Rapport sur les violations des droits de l'Homme par Israël

Date: 13 Aug 2008

Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory 07 Aug- 13 Aug 2008

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied PalestinianTerritory(OPT)

- 18 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were injured by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.

- 17 of these civilians were injured when IOF used force against 3 peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah.

- IOF conducted 26 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

- IOF arrested 33 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children.

- IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and have isolated the GazaStrip from the outside world.

- IOF troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested at least three Palestinian civilians.

- IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.

- The Israeli Ministry of Interior approved the construction of 400 housing units in a settlement block to the north of East Jerusalem.

- Israeli authorities invited tenders for the construction of 416 housing units in two settlements near Bethlehemand Jerusalem.

- Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (7 – 13 August 2008):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF injured 18 Palestinian civilians, including three children, in the West Bank. Most of these civilians were injured when IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall.

During the reporting period, IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein and Ne’lin villages, west of Ramallah. As a result, 17 Palestinian civilians were injured by rubber-coated metal bullets, whilst dozens of others suffered from tear gas inhalation. IOF also used a foul smelling liquid against the demonstrators. On 13 August, a Palestinian child was injured when IOF moved into al-Duhaisha refugee camp, south of Bethlehemand opened fire indiscriminately.

In a step that encourages IOF troops to kill Palestinians, IOF exempted IOF the soldiers who killed Fadel Shana’a, a Reuters cameraman, in Juhor al-Dik in the central Gaza Strip on 16 April 2008. The Israeli military advocate-general, Avihai Mendelblit, claimed that an Israeli tank crew who killed Shana’a, and a number of other unarmed civilians, including children, acted properly and will not face any legal action. In a letter sent to Reuters news agency on Tuesday, 12 August 2008, Mendelblit claimed that troops could not see whether Shana’a was operating a camera or a weapon. He also claimed that Shana’a was wearing body armor that resembled that worn by Palestinian resistance activists.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 26 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 34 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children. Since the beginning of 2008, IOF have arrested 1,751 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.

Restrictions on Movement: 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.

Gaza Strip

IOF have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The IOF siege of Gaza, which has tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and has violated the human, economic and social rights of the approximately 1.5 million Palestinian civilian population, particularly their rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. The siege has also paralyzed the Gazan economy. In addition, the siege has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various economic sectors. IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw materials into the Gaza Strip, and many factories have been forced to close. Severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the entire Palestinian civilian population. Regarding civilian movements, IOF permit very few Palestinian civilians to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in order to travel to the West Bank or Israel. Rafah International Crossing Point in the southern Gaza Strip is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world via a country other than Israel. IOF have closed Rafah International Crossing Point, even though they do not directly control it, and have also obstructed European observers working at the Crossing Point from reaching it. Although the Egypt-brokered truce between Palestinian resistance groups and Israelentered into force on June 19, no major changes have been observed regarding the movement of persons and goods through the six Gaza Strip border crossings. The closure of these border crossings deprives the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip of their right to freedom of movement, education and health.

West Bank

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied access to Jerusalem. IOF have established many checkpoints around and inside the city. Restrictions of the movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate on Fridays to prevent them from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque. IOF often assault Palestinian civilians who attempt to bypass checkpoints and enter the city. IOF have also tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bankhave continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF also erected more checkpoints on the main roads and intersections in the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bankarrested three Palestinian civilians.

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have, in violation of international humanitarian law, continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, the Israeli Ministry of Interior approved the construction of 400 housing units in “Neve Ya’qoub” settlement neighborhood in the north of East Jerusalem. The Ministry also approved inviting tenders for the construction of 286 housing units in “Beitar Elite” settlement, west of Bethlehem, and 130 others on Abu Ghunaim Mount (“Har Homa” settlement), south of East Jerusalem. In the same context, the Israeli media reported that IOF agreed with the settlement movement on the transfer of settlers living in “Migroun” settlement outpost, east of Ramallah, to another settlement, and that 40 housing unit would be built for those settlers. IOF also demolished two houses and a building in East Jerusalemclaiming that they were built without licenses.

During the reporting period, Israeli settlers launched three attacks against Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank. As a result, a woman and a child were injured and a number of houses were damaged.