Live from the Field:

IOF continue to dismantle military outposts and transport equipment out of Gaza while imposing a strict closure and firing at civilians

-         Palestinian civilians pay the price of disengagement from the Gaza Strip and Northern West Bank: killing, abuse, siege, and violations against the right to education

Disengagement (D-Day) Field Report: No. 19

Date: 7^th of September 2005

Time: 1300 GMT

Location:

Northern West Bank: Jenin

Southern Gaza Strip: Khan Younis

Chronology of Events

Although the time is nearing for the IOF redeployment from the Gaza Strip and handing the evacuated settlements to the PNA, IOF continued to impose restrictions and carry out attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. This is perpetrated through a strict closure of all areas close to the evacuated settlements and depriving their residents of their basic rights, partial closure of many checkpoints, and excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians. In addition, the IOF continued their daily abuse of civilians in the Northern West Bank, to the extent of forcing travelers to remove all their clothes.

And for the 5^th consecutive day, IOF prevented pupils in besieged areas from going to school, and prevents teachers from reaching their workplaces; thus leaving a negative impact on the educational process in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).

Closure and restriction of movement

Northern West Bank: near Jenin

In the afternoon on Tuesday 6 Sep 2005, IOF stationed on the Orraba plain road stopped a taxi and forced 7 civilians to strip their clothes completely, and attempted to forced a female to strip; but she refused. The taxi driver, Bassam Hasan Soboh (42) and carrier of ID 970280988, who lives in Kufr Ra’ie to the southwest of Jenin told PCHR’s field worker:

“At 12:30 on Tuesday 6 Sep 2005, I was returning from Jenin in my taxi. I had 8 passengers including a girl from Kufr Ra’ie, southwest of the city. I was taking the Orraba plain road, a dirt road we were allowed to use after IOF closed the Jenin-Nablus road on 15 Aug 2005. An IOF jeep was parked on the road and about 200 meters to the west of the gate to Orraba, installed by IOF on 15 Aug 2005 near the Maveh Dotan military outpost. Through a loudspeaker, a soldier said, ‘driver, raise your hand and remain inside the car.’ I raised my left hand and turned off the car. At the same time, I saw a group of soldiers from the outpost come to the jeep. A soldier inside the jeep ordered me to raise my hands and get out of the car and said, ‘take off your shirt.’ I did; then he said, ‘and the pants.’ I did; then he said, ‘the undershirt and underwear.’ I begged him not to force me; and he said, ‘I’ll shoot you.’ And all the soldiers pointed their guns at me. I took off my underclothes and stood naked in front of everybody. He ordered, ‘proceed with your hands up.’ I came up to him and he gave me a transparent plastic bag to cover myself. He bound my eyes and made me sit 20 meters away from the soldiers.”

“Then the soldier shouted at a passenger called Islam Abd El-Sheikh Ibrahim (18) who was sitting in the passenger seat next to the driver’s, and ordered him to get out of the car. He told the soldier that his leg was broken; but the soldier insisted. He (Islam) got out and stood on his crutches. The soldier ordered him to take off his clothes. He tried by failed. The soldier came to me and removed the binding off my eyes, and told me at gunpoint to go and help him take off his clothes. I went and did as the soldier said, and helped the passenger take off all his clothes. The soldier told me to help him walk to the soldier. We walked up and he gave me another nylon bag for Islam. Then he told us to sit on the ground. Then the soldier ordered the passenger Yaser Rasheed El-Sheikh Ibrahim (60) to get out of the car and take off his clothes like us. He did and sat beside us. Then he ordered Reyad Mahmoud Mohammad Melhem (49), As’ad Faleh Yehya (35), and Ali Sa’abna (43) to get out of the car and take off their clothes. And they obeyed the order.”

“After that, the soldier asked the girl to take off her head cover; and she obeyed the order. Then he ordered her to take off her clothes. She screamed at him, ‘I won’t even if you shoot me.’ Then he told her to come and sit next to us.

“The soldier asked us to get in the jeep; and we obeyed. He took us to Maveh Dotan outpost, where we sat for 5 hours without anyone saying a word to us. After that, the intelligence officer came and said, ‘Kufr Ra’ie and Fahma stand up.” Five of us stood; and he told us to get in the jeep. He got in and they took us to where we came from.”

“When we reached the place, we were still naked and had the nylon bags only. We didn’t find our clothes or the car. I called my nephew, Rami, and told him what happened. He told me that the car was with people from Orraba. We went there and found our clothes in car, except for the clothes of Yaser and Reyad.”

Southern Gaza Strip: Khan Younis

In the evening hours of 6 Sep 2005, IOF killed a Palestinian youth and injured 3 others in Khan Younis. The soldiers fired at the youth as they neared an Israeli tank stationed between the evacuated settlements of Gani Tal and Naveh Dekalim to the west of Khan Younis. PCHR’s field worker indicated that the dead boy was Nemr Reyad El-Sa’doni (18) was among a group of boys who gathered near the tank stationed near the fence between the evacuated settlements and Khan Younis refugee camp. They tried to throw stones at the tank; but soldiers replied with an outburst of fire and sound charges. Nemr died on the spot by a bullet to the chest, and 3 others were injured.

International Law

Settlements and settlers are illegal under international law.  The Fourth Geneva Convention, the primary document governing the OPT, stipulates in Article 49 that the transfer of the population of the occupying power into the occupied territory is in breach of international law.   The International Court of Justice confirmed in its 2004 judgment that settlements and settlement activity is illegal.

Freedom of movement is a right afforded to Palestinian civilians under the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as under established international treaties on human rights.  Preventing free movement of people and goods interferes with the right to work, the right to health, the right to education, the right not to be held as a prisoner without a free and fair trial.  

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Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip tel/fax: +972 (0)8 282 4776 – 282 5893

email: pchr@pchrgaza.org      website: www.pchrgaza.org