Weekly Summary of israeli War Crimes

PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

http://www.pchrgaza.org



Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory



No. 05/2006

02-08 Feb. 2006



Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)



· 11 Palestinians were extra-judicially killed by IOF.



· 27 Palestinian civilians, including 17 children, were wounded by IOF.



· IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.



· Houses were raided and 78 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children, were arrested by IOF.



· A house was transformed by IOF into a military site.



· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT, especially in the West Bank; IOF arrested 9 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, at checkpoints in the West Bank.



· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF razed areas of Palestinian land near "Ariel" settlement; IOF seized 280 dunums[1] of agricultural land in the northern West Bank and 129 dunums in Beit Hanina village near Jerusalem; IOF uprooted 120 olives trees in Hebron; 6 demonstrators were injured by IOF in Bal'ein village near Ramallah; and IOF arrested 3 Palestinian children near the Wall.



· Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the OPT; 8 Palestinian civilians were injured in 3 attacks by Israeli settlers in Hebron; and 5 under-construction houses were demolished by IOF.


Summary



Israeli violations of international law continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) during the reporting period (2 – 8 February 2006):



Killing: During the reported period, IOF escalated extra-judicial executions against members of Palestinian factions. An IOF spokesman stated that IOF would continue to pursue "launchers of locally made rockets at Israel”. During the reported period, IOF committed 5 extra-judicial executions, including 4 in the Gaza Strip. Eleven Palestinians, including a civilian bystander, were killed, and 5 others, including 3 children, were injured. These executions were committed between 5-7 February 2006. During the reported period, IOF shelled Palestinian communities in the Gaza Strip. They also fired at Palestinian civilians during incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. As a result, 27 civilians were wounded, including 5 who were wounded during extra-judicial executions.



Incursions: IOF conducted 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses and arrested 78 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children. IOF also transformed a house into a military site. IOF used undercover units and trained dogs during these incursions.



Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a comprehensive siege on the OPT, in violation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of Palestinian civilians.



IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a big jail. Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border, the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world, has been partially reopened. The crossing point is operated for 8 hours a day only. During the reported period, IOF partially reopened al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing after it had been closed for more than 3 weeks. IOF allowed 4,000 Palestinian workers to travel to their work places inside Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. Palestinian workers are also checked in a special room that is equipped with an as yet unidentified type of x-ray machine. There are concerns that these rays could be similar to those that were used at Rafah International Crossing Point, when it was under IOF's direct control.



IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. These measures have violated Palestinian civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints arrested 9 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children.



Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank. During the reported period, IOF continued to raze areas of land in Marda village, southwest of Nablus. They uprooted 120 olive trees in Jamroura area, west of Hebron, and confiscated 280 dunums of agricultural land in the villages of Hijja, Kufor Laqef, Kufor Thuluth and 'Azzoun near Qalqilya and Deir Estia near Nablus. IOF also issued a military order confiscating 129 dunums of agricultural land in Beit Hanina village, north of Jerusalem. The leader of the Israeli Likud Party, Benjamin Netanyahu, called for moving the route of the Wall several kilometers deeper into West Bank territory. IOF also used force against Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli solidarity activists who demonstrated in protest to the construction of the Wall in Bal'ein village, west of Ramalah. Two demonstrators were injured and IOF arrested an Israeli solidarity activist. In addition, IOF have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians on both sides of the Wall.



Illegal Settler Activities: Israeli settlers in breach of international humanitarian law continue to reside in the OPT and have launched a series of attacks against Palestinian civilians and property. During the reported period, Israeli settlers attacked at least 40 Palestinian school children, who were traveling in a bus near al-'Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. They also attacked a Palestinian civilian in Yatta village, south of Hebron. In addition, IOF demolished 5 under-construction houses in Shaqba village, northwest of Ramallah, for the purpose of settlement expansion.





The full report is available online at:

html format:

http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2006/09-02-2006.htm

pdf format:

http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2006/pdf/weekly%20report%2005.pdf