Weekly Report

On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied

 Palestinian Territories

 August 15- 21, 2002

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

Consultative Status with the ECOSOC of the United Nations

Affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists – Geneva

Member of the International Federation for Human Rights – Paris

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network

 

 

Continued Israeli Violations in the OPT The International Community is Silent

  

 


 

Introduction

 Even after the conclusion of “Gaza-Bethlehem First” security plan, which according to Israeli officials would ease living conditions of Palestinian civilians, Israeli occupying forces have perpetrated more human rights violations against Palestinians. These violations include willful killings, extra-judicial assassinations, shelling of, and incursion into Palestinian areas, house demolitions, leveling and confiscation of agricultural land. Furthermore, the Israeli occupying forces have imposed a comprehensive strict siege on Palestinian communities as well as curfews, and continued to arrest Palestinians.  This week, seven Palestinian civilians, including three children, were killed by Israeli occupying forces. 

 This week Israeli occupying forces shelled Palestinian residential areas killing four Palestinian civilians, including three children, two of whom from Khan Yunis.  On Wednesday, 21 August, Israeli combat helicopters and tanks shelled Khan Yunis refugee camp, severely damaging many houses and causing people to flee their houses.  Then, Israeli forces planted bombs in two houses and destroyed them by remote control.  The two houses and 10 other neighboring houses were completely destroyed; a Palestinian civilian was killed and six others wounded.

 On Tuesday evening, 20 August, an undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces shot dead Mohammed Sa’adat Yousef ‘Abdul Rasul, 22, from al-Bireh.  Israeli forces denied access of ambulances to offer him medical treatment leaving him to bleed to death.  The victim is the youngest brother of the Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ahmed Sa’adat, who has been detained by Palestinian security services since the beginning of this year. 

 In violation of international law and international humanitarian law, which prohibit collective punishment, for the third consecutive week, Israeli occupying forces have taken retaliatory measures against families of Palestinians who have carried attacks against Israeli targets both inside the Green Line and in the OPT.  On Friday, 16 August, Israeli occupying forces destroyed two houses in ‘Anbta village in Tulkarm and Kufor Ra’ei village in Jenin.  They also arrested the brother of a wanted Palestinian.  Thus, the number of houses destroyed by Israeli occupying forces in retaliatory actions against families of Palestinian who carried out attacks against Israeli targets has increased to 21, in which 41 families comprising of 269 persons, including 120 children, used to live.  In addition, six neighboring houses were destroyed and 15 other were severely damaged.

 For the second consecutive month, Israeli occupying forces have maintained control over Nablus, imposing a strict siege and curfew on the city, its four refugee camps and five of its villages.  Israeli occupying forces have not taken any steps to ease the suffering of more than 200,000 Palestinian civilians.  Since 21 June, Israeli forces have denied these civilians their basic right, especially the rights to obtain food and medicine, to move freely, to work and to study.  The city is suffering shortage of basic foodstuffs, including bread and milk.  When Israeli forces lift the curfew temporarily, they close all entrances of the city and its refugee camps and villages.  These Israeli measures have increased the suffering of patients with chronic diseases in the northern West Bank, as the only hospital that treats these diseases is in Nablus.  Medical sources in the city warned of danger posed to the lives of these patients if they were not allowed access to hospitals.  The Palestinian Ministry of Health also warned of the spread of epidemics as a result of the large amounts of waste in streets, which the municipality personnel have not been able to remove due to the Israeli offensive on the city.  Israeli forces also destroyed water and sewage networks.  According to the Ministry of Health, more than 600 Palestinian civilians from Balata refugee camp suffered from dysentery as drinking water were mixed with sewage water.  Commercial activities in the city and in the northern West Bank in general have been paralyzed, since Nablus is the economic center of the northern West Bank. 

 Israeli occupying forces have maintained the total siege imposed on the OPT, collectively punishing Palestinian people. Israeli forces have partitioned Palestinian areas, transforming them into cantons, violating Palestinian civilians' economic, social and cultural rights. Thousands of Palestinians continue to be subjected to a tight military curfew imposed by Israeli occupying forces. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces have checked Palestinian civilians and their cars at Abu Houli and al-Matahen military checkpoints, north of Khan Yunis.  On Tuesday, 20 August, Israeli forces closed al-Tuffah military checkpoint separating Khan Yunis from al-Mawasi area, where 6000 Palestinian civilians live.  They have prevented dozens of residents from al-Mawasi, including women, children and patients, from returning to their homes. 

    

    
Shelling of and Encroachment into Palestinian Areas

 

Thursday, 15 August 2002

 At approximately 02:00, Israeli heavy military vehicles moved approximately 100m into al-Rabwat area in the northwest of Khan Yunis.  An Israeli armored bulldozer leveled sand hills and paved a road east of “Gani Tal” settlement, northwest of Khan Yunis, linking it with surrounding agricultural land, apparently to facilitate future encroachment into al-Rabwat area.  The bulldozer razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land:

 

1.          They razed a 1.5-donum area of agricultural land and destroyed an irrigation network owned by ‘Omarn Khamis al-Astal.

2.          They razed a 1.5-donum area of agricultural land and destroyed an irrigation network owned by Hassan Mousa al-Astal. 

 

In the morning, Israeli occupying forces continued to raze areas of Palestinian agricultural land in Juhor al-Dik area, east of Gaza City, an action that began on the previous day.  Until Sunday, 18 August, Israeli occupying forces had razed the following areas of Palestinian agricultural land:

 

1.          They razed a 14-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and destroyed an irrigation network owned by heirs of Rashad Rashed al-Dous.

2.          They razed a 10-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Salama Hamed Sa’id.

3.          They razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and destroyed an irrigation network, a well and two stores, owned by Yousef Salem Badawi.

4.          They razed a 9-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Saleh Badawi.

5.          They razed a 1.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and destroyed an irrigation network owned by Khalil ‘Ali al-Shayah. 

 

Israeli occupying forces killed a 6-year-old Palestinian child, when they shelled his house in Khan Yunis for no apparent reason.  According to PCHR’s investigation, at approximately 16:45, Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Gani Tal” settlement, northwest of Khan Yunis, opened fire at al-Satar al-Gharbi area, east of the settlement.  Ayman Bassem Fares, 6, who was playing in the vicinity of his family’s house, approximately 150m east of the settlement, was wounded by a live bullet in the head.  His grandfather, Nadid Hafezh Fares, 60, carried him and called for an ambulance.  When the Israeli gunfire stopped, some neighbors came and helped the grandfather to take the wounded child to hospital.  Soon, Israeli forces opened fire at them, wounding the grandfather with a live bullet in the right thigh.  Two of the neighbors were also wounded:

 

1.          Ziad Mousa Mas’oud al-Agha, 40, wounded by shrapnel in the head; and

2.          Nahedh Mohammed Humeid Abu Jowei’ed, 28, wounded by shrapnel in the right hand. 

 

The child was taken to hospital, but he was dead upon the arrival. 

 At approximately 17:00, Israeli occupying forces in a military location in Tal Z’orob area in the southwest of Rafah opened fire at Palestinian houses in the north, wounding 17-year-old ‘Alaa’ Riadh Zo’rob with a live bullet in the right foot. 

 At approximately 18:00, Israeli occupying forces in military locations at the Egyptian-Palestinian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian houses in Block J, wounding 32-year-old Ziad ‘Abdul Salam Fuseifes with shrapnel in the left knee. 

 At approximately 20:00, Israeli occupying forces in military locations at the Egyptian-Palestinian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian houses in al-Joneina neighborhood, approximately 1500m away, wounding 50-year-old Ahmed Baraka Abu Sabala with a live bullet in the abdomen. 

 PCHR’s field worker in Rafah reported that three Palestinian civilians were wounded while they were near their houses. 

 

Friday, 16 August 2002

 At approximately 01:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with a number of armored personnel carriers, moved into Wadi al-Haria area in Hebron.  They surrounded the house of Sidqi Hamed Shaker al-Zaru, 41.  They forced his three wives and 15 children out of the house and searched it.  Then, they arrested al-Zaru. 

 In the evening, Israeli occupying forces, accompanied by a bulldozer, moved approximately 350m into al-Qatbania raea east of Beit Hanoun in the North of the Gaza strip.  They demolished a 120-square-meter, one-story house, in which 10 people used to live, owned by Mousa Saqer Hussein Abu ‘Amsha.  They also destroyed a well, a water pump and agricultural tools owned by ‘Abu ‘Amsha himself. 

 

Saturday, 17 August 2002

 At approximately 08:00, Israeli occupying forces at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Jabalya, shelled Palestinian farms west of the border.  Aamena ‘Abdul Karim al-Bursh, 53, was wounded by shrapnel in the right foot, while she was with her husband on their farm, approximately 600m away from the border.  In addition, a number of animals were killed, and the farmers fled the area. 

 At approximately 08:10, Israeli occupying forces re-imposed the curfew on Hebron after it had been temporarily lifted.  They opened fire at Palestinian civilians and forced them to go home.  Then, they arrested eight civilians, including children, and took them to a public yard.  The civilians were held for four hours and were then released. 

 

Sunday, 18 August 2002

 At approximately 01:00, Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, fired live ammunition and flare at Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee camp and al-Nimsawi neighborhood, east of the settlement.  Flare fell onto the house of Anwar Mohammed Ahmed, approximately 350m east of the settlement, destroying its asbestos roof and burning parts of the furniture.  In addition, the owners’ daughter Hiba, 16, was wounded by a live bullet in the right hand, while other members of the family, consisting of 10 persons, suffered from smoke inhalation.  As a result of the indiscriminate Israeli shelling of the area, 20-year-old Ibrahim Hassan ‘Awad was wounded by shrapnel in the back. 

 Approximately five hours later, Israeli forces resumed shelling of the same area.  The shelling also affected Palestinian houses in Baten al-Samin area southwest of Khan Yunis.  A Palestinian woman, Fawzia ‘Abdul Rahman Abu Mousa, 42, was wounded by shrapnel in the right ear and foot, while a number of houses were damaged. 

 At the same time, an infantry unit of Israeli occupying forces moved from “Morag” settlement, northeast of Rafah, approximately 500m into the north of Rafah.  They raided houses of the Abu ‘Arar family. They ordered the residents of the houses, around 60 persons, mostly women and children, to leave the houses and searched the houses.  They broke doors and windows of those houses.  Upon their withdrawal from the area, Israeli soldiers arrested eight Palestinian civilians from the Abu ‘Arar family.  They interrogated them inside “Morag” settlement for one day and then released them.      

 

Monday, 19 August 2002

 At approximately 09:45, Israeli heavy military vehicles moved approximately 400m into al-Satar al-Gharbi area northwest of Khan Yunis.  They demolished the fence surrounding the house of Mousa Mohammed Abu ‘Oweili.  They also razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land:

 

1.          They razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by ‘Adnan Hafezh al-Agha.

2.          They razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Nayef Nayef al-Agha.

3.          They razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land owned by Fathi and Mohammed Ahmed al-Agha. 

 

In an apparent willful killing, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a child in Jenin for no apparent reason.  At approximately 14:30, Israeli soldiers on a tank positioned at Burqin-Kufor Qud junctions, west of Jenin, fired from a distance of approximately 100m at a number of Palestinian children who were playing near their houses at the northwestern entrance of Burqin village, west of Jenin.  One of the children, Mohammed Amin ‘Ali Abu ‘Ouda, 14, was killed by a live bullet in the head.  The area has recently been quiet.

 At approximately 15:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with tanks and armored personnel carriers, invaded Jenin.  They moved into the industrial zone and Jenin refugee camp and opened fire at Palestinian civilians and workshops, wounding two civilians:

 

1.          Wissam Khaled Malaisha, 9, wounded by shrapnel in the head while near his house in Jenin refugee camp; and

2.          Mohammed Rafiq al-Ghoul, 22, wounded by a live bullet in the right hand while in the industrial zone. 

 

At approximately 18:25, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with five military jeeps, two civilian jeeps that had Israeli license plates and an armored personnel carries, and supported by two helicopters, moved into Um al-Sharayet neighborhood in the south of Ramallah.  They surrounded and raided the headquarters of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service, and arrested six Palestinian policemen, all of whom were from the Gaza Strip. 

 

Tuesday, 20 August 2002

 At approximately 02:30, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with approximately 150 tanks, armored personnel carriers and military jeeps, supported by two helicopters, and covered by intense shelling, invaded Tulkarm refugee camp.  A number of Palestinian civilians were wounded, but Israeli forces did not allow access of ambulances to the refugee camp until 17:00, when they withdrew.  Ambulances removed the body of ‘Essam ‘Abdul Hamid Mohamed Qe’dan, 28, who was killed by Israeli shelling. They also took to hospital 20-year-old ‘Ezziddin Mohammed Salah ‘Attar, who was wounded by Israeli shelling. 

 At approximately 07:30, Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Neve Dekailm” settlement, west of Khan Yunis in the Gaza strip, opened fire at Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee camp and al-Nimsawi neighborhood, wounding Nihad Ibrahim Huneideq, 17, with shrapnel in the right forearm.  PCHR’s field worker in Khan Yunis reported that the girl was wounded while she was sleeping inside her house and that a number of houses were damaged. 

 In an apparent willful killing, Israeli occupying forces shot dead another Palestinian child in Khan Yunis, the second child in one week, when they shelled agricultural lands where the child and a number of his friends were.  According to PCHR’s investigation and eyewitnesses’ testimonies, at approximately 07:50, 15-year-old Ayman Tawfiq Salem Zo’rob was working together with his friends on their agricultural land in Gizan Abu Rashwan area in the southwest of Khan Yunis.  The children were laying on the ground shouting on each other to escape or hide behind trees.  An Israeli military jeep came from the settlement and took position approximately 100m away from the children.  Israeli soldiers in the jeep opened fire at the area indiscriminately.  Then, an Israeli soldier fired several live bullets at Zo’rob who was hiding behind a tree.  Zo’rob was shot in the head.  He fell and when Israeli soldiers noticed that, they withdrew from the area.  His friend hurried to him and moved him to a nearby house.  He was then taken in a civilian car to hospital.  According to medical sources, the child was shot dead by two live bullets in the head. 

 At approximately 15:00, four Israeli tanks moved into Jenin refugee camp.  They opened fire indiscriminately at Palestinian houses.  A number of Palestinian children gathered and threw stones at the Israeli tanks.  An Israeli soldier pointed his gun at the children and fired at them, wounding five:

 

1.          Munir Faisal ‘Ersan Qarni, 15, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the chest;

2.          Yousef Mohammed Nemer Abu Qandil, 15, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the chest;

3.          Ahmed Ibrahim As’ad Abu ‘Ali, 13, wounded by shrapnel in the head;

4.          Mohammed Hani ‘Ali al-Ghoul, 15, wounded by shrapnel in the head; and

5.          Rushdi Nader Hammad Abu Hammad, 16, wounded by shrapnel in the right leg. 

 

In the evening, Israeli occupying forces shot dead Mohammed Sa’adat Yousef ‘Abdul Rasul, 22, from al-Bireh.  At approximately 17:00, ‘Abdul Rasul went from his house in al-Nahda Street, opposite the Friends School in al-Bireh, towards his father’s shop in the area.  A civilian car stopped at a branch road opposite his house.  Inside the car, there were two armed men in civilian clothes.  When he was only 20m away from the car, the two men got out of the car and opened fire at him.  He ran towards a flower shop, but the men chased and fired at him.  He was shot by eight live bullets in the head, the chest and the limbs.  Immediately, a number of Israeli military jeeps arrived in the area. Israeli soldiers surrounded ‘Abdul Rasul and denied access to ambulances.  They left him bleed to death, although there is a hospital only few meters away from the area.  The victim is the youngest brother of Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Ahmed Sa’adat, detained by Palestinian security services since the beginning of this year.   

 At approximately midnight, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles, moved into al-Birka area in the south of Deir al-Balah.  They raided and searched a number of houses.  They arrested Suliemn Hammad Suleiman Abu Khamash, 24. 

 

Wednesday, 21 August 2002

 At approximately 01:30, Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, shelled Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee camp.  At the same time, two Israeli combat helicopters flew over the area.  Half an hour later, the helicopter opened fire at houses and streets to cover an incursion by approximately eight Israeli heavy military vehicles and two bulldozers into the refugee camp.  The military vehicles moved towards the refugee camp opening fire indiscriminately.  In the meantime, Israeli forces called through loudspeakers on Palestinian civilians to leave their houses.  After the people left, the Israeli military bulldozers started leveling the area surrounding the refugee camp.  Israeli forces also destroyed the main electricity transmitter, cutting electricity from the whole town. 

 At approximately 04:00, Israeli occupying forces raided the house of ‘Abdullah and Ibrahim Shureiqi Abu ‘Obeida, approximately 100m away from the aforementioned settlement.  Residents of the four-story house had already left it due to repeated Israeli shelling of the area.  Israeli forces planted bombs inside the house and destroyed it.  Four neighboring houses were completely destroyed and six other were partially destroyed.  During the destruction, 17-year-old Khaled Sa’id ‘Ayash was wounded by shrapnel from the Israeli shelling.  After having destroyed the house, Israeli tanks resumed shelling of the area, damaging a number of houses inhabited by civilians.  A mosque, approximately 300m away from the aforementioned settlement, was also severely damaged.  Furthermore, Israeli tanks shelled concrete blocks where members of the Palestinian National Security Force use to take position. 

 Israeli military bulldozers also swept parts of the main road.  Before they withdrew from the area, at approximately 05:30, Israeli forces raided the house of heirs of ‘Ali Hassan al-Tabash, located approximately 100m away from the settlement.  They planted bombs in the six-story house, in which four families, comprising of 15 persons, live, and then withdrew from the area.  After the withdrawal, Palestinian civilians gathered to check what happened.  Soon, Israeli forces destroyed the aforementioned house by remote control.  The house and a number of neighboring houses were completely destroyed.  A wall of the house fell over a number of Palestinian civilians in the area, killing 26-year-old ‘Adnan Hussein Hassan Bureis.  In addition, five civilians, including two of Bureis’ brothers and his nephew, were wounded:

 

1.          Mohammed Hussein Bureis, 19, wounded by shrapnel in the shoulder;

2.          ‘Alaa’ Hussein Bureis, 18, wounded by shrapnel in the ear;

3.          Hussein Mahmoud Bureis, 13, wounded by shrapnel in the knee;

4.          Hamza Manar Abu ‘Arqub, 15, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body and sustained a fracture in the right hand; and

5.          Sha’ban Jamil al-Tabash, 17, wounded by shrapnel in the right foot and the head. 

 

At approximately 07:00, Israeli occupying soldiers on a moveable observation tower in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement opened fire at Palestinian civilians who were trying to save whatever remained of their houses. 

 Following are details of the additional houses that were destroyed as a result of destroying the above two houses:

 

1.          A 120-square-meter, one-story abandoned house, owned by Ayman and Ussama ‘Atteya Abu Ammuna.

2.          A 70-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which two families, comprising of five persons used to live, owned by Ussama Ibrahim ‘Atteya Abu Namous.

3.          A 140-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 10 persons used to live, owned by Mohammed Shehda Hassan Abu Sahlul.

4.          An 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which five persons used to live, owned by Salim ‘Abed Salim Abu Ammuna.

5.          An 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 10 persons used to live, owned by Tayseer Mohammed Salim Abu Ammuna.

6.          An 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 10 persons used to live, owned by Tahsin Mohammed Salim Abu Ammuna.

7.          An 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which six persons used to live, owned by Sami Hussein Suleiman Bureis.

8.          An 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which three families, comprising of 12 persons, used to live, owned by Saleh Ahmed Mohammed Salama. 

9.          An 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which six persons used to live, owned by ‘Abdul Qader Saleh Ahmed Salama. 

 

* PCHR has a detailed list of the houses that were damaged as a result of the Israeli shelling and bombing. 

 

Collective Punishment Measures against Families of Palestinians Who Carried out Armed Attacks against Israeli Targets

In violation of international law and international humanitarian law, which prohibit collective punishment, Israeli occupying forces, for the third consecutive week, took retaliatory measures against families of Palestinians who have carried attacks against Israeli targets both inside the Green Line and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This is a violation of Article 33 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, which prohibits punishing any protected person for an offense he or she has not personally committed, and Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which provides that “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile”.

 

 

Friday, 16 August 2002

 At approximately 06:10, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles, moved into Kufor Ra’ei village, southwest of Jenin.  They surrounded the 300-square-meter, two-story house of Ahmed Yousef Sawalha, 70, east of the village.  They forced its seven residents out and destroyed it.  A neighboring house owned by Riadh Mahmoud Melhem was severely damaged.  Upon their withdrawal from the village, Israeli forces arrested Bihaa’ Ahmed Yousef Sawalha, 21, a student at an-Najah National University, the brother of a wanted Palestinian. 

 At approximately 08:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles and covered by intense shelling, moved into ‘Anabta village, east of Tulkarm.  They surrounded the 180-square-meter, two-story house of Mohammed Abu al-‘Asal in the center of the village.  They forced its nine residents out and destroyed it.  Abu al-‘Asal is father of Murad Mohammed Abu al-‘Asal who carried out a car bombing of the Israeli General Security Service earlier this year. 

 Thus, the number of houses destroyed by Israeli occupying forces in retaliatory actions against families of Palestinian who carried out attacks against Israeli targets has increased to 21, in which 41 families comprised of 269 persons, including 120 children, used to live.  In addition, six neighboring houses were destroyed and 15 other were severely damaged.   

 

A Palestinian Civilian Dies After Having Been Chased by Israeli Occupying Forces

 On Saturday, 17 August, ‘Aadel Mahmoud Hamdan Rawajba, 41, from Rujib village, east of Nablus, died of a heart attack after Israeli occupying soldiers had chased him when he was on his way back from Nablus.  At approximately 12:00, Rawajba went to Nablus to buy food, as the curfew imposed on the city was temporarily lifted.  At approximately 15:00, while he and dozens of other Palestinian civilians were crossing the road between Balata refugee camp and Rujib village on their way home, Israeli occupying forces positioned east of the refugee camp, opened fire at them.  Rawajba fainted.  Immediately, an Israeli military jeep arrived at the area, and Israeli soldiers stood near him for 40 minutes without offering him help or calling for an ambulance.  When the jeep left the area, a number of Palestinian civilians hurried to help him and took him to hospital, where medical sources stated that he died from a heart attack. 

 *****

  

PCHR calls:

 

1.       Upon the international community to provide immediate and independent international protection for the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

2.       Upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to reconvene to take effective measures to protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in accordance with their obligations under article 1 and article 146, to ensure the respect of the Convention.

3.       Upon the international community to investigate and prosecute those believed to have committed war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories before international courts.

4.       Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence, expand its activities, and intensify its field operations throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

5.       Upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights.

6.       Upon the international community to provide humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian people, whose living conditions are continuing to deteriorate as a result of the continued siege imposed by Israeli occupation forces on the entire Occupied Palestinian Territories.