," the members stressed. "Such attacks, especially those that resulted in the death of journalists, wantonly reject the right to freedom of expression."
The Committee heard extensive testimony on continuing settlement construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the widespread phenomenon of Israeli settler violence and Israel's discriminatory planning and zoning regime that effectively prohibits Palestinians from building or even renovating their homes.
Witnesses told the Committee that even when Israel has, in the past, temporarily frozen settlement expansion, Israel has sped up the construction of its network of roads that link settlements and Israeli business interests in the occupied Palestinian territory.
One witness explained that the expansion of the settlements combined with the unilateral establishment of closed military zones and so-called nature reserves jeopardize the contiguity of the West Bank. Another witness described how Israeli settlements and the continued construction of the Wall are isolating Palestinian communities and forcing displacement. In this regard the Palestinian village of Al-Walaja was highlighted as a case requiring urgent intervention by the international community.
The Committee also heard that in the first five months of 2013, 42 Palestinian structures were demolished and 149 displaced in East Jerusalem. One witness reminded the Committee that not all demolitions are reported as some families are forced to demolish their own homes to avoid huge fees from the Israeli Government.
"Businesses have a responsibility to not be complicit in Israel's policies and practices that openly violate Palestinian rights," observed the Committee, which listened to reports of businesses, including multinational corporations, which are profiting from the Israeli settlement enterprise.
"It is inconceivable that any business could not be aware of the illegal nature of Israel's settlement activities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," Ambassador Kohona said. "There is a need for scrupulous due diligence and a clear awareness of the potential legal and reputational consequences for businesses associated with the Israeli settlement enterprise."
The Committee drew special attention to the on-going research mentioned by witnesses concerning non-profit groups, such as 501c3 organizations in the United States of America and similar organizations in Canada, which collect donations and transfer funds to Israeli organizations supporting the expansion of settlements. "If accurate, such organizations are perpetuating the occupation and likely aiding and abetting what is clearly a war crime," they said.
"The Special Committee joins many of the witnesses in hoping that current efforts to re-start meaningful negotiations are successful. We were repeatedly told that the only way to end Israeli violations of Palestinian rights is to end the occupation. While we are deeply hopeful that such efforts advance quickly, we also note that Palestine's new status as a non-Member Observer State opens the door to international mechanisms that can take up many of the Israeli policies and practices that have been violating Palestinian rights for so long," the members concluded.
The Special Committee will present a full report on its mission and other activities to the UN General Assembly in November 2013.
At the end of its latest fact-finding visit to Amman and Cairo (22-27 June 2013), the Committee also expressed serious concern at the wide range of Israeli practices that violate its obligations as the Occupying Power of the Palestinian and other Arab territories.
"Israel's continued detention of an estimated 5,000 Palestinians should be of deep concern to the world," said Ambassador Palitha T.B. Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York, who currently heads the UN Special Committee. "Especially 20 prisoners who are on hunger strikes to protest abuses such as arbitrary detention, poor prison conditions, denial of family visits, solitary confinement, lack of access to education and negligent medical treatment."
"Witnesses informed the Committee that Israeli prison doctors have betrayed their Oath – the fundamental premise of the medical profession that their patients' health comes first," he said.
Ambassador Kohona noted that several witnesses had raised the case Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, who died earlier this year from cancer after being misdiagnosed and mistreated - having had to wait for over four months before being sent to hospital. "Witnesses also discussed the death of Arafat Jaradat, citing clear evidence of torture while under Israeli interrogation," he said.
"The most alarming testimony concerned the systematically abusive detention and interrogation by Israeli authorities of Palestinian children" the Committee's chair noted. Witnesses reported that approximately 200 children are in Israeli detention at any given time, and that children are often taken away in the middle of the night, blindfolded and hands tied, after being shocked awake by Israeli soldiers busting in with sound grenades, smashed glass and instructions screamed at the entire family.
"Witnesses stated that Palestinian children are denied requests to be accompanied by a parent, denied access to a lawyer, and put at serious risk of torture and ill-treatment at the hands of Israeli security officials," the Ambassador said. Referring to a recent UNICEF report, the Special Committee stressed the urgent need for Israel to abide by international human rights law and practice, especially in relation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
"For over six years the lives of Palestinians in Gaza have been profoundly disrupted by Israel's blockade," Ambassador Kohona stressed. "Under the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20 nautical mile area for Palestinian fishermen in Gaza, but the Israeli Government has militarily enforced a three nautical mile limit. The Committee was informed that Israel has extended access for fishermen up to six nautical miles, but was also informed that Israel had again reduced it to three nautical miles during the prime fishing season. "Gaza's 4,000 fishermen used to catch four tons of fish each year, now they bring in only 1.5 tons," the Committee members said.
Today 80 per cent of Palestinian fishermen live in poverty. In turn, Israel's severe punishment of Palestinian fishermen, including by confiscating their motors, reduces access to health care and educational opportunities for their families," they explained. "Again this year we received allegations of Palestinian fishermen being subjected to arrest, confiscation of their equipment and abusive treatment by Israeli security forces."
"Gaza's farmers find themselves in similar circumstances," the Committee observed, "they aren't maximizing the cultivation of their traditional crops of strawberries, carnations, herbs and sweet peppers, due to Israel's near total restriction on exports and enforcement of a buffer zone inside of Gaza."
The Committee expressed regret that testimony concerning the buffer zone mirrored what they have been told during previous visits, namely that a lack of clarity regarding the Israeli-enforced no-go area creates grave dangers for Palestinian farmers, since Israeli soldiers fire live ammunition at persons between 300 and 1000 metres from the fence.
"Farmers in Gaza can't till all of their land and much of what they do produce can't be exported," Ambassador Kohona noted. "The Committee was told that 5 persons have been killed and 92 injured near the buffer zone since the end of November 2012 alone."
"The international community must pressure the Israeli Government to let Palestinians farm, fish and export. Otherwise Israel will entrench Gaza's dependence on the international community," he stressed.
The Committee also pointed out that six years of blockade is bifurcating Palestinian society. "We heard of many Palestinians in Gaza who haven't seen family members in the West Bank for years, owing to Israeli restrictions on movement between Gaza and the rest of Palestine," the Ambassador said. "There is a sense that dividing the Palestinian population between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is an objective driving Israel's blockade. This should be an urgent concern to the UN Security Council."
Again this year the Committee heard disturbing testimony about the treatment of Palestinians who seek a permit to leave Gaza, including efforts by Israeli officials to pressure them in to becoming informants and force women to undergo humiliating strip searches. "The Committee deplores such treatment and strongly urges the Israeli Government to treat all Palestinians with respect and dignity," Ambassador Kohona said.
Witnesses from Gaza further informed the Committee of the extremely limited educational opportunities open to their children, owing to Israel's restrictions on travelling outside of Gaza to study in Palestinian schools in the West Bank.
The Committee members were extensively briefed on Israel's attacks during its 14 to 21 November 2012 'Operation Pillar of Defense.' "While we have a range of concerns regarding Israel's compliance with the basic principles of international humanitarian law during Pillar of Defense, of particular worry were reports of Israeli attacks that targeted journalists covering the conflict," the members stressed. "Such attacks, especially those that resulted in the death of journalists, wantonly reject the right to freedom of expression."
The Committee heard extensive testimony on continuing settlement construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the widespread phenomenon of Israeli settler violence and Israel's discriminatory planning and zoning regime that effectively prohibits Palestinians from building or even renovating their homes.
Witnesses told the Committee that even when Israel has, in the past, temporarily frozen settlement expansion, Israel has sped up the construction of its network of roads that link settlements and Israeli business interests in the occupied Palestinian territory.
One witness explained that the expansion of the settlements combined with the unilateral establishment of closed military zones and so-called nature reserves jeopardize the contiguity of the West Bank. Another witness described how Israeli settlements and the continued construction of the Wall are isolating Palestinian communities and forcing displacement. In this regard the Palestinian village of Al-Walaja was highlighted as a case requiring urgent intervention by the international community.
The Committee also heard that in the first five months of 2013, 42 Palestinian structures were demolished and 149 displaced in East Jerusalem. One witness reminded the Committee that not all demolitions are reported as some families are forced to demolish their own homes to avoid huge fees from the Israeli Government.
"Businesses have a responsibility to not be complicit in Israel's policies and practices that openly violate Palestinian rights," observed the Committee, which listened to reports of businesses, including multinational corporations, which are profiting from the Israeli settlement enterprise.
"It is inconceivable that any business could not be aware of the illegal nature of Israel's settlement activities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," Ambassador Kohona said. "There is a need for scrupulous due diligence and a clear awareness of the potential legal and reputational consequences for businesses associated with the Israeli settlement enterprise."
The Committee drew special attention to the on-going research mentioned by witnesses concerning non-profit groups, such as 501c3 organizations in the United States of America and similar organizations in Canada, which collect donations and transfer funds to Israeli organizations supporting the expansion of settlements. "If accurate, such organizations are perpetuating the occupation and likely aiding and abetting what is clearly a war crime," they said.
"The Special Committee joins many of the witnesses in hoping that current efforts to re-start meaningful negotiations are successful. We were repeatedly told that the only way to end Israeli violations of Palestinian rights is to end the occupation. While we are deeply hopeful that such efforts advance quickly, we also note that Palestine's new status as a non-Member Observer State opens the door to international mechanisms that can take up many of the Israeli policies and practices that have been violating Palestinian rights for so long," the members concluded.
The Special Committee will present a full report on its mission and other activities to the UN General Assembly in November 2013.
Palestinian landowner holds the Israeli confiscation order he received this week
In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 20 - 26 June, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that Israeli forces launched 3 air strikes against civilian targets and training sites in the Gaza Strip.
A girl was injured in her home during the attacks in Gaza, a restaurant was completely destroyed and 13 houses sustained partial damage. In the West Bank, 4 protesters were wounded during a peaceful protest in Kofur Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilia.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 48 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces abducted at least 25 Palestinians, including 5 children.
Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank. 10 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were abducted at checkpoints in the West Bank.
Israeli forces violently beat a Palestinian young man from Beit Ummar village and threw him at the entrance of Kofur Etzion, south of Bethlehem.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, on 24 June 2013, Israeli forces launched 3 air strikes on training sites and civilian targets. At approximately 04:20, Israeli warplanes attacked a training site of al-Quds Brigades, west of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported.
At approximately 03:45, Israeli warplanes attacked an olive land in al-Zawayda village in the central Gaza Strip. As a result, 13 houses sustained partial damage and a girl sustained a fracture in her left leg. In his testimony to PCHR's fieldworker, Ouda Suleiman Abu Zayed (73), from al-Zawayda, whose house was damaged, said: "I was about to perform the dawn prayer when I suddenly heard a heavy explosion rocking the house. I believed it was my house that was hit. We heard the sound of a drone and a warplane hovering. Women and children were frightened and shouting for about 20 minutes. We were waiting for a second attack.
A few minutes later, I calmed down and started to look over the house whose windows were smashed and 5 of its doors were damaged. Meanwhile, I looked out of the eastern balcony and saw dust about 20 meters to the northeast of my house. It was in a nearby farmland. At 06:00, I found out that my jeep's (Toyota) windshield was broken and the solar power glass was damaged as well."
Around the same time, Israeli warplanes fired a missile on an olive farm in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. As a result, a restaurant was completely destroyed and many olive trees were damaged.
Crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel were closed for two days during the past week.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
In the West Bank, Israeli forces continued the systematic use of excessive force against peaceful protests organised by Palestinian, Israeli and international activists against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 4 civilians were wounded during a peaceful protest in Kofur Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilia. In addition, 2 photojournalists from Palestine TV were attacked and abducted.
Following the Friday Prayer, 21 June 2013, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activity. The demonstrators marched through the streets of the village, chanting slogans calling for national unity, raised Palestinian flags and made their way towards the lands adjacent to the annexation wall. Israeli forces had closed all entrances to the village since early morning to prevent Palestinians, journalists, and international activists from joining the protest.
The demonstrators walked along the wall and attempted to breach it. Israeli forces stationed behind the western side of the wall, and dozens of soldiers who were deployed along the route of the wall, fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, tear gas canisters, and waste water at the demonstrators, and chased them across olive fields.
As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises.
Also, following the Friday Prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The demonstrators made their way towards the annexation wall. Israeli forces closed the wall gate with barbed wire and, when the demonstrators attempted to access the lands behind the barbed wire, they were stopped by Israeli soldiers. The demonstrators threw stones at the Israeli soldiers who responded with live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters, and chased them across fields of olive trees as far as the outskirts of the village.
As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.
Around the same time on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians, Israeli and international human rights activists gathered at the Martyrs Square in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to hold a weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The protesters walked towards Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby "Halmish" settlement are trying to seize. From the morning, Israeli forces had closed all entrances to the village to prevent Palestinians, international activists, and journalists from joining the demonstration. Upon their arrival in the area, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters, chased the demonstrators into the village and sprayed them and civilian houses with waste water.
As a result, dozens of Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises, including the photographer of the Popular Committee against the Construction of the Wall and Settlement Activity in Nabi Saleh, Belal Abdel-Salam Tamimi (47), he is also a volunteer photographer at B'Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.
Following Friday Prayer, dozens of inhabitants of al-Mas'ra village, south of Bethlehem, international and Israeli human rights activists, and activists in the Popular Resistance Committees gathered for the weekly peaceful demonstration against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activity. The demonstration was also organized in protest to the construction of a school for settlers in the south of Bethlehem. It started outside Shomou' Cultural Centre in the centre of the village.
The participants carried Palestinian flags, roamed the streets of the village. Upon their arrival to the wall, Israeli forces, backed-up by Israeli police and border guards, fired tear gas canisters at them in order to disperse them. Many demonstrators suffered due to tear gas inhalation. Later that day, Palestinians organized a car rally from the centre of the village to “Daniel” settlement, which is established on al-Khader village's lands, south of Bethlehem, and then to the southern entrance of the village “al-Nashash” checkpoint, where they organized a sit-in.
At approximately 13:25 on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Kufor Kadoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest at the continuous closure of the eastern entrance of the village which has been ongoing since the outbreak of al-Aqsa Intifada. Israeli soldiers denied them access to the gate and fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters;
As a result, 4 Palestinians sustained wounds: a 22-year-old male; a finger in his left hand was smashed after sustaining a metal bullet; a 20-year-old male, sustained two metal bullets in the abdomen and left hand; a 21-year-old male, sustained a metal bullet to the chest; and a 27-year-old male, sustained a metal bullet to the waist. Furthermore, the Israeli soldiers beat media workers of Palestine TV crew, and abducted Ahmed Abdel-Malek Othman Shawer (26); and Bashar Mahmoud Saleh Nazzal (33).
In his testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Nazzal said: "While we were covering Kufor Kadoum's weekly demonstration on 21 June 2013, Israeli soldiers yelled at us and told us to leave the area; thus, we gathered our equipment in order to leave and while I was getting ready to leave as there was only one piece of equipment left that I had to take with me, Israeli soldiers attacked me and my colleague Ahmed Shawer with extreme brutality, and started beating and kicking us with their hands, feet and weapons, using profane language. We had the feeling that we were targeted, especially me, as I attend and cover this demonstration every week.
After assaulting us, we were blindfolded, handcuffed and taken, with our equipment, in a military vehicle to "Kedumim" settlement where a group of soldiers were there, mocking and photographing us. Even though we were blindfolded, we knew what was happening around us. We were later taken to several detention centres in Howara and Salem camps, then "Ariel" settlement. We were released at approximately 22:00 on Saturday, 22 June 2013, after they confiscated our IDs."
Israeli settlement activities:
Israel has continued its settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a direct violation of international humanitarian law, and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
On Thursday, 20 June 2013, a group of settlers, under the protection of Israeli police and forces, moved into Zawyat al-Ashraf and al-Budairy waqf, located at the entrance of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the centre of Hebron. The settlers started digging and extending electricity networks, in an attempt to seize both establishments.
On Sunday, 22 June 2013, Israeli forces moved into Um al-Rokba area and handed Mohammed Marzouq Zawahra (35) a notice to halt construction work in a cement wall of and a water well, under the pretext of not obtaining a license. On another note, a number of settlers from "Karmi Tsur" settlement moved into a farmland that includes a water spring that is called "Ayn Teeba," east of Halhoul. No incidents of vandalism or attacks against Palestinians were reported.
On Monday, 24 June 2013, a group of settlers from "Havat Gilad" settlement raided Palestinian civilians' land in Amateen village, northeast of Qalqilya and cut 6 olive trees. Furthermore, a group of settlers from "Carmiel" settlement attacked a group of farmers and shepherds while they were in 'Ayn al-Baidaa' area. This incident took place in the presence of Israeli forces that declared the area a closed military area and abducted two Palestinian civilians under the pretext of assaulting settlers.
On Wednesday, 26 June 2013, a group of settlers from "Ovijal" settlement attacked shepherds with police dogs while they were grazing their sheep in al-'Attarya area. Additionally, 4 settlers raided pastoral lands in the surroundings of Kherbat Qwaiwes area and told shepherds of Abu-'Arram family to leave the area, claiming that it is their property. Israeli forces arrived at the scene and ordered the shepherds to leave the area.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the international community act in order to stop all Israeli settlement expansion activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through imposing sanctions on Israeli settlements and criminalizing trading with them;
The PCHR calls upon the UN General Assembly to transfer the Goldstone Report to the UN Security Council in order to refer it to the International Criminal Court in accordance with Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute.
For the full text of the report, click on the link
In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 20 - 26 June, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that Israeli forces launched 3 air strikes against civilian targets and training sites in the Gaza Strip.
A girl was injured in her home during the attacks in Gaza, a restaurant was completely destroyed and 13 houses sustained partial damage. In the West Bank, 4 protesters were wounded during a peaceful protest in Kofur Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilia.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 48 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces abducted at least 25 Palestinians, including 5 children.
Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank. 10 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were abducted at checkpoints in the West Bank.
Israeli forces violently beat a Palestinian young man from Beit Ummar village and threw him at the entrance of Kofur Etzion, south of Bethlehem.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, on 24 June 2013, Israeli forces launched 3 air strikes on training sites and civilian targets. At approximately 04:20, Israeli warplanes attacked a training site of al-Quds Brigades, west of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported.
At approximately 03:45, Israeli warplanes attacked an olive land in al-Zawayda village in the central Gaza Strip. As a result, 13 houses sustained partial damage and a girl sustained a fracture in her left leg. In his testimony to PCHR's fieldworker, Ouda Suleiman Abu Zayed (73), from al-Zawayda, whose house was damaged, said: "I was about to perform the dawn prayer when I suddenly heard a heavy explosion rocking the house. I believed it was my house that was hit. We heard the sound of a drone and a warplane hovering. Women and children were frightened and shouting for about 20 minutes. We were waiting for a second attack.
A few minutes later, I calmed down and started to look over the house whose windows were smashed and 5 of its doors were damaged. Meanwhile, I looked out of the eastern balcony and saw dust about 20 meters to the northeast of my house. It was in a nearby farmland. At 06:00, I found out that my jeep's (Toyota) windshield was broken and the solar power glass was damaged as well."
Around the same time, Israeli warplanes fired a missile on an olive farm in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. As a result, a restaurant was completely destroyed and many olive trees were damaged.
Crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel were closed for two days during the past week.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
In the West Bank, Israeli forces continued the systematic use of excessive force against peaceful protests organised by Palestinian, Israeli and international activists against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 4 civilians were wounded during a peaceful protest in Kofur Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilia. In addition, 2 photojournalists from Palestine TV were attacked and abducted.
Following the Friday Prayer, 21 June 2013, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activity. The demonstrators marched through the streets of the village, chanting slogans calling for national unity, raised Palestinian flags and made their way towards the lands adjacent to the annexation wall. Israeli forces had closed all entrances to the village since early morning to prevent Palestinians, journalists, and international activists from joining the protest.
The demonstrators walked along the wall and attempted to breach it. Israeli forces stationed behind the western side of the wall, and dozens of soldiers who were deployed along the route of the wall, fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, tear gas canisters, and waste water at the demonstrators, and chased them across olive fields.
As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises.
Also, following the Friday Prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The demonstrators made their way towards the annexation wall. Israeli forces closed the wall gate with barbed wire and, when the demonstrators attempted to access the lands behind the barbed wire, they were stopped by Israeli soldiers. The demonstrators threw stones at the Israeli soldiers who responded with live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters, and chased them across fields of olive trees as far as the outskirts of the village.
As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.
Around the same time on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians, Israeli and international human rights activists gathered at the Martyrs Square in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, to hold a weekly peaceful protest against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. The protesters walked towards Palestinian lands that Israeli settlers from the nearby "Halmish" settlement are trying to seize. From the morning, Israeli forces had closed all entrances to the village to prevent Palestinians, international activists, and journalists from joining the demonstration. Upon their arrival in the area, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters, chased the demonstrators into the village and sprayed them and civilian houses with waste water.
As a result, dozens of Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises, including the photographer of the Popular Committee against the Construction of the Wall and Settlement Activity in Nabi Saleh, Belal Abdel-Salam Tamimi (47), he is also a volunteer photographer at B'Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.
Following Friday Prayer, dozens of inhabitants of al-Mas'ra village, south of Bethlehem, international and Israeli human rights activists, and activists in the Popular Resistance Committees gathered for the weekly peaceful demonstration against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activity. The demonstration was also organized in protest to the construction of a school for settlers in the south of Bethlehem. It started outside Shomou' Cultural Centre in the centre of the village.
The participants carried Palestinian flags, roamed the streets of the village. Upon their arrival to the wall, Israeli forces, backed-up by Israeli police and border guards, fired tear gas canisters at them in order to disperse them. Many demonstrators suffered due to tear gas inhalation. Later that day, Palestinians organized a car rally from the centre of the village to “Daniel” settlement, which is established on al-Khader village's lands, south of Bethlehem, and then to the southern entrance of the village “al-Nashash” checkpoint, where they organized a sit-in.
At approximately 13:25 on Friday, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Kufor Kadoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest at the continuous closure of the eastern entrance of the village which has been ongoing since the outbreak of al-Aqsa Intifada. Israeli soldiers denied them access to the gate and fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters;
As a result, 4 Palestinians sustained wounds: a 22-year-old male; a finger in his left hand was smashed after sustaining a metal bullet; a 20-year-old male, sustained two metal bullets in the abdomen and left hand; a 21-year-old male, sustained a metal bullet to the chest; and a 27-year-old male, sustained a metal bullet to the waist. Furthermore, the Israeli soldiers beat media workers of Palestine TV crew, and abducted Ahmed Abdel-Malek Othman Shawer (26); and Bashar Mahmoud Saleh Nazzal (33).
In his testimony to a PCHR fieldworker, Nazzal said: "While we were covering Kufor Kadoum's weekly demonstration on 21 June 2013, Israeli soldiers yelled at us and told us to leave the area; thus, we gathered our equipment in order to leave and while I was getting ready to leave as there was only one piece of equipment left that I had to take with me, Israeli soldiers attacked me and my colleague Ahmed Shawer with extreme brutality, and started beating and kicking us with their hands, feet and weapons, using profane language. We had the feeling that we were targeted, especially me, as I attend and cover this demonstration every week.
After assaulting us, we were blindfolded, handcuffed and taken, with our equipment, in a military vehicle to "Kedumim" settlement where a group of soldiers were there, mocking and photographing us. Even though we were blindfolded, we knew what was happening around us. We were later taken to several detention centres in Howara and Salem camps, then "Ariel" settlement. We were released at approximately 22:00 on Saturday, 22 June 2013, after they confiscated our IDs."
Israeli settlement activities:
Israel has continued its settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a direct violation of international humanitarian law, and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
On Thursday, 20 June 2013, a group of settlers, under the protection of Israeli police and forces, moved into Zawyat al-Ashraf and al-Budairy waqf, located at the entrance of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the centre of Hebron. The settlers started digging and extending electricity networks, in an attempt to seize both establishments.
On Sunday, 22 June 2013, Israeli forces moved into Um al-Rokba area and handed Mohammed Marzouq Zawahra (35) a notice to halt construction work in a cement wall of and a water well, under the pretext of not obtaining a license. On another note, a number of settlers from "Karmi Tsur" settlement moved into a farmland that includes a water spring that is called "Ayn Teeba," east of Halhoul. No incidents of vandalism or attacks against Palestinians were reported.
On Monday, 24 June 2013, a group of settlers from "Havat Gilad" settlement raided Palestinian civilians' land in Amateen village, northeast of Qalqilya and cut 6 olive trees. Furthermore, a group of settlers from "Carmiel" settlement attacked a group of farmers and shepherds while they were in 'Ayn al-Baidaa' area. This incident took place in the presence of Israeli forces that declared the area a closed military area and abducted two Palestinian civilians under the pretext of assaulting settlers.
On Wednesday, 26 June 2013, a group of settlers from "Ovijal" settlement attacked shepherds with police dogs while they were grazing their sheep in al-'Attarya area. Additionally, 4 settlers raided pastoral lands in the surroundings of Kherbat Qwaiwes area and told shepherds of Abu-'Arram family to leave the area, claiming that it is their property. Israeli forces arrived at the scene and ordered the shepherds to leave the area.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the international community act in order to stop all Israeli settlement expansion activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through imposing sanctions on Israeli settlements and criminalizing trading with them;
The PCHR calls upon the UN General Assembly to transfer the Goldstone Report to the UN Security Council in order to refer it to the International Criminal Court in accordance with Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute.
For the full text of the report, click on the link
