27 mar 2014
The Arab organization for human rights (AOHR) in London called on the world's decision-makers to take action against the Israeli dangers and violations threatening the occupied city of Jerusalem and its holy sites, especially the Aqsa Mosque. The Arab organization stated that the international silence encouraged Israel to persist in committing war crimes in Jerusalem and using all its legislative, security, military and executive tools to Judaize the holy city.
"Every day, Israeli issues tenders for the construction of settlement units and works on appropriating Palestinian homes and withdrawing IDs as part of an ethnic cleansing process that has never been seen in history," AOHR added.
During the current month of March, for example, Israel demolished four Jerusalemite homes and one store, forced Palestinians to knock down three of their homes at the pretext of unlicensed construction and threatened to destroy 13 others in the neighborhoods of Thawri and Silwan, according to the organization.
The month also saw new Israeli plans to build 2,250 housing units in seven settlements in occupied Jerusalem as well as a Jewish neighborhood on Palestinian annexed lands in Beit Hanina town, a religious school and a Jewish museum.
"The official settlement expansion in Jerusalem city goes on together with restrictions on the Arab neighborhoods, where the Palestinians are prevented from building new housing units, despite the urgent need for them, and from renovating ramshackle buildings."
"This policy has created a serious impact on the educational situation, where there are more than 15,000 [Palestinian] children deprived every year of regular school attendance as result of overcrowding and lack of adequate classrooms," the organization explained further.
AOHR pointed out that such violations are also practiced against the Palestinian Islamic and Christian holy sites, especially the Aqsa Mosque, where Israel continues digging tunnels under and around its foundations, prevents Muslims from entering it and physically assault them during daily raids in its courtyards.
It warned that Israel's escalating violations against the Palestinian natives of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque do not only portend the explosion of the fragile situation in the city but also threaten the international peace and security.
"Every day, Israeli issues tenders for the construction of settlement units and works on appropriating Palestinian homes and withdrawing IDs as part of an ethnic cleansing process that has never been seen in history," AOHR added.
During the current month of March, for example, Israel demolished four Jerusalemite homes and one store, forced Palestinians to knock down three of their homes at the pretext of unlicensed construction and threatened to destroy 13 others in the neighborhoods of Thawri and Silwan, according to the organization.
The month also saw new Israeli plans to build 2,250 housing units in seven settlements in occupied Jerusalem as well as a Jewish neighborhood on Palestinian annexed lands in Beit Hanina town, a religious school and a Jewish museum.
"The official settlement expansion in Jerusalem city goes on together with restrictions on the Arab neighborhoods, where the Palestinians are prevented from building new housing units, despite the urgent need for them, and from renovating ramshackle buildings."
"This policy has created a serious impact on the educational situation, where there are more than 15,000 [Palestinian] children deprived every year of regular school attendance as result of overcrowding and lack of adequate classrooms," the organization explained further.
AOHR pointed out that such violations are also practiced against the Palestinian Islamic and Christian holy sites, especially the Aqsa Mosque, where Israel continues digging tunnels under and around its foundations, prevents Muslims from entering it and physically assault them during daily raids in its courtyards.
It warned that Israel's escalating violations against the Palestinian natives of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque do not only portend the explosion of the fragile situation in the city but also threaten the international peace and security.
Jewish settlers chopped down more than 50 olive trees in Hawara village, south of Nablus, on Thursday morning bringing the number of trees destroyed by them since the beginning of 2014 to 5,700. Ghassan Daghlas, in charge of monitoring settlement activity north of the West Bank, said that the settlers came from Yitzhar settlement and cut down big olive trees in the village.
He said that the 50 trees belonged to two citizens and were located to the north of Hawara village.
Daghlass said that Jewish settlers chopped down more than 5,700 olive trees in the West Bank since the start of 2014.
He said that the 50 trees belonged to two citizens and were located to the north of Hawara village.
Daghlass said that Jewish settlers chopped down more than 5,700 olive trees in the West Bank since the start of 2014.
“…In the beginning, we caught the settlers stealing olives from our trees. Then they started breaking off the branches, but they grew back and we also planted new trees to replace those damaged. Then, three years ago when we went to pick our olives we were shocked to find the trees all yellow and dried up... Settlers had drilled into the trunks and injected them with a poisonous substance that killed the trees from the roots up.”
Hussein Abu Alia’s narrative appears in a 2013 study of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (UNOCHA OPT) on the impact of Israeli settler violence on the olive harvest.
The Jordan-based Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) estimates that about three million trees, including olive trees, have been destroyed from 2001 onwards, while around 1.5 million trees were uprooted from 2001-2007 by Israeli settlers and defence forces. Palestine’s olive trees date back hundreds of years and represent Palestinian history and continuity on the land. The annual olive harvest is an important cultural and social event for Palestinians. The trees have considerable economic significance — nearly 48 per cent of agricultural land in the OPT is planted with olive trees, mostly in the West Bank.
According to APN estimates, olive trees account for 70 per cent of fruit production and contribute around 14 per cent to the Palestinian economy.
APN founder, Razan Zuayter in an email, described the destruction of trees as an ‘agricultural war’ waged by Israel. Not confined to destroying trees, the onslaught on agriculture includes an arbitrary permit system, the Gaza blockade and the Apartheid wall. The permit system regulates access of Palestinian farmers to their lands in parts of West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Permits grant limited access only to the person, under whose name the land is registered, and not the family. Farmers, whose land is near Israeli settlements, additionally need to pass through agricultural checkpoints. These checkpoints are opened certain times a year and for a few hours a day.
A 2011 UNOCHA OPT study on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip notes that Israel’s blockade has resulted in major restrictions on access to agricultural land and fishing waters, import and export of food and agricultural inputs, and also the destruction of small farms, olive trees and citrus orchards. The study notes that 54 per cent of people in Gaza are food insecure.
The Apartheid Wall which Israel is building has drastically altered Palestine’s contours. Ritu Menon notes in the recently published From India to Palestine. Essays in Solidarity: “The Wall. Six hundred kilometres of electrified concrete slabs, eight metres high, topped with razor wire, arc lights, surveillance cameras, encircling the West Bank, snaking through fields and olive groves, through city streets, alongside homes, dividing friends and families, erecting barriers and checkpoints. The Israelis call it a “security fence”, a protection against suicide bombers; the Palestinians call it the Apartheid Wall...Thousands of olive trees, some over 600 years old have been uprooted; hundreds of thousand villagers dispossessed, their farming at a standstill.”
There has been resistance on the ground, such as the APN-spearheaded Million Tree Campaign, which has resulted in the replanting of nearly two million trees in Palestine. But this is an uphill task given the nature of Israel’s occupation — involving not just the physical deployment of soldiers and settlers — but also control over civil liberties, culture, environment, livelihoods, and agriculture. The larger design is to make everyday life in Palestine a struggle, ultimately amounting to a denial of Palestinian selfhood.
Source: dna
Hussein Abu Alia’s narrative appears in a 2013 study of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (UNOCHA OPT) on the impact of Israeli settler violence on the olive harvest.
The Jordan-based Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) estimates that about three million trees, including olive trees, have been destroyed from 2001 onwards, while around 1.5 million trees were uprooted from 2001-2007 by Israeli settlers and defence forces. Palestine’s olive trees date back hundreds of years and represent Palestinian history and continuity on the land. The annual olive harvest is an important cultural and social event for Palestinians. The trees have considerable economic significance — nearly 48 per cent of agricultural land in the OPT is planted with olive trees, mostly in the West Bank.
According to APN estimates, olive trees account for 70 per cent of fruit production and contribute around 14 per cent to the Palestinian economy.
APN founder, Razan Zuayter in an email, described the destruction of trees as an ‘agricultural war’ waged by Israel. Not confined to destroying trees, the onslaught on agriculture includes an arbitrary permit system, the Gaza blockade and the Apartheid wall. The permit system regulates access of Palestinian farmers to their lands in parts of West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Permits grant limited access only to the person, under whose name the land is registered, and not the family. Farmers, whose land is near Israeli settlements, additionally need to pass through agricultural checkpoints. These checkpoints are opened certain times a year and for a few hours a day.
A 2011 UNOCHA OPT study on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip notes that Israel’s blockade has resulted in major restrictions on access to agricultural land and fishing waters, import and export of food and agricultural inputs, and also the destruction of small farms, olive trees and citrus orchards. The study notes that 54 per cent of people in Gaza are food insecure.
The Apartheid Wall which Israel is building has drastically altered Palestine’s contours. Ritu Menon notes in the recently published From India to Palestine. Essays in Solidarity: “The Wall. Six hundred kilometres of electrified concrete slabs, eight metres high, topped with razor wire, arc lights, surveillance cameras, encircling the West Bank, snaking through fields and olive groves, through city streets, alongside homes, dividing friends and families, erecting barriers and checkpoints. The Israelis call it a “security fence”, a protection against suicide bombers; the Palestinians call it the Apartheid Wall...Thousands of olive trees, some over 600 years old have been uprooted; hundreds of thousand villagers dispossessed, their farming at a standstill.”
There has been resistance on the ground, such as the APN-spearheaded Million Tree Campaign, which has resulted in the replanting of nearly two million trees in Palestine. But this is an uphill task given the nature of Israel’s occupation — involving not just the physical deployment of soldiers and settlers — but also control over civil liberties, culture, environment, livelihoods, and agriculture. The larger design is to make everyday life in Palestine a struggle, ultimately amounting to a denial of Palestinian selfhood.
Source: dna
By Huda Julie Webb-Pullman
On 24 March The Human Rights Council held a general debate on the human rights situation in Palestine and other Occupied Arab Territories, in a meeting at which four reports on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories were presented.
The Secretary-General’s report again confirmed continued flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the reports highlighted the issue of settlements, which, together with settler violence, were at the core of many of the human rights violations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Despite repeated calls on Israel to cease settlement activity, their construction continued with devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians. Ms. Pillay also expressed deep concern at the situation in Gaza.
In the general debate that followed, speakers noted that the overall situation in the occupied Palestinian territories had not improved and therefore remained a matter of proper concern to the Human Rights Council. Despite many calls and efforts by the international community, including the Council, the grave violations and aggression by Israel against the Palestinian people continued in a culture of impunity.
Saudi Arabia said that it was deplorable that Israel had boycotted this extremely important meeting, and this showed how much disregard it had for the international community’s efforts.
Genocide
Cuba said the Special Rapporteur’s report clearly set out violations of the human rights of the people of Palestine by the Government of Israel, and also demonstrated that the Israeli Government continued its aggressive policy towards the occupied Palestinian territories; its actions showed a distinct lack of respect for the Human Rights Council. Israel was applying a policy of genocide to the people of Palestine. It continued to use armed force against the civilian population, including women, children and the elderly.
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions said since 1967 Israel had demolished nearly 29,000 Palestinian homes, businesses and livestock. The motivation to demolish those homes was purely political and racially informed, to either drive the Palestinians out of the country altogether – “the quiet transfer” – or to confine the four million residents of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza to crowded, impoverished and disconnected enclaves.
Apartheid
BADIL Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights welcomed the emphasis in the report on apartheid and segregation and said that the Council should investigate the practices and policies of Israel aiming at apartheid and segregation and take practical measures for the implementation of the Palestinian right to self-determination.
International Commission of Jurists said 10 years after the International Court of Justice ruled that the construction of the separation wall in the occupied Palestinian territories was unlawful; States and international organizations had failed to take effective measures to hold Israel accountable. Israel must dismantle the wall and provide reparation to victims.
Settlements
Ms. Pillay outlined some of key concerns and recommendations and said that all the reports presented today highlighted the issue of settlements which, together with settler violence, were at the core of many of the violations of human rights in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Despite repeated calls on Israel to cease settlement activity, their construction and settler violence continued with devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians.
The continued construction of settlements in Palestinian territory and the policies of dispossession, eviction and construction of the separation wall on occupied land were illegal under international law and were damaging efforts to reach peace.
Turkey said that the status quo in Palestine today was simply not sustainable. Despite outright condemnation, illegal settlement activities, which impaired the territorial integrity and contiguity of the State of Palestine, continued. These activities also involved the issue of impunity of Israeli settlers.
Palestine said that the international community should understand what was happening in Israel, for example the assassination in Ramallah of three young Palestinians after an attack had been carried out by settlers.
Palestinian Prisoners
The situation of Palestinian prisoners was of great concern for many speakers, who noted the inhuman conditions under which they were held, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children.
The African Group expressed grave concern about the inhuman conditions under which Palestinian political prisoners were being held.
Commission of the Churches on International Affairs spoke with concern about the 20 per cent of the Palestinian population living in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel who had been held in Israeli prisons at one point in their lives. It raised the plight of children, minors, people in administrative detention and detainees who were seriously ill without access to medical care.
Bahrain stressed the violations committed against Palestinian children, saying all United Nations bodies had confirmed the legal responsibility of the occupying power concerning children and the application of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but that Palestinian children had been suffering in the detention centres of Israel.
Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, called for a Commission of Inquiry into the arrest and imprisonment by Israel of some 750,000 Palestinian men, women and children since 1967.
Jerusalem and Al Aqsa
Jordan said Israel continued its human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories and in particular Jerusalem, which was confronted with ongoing attempts to Judaize the city. Buildings had been destroyed, and monuments and religious vestiges – both Christian and Muslim – had been attacked. Israel persistently flouted all instruments and covenants related to the matter.
Morocco said the reports tabled at the meeting made it clear that violations were occurring and detailed measures were being adopted in and around Jerusalem to eradicate its religious and historical background.
Organization for Defending Victims of Violence said that the city of Beit-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) was one of the holiest places respected by all Abrahamic religions. The organization rejected the new United States’ plan of replacing Jordan with international forces in Eastern Beit-ul-Moqaddas. The mandate should be given to Islamic States under the presidency of Palestine.
Gaza
The High Commissioner remained deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza where violence was on the increase, and where the continuing Israeli blockade, coupled with the recent destruction of most of the tunnel network with Egypt, had led to a significant deterioration of economic and social rights in Gaza.
Brazil, speaking on behalf of the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum, said that the economic and social conditions of the population of Gaza were of great concern and Israel should lift the blockade immediately.
Kuwait said that in Gaza measures for collective punishment were being taken which exacerbated the situation of the Palestinian population. These violations and practices were illegal under international humanitarian and human rights law and served as a major stumbling block to peace in the region.
Qatar condemned the persistence of the Israeli occupation, its crimes against humanity and the unjust blockade of the Gaza Strip. This was against moral and humane standards and was a violation of international law and custom. Women, children and elderly persons were dying due to lack of medicine and food products. The international community was called upon to put an end to this illegal blockade.
Sri Lanka reiterated the call on Israel to lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip in the framework of Security Council resolution 1860 of 2000.
Media
Press Emblem Campaign denounced harassment of media workers in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories by both the Israeli and Palestinian authorities. There had been an unprecedented escalation of violations against journalists by the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank. Press Emblem Campaign also strongly condemned the growing number of violations against women journalists in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli Impunity
Many countries noted that despite many calls and efforts by the international community, including the Council, the grave violations and aggression by Israel against the Palestinian people continued in a culture of impunity.
“If the persecutor was not Israel but some other State, the international community would without hesitation label its actions not only crimes against humanity but ethnic cleansing. Israel must not be further encouraged to continue its violations,” Malaysia noted.
On 24 March The Human Rights Council held a general debate on the human rights situation in Palestine and other Occupied Arab Territories, in a meeting at which four reports on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories were presented.
The Secretary-General’s report again confirmed continued flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the reports highlighted the issue of settlements, which, together with settler violence, were at the core of many of the human rights violations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Despite repeated calls on Israel to cease settlement activity, their construction continued with devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians. Ms. Pillay also expressed deep concern at the situation in Gaza.
In the general debate that followed, speakers noted that the overall situation in the occupied Palestinian territories had not improved and therefore remained a matter of proper concern to the Human Rights Council. Despite many calls and efforts by the international community, including the Council, the grave violations and aggression by Israel against the Palestinian people continued in a culture of impunity.
Saudi Arabia said that it was deplorable that Israel had boycotted this extremely important meeting, and this showed how much disregard it had for the international community’s efforts.
Genocide
Cuba said the Special Rapporteur’s report clearly set out violations of the human rights of the people of Palestine by the Government of Israel, and also demonstrated that the Israeli Government continued its aggressive policy towards the occupied Palestinian territories; its actions showed a distinct lack of respect for the Human Rights Council. Israel was applying a policy of genocide to the people of Palestine. It continued to use armed force against the civilian population, including women, children and the elderly.
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions said since 1967 Israel had demolished nearly 29,000 Palestinian homes, businesses and livestock. The motivation to demolish those homes was purely political and racially informed, to either drive the Palestinians out of the country altogether – “the quiet transfer” – or to confine the four million residents of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza to crowded, impoverished and disconnected enclaves.
Apartheid
BADIL Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights welcomed the emphasis in the report on apartheid and segregation and said that the Council should investigate the practices and policies of Israel aiming at apartheid and segregation and take practical measures for the implementation of the Palestinian right to self-determination.
International Commission of Jurists said 10 years after the International Court of Justice ruled that the construction of the separation wall in the occupied Palestinian territories was unlawful; States and international organizations had failed to take effective measures to hold Israel accountable. Israel must dismantle the wall and provide reparation to victims.
Settlements
Ms. Pillay outlined some of key concerns and recommendations and said that all the reports presented today highlighted the issue of settlements which, together with settler violence, were at the core of many of the violations of human rights in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Despite repeated calls on Israel to cease settlement activity, their construction and settler violence continued with devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians.
The continued construction of settlements in Palestinian territory and the policies of dispossession, eviction and construction of the separation wall on occupied land were illegal under international law and were damaging efforts to reach peace.
Turkey said that the status quo in Palestine today was simply not sustainable. Despite outright condemnation, illegal settlement activities, which impaired the territorial integrity and contiguity of the State of Palestine, continued. These activities also involved the issue of impunity of Israeli settlers.
Palestine said that the international community should understand what was happening in Israel, for example the assassination in Ramallah of three young Palestinians after an attack had been carried out by settlers.
Palestinian Prisoners
The situation of Palestinian prisoners was of great concern for many speakers, who noted the inhuman conditions under which they were held, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children.
The African Group expressed grave concern about the inhuman conditions under which Palestinian political prisoners were being held.
Commission of the Churches on International Affairs spoke with concern about the 20 per cent of the Palestinian population living in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel who had been held in Israeli prisons at one point in their lives. It raised the plight of children, minors, people in administrative detention and detainees who were seriously ill without access to medical care.
Bahrain stressed the violations committed against Palestinian children, saying all United Nations bodies had confirmed the legal responsibility of the occupying power concerning children and the application of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but that Palestinian children had been suffering in the detention centres of Israel.
Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, called for a Commission of Inquiry into the arrest and imprisonment by Israel of some 750,000 Palestinian men, women and children since 1967.
Jerusalem and Al Aqsa
Jordan said Israel continued its human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories and in particular Jerusalem, which was confronted with ongoing attempts to Judaize the city. Buildings had been destroyed, and monuments and religious vestiges – both Christian and Muslim – had been attacked. Israel persistently flouted all instruments and covenants related to the matter.
Morocco said the reports tabled at the meeting made it clear that violations were occurring and detailed measures were being adopted in and around Jerusalem to eradicate its religious and historical background.
Organization for Defending Victims of Violence said that the city of Beit-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) was one of the holiest places respected by all Abrahamic religions. The organization rejected the new United States’ plan of replacing Jordan with international forces in Eastern Beit-ul-Moqaddas. The mandate should be given to Islamic States under the presidency of Palestine.
Gaza
The High Commissioner remained deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza where violence was on the increase, and where the continuing Israeli blockade, coupled with the recent destruction of most of the tunnel network with Egypt, had led to a significant deterioration of economic and social rights in Gaza.
Brazil, speaking on behalf of the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum, said that the economic and social conditions of the population of Gaza were of great concern and Israel should lift the blockade immediately.
Kuwait said that in Gaza measures for collective punishment were being taken which exacerbated the situation of the Palestinian population. These violations and practices were illegal under international humanitarian and human rights law and served as a major stumbling block to peace in the region.
Qatar condemned the persistence of the Israeli occupation, its crimes against humanity and the unjust blockade of the Gaza Strip. This was against moral and humane standards and was a violation of international law and custom. Women, children and elderly persons were dying due to lack of medicine and food products. The international community was called upon to put an end to this illegal blockade.
Sri Lanka reiterated the call on Israel to lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip in the framework of Security Council resolution 1860 of 2000.
Media
Press Emblem Campaign denounced harassment of media workers in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories by both the Israeli and Palestinian authorities. There had been an unprecedented escalation of violations against journalists by the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank. Press Emblem Campaign also strongly condemned the growing number of violations against women journalists in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli Impunity
Many countries noted that despite many calls and efforts by the international community, including the Council, the grave violations and aggression by Israel against the Palestinian people continued in a culture of impunity.
“If the persecutor was not Israel but some other State, the international community would without hesitation label its actions not only crimes against humanity but ethnic cleansing. Israel must not be further encouraged to continue its violations,” Malaysia noted.
Yussef Sami Shawamreh 15, shot dead by Israeli troops, during his funeral in the village of Deir al-Asal al-Tahta on March 19, 2014
Israeli troops who shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank last week used live fire, without warning, against innocent youngsters out foraging for roots, an Israeli rights group said Wednesday.
After investigating the March 19 death of 15-year-old Yussef Sami Shawamreh, B'Tselem said it had found no evidence to support the army's version of events that troops had opened fire at youths who had "sabotaged" the West Bank separation wall.
But an army spokesman insisted troops had fired warning shots, adding that recent violence along the border with the Gaza Strip and on the Syrian frontier meant that anyone approaching the barrier was a cause for concern.
B'Tselem said the primary responsibility for the boy's death rested with the commanders who approved the use of live fire at a site where villagers from Deir al-Asal al-Tahta are known to go out and pick wild plants on their own land.
The army told AFP after the incident that soldiers had spotted three Palestinians vandalizing the barrier, saying they had verbally warned them and then fired warning shots in the air before finally shooting at their lower extremities.
On Wednesday, army spokesman Arye Shalicar said that, "over the past two weeks there have been numerous incidents involving explosive charges being placed along the border with Gaza and on the Syrian frontier," with four Israeli soldiers wounded there last week.
'Potential danger' at barrier
"In these circumstances, we consider anyone approaching the West Bank security barrier to be a potential danger," he said, adding that military police had opened in inquest into the boy's death.
Shawamreh's family and witnesses insisted he had been looking for gundelia, a thistle-like plant used in cooking.
B'Tselem said the shooting occurred in an area where there is a wide breach in the barrier and where families regularly go out to forage on their own land.
"The two surviving youths... heard three or four shots as they got off the road, fired with no advance warning," the report said.
The NGO said its findings were "markedly different" from the army's version of events.
"The youths made no attempt at vandalism; they were crossing through a long-existing breach, and the soldiers did not carry out suspect arrest procedure, shooing at Shawamreh with no advance warning," it said.
Troops in the area were "well aware" that over the past two years, Palestinians have been crossing the barrier at the breach "to pick gundelia on their own farmland," B'Tselem said.
It added that the use of live fire showed a "cynical lack of concern for the life of a Palestinian teenager."
Two days earlier, soldiers had detained four teenagers in the same spot, beating them and confiscating the plants they had picked.
"The decision to mount an armed ambush at a point in the barrier known to be crossed by youths, who pose no danger whatsoever to anyone, for the purpose of harvesting plants is highly questionable," the report said, noting it showed "extremely faulty discretion" on the part of the commanders.
Military regulations prohibit the use of live fire at Palestinians crossing the barrier, if they pose no risk to security forces.
"The primary responsibility for the killing lies with the commanders who sent the soldiers out on armed ambush," B'Tselem director Jessica Montell said in a statement that urged the military police to consider whether the commanders should "bear personal criminal responsibility" for Shawamreh's death.
Israeli troops who shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank last week used live fire, without warning, against innocent youngsters out foraging for roots, an Israeli rights group said Wednesday.
After investigating the March 19 death of 15-year-old Yussef Sami Shawamreh, B'Tselem said it had found no evidence to support the army's version of events that troops had opened fire at youths who had "sabotaged" the West Bank separation wall.
But an army spokesman insisted troops had fired warning shots, adding that recent violence along the border with the Gaza Strip and on the Syrian frontier meant that anyone approaching the barrier was a cause for concern.
B'Tselem said the primary responsibility for the boy's death rested with the commanders who approved the use of live fire at a site where villagers from Deir al-Asal al-Tahta are known to go out and pick wild plants on their own land.
The army told AFP after the incident that soldiers had spotted three Palestinians vandalizing the barrier, saying they had verbally warned them and then fired warning shots in the air before finally shooting at their lower extremities.
On Wednesday, army spokesman Arye Shalicar said that, "over the past two weeks there have been numerous incidents involving explosive charges being placed along the border with Gaza and on the Syrian frontier," with four Israeli soldiers wounded there last week.
'Potential danger' at barrier
"In these circumstances, we consider anyone approaching the West Bank security barrier to be a potential danger," he said, adding that military police had opened in inquest into the boy's death.
Shawamreh's family and witnesses insisted he had been looking for gundelia, a thistle-like plant used in cooking.
B'Tselem said the shooting occurred in an area where there is a wide breach in the barrier and where families regularly go out to forage on their own land.
"The two surviving youths... heard three or four shots as they got off the road, fired with no advance warning," the report said.
The NGO said its findings were "markedly different" from the army's version of events.
"The youths made no attempt at vandalism; they were crossing through a long-existing breach, and the soldiers did not carry out suspect arrest procedure, shooing at Shawamreh with no advance warning," it said.
Troops in the area were "well aware" that over the past two years, Palestinians have been crossing the barrier at the breach "to pick gundelia on their own farmland," B'Tselem said.
It added that the use of live fire showed a "cynical lack of concern for the life of a Palestinian teenager."
Two days earlier, soldiers had detained four teenagers in the same spot, beating them and confiscating the plants they had picked.
"The decision to mount an armed ambush at a point in the barrier known to be crossed by youths, who pose no danger whatsoever to anyone, for the purpose of harvesting plants is highly questionable," the report said, noting it showed "extremely faulty discretion" on the part of the commanders.
Military regulations prohibit the use of live fire at Palestinians crossing the barrier, if they pose no risk to security forces.
"The primary responsibility for the killing lies with the commanders who sent the soldiers out on armed ambush," B'Tselem director Jessica Montell said in a statement that urged the military police to consider whether the commanders should "bear personal criminal responsibility" for Shawamreh's death.
25 mar 2014
The organization of Islamic cooperation (OIC) released its monthly report on the humanitarian situation in the besieged Gaza Strip during last February. According to its report, the Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah border crossing before passengers for only five days, which led to an increase in the number of Palestinians stranded on both sides of the crossing, especially the patients.
After their failure to get medical treatment in Egypt, many Gazan patients prefer to go to the Israeli occupied lands to receive medical care despite all delay caused by the Israeli restrictions imposed on the travel of patients through crossings on Gaza borders.
During the reporting month, the Egyptian authorities prevented solidarity delegations and aid convoys from entering the Gaza Strip.
As for the water and power crises in Gaza, the report affirmed that the power station still provides electricity for eight hours and cut it for another eight hours because of the scarcity of fuel supplies.
The report added that the Gaza population has been drinking contaminated water for many years and 95 percent of the underground coastal aquifer has become unusable.
In a related incident, the Egyptian army refused on Monday to allow hundreds of Gazan pilgrims who returned from Makkah in Saudi Arabia from crossing into the Gaza Strip at the pretext that the Rafah border crossing was closed.
According to media sources, the Egyptian army forced the buses that were carrying the pilgrims to go back to Al-Arish city, located about 50 kilometers away from Rafah crossing.
The passengers had to sleep all night in a bus parking lot in Al-Arish until their buses could move back again on Tuesday morning to the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian side in the hope of being allowed into Gaza.
After their failure to get medical treatment in Egypt, many Gazan patients prefer to go to the Israeli occupied lands to receive medical care despite all delay caused by the Israeli restrictions imposed on the travel of patients through crossings on Gaza borders.
During the reporting month, the Egyptian authorities prevented solidarity delegations and aid convoys from entering the Gaza Strip.
As for the water and power crises in Gaza, the report affirmed that the power station still provides electricity for eight hours and cut it for another eight hours because of the scarcity of fuel supplies.
The report added that the Gaza population has been drinking contaminated water for many years and 95 percent of the underground coastal aquifer has become unusable.
In a related incident, the Egyptian army refused on Monday to allow hundreds of Gazan pilgrims who returned from Makkah in Saudi Arabia from crossing into the Gaza Strip at the pretext that the Rafah border crossing was closed.
According to media sources, the Egyptian army forced the buses that were carrying the pilgrims to go back to Al-Arish city, located about 50 kilometers away from Rafah crossing.
The passengers had to sleep all night in a bus parking lot in Al-Arish until their buses could move back again on Tuesday morning to the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian side in the hope of being allowed into Gaza.
Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay
By Robert Evans
(Reuters) - The building of Israeli settlements and attacks by settlers on Palestinians are a major source of much abuse of rights in the occupied territories, the United Nations' top human rights official said on Monday.
Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay also expressed concern at a recent surge in violence in and around the Gaza Strip by both local groups and Israeli forces.
"Israeli settlement-related activities and settler violence are at the core of many of the violations of human rights in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," she told the U.N.'s 47-nation Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The settlements not only had a significant impact on the right to Palestinian self-determination, but activities around them "also violate the entire spectrum of Palestinians' social, cultural, civil and political rights," she said.
"Despite repeated calls for Israel to cease settlement activity, ongoing settlement construction and acts of settler violence continue with devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians," said Pillay, a former judge of the International Criminal Court who has visited Israel and the territories.
Most countries deem Israel's settlements in the West Bank illegal and an obstacle to peacemaking. Palestinians decry them as a barrier to achieving a viable state, while Israel considers some of its settlements as a security buffer.
Settlers view the West Bank as a biblical birthright.
CROSS-BORDER VIOLENCE
Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas - an Islamist group which rejects Israel's existence -
seized control of the territory two years later, fuelling tension which often leads to cross-border violence.
The Gaza violence, Pillay declared, was reflected in increased rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups directed at Israel and Israeli airstrikes on the area.
She said "the targeting of civilians and the indiscriminate firing of rockets towards Israel is a violation of international law. The response through air strikes by Israel is excessive and often causes destruction to personal and public property."
Pillay said an Israeli blockade of Gaza must be lifted, "with due regard to Israeli security concerns." Egypt also blockades Gaza from its side of the border.
Referring to the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority, she said U.N. monitors there had documented "a dramatic increase in fatalities and injuries in incidents of use of force by Israeli security forces" in 2013.
There was an urgent need to ensure accountability for such incidents through independent investigations into allegations of unlawful killings or torture and ill-treatment and to prosecute those responsible, Pillay said.
Israel's foreign ministry has been on strike since Sunday. Other officials had no immediate response to Pillay's remarks.
By Robert Evans
(Reuters) - The building of Israeli settlements and attacks by settlers on Palestinians are a major source of much abuse of rights in the occupied territories, the United Nations' top human rights official said on Monday.
Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay also expressed concern at a recent surge in violence in and around the Gaza Strip by both local groups and Israeli forces.
"Israeli settlement-related activities and settler violence are at the core of many of the violations of human rights in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," she told the U.N.'s 47-nation Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The settlements not only had a significant impact on the right to Palestinian self-determination, but activities around them "also violate the entire spectrum of Palestinians' social, cultural, civil and political rights," she said.
"Despite repeated calls for Israel to cease settlement activity, ongoing settlement construction and acts of settler violence continue with devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians," said Pillay, a former judge of the International Criminal Court who has visited Israel and the territories.
Most countries deem Israel's settlements in the West Bank illegal and an obstacle to peacemaking. Palestinians decry them as a barrier to achieving a viable state, while Israel considers some of its settlements as a security buffer.
Settlers view the West Bank as a biblical birthright.
CROSS-BORDER VIOLENCE
Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas - an Islamist group which rejects Israel's existence -
seized control of the territory two years later, fuelling tension which often leads to cross-border violence.
The Gaza violence, Pillay declared, was reflected in increased rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups directed at Israel and Israeli airstrikes on the area.
She said "the targeting of civilians and the indiscriminate firing of rockets towards Israel is a violation of international law. The response through air strikes by Israel is excessive and often causes destruction to personal and public property."
Pillay said an Israeli blockade of Gaza must be lifted, "with due regard to Israeli security concerns." Egypt also blockades Gaza from its side of the border.
Referring to the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority, she said U.N. monitors there had documented "a dramatic increase in fatalities and injuries in incidents of use of force by Israeli security forces" in 2013.
There was an urgent need to ensure accountability for such incidents through independent investigations into allegations of unlawful killings or torture and ill-treatment and to prosecute those responsible, Pillay said.
Israel's foreign ministry has been on strike since Sunday. Other officials had no immediate response to Pillay's remarks.
24 mar 2014
The majority of the Israelis refuses that West Bank be relinquished to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as result of peace talks, a poll finds. Israel Channel 7 website reported that a survey noted that only 39% of respondents believed that ‘Israel’ must withdraw in order to attain peace with the Palestinian Arabs. 61% believed otherwise.
In addition, the survey revealed that 70% of the public "cannot relate to (PA Chairman) Mahmoud Abbas as a potential partner for a peace agreement," while 30% of the public believes the opposite.
The so-called peace talks between the PA and the Israeli occupation resumed in July 2013 after a 3-year-long stalemate conditioned that a final-status resolution to the Israeli-Arab conflict be reached within nine months.
In addition, the survey revealed that 70% of the public "cannot relate to (PA Chairman) Mahmoud Abbas as a potential partner for a peace agreement," while 30% of the public believes the opposite.
The so-called peace talks between the PA and the Israeli occupation resumed in July 2013 after a 3-year-long stalemate conditioned that a final-status resolution to the Israeli-Arab conflict be reached within nine months.
21 mar 2014
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestine, Richard Falk, today called for an assessment by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legal status of the prolonged Israeli occupation of Palestine, and allegations that it has legally unacceptable characteristics of ‘colonialism’, ‘apartheid’ and ‘ethnic cleansing.’
“Special steps must be taken to ensure that the human rights of the Palestinian people are protected and the rule of law established in an occupation which has lasted now for more than 45 years,” Mr. Falk said after serving six years as the independent expert charged by the Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
In his final report (*), the Special Rapporteur also calls on the UN Human Rights Council to examine the legal implications of the occupation of Palestine, and urges the international community to act decisively to uphold Palestinian human rights.
“Ongoing settlement expansion remains a serious obstacle and undermines prospects for Palestinian self-determination” he said, noting that the number of settlements built in the West Bank doubled in 2013, according to Israeli official data. “So far, there have been no signs of change in this trend for 2014 and Israel has already defiantly approved the construction of hundreds of new homes in the first three months of the year despite the ongoing peace negotiations.”
The UN expert also reiterated concerns on the Wall, recalling that, in 2004, the ICJ declared illegal its construction in occupied Palestine. An estimated 85% of the planned route of the Wall lies within the West Bank; more than 60% of a planned 708 km has been completed and construction continues. “Such a course of action undermines respect for international law and should be challenged,” Mr. Falk underscored.
The Special Rapporteur called for urgent attention to the deterioration of the situation in East Jerusalem, which the report describes as a “microcosm of the fragmentation of territory taking place throughout the West Bank”. He noted that “more than 11,000 Palestinians have lost their right to live in Jerusalem since 1996, under rules imposed by Israel.”
The potential liability of companies who profit from settlements is also analyzed in the report. “The international community is starting to react responsibly in relation to issues of corporate social responsibility,” Mr. Falk said. “Some companies and countries are increasingly moving away from engagement with settlements on the basis of their illegality under international law; these examples are to be commended and should be followed by others.”
The human rights expert also expressed his views on a worsening humanitarian situation in occupied Gaza, noting that “the effects of the blockade, coupled with regional developments, are having a severe impact on the civilian population of Gaza.”
“We mustn’t forget that thousands of Palestinian political detainees, including children, remain in Israeli prisons. Among them are more than a hundred administrative detainees. Many of them are subjected to ill-treatment and torture from the time of their arrest to their interrogation in detention” the Special Rapporteur said.
Speaking before his final appearance as Special Rapporteur at the Human Rights Council, Mr. Falk stressed the importance of this mandate to bear witness to the serious human rights violations that continue to afflict the Palestinian people after more than four and half decades of occupation.
“In the face of Israel’s continuing refusal to cooperate with this mandate, accentuated by defamatory attacks by political NGOs intent on undermining it, it is of the utmost importance that my successor is supported and enabled by the UN and the Human Rights Council, to report objectively on the human rights violations being endured by the Palestinian people,” he stressed.
The Special Rapporteur is scheduled to present his final report to the Human Rights Council on Monday 24 March 2014.
Ends
(*) Check the Special Rapporteur’s last report to the UN Human Rights Council: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session25/Pages/ListReports.aspx
“Special steps must be taken to ensure that the human rights of the Palestinian people are protected and the rule of law established in an occupation which has lasted now for more than 45 years,” Mr. Falk said after serving six years as the independent expert charged by the Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
In his final report (*), the Special Rapporteur also calls on the UN Human Rights Council to examine the legal implications of the occupation of Palestine, and urges the international community to act decisively to uphold Palestinian human rights.
“Ongoing settlement expansion remains a serious obstacle and undermines prospects for Palestinian self-determination” he said, noting that the number of settlements built in the West Bank doubled in 2013, according to Israeli official data. “So far, there have been no signs of change in this trend for 2014 and Israel has already defiantly approved the construction of hundreds of new homes in the first three months of the year despite the ongoing peace negotiations.”
The UN expert also reiterated concerns on the Wall, recalling that, in 2004, the ICJ declared illegal its construction in occupied Palestine. An estimated 85% of the planned route of the Wall lies within the West Bank; more than 60% of a planned 708 km has been completed and construction continues. “Such a course of action undermines respect for international law and should be challenged,” Mr. Falk underscored.
The Special Rapporteur called for urgent attention to the deterioration of the situation in East Jerusalem, which the report describes as a “microcosm of the fragmentation of territory taking place throughout the West Bank”. He noted that “more than 11,000 Palestinians have lost their right to live in Jerusalem since 1996, under rules imposed by Israel.”
The potential liability of companies who profit from settlements is also analyzed in the report. “The international community is starting to react responsibly in relation to issues of corporate social responsibility,” Mr. Falk said. “Some companies and countries are increasingly moving away from engagement with settlements on the basis of their illegality under international law; these examples are to be commended and should be followed by others.”
The human rights expert also expressed his views on a worsening humanitarian situation in occupied Gaza, noting that “the effects of the blockade, coupled with regional developments, are having a severe impact on the civilian population of Gaza.”
“We mustn’t forget that thousands of Palestinian political detainees, including children, remain in Israeli prisons. Among them are more than a hundred administrative detainees. Many of them are subjected to ill-treatment and torture from the time of their arrest to their interrogation in detention” the Special Rapporteur said.
Speaking before his final appearance as Special Rapporteur at the Human Rights Council, Mr. Falk stressed the importance of this mandate to bear witness to the serious human rights violations that continue to afflict the Palestinian people after more than four and half decades of occupation.
“In the face of Israel’s continuing refusal to cooperate with this mandate, accentuated by defamatory attacks by political NGOs intent on undermining it, it is of the utmost importance that my successor is supported and enabled by the UN and the Human Rights Council, to report objectively on the human rights violations being endured by the Palestinian people,” he stressed.
The Special Rapporteur is scheduled to present his final report to the Human Rights Council on Monday 24 March 2014.
Ends
(*) Check the Special Rapporteur’s last report to the UN Human Rights Council: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session25/Pages/ListReports.aspx
Ahrar center for prisoners studies confirmed that Israeli violations have noticeably escalated during the third week of March in the occupied West Bank.
In its weekly report on Israeli violations, Ahrar center stated that the third week of March has witnessed a noticeable escalation in Israeli settlers and forces' violations against Palestinians and their properties throughout occupied West Bank.
"Shooting the Palestinian minor Youssef Shawmreh, 16, by Israeli soldiers for allegedly trying to pass through the Apartheid Wall was the most prominent Israeli crime during last week," the human rights center said.
Israeli forces and settlers have carried out several raids and break-ins into Palestinian towns and cities in West Bank last week mainly in Nablus, al-Kahlil, Jenin , Ramallah and Salfit.
In Nablus, Israeli forces stormed Palestinian villages southern the city and erected number of checkpoints, while Israeli settlers uprooted more than 20 olive trees in Hawara town and sprayed over 55 olive trees with toxic chemicals in Jalud town.
Three Palestinian were injured after being stoned by Israeli settlers near Za'tara checkpoint south of Nablus.
On the other hand, Israeli forces handed over notifications for the demolition of three Palestinian building under construction in al-Tawil area in Nablus.
In Salfit, settlers from Revava settlement have bulldozed agricultural lands and performed religious rituals before leaving.
Revava is one of 23 Israeli settlements established in Salfit in 1991 at the expense of Palestinian villages in the city.
In addition, Israeli occupation continued its settlement expansion projects in five settlements built on Salfit lands.
Meanwhile, two Palestinian young men were injured with rubber-coated bullets fired by Israeli soldiers at the entrance to Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah.
As a result, clashes were erupted in the camp where dozens of camp inhabitants were treated for gas inhalation after the IOF soldiers showered the camp with teargas canisters.
In al-Khalil, Israeli forces have also stormed different areas in the city and conducted raid and arrest campaigns in its villages and towns
In its weekly report on Israeli violations, Ahrar center stated that the third week of March has witnessed a noticeable escalation in Israeli settlers and forces' violations against Palestinians and their properties throughout occupied West Bank.
"Shooting the Palestinian minor Youssef Shawmreh, 16, by Israeli soldiers for allegedly trying to pass through the Apartheid Wall was the most prominent Israeli crime during last week," the human rights center said.
Israeli forces and settlers have carried out several raids and break-ins into Palestinian towns and cities in West Bank last week mainly in Nablus, al-Kahlil, Jenin , Ramallah and Salfit.
In Nablus, Israeli forces stormed Palestinian villages southern the city and erected number of checkpoints, while Israeli settlers uprooted more than 20 olive trees in Hawara town and sprayed over 55 olive trees with toxic chemicals in Jalud town.
Three Palestinian were injured after being stoned by Israeli settlers near Za'tara checkpoint south of Nablus.
On the other hand, Israeli forces handed over notifications for the demolition of three Palestinian building under construction in al-Tawil area in Nablus.
In Salfit, settlers from Revava settlement have bulldozed agricultural lands and performed religious rituals before leaving.
Revava is one of 23 Israeli settlements established in Salfit in 1991 at the expense of Palestinian villages in the city.
In addition, Israeli occupation continued its settlement expansion projects in five settlements built on Salfit lands.
Meanwhile, two Palestinian young men were injured with rubber-coated bullets fired by Israeli soldiers at the entrance to Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah.
As a result, clashes were erupted in the camp where dozens of camp inhabitants were treated for gas inhalation after the IOF soldiers showered the camp with teargas canisters.
In al-Khalil, Israeli forces have also stormed different areas in the city and conducted raid and arrest campaigns in its villages and towns
Greenhouses destroyed in Rafah
In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 13- 19 March 2014, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that during the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child.
They also wounded 7 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and Norwegian activist in the West Bank; 5 of whom, including the Norwegian activist, were wounded in the protests organized against the annexation wall while a civilian was wounded in other protests.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces launched 3 airstrikes on 13 and 14 March 2014, as a result of which, 26 greenhouses were completely destroyed and 20 others were partially damaged, but no casualties were reported.
On 17 March 2014, Israeli forces positioned on watchtowers in the vicinity of Beit Hanoun crossing and north of Um al-Nasser village in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at open areas, but no casualties were reported.
In the context of targeting Palestinian fishermen in the sea, Israeli navy forces opened fire 4 times at Palestinian fishing boats on 15, 16 and 17 March 2014. As a result, a store belonging to a Palestinian fisherman was completely destroyed, but no casualties were reported.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
In the West Bank, on 19 March 2014, Israeli forces stationed around the annexation wall, west of Doura, southwest of Hebron, killed a Palestinian child and wounded 2 others in company.
In the same context, Israeli forces used excessive force against peaceful demonstrations organised by Palestinian civilians, international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 4 Palestinian civilians and Norwegian activist were wounded.
In the same context, an 18-year-old Palestinian civilian sustained a bullet wound to the right leg during a protest at the southern entrance of al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah, on 14 March 2014.
On 13 March 2014, 2 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded when Israeli forces fired at a number of youngsters gathered during a funeral in the cemetery in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron, near the bypass road (60).
The detainees included a reporter of Palestine Today satellite channel and Tramsat News Agency crew. In addition, Israeli forces abducted a leader of Hamas movement who had previously served 13 years in Israeli jails. On 16 March 2014, At approximately 12:00, Israeli forces abducted Feda' Abdul Fattah Nasser (25), a reporter of Palestine Today satellite channel, and the crew of Tramsat news agency after detaining them at the entrance of al-Shuhada' Street in the centre of Hebron. A female settler had attacked the reporter. The reporter and photographer Mohanned Abu Zalata were taken to "Kiryat Arba" police station, east of Hebron. They were released a few hours later after the intervention of the Palestinian liaison. Abu Zalata said to a PCHR fieldworker that:
"I have been a trainee photographer in Tramsat news agency since late 2013. At approximately 10:30 on Sunday, 15 March 2014, I went with my colleague Mahmoud Khalaf (27) and Fida Abdul Fattah Nasser, a reporter of Palestine Today satellite channel in Hebron, to Tal al-Rumaida area and al-Shuhada' Street to prepare a reportage on the impact of the settler attacks on the Palestinian civilians during Jewish holidays. We crossed the street where the Container checkpoint is established and headed to Tal al-Rumaida area.
We had interviews with the residents and then moved to the entrance of the street to make the last part of the reportage. A large group of settlers were present in the street performing rituals of the "Purim" Jewish holiday. In the meanwhile, a female settler approached with a camera in her hand and tried to hit Fida' while preparing the reportage, but Fida' pushed the camera away. The settler started screaming, due to which a number of settlers gathered around us. One of them tried to attack Fida', but I prevented him. Another settler poured a glass of wine over Fida'.
Some soldiers arrived and got the settlers away. A soldier ordered us to leave as well. When we approached the abovementioned checkpoint to leave the area, the abovementioned female settler with another one started shouting and asking Fida' about her name. In addition, she talked to a soldier, who followed her, in Hebrew telling him that Fida' had attacked her. The soldier ordered us to stop, but we had already crossed the checkpoint. Half an hour later, an Israeli policeman arrived and obliged us to return. We tried to explain what had happened, but he ordered Fida to go with him to the police station. We asked him to wait for lawyer Khitam al-Heeh whom was called by us, but he refused and said that he would use force if she refused to go with him.
I went with Fida' to the police station in "Kiryat Arba" settlement, east of Hebron. We waited for an hour with the company of the lawyer. The aforementioned female settler arrived and photographed us. She then entered the interrogation room. Half an hour later, she went out and Fida' was asked to enter there. She asked them to have the lawyer with her, but they refused. 45 minutes later, Fida' went out and was taken to another room. She told me later that she finger-stamped some papers and was photographed. Fida' told us also that the settler had told the police that Fida attacked her.
The interrogator told her there were photographs proving the incident. Fida' denied the accusation and handed them our video tape, which proved the opposite. Moreover, Fida' filed a complaint against the settlers who attacked us. She was released at approximately 16:20. There was a vehicle belonging to the Palestinian liaison waiting for us."
In the afternoon, Israeli forces abducted Mohammed Jehad Mohammed Salah (20), from Barqa village, northwest of Nablus, while he was in Salem detention facility, northwest of Jenin, to attend a trial of a relative in the Israeli military court there.
On 17 March 2014, Israeli forces moved into the eastern al-Lubban village, south of Nablus. They raided and searched a house, confiscated cell phones and abducted the family's breadwinner.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. Settlers uprooted 90 olive trees in Nablus and Hebron. 3 civilians were injured by glass shrapnel of their vehicle that was hit by a bottle.
On 14 March 2014, Israeli settlers from “Sousia” settlement established on the lands confiscated from the southern part of Yatta, south of Hebron, cut down by a handsaw 40 olive trees, which are 6 years old, belonging to Karam Yousif ‘Awad Shatat.
On 15 March 2014, Israeli settlers from “Eitamar” settlement established in the east of Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus, stormed the eastern outskirts of the aforementioned village under the Israeli forces’ protection. Children and young men gathered to throw stones at the Israeli military vehicles and settlers. Israeli forces in response fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them.
On 16 March 2014, a bottle was thrown at a Palestinian car driven by Hazem Ishtayyah (65) from Salem village, northeast of Nablus, while it was travelling on Street (55) between Za’atrah intersection, south of Nablus, and Jericho. The car was coming from Jericho and heading towards Nablus. 7 civilians were traveling the car on their way back from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah (the lesser Islamic pilgrimage) rituals. When they were 400 meters away from “Majdolim” settlement, they were surprised by a white car with an Israeli registration plate coming from the opposite direction. The driver saw someone dressed in civilian clothes waving from the left window with something in his hand. When the Palestinian car approached the Israeli one, a green bottle was thrown at the car. The bottle hit the windshield of the Palestinian car and glass scattered on the passengers.
On 18 March 2014, an Israeli settler from “Yitshar” settlement cut down 5o olive trees in al-Sawma’ah area near Hawarah Park in the northwest of Hawarah village, south of Nablus. These trees belong to Fawzi Hasan Mohammed Hussein from the nearby ‘Aynabous village. The Israeli forces abducted the settler and informed the Palestinian Liaison.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protesters in the West Bank. 4 Palestinian civilians and a Norwegian activist were wounded in protests organized against the annexation wall. A Palestinian boy was wounded in a protest at the entrance of al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah.
Following the Friday Prayer, 14 March 2014, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Bil’in, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. Demonstrators took the streets raising the Palestinian flags and headed to the liberated territories near the annexation wall. Israeli forces had closed all the entrances of the village since the morning in order to prevent Palestinian and international activists and journalists from participating in the demonstration. Demonstrators marched adjacent to the cement wall and tried to cross the fence before Israeli forces that are stationed behind the wall, in the western area, and a large number of soldiers deployed along it, fired live bullets, tear gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets, sound bombs and skunk water at them and chased them into the olive fields.
As a result, the Norwegian activist, Katia (36), was hit by a gas canister to the back. Moreover, a number of demonstrators suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises as they were beaten up by Israeli soldiers.
On the same day, dozens of Palestinian civilians organised a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. Demonstrators took the streets and headed to the annexation wall. Israeli forces closed the gates of the wall with barbwires and prevented the demonstrators from crossing to the land behind it before they responded by throwing stones.
As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and bruises as they were beaten up by Israeli soldiers.
Around the same time, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, southwest of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. Demonstrators made their way in the streets raising the Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against the occupation and in support of the Palestinian unity resistance, and then they headed to the lands that the settlers are trying to rob by force near “Halmish” settlement. Israeli forces had closed all the entrances of the village since the morning to prevent Palestinian and international activists and journalists from participating in the demonstration. When they arrived at the land, demonstrators were met by live bullets, tear gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets, sound bombs and skunk water and were chased into the village.
As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises due to being beaten up by Israeli soldiers.
Following the Friday prayer, Palestinian civilians and international activists organised a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Kufor Qaddoum village, northwest of Qalqilia, and headed towards the eastern entrance of the village, in protest at the continued closure of the entrance with an iron gate, since the beginning of the Aqsa Intifada (2000). Clashes erupted between the demonstrators and Israeli forces that fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters to prevent them from reaching the aforementioned gate.
As a result, 4 civilians were wounded: a 42-year-old male was hit by a gas canister to the head; an 18-year-old male was hit by a gas canister to the chest; a 22-year-old male was hit by a gas canister to the abdomen; and a 24-year-old male was hit by a gas canister to the back.
On Friday, 14 March 2014, dozens of children and young men gathered at the southern entrance of al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah. They were about 300 meters away from the fence of "Beit Eil" settlement. Israeli forces stationed in the area fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters.
As a result, an 18-year-old male sustained a bullet wound to the right leg. He was taken to Palestine Medical Compound in Ramallah. In addition, dozens of civilians suffered tear gas inhalation. Israeli forces also abducted Fahmi Abdul Rahman al-Bariya (28) and took him to an unknown destination.
On the same day, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered at the western entrance of Selwad village, northeast of Ramallah on the road between Selwad village and Yabrod village near Street (60) to throw stones at the aforementioned street. As a result, Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them and chased them to the village.
As a result, dozens of civilians suffered tear gas inhalation.
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 UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council explicitly declare that the Israeli closure policy in Gaza and the annexation wall in the West Bank are illegal, and accordingly refer the two issues to the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel to compel it to remove them.
In addition, PCHR calls upon the international community, in light of its failure to the stop the aggression on the Palestinian people, to at least fulfil its obligation to reconstruct the Gaza Strip after the series of hostilities launched by Israel which directly targeted the civilian infrastructure
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 13- 19 March 2014, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) found that during the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child.
They also wounded 7 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and Norwegian activist in the West Bank; 5 of whom, including the Norwegian activist, were wounded in the protests organized against the annexation wall while a civilian was wounded in other protests.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces launched 3 airstrikes on 13 and 14 March 2014, as a result of which, 26 greenhouses were completely destroyed and 20 others were partially damaged, but no casualties were reported.
On 17 March 2014, Israeli forces positioned on watchtowers in the vicinity of Beit Hanoun crossing and north of Um al-Nasser village in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at open areas, but no casualties were reported.
In the context of targeting Palestinian fishermen in the sea, Israeli navy forces opened fire 4 times at Palestinian fishing boats on 15, 16 and 17 March 2014. As a result, a store belonging to a Palestinian fisherman was completely destroyed, but no casualties were reported.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
In the West Bank, on 19 March 2014, Israeli forces stationed around the annexation wall, west of Doura, southwest of Hebron, killed a Palestinian child and wounded 2 others in company.
In the same context, Israeli forces used excessive force against peaceful demonstrations organised by Palestinian civilians, international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, 4 Palestinian civilians and Norwegian activist were wounded.
In the same context, an 18-year-old Palestinian civilian sustained a bullet wound to the right leg during a protest at the southern entrance of al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah, on 14 March 2014.
On 13 March 2014, 2 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded when Israeli forces fired at a number of youngsters gathered during a funeral in the cemetery in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron, near the bypass road (60).
The detainees included a reporter of Palestine Today satellite channel and Tramsat News Agency crew. In addition, Israeli forces abducted a leader of Hamas movement who had previously served 13 years in Israeli jails. On 16 March 2014, At approximately 12:00, Israeli forces abducted Feda' Abdul Fattah Nasser (25), a reporter of Palestine Today satellite channel, and the crew of Tramsat news agency after detaining them at the entrance of al-Shuhada' Street in the centre of Hebron. A female settler had attacked the reporter. The reporter and photographer Mohanned Abu Zalata were taken to "Kiryat Arba" police station, east of Hebron. They were released a few hours later after the intervention of the Palestinian liaison. Abu Zalata said to a PCHR fieldworker that:
"I have been a trainee photographer in Tramsat news agency since late 2013. At approximately 10:30 on Sunday, 15 March 2014, I went with my colleague Mahmoud Khalaf (27) and Fida Abdul Fattah Nasser, a reporter of Palestine Today satellite channel in Hebron, to Tal al-Rumaida area and al-Shuhada' Street to prepare a reportage on the impact of the settler attacks on the Palestinian civilians during Jewish holidays. We crossed the street where the Container checkpoint is established and headed to Tal al-Rumaida area.
We had interviews with the residents and then moved to the entrance of the street to make the last part of the reportage. A large group of settlers were present in the street performing rituals of the "Purim" Jewish holiday. In the meanwhile, a female settler approached with a camera in her hand and tried to hit Fida' while preparing the reportage, but Fida' pushed the camera away. The settler started screaming, due to which a number of settlers gathered around us. One of them tried to attack Fida', but I prevented him. Another settler poured a glass of wine over Fida'.
Some soldiers arrived and got the settlers away. A soldier ordered us to leave as well. When we approached the abovementioned checkpoint to leave the area, the abovementioned female settler with another one started shouting and asking Fida' about her name. In addition, she talked to a soldier, who followed her, in Hebrew telling him that Fida' had attacked her. The soldier ordered us to stop, but we had already crossed the checkpoint. Half an hour later, an Israeli policeman arrived and obliged us to return. We tried to explain what had happened, but he ordered Fida to go with him to the police station. We asked him to wait for lawyer Khitam al-Heeh whom was called by us, but he refused and said that he would use force if she refused to go with him.
I went with Fida' to the police station in "Kiryat Arba" settlement, east of Hebron. We waited for an hour with the company of the lawyer. The aforementioned female settler arrived and photographed us. She then entered the interrogation room. Half an hour later, she went out and Fida' was asked to enter there. She asked them to have the lawyer with her, but they refused. 45 minutes later, Fida' went out and was taken to another room. She told me later that she finger-stamped some papers and was photographed. Fida' told us also that the settler had told the police that Fida attacked her.
The interrogator told her there were photographs proving the incident. Fida' denied the accusation and handed them our video tape, which proved the opposite. Moreover, Fida' filed a complaint against the settlers who attacked us. She was released at approximately 16:20. There was a vehicle belonging to the Palestinian liaison waiting for us."
In the afternoon, Israeli forces abducted Mohammed Jehad Mohammed Salah (20), from Barqa village, northwest of Nablus, while he was in Salem detention facility, northwest of Jenin, to attend a trial of a relative in the Israeli military court there.
On 17 March 2014, Israeli forces moved into the eastern al-Lubban village, south of Nablus. They raided and searched a house, confiscated cell phones and abducted the family's breadwinner.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. Settlers uprooted 90 olive trees in Nablus and Hebron. 3 civilians were injured by glass shrapnel of their vehicle that was hit by a bottle.
On 14 March 2014, Israeli settlers from “Sousia” settlement established on the lands confiscated from the southern part of Yatta, south of Hebron, cut down by a handsaw 40 olive trees, which are 6 years old, belonging to Karam Yousif ‘Awad Shatat.
On 15 March 2014, Israeli settlers from “Eitamar” settlement established in the east of Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus, stormed the eastern outskirts of the aforementioned village under the Israeli forces’ protection. Children and young men gathered to throw stones at the Israeli military vehicles and settlers. Israeli forces in response fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them.
On 16 March 2014, a bottle was thrown at a Palestinian car driven by Hazem Ishtayyah (65) from Salem village, northeast of Nablus, while it was travelling on Street (55) between Za’atrah intersection, south of Nablus, and Jericho. The car was coming from Jericho and heading towards Nablus. 7 civilians were traveling the car on their way back from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah (the lesser Islamic pilgrimage) rituals. When they were 400 meters away from “Majdolim” settlement, they were surprised by a white car with an Israeli registration plate coming from the opposite direction. The driver saw someone dressed in civilian clothes waving from the left window with something in his hand. When the Palestinian car approached the Israeli one, a green bottle was thrown at the car. The bottle hit the windshield of the Palestinian car and glass scattered on the passengers.
On 18 March 2014, an Israeli settler from “Yitshar” settlement cut down 5o olive trees in al-Sawma’ah area near Hawarah Park in the northwest of Hawarah village, south of Nablus. These trees belong to Fawzi Hasan Mohammed Hussein from the nearby ‘Aynabous village. The Israeli forces abducted the settler and informed the Palestinian Liaison.
Israeli attacks on non-violent demonstrations:
Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protesters in the West Bank. 4 Palestinian civilians and a Norwegian activist were wounded in protests organized against the annexation wall. A Palestinian boy was wounded in a protest at the entrance of al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah.
Following the Friday Prayer, 14 March 2014, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Bil’in, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. Demonstrators took the streets raising the Palestinian flags and headed to the liberated territories near the annexation wall. Israeli forces had closed all the entrances of the village since the morning in order to prevent Palestinian and international activists and journalists from participating in the demonstration. Demonstrators marched adjacent to the cement wall and tried to cross the fence before Israeli forces that are stationed behind the wall, in the western area, and a large number of soldiers deployed along it, fired live bullets, tear gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets, sound bombs and skunk water at them and chased them into the olive fields.
As a result, the Norwegian activist, Katia (36), was hit by a gas canister to the back. Moreover, a number of demonstrators suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises as they were beaten up by Israeli soldiers.
On the same day, dozens of Palestinian civilians organised a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. Demonstrators took the streets and headed to the annexation wall. Israeli forces closed the gates of the wall with barbwires and prevented the demonstrators from crossing to the land behind it before they responded by throwing stones.
As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and bruises as they were beaten up by Israeli soldiers.
Around the same time, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organised a peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, southwest of Ramallah, in protest at the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities. Demonstrators made their way in the streets raising the Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against the occupation and in support of the Palestinian unity resistance, and then they headed to the lands that the settlers are trying to rob by force near “Halmish” settlement. Israeli forces had closed all the entrances of the village since the morning to prevent Palestinian and international activists and journalists from participating in the demonstration. When they arrived at the land, demonstrators were met by live bullets, tear gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets, sound bombs and skunk water and were chased into the village.
As a result, many civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises due to being beaten up by Israeli soldiers.
Following the Friday prayer, Palestinian civilians and international activists organised a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Kufor Qaddoum village, northwest of Qalqilia, and headed towards the eastern entrance of the village, in protest at the continued closure of the entrance with an iron gate, since the beginning of the Aqsa Intifada (2000). Clashes erupted between the demonstrators and Israeli forces that fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters to prevent them from reaching the aforementioned gate.
As a result, 4 civilians were wounded: a 42-year-old male was hit by a gas canister to the head; an 18-year-old male was hit by a gas canister to the chest; a 22-year-old male was hit by a gas canister to the abdomen; and a 24-year-old male was hit by a gas canister to the back.
On Friday, 14 March 2014, dozens of children and young men gathered at the southern entrance of al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah. They were about 300 meters away from the fence of "Beit Eil" settlement. Israeli forces stationed in the area fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters.
As a result, an 18-year-old male sustained a bullet wound to the right leg. He was taken to Palestine Medical Compound in Ramallah. In addition, dozens of civilians suffered tear gas inhalation. Israeli forces also abducted Fahmi Abdul Rahman al-Bariya (28) and took him to an unknown destination.
On the same day, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered at the western entrance of Selwad village, northeast of Ramallah on the road between Selwad village and Yabrod village near Street (60) to throw stones at the aforementioned street. As a result, Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them and chased them to the village.
As a result, dozens of civilians suffered tear gas inhalation.
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 UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council explicitly declare that the Israeli closure policy in Gaza and the annexation wall in the West Bank are illegal, and accordingly refer the two issues to the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel to compel it to remove them.
In addition, PCHR calls upon the international community, in light of its failure to the stop the aggression on the Palestinian people, to at least fulfil its obligation to reconstruct the Gaza Strip after the series of hostilities launched by Israel which directly targeted the civilian infrastructure
For the full text of the report, click on the link