Israeli forces continue systematic crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt)
(13 – 19 April 2017)
- Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian in southern Bethlehem in employment of deadly force.
- 7 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were wounded in the West Bank.
- Israeli forces continued to target the Gaza Strip border areas, but no casualties were reported.
- Israeli forces conducted 39 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 2 limited ones in Jerusalem.
- 40 civilians, including 19 children, were arrested in the West Bank.
- 18 of them, including 12 children, were arrested in Jerusalem.
- Contents of 3 bookshops for university services in Hebron were confiscated and the bookshops were closed.
- Israeli forces continued their efforts to create Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem.
- 2 houses in al-Mukaber Mount were demolished.
- Hundreds of settlers stormed al-Aqsa Mosque in the Jewish holiday.
- Israeli forces continued to target the Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip Sea.
- Israeli forces turned the West Bank into cantons and continued to impose the illegal closure on the Gaza Strip for the 10th
- Due to the Jewish Passover holiday, the Israeli authorities continued imposing a security closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
- Dozens of temporary checkpoints were established in the West Bank and others were re-established to obstruct the movement of Palestinian civilians.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt continued during the reporting period (13 – 19 April 2017).
Shooting:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man and wounded 7 others, including 3 children, in the West Bank. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces continued to pursuit the Palestinian fishermen in the sea and open fire at Palestinian farmers at the border areas.
In the West Bank, on 19 April 2017, in employment of deadly force, Israeli forces killed Sohaib Mashahra (21), from al-Shaikh Sa’d village, southeast of occupied Jerusalem. The aforementioned person was killed when Israeli forces stationed at “Kufr Ezion” settlement, south of Bethlehem, opened fire at a car he was driving after the car hit an Israeli bus. Israeli forces claimed it was a deliberate attack targeting settlers, but photos of the scene shows it was likely a normal car accident.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces wounded 7 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, using force against peaceful protests. On 14 April 2017, 2 children were wounded when Israeli forces opened fire at Kufor Qaddoum weekly protest, northeast of Qalqilya.
On the same day, 4 civilians were wounded to the lower limbs when Israeli forces erected a checkpoint at the intersection of Tamoun village, south of Tubas, and opened fire at the youngsters who gathered and throw stones at the Israeli soldiers.
On 15 April 2017, a Palestinian child sustained a bullet wound to the head when Israeli forces opened fire at Kufor Qaddoum weekly protest, northeast of Qalqilya.
In the Gaza Strip, concerning Israeli attacks on fishermen in the Gaza Strip sea, on 13 April 2017, Israeli navy forces opened fire at the Palestinian fishing boats sailing within 4 nautical miles, west of al-Sudaniya shore, north of the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Israeli gunboats opened fire at the Palestinian fishing boats sailing within 1.5 nautical miles northwest of Beit Lahia shore, north of the Gaza Strip. A similar attack recurred off al-Sudaniya shore on 14 April 2017 while 2 others recurred off Beit Lahia shore on 15 and 19 April 2017.
In the context of targeting the border areas, on 13 April 2017, Israeli forces stationed at the border fence, north of al-Sayafa area, northwest of the Gaza Strip, opened fire at agricultural lands adjacent to the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
On 18 April 2017, Israeli forces stationed at the border fence, east of Beit Hanoun village, north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire at the border area, however, neither casualties nor material damage were reported.
Incursions:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 39 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 40 Palestinian civilians, including 19 children. Eighteen of them, including 12 children, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem, while 4 other children were arrested while participating in a protest supporting the Palestinian prisoners in the vicinity of Ofer prison, west of Ramallah.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces raided 3 bookshops for university services in Hebron. They confiscated some of their contents and closed them. Israeli forces claimed these 3 bookshops “support terrorism.”
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces carried out 2 limited incursions in the central and southern Gaza Strip. On 13 April 2017, Israeli forces moved into the east of Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. On 16 April 2017, they moved into the east of al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip. In both incursions, Israeli forces levelled lands along the border fence.
Restrictions on movement:
Israel continued to impose a tight closure of the oPt, imposing severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
The illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, which has been steadily tightened since June 2007 has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli authorities impose measures to undermine the freedom of trade, including the basic needs for the Gaza Strip population and the agricultural and industrial products to be exported. For 9 consecutive years, Israel has tightened the land and naval closure to isolate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and other countries around the world. This resulted in grave violations of the economic, social and cultural rights and a deterioration of living conditions for 2 million people. The Israeli authorities have established Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shaloum) as the sole crossing for imports and exports in order to exercise its control over the Gaza Strip’s economy. They also aim at imposing a complete ban on the Gaza Strip’s exports. The Israeli closure raised the rate of poverty to 65%. Moreover, the rate of unemployment increased up to 47% and youth constitutes 65% of the unemployed persons. Moreover, 80% of the Gaza Strip population depends on international aid to secure their minimum daily needs. These rates indicate the unprecedented economic deterioration in the Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces continued to suffocate the Palestinian cities and village by imposing military checkpoints around and/or between them. This created “cantons” isolated from each other that his the movement of civilians. Moreover, the Palestinian civilians suffering aggravated because of the annexation wall and checkpoints erected on daily basis to catch Palestinians.
The closure imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip border crossings started on Sunday, 09 April 2017, until Tuesday dawn, 18 April 2017, due to the Jewish Passover.
Efforts to Create Jewish Majority
Concerning house demolitions, on 18 April 2017, the Israeli municipality vehicles demolished 2 mobile houses in Khellet Abed neighbourhood in al-Mukaber Mount village, southeast of the city. One of them belongs to the family of Ammar Salama Hadidon sheltering 7-member family and the other belongs to the family of Mohammed Amin Shqairat.
Détails
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Recommendations to the International Community
PCHR warns of the escalating settlement construction in the West Bank, the attempts to legitimize settlement outposts established on Palestinian lands in the West Bank and the continued summary executions of Palestinian civilians under the pretext that they pose a security threat to the Israeli forces.
PCHR reminds the international community that thousands of Palestinian civilians have been rendered homeless and lived in caravans under tragic circumstances due to the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip that has been under a tight closure for almost 10 years.
PCHR welcomes the UN Security Council’s Resolution No. 2334, which states that settlements are a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions and calls upon Israel to stop them and not to recognize any demographic change in the oPt since 1967. PCHR hopes this resolution will pave the way for eliminating the settlement crime and bring to justice those responsible for it.
PCHR further reiterates that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are still under Israeli occupation in spite of Israel’s unilateral disengagement plan of 2005.
PCHR emphasizes that there is international recognition of Israel’s obligation to respect international human rights instruments and international humanitarian law. Israel is bound to apply international human rights law and the law of war, sometimes reciprocally and other times in parallel, in a way that achieves the best protection for civilians and remedy for the victims.
- PCHR calls upon the international community to respect the Security Council’s Resolution No. 2334 and to ensure that Israel respects it as well, in particular point 5 which obliges Israel not to deal with settlements as if they were part of Israel.
- PCHR calls upon the ICC in 2017 to open an investigation into Israeli crimes committed in the oPt, particularly the settlement crimes and the 2014 offensive on the Gaza Strip.
- PCHR Calls upon the European Union (EU) and all international bodies to boycott settlements and ban working and investing in them in application of their obligations according to international human rights law and international humanitarian law considering settlements as a war crime.
- PCHR calls upon the international community to use all available means to allow the Palestinian people to enjoy their right to self-determination through the establishment of the Palestinian State, which was recognized by the UN General Assembly with a vast majority, using all international legal mechanisms, including sanctions to end the occupation of the State of Palestine.
- PCHR calls upon the international community and United Nations to take all necessary measures to stop Israeli policies aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem and at voiding Palestine from its original inhabitants through deportations and house demolitions as a collective punishment, which violates international humanitarian law, amounting to a crime against humanity.
- PCHR calls upon the international community to condemn summary executions carried out by Israeli forces against Palestinians and to pressurize Israel to stop them.
- PCHR calls upon the States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC to work hard to hold Israeli war criminals accountable.
- PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to fulfill their obligations under article (1) of the Convention to ensure respect for the Conventions under all circumstances, and under articles (146) and (147) to search for and prosecute those responsible for committing grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions to ensure justice and remedy for Palestinian victims, especially in light of the almost complete denial of justice for them before the Israeli judiciary.
- PCHR calls upon the international community to speed up the reconstruction process necessary because of the destruction inflicted by the Israeli offensive on Gaza.
- PCHR calls for a prompt intervention to compel the Israeli authorities to lift the closure that obstructs the freedom of movement of goods and 1.8 million civilians that experience unprecedented economic, social, political and cultural hardships due to collective punishment policies and retaliatory action against civilians.
- PCHR calls upon the European Union to apply human rights standards embedded in the EU-Israel Association Agreement and to respect its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights when dealing with Israel.
- PCHR calls upon the international community, especially states that import Israeli weapons and military services, to meet their moral and legal responsibility not to allow Israel to use the offensive in Gaza to test new weapons and not accept training services based on the field experience in Gaza in order to avoid turning Palestinian civilians in Gaza into testing objects for Israeli weapons and military tactics.
- PCHR calls upon the parties to international human rights instruments, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to pressurize Israel to comply with its provisions in the oPt and to compel it to incorporate the human rights situation in the oPt in its reports submitted to the relevant committees.
- PCHR calls upon the EU and international human rights bodies to pressurize the Israeli forces to stop their attacks against Palestinian fishermen and farmers, mainly in the border area.
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Public Document
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