Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
www.pchrgaza.org

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

• 18 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. 
• This number includes two fishermen who were wounded by IOF naval troops whilst near the Gaza seashore. 
• 15 civilians were wounded when IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall. 
• IOF used a liquid with a disgusting smell to target demonstrators. 
• IOF conducted 35 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 
• IOF arrested 29 Palestinian civilians, including five children. 
• IOF arrested 7 Palestinian civilians and 8 human rights defenders near the Annexation Wall. 
• IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world. 
• IOF troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested at least four Palestinian civilians. 
• IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property. 
• Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron.

Summary
 
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (28 August – 3 September 2008):
 
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded 18 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Fifteen of the civilians were wounded when IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall.
 
In the Gaza Strip, on 1 September, 2 Palestinian fishermen were wounded when an IOF gunboat fired a shell at their boat opposite Beit Lahia seashore in the northern Gaza Strip.
 
In the West Bank, 16 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire.
 
On 1 September, a Palestinian civilians was seriously wounded, when IOF fired at him as they went to his house to arrest his son.
 
During the reporting period, 15 Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall in N’elin and Bal’ein villages, west of Ramallah. IOF also used a liquid with a disgusting smell to target the demonstrators.   
 
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 35 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 29 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children. The number of Palestinian civilians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of this year stands at 1,866.
 
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 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 Egypt brokered ‘Tahdiya’ or truce between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel began on 19 June; however, there have been no major changes regarding the movements of civilians and goods through the six Gaza Strip border crossings.
 
Rafah International Crossing Point, the only border crossing from the Gaza Strip to the outside world via a country other than Israel, remains closed.
 
Health services continue to be severely affected by the siege, with healthcare facilities also registering a 25% drop in clients due to continuing chronic fuel shortages. Critically ill patients are still being denied permits to access vital health services in the West Bank, Israel and abroad. .
 
Water facilities, including access to clean drinking water, and the treatment of raw sewage continue to be severely disrupted by fuel shortages. 50-60 million litres of untreated and partially treated sewage are being dumped into the Gaza Strip Mediterranean Sea daily, posing a public health risk.
 
Hundreds of Gazan students are currently unable to resume their university studies abroad as they cannot exit the Gaza Strip. In addition, up to 1,200 school leavers are in the process of applying to study at foreign universities, and are dependent on being issued exit permits by the IOF.
 
There are at least 900 Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in jails in Israel who have been denied all visitation rights since 6 June 2007.
 
Continuing chronic shortages of construction materials, including cement, aggregate and iron, have led to the collapse of the Gaza construction industry. Thousands of construction workers have been laid off, and vital infrastructure projects have been forcibly suspended. 
 
IOF have repeatedly closed border crossings of the Gaza Strip claiming that home-made rockets were launched at Israeli towns.
 
The Gaza Strip had been suffering from chronic shortages of fuel supplies, especially cooking gas, and electricity is still being cut-off for long periods of time.
 
West Bank
 
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 600 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 kilometres around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kms of the Wall has already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.
 
There are around 500 kms 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.
 
During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at a checkpoint in the West Bank arrested four Palestinian civilians.
 
Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have, in violation of international law, continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 29 August, Israeli settlers from Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron and other settlers who had seized a house belonging to the al-Rajabi family in the southeast of Hebron, attacked Palestinian civilians and property in the area using stones and empty bottles. IOF troops were present in the area but did not intervene to stop the attacks 

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (28 August – 3 September 2008)
 
The full report is available online at:
html format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/04-09-2008.htm
pdf format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/
2008/pdf/weekly%20report%2036.pdf
 
Public Document
For further information please visit our website (www.pchrgaza.org) or contact PCHR’s office in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email (pchr@pchrgaza.org) or telephone (+972 (0)8 2824776 – 2825893).
*Office Hours are between 08:00 – 16:00 hours (05:00 GMT – 13:00 GMT) Sun – Thurs.
-----------------------------------
If you got this forwarded and you want to subscribe, send mail to request@pchrgaza.org and write “subscribe” in the subject line.