PCHR Weekly Report

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Siege on the Gaza Strip

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (11 – 17 June 2009):

Shooting: During the reporting period, one Palestinian was killed by IOF in the West Bank. Additionally, IOF wounded 13 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and a paramedic, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

On 14 June 2009, medical sources at an Egyptian hospital declared that Yasser 'Arafat Sbair, 27, from Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, died of wounds he had stained during the recent IOF offensive on the Gaza Strip. An IOF drone fired a missile at him on 12 January 2009 when he was near his house. He was a member of the Palestinian resistance.

On the same day, the body of Ahmed Salama Abu Hasheesh, 19, a shepherd from the northern Gaza Strip, was found nearly 50 meters away from the border with Israel. Abu Hasheesh had been missing for nearly two months.

In the West Bank, dozens of Palestinian civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation, when IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal'ein and Ne;lin villages, west of Ramallah.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 26 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 11 Palestinian civilians, including a child.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF naval troops continued to chase and fire at Palestinian fishermen. During the reporting period, they detained two fishermen for several hours.

IOF have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The IOF siege of Gaza, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

· 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

· The main concern of 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

· IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than two years.

· IOF have not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.

· The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

· IOF have continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the face of Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.

· Poverty had mounted to approximately 80% and unemployment has mounted to 60% in the Gaza Strip.

· IOF have continued to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage systems. Losses incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.

· IOF have imposed additional restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

· Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.

· At least 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived for family visitation for more than 17 months.

· IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza Strip coast.

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

· IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

· There are approximately permanent 630 roadblocks, manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some 60-80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by IOF every week.

· When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall has already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

· At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

· There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit issued by the IOF. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

· IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.

· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.

Establishing a Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem: IOF have escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem to force them to leave the city. During the reporting period, IOF forced two Palestinians to demolish structures added to their houses in the old town of Jerusalem, allegedly because they were unlicensed.

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities in violation of international humanitarian law and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 11 June 2009, IOF moved into Kufor Hares village, north of Salfit. They patrolled in the streets in order to allow at least 1,000 Israeli settlers to enter the village to conduct religious ceremonies. In the evening, IOF imposed a curfew on the village and allowed the settlers to enter the village. They stayed in the village until the following day morning, during which time they damaged a number of cars and windows of houses. They also wrote some slogans on walls of houses. On 14 June 2009, a number of Israeli settlers attacked 10-year-old 'Eissa Ahmed Qara'in near his house in Silwan village, east of Jerusalem. When the family intervened to protect the child, at least 30 guards of Israeli settlements in the area and attacked members of the family. Members of the family called the police, which arrived an hour and a half later. Ambulances also arrived at the area two hours later. As a result of the attack by settlers, 5 Palestinian civilians, including a child and two old people, were injured. On 15 June 2009, fire broke out in wheat field in Eastern al-Lubban village, southeast of Nablus. According to eyewitnesses, 3 Israeli settlers from "Elli" settlement, which stands on the eastern lands of the village set fire to the fields, while IOF troops were present in the area. Palestinian villagers hurried to extinguish fire and asked IOF troops to call fire engines from nearby settlements, but they refused. The mayor called the Palestinian civil defense in the nearby Bourin village. Fire fighter were able to extinguish fire after it had destroyed 20-25 donums[1] of land planted with wheat. On 17 June 2009, IOF moved into al-Hilwa area to the east of Tubas town in the northern Jordan Valley. They demolished 15 barnyards and 3 tents. About 40 days ago, IOF handed notices to Palestinian civilians living in the area ordering them to evacuate it claiming that it is a closed military zone.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (11 – 17 June 2009)

1. Incursions into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

· At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Dura village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Fahed 'Abdul Fattah 'Amru, 20.

· At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to 'Aassem Hassan al-Hashlamoun, 45, and arrested him and his nephew, 28-year-old Yousef 'Abdul Hadi al-Hashlamoun. They confiscated two mobile phones and some computer accessories.

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Kufor Qallil village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

· Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-Jilda neighborhood in the west of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Zain 'Abdul Hafiz al-Qudsi, 29, and arrested him.

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Jameel Zakaria al-Jamal. No arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Taffouh village, west of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Hisham 'Abdul Qader al-Tarda. No arrests were reported.

· At approximately 21:00, IOF moved into al-Yamoun village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. No arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 21:00, IOF moved into al-Hashimiya village, south of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. No arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 21:00, IOF moved into Kufor Dan village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. No arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 21:00, IOF moved into al-'Araqa village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. No arrests were reported.

· At approximately 01:30, IOF warplanes dropped two bombs on al-Brazil neighborhood in the south of Rafah, allegedly to destroy tunnels along the Egyptian border. No casualties were reported, but Palestinian civilians were extremely terrified.

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Bani Na'im village, northeast of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and summoned 3 Palestinian civilians for interrogation.

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into al-Jdaida village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. No arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Maithaloun village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. No arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Sirris village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. No arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Sanour village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. No arrests were reported.

· At approximately 09:30, IOF troops, accompanied by a jeep of the IOF "Civil Administration" and a number of officials of the Higher Organization Council moved into Kherbat al-Twaira area to the east of 'Aqraba village, southeast of Nablus. They handed a notice to 'Azmi Saleem Bani Jaber, 44, ordering him to evacuate the area where he lives in 48 hours.

· At approximately 10:00, the body of Ahmed Salama Abu Hasheesh, 19, a shepherd from the northern Gaza Strip, was found nearly 50 meters away from the border with Israel. Abu Hasheesh had been missing for nearly two months.

According to the victim's father and the paramedics who evacuated the body to the hospital, Abu Hasheesh left his home on 21 April 2009 and did not come back. The father informed the Palestinian police, the ICRC and Palestine Red Crescent Society, but all efforts to find him failed. On 14 June 2009, a number of internationals were visiting Gaza to see the destruction caused by the IOF offensive. The father told him his son's story, so they volunteered to search for him and went to the border area. IOF troops positioned at the border fired at them more than once, but they insisted to continue their search until they found a decayed body approximately 50 meters away from the border to the east of Beit Hanoun town. They called for an ambulance that evacuated the body to the hospital. There are strong indications that IOF shot Abu Hasheesh as the area is close to the border, and IOF often fire at whoever reach such areas.

· At approximately 22:00, IOF moved into Ta'nak village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. No arrests were reported.

· During the day, medical sources at an Egyptian hospital declared that Yasser 'Arafat Shubair, 27, from Sheikh Zayed area in Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, died of wounds he had sustained during the recent IOF offensive on the Gaza Strip. Shubair was wounded by shrapnel to the head from a missile fired by a drone, when he was in front of his house. Shubair was a resistance activist.

· At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Sour Baher village, southeast of Jerusalem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Hamza Daoud Dandis, 23, and arrested him.

· At approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Jenin. They patrolled in the streets and opened fire at houses. Neither casualties nor arrests were reported.

· At approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Deir al-Ghossoun village, north of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a house belonging to Waleed Hassan 'Alu, 30. They also raided and searched his relatives' houses. They then took him to another house belonging to him in Shwaika suburb. They searched the house and confiscated a computer sets. Soon after, they arrested 'Alu.

· At approximately 04:30, IOF moved into Seilat al-Harthiya village, west of Jenin. They erected a number of checkpoints in the streets and stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. No arrests were reported.

· At approximately 06:00, IOF gunboats opened fire at a fishing boat in al-Waha area in the northern Gaza Strip. They then moved towards the boat and arrested two fishers: Hadi Sobhi Sa'dallah, 19; and his brother Ashraf, 26. They took the two fisherso Ashdod Harbor in the south of Israel and interrogated them. The two fishers were released in the evening.

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Beit 'Awa village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Yousef Ahmed al-Masalma, 22, and arrested him.

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-Rihiya village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Isma'il Ahmed al-Tubasi, 22, and summoned him for interrogation.

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Nablus. They besieged al-Zain apartment buildings in al-Sikka Street in the west of the city. They forced the residents out and searched the building. No arrests were reported.

IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Occupied East Jerusalem.