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Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (22 – 28 March 2012) Thursday, 29 March 2012 00:00

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Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (22 – 28 March 2012) Thursday, 29 March 2012 00:00 Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (22 – 28 March 2012) Thursday, 29 March 2012 00:00 Ongoing construction works in “Armon Hanatsin” settlement in Jerusalem Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) IOF have continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank. A Palestinian civilian was wounded. Dozens of protesters and 3 diplomats suffered from tear gas inhalation. IOF conducted 65 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and a limited one into the Gaza Strip. 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded during an Israeli incursion into Rammoun village, northeast of Ramallah. IOF arrested 19 Palestinians, including a child, two women and a patient. A Palestinian child was wounded by the explosion of a suspicious object left by IOF near Nablus Israel has continued to impose a total closure on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world. IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. Israeli settlers attacked 3 Palestinian shepherds and wounded a Palestinian civilian in Ramallah. Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of trees and stole agricultural tools in Bethlehem. Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in Nablus and injured one of them. IOF demolished 4 tents, 6 barnyards and 3 barracks in the northern Jordan Valley. Summary Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (22 – 28 March 2012): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded 3 Palestinian civilians and arrested them during an incursion into Rammoun village, northeast of Ramallah. A child was also wounded by the explosion of a mysterious object near Nablus. During the reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. As a result, a Palestinian civilian was wounded, and dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation. Additionally, a Palestinian civilian was wounded by Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinian shepherds near Ramallah. Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 65 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 19 Palestinian civilians, including a child, two women and a patient. In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted one limited incursion into the central Gaza Strip. Restrictions on Movement: Israel had 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. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. The illegal closure has caused not only a humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights and human dignity for the population of the Gaza Strip. Measures declared recently to ease the blockade are vague, purely cosmetic and fail to deal with the root causes of the crisis, which can only be addressed by an immediate and complete lifting of the closure, including lifting the travel ban into and out of the Gaza Strip and the ban on exports. Palestinians in Gaza may no longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but they will remain economically dependent and unable to care for themselves, and socially, culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world. 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. Settlement Activities: Israel has continued its settlement activities in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law, and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, IOF demolished 4 tents, 6 barnyards and 3 barracks in the northern Jordan Valley. On 24 March 2012, a number of Israeli settlers from “Kfar Etzion” settlement, southwest of Bethlehem, uprooted 85 olive trees and confiscated agricultural tools in the west of al-Khader village. On the same day Israeli settlers from “Givad Assaf” settlement outpost in Burqa village, northeast of Ramallah, attacked 3 Palestinian shepherds in the northwest of the village. Palestinian civilians made calls through loudspeakers of mosques to protect the shepherds. Dozens of civilians gathered in the area and clashed with the settlers. Immediately, one of the settlers fired at these civilians. As a result, Hassan Balqawi Ma’tan, 40, was wounded by a bullet to the right shoulder. On 26 March 2012, following coordination with IOF, Palestinian civilians from Bourin village, southeast of Nablus, headed to their agricultural land located near “Brakha” settlement to farm it. Half an hour later, dozens of Israeli settlers arrived at the area and threw stones at Palestinian farmers in the presence of IOF. As a result, Ayman Lu’ai al-Najjar, 27, was injured by a stone to the forehead. Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (22 – 28 March 2012) 1. Incursions into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip Thursday, 22 March 2012 At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-Jiftlek village, north of Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 09:00, IOF moved into ‘Ein Yabroud village, northeast of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 09:40, IOF moved into Marj Na’ja village, north of Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 11:00, IOF moved into al-Fundoqawmiya village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 11:00, IOF moved into Kufor ‘Ein village, northwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 11:40, IOF moved into Seilat al-Zaher village, south of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time and stopped and questioned a number of Palestinian civilians. They withdrew later and neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 16:00, IOF moved into Zabbouba village, northwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets. A number of Palestinian boys gathered and threw stones at Israeli military vehicles. Israeli soldiers fired sound bombs at the boys. IOF withdrew later and no arrests were reported. Also at approximately 16:00, IOF moved into Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets and arrested a Palestinian boy. They questioned him for some time and then released him. At approximately 21:00, IOF moved into ‘Aqabet Jaber refugee camp, south of Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 22:30, IOF moved into al-Janya village, northwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 23:30, IOF moved into al-Jiftlek village, north of Jericho. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. Friday, 23 March 2012 At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians: 1. Shamekh Jabbar al-Titi, 21; and 2. Tariq Mohammed al-Hour, 20. At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Isma’il ‘Eissa al-Slaibi, 31, and arrested him. At approximately 08:15, Yaman Mohammed ‘Aazem, 8, from Nablus, sustained burns to the abdomen, when a suspicious object left by IOF exploded. The child found the object on an olive field, when he was accompanying his father to their land located in Saloun village near “Shilo” settlement, southeast of Nablus. At approximately 09:30, IOF moved into Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 10:00, IOF moved into Shaqba village, northwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 10:30, IOF moved into Beit ‘Aur al-Fouqa village, southwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 11:15, IOF moved into Sinjel village, north of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets for some time and withdrew later. Neither house raids nor arrests were reported. At approximately 13:30, IOF moved into Zabbouba village, northwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets. A number of Palestinian boys gathered and threw stones at Israeli military vehicles. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired sound bombs at the boys. IOF withdrew later and no arrests were reported. At approximately 18:00, IOF moved into Deir Abu Da’if village, southeast of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets and stopped and questioned a number of Palestinian boys.
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