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Comment:This is the weekly report by Palestinian Center for Human rights. As you read this report its obvious that Gaza troubles are far from over, the siege continues, Innocent Men, women and children are dying because Israel is restricting the entry of food, Medicines and other bare necessities. The oppression continues in all Occupied Palestinian territories. Administrator
PCHR Weekly Report: 3 Palestinians killed, including 2 children, 11 injured this week
Friday April 24, 2009 11:20 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, during the week of 16 - 22 April 2009, 3 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, including 2 children. Eleven people were injured, three of them children. One Japanese humanitarian aid worker was wounded in the Gaza Strip. 15 Palestinians, including 3 children, were abducted by Israeli forces during 27 invasions in the West Bank. In Gaza, Israeli forces abducted 2 fishermen.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
On Thursday April 16th, the Israeli airforce shelled a home east of Dir al Balah, completely destroying it.
On Saturday, April 18th, Israeli soldiers stationed at the Beit Hanoun/Eretzcrossing opened fire at two aid workers who work withthe international organization World Vision. One, the driver, was a 32-year old Palestinian, andthe other a Japanese humanitarian aid worker. The organization had informed the Israeli forces that they would be approaching the crossing, as the Japanese worker was planning to leave Gaza. When he got out of the car, Israeli forces opened fire. The two workers hid behind cement blocks, but the Israeli troops kept firing for fifteen minutes, breaking the windows of the car.
Also on Saturday April 18th, Israeli troops opened fire at a farmer who was working in his field 400 meters away from the border fence, east of Dir al Baleh. The farmer was not injured, but four homes were hit with bullets.
Throughout the week, the Israeli navy fired at fishing boats off the Gaza coast. No injuries were reported. Two fishermen were abducted by Israeli forces in Rafah on Tuesday April 21st.
In spite of Israeli claims that border crossing restrictions had been eased in Gaza, Israeli forces obstructed the entry of most food, medical supplies, and other necessities. The situation in the Strip continues to deteriorate, with the siege barring the entry of construction materials thereby preventing the reconstruction of thousands of buildings demolished or damaged during the January invasion. Fuel and cooking gas are also barred, except for extremely small amounts, The price of food has risen considerably in the last two months with the proportion of those living in poverty rising from 60% to 80 %.
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.
At least 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied family visitation for more than 17 months.
The power station in Gaza received only 7.5% of the power it needs to run. At least 10% of the population of the Gaza Strip is deprived of electricity supplies.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
Israeli forces conducted 27 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank this week. During those incursions, Israeli forces killed 3 Palestinians and wounded 11.
On Friday, April 17th, a child from Al Zaitoun neighborhood in Hebronwas killed by an Israeli settlement guard. Israeli authorities claimed that the child attacked the guard with a knife. Investigations by the PCHRrevealed that he was trying to cross a settlement fence in an agricultural area, and there was no reason for the guard to kill rather than arrest the boy.
Also on Friday April 17th, Israeli forces killed one child and wounded another in Al Jalazoun refugee camp north of Ramallah. The army claimed that the two were trying to throw ‘molotov cocktails’ at settler homes in Beit El settlement.
Also on Friday, Israeli forces violently attacked two anti-Wall protest in Bil’in and Nil’invillages, both west of Ramallah, killing one Palestinian and wounding 10, including 2 children.
On Thursday April 16th, Israeli soldiers closed a number of roads in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the roads leading to Al Aqsa mosque, andbarred all residents under the age of 50 from entering. When Palestinians tried to reach the mosque to pray, Israeli forces attacked them violently with billy clubs, injuring several.
On Saturday April 18th, Israeli soldiers barred hundreds of Palestinian Christians from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the celebration for the Orthodox Easter. Tourists were allowed to enter but Palestinian Christians were prevented from entering the holy site.
On Saturday April 18th, Israeli troops arrested children, ages 14 – 17, at a roadblock southeast of Hebron. They were taken to Kiryat Arba police station, and released on the same day.
On April 19th, Israeli troops arrested one child age 15 from Safah village, north of Nablus as he was trying to cross a barbed wire fence near the village.
On Monday April 20th, Israeli forces abducted one resident from Dura village, southeast of Hebron, when he got too near a section of the Wall.
Israeli Annexation Wall:
Israeli forces began the construction of a new section of the Wall on the land of Ramad’in village, southwest of Hebron. Troops bulldozed Palestinian land east of Ashkelot settlement, placing large concrete blocks in preparation for the construction of the Wall.
On April 22nd, the Israeli Army decided to seal 1,000 acres south of Hebron, and prevented villagers from entering their lands, declaring the area a ‘closed military zone’.
On Friday, April 17th, in the village of Bil’in, west of Ramallah, villagers gathered, as they do each week, after Friday prayers. They were joined by Israeli peace activists, including the Anarchists Against the Wall. Some of the protesters wore mock shackles on their hands to honor the Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, as the protest was held on Palestinian Prisoners Day. The villagers held flags and chanted, and marched toward the site of the Wall construction. Israeli troops fired rubber-coated steel bullets and high-velocity tear gas canisters. One Palestinian non-violent demonstrator, Bassem Abu Rahma, 31, was killed by a canister fired directly at his chest from a distance of less than 20 meters. In Nil’in, 10 Palestinians were injured, including 2 children, by rubber-coated steel bullets and high-velocity tear gas canisters in a similar anti-Wall protest.
South of Bethlehem, in al-Masara village, soldiers attacked a protest held on Friday April 17th. The soldiers barred the march from moving forward by placing a barbed wire barrier in front of the marchers. Israeli forces attacked from Efrat settlement, moving in toward the protesters firing rubber-coated steel bullets and high-velocity tear gas canisters.
When complete, the illegalAnnexation 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.
Although the Israeli military claims to have lifted some restrictions on movement in the West Bank, 630 Israeli military roadblocks remain in place, preventing Palestinians from travelling within the West Bank.
Israeli settlement activity:
On Sunday April 19th, the Israeli army resumed the bulldozing of Palestinian lands in Beit Ummar village north of Hebron in order to construct a new high-voltage electricity line of 1600 volts for Kiryat Arba and Hadar Beita settlements. The troops uprooted two acres of land, destroyed vineyards and demolishing ancient stone walls separating Palestinian lands.
On April 22nd, Israeli soldiers, accompanied by 3 bulldozers, invaded an area east of Akraba town near Nablus and forced eight families living in ten houses to leave their homes to clear the area for settlement expansion.
In Jabal al Mukaber, Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian home, again to make way for settlement expansion.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians on a number of occasions this week. On Thursday April 16th, a large group of Israeli settlers tried to break into the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam. The settlers began shouting and claiming that they would destroy the mosque to build a Jewish temple. When the settlers tried to attack the mosque, Palestinian citizens who were praying there prevented the settlers from entering. Access to the mosque is controlled by Israeli soldiers, who made no effort to stop the group of extremist from entering.
On Saturday April 18th, armed Israeli settlers came to the site of the former Homesh settlement, and threw stones at the Palestinian cars driving on the Jenin-Nablus. They also attacked Palestinian farmers in their orchards.
Recommendations to the International Community
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHRmade a number of recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention fulfill their legal and moral obligations under Article 1 to ensure Israel’s respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The PCHRstated that they believe the conspiracy of silence from the international community has encouraged Israel to act as if it is above the law andencourages it to continue its violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The PCHR called upon the High Contracting Parties to the FourthGeneva Convention to comply with its legal obligations detailed in Article 146 of the Convention to search for and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war crimes.
April 24, 2009 Posted by Elias
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