Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

In the Gaza Strip, 4 Palestinians were killed in Rafah by Israeli troops. Three of the victims, including a physician, were killed on 28 November 2004, when Israeli troops opened fire at residential areas in the town. The fourth victim was killed on 25 November 2004 as he clashed with Israeli troops that moved into al-Salam neighborhood in the south of the town.

This week, Israeli troops conducted 6 incursions into the towns of Rafah, Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip. During these incursions, Israeli troops destroyed 8 houses in Rafah, leaving 107 people (17 families) homeless and razed 34 donums of Palestinian agricultural land in Khan Yunis and one donum in Deir al-Balah. Israeli troops continued to shell Palestinian residential areas in Rafah and 13 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, were injured. Three of these civilians are in a serious condition.

In the West Bank, Israeli troops killed 3 Palestinians. Two of the victims were killed in Hebron on 25 November 2004, when they and a third Palestinian clashed with Israeli troops that surrounded a house where they hid. The house was also destroyed. The third victim, who was mentally handicapped, was killed on 1 December 2004 by Israeli troops positioned at the entrance of "Benjamin" settlement, northeast of Ramallah.

This week, Israeli troops moved into various areas throughout the West Bank, injured a number of Palestinian civilians and arrested dozens of others. They also destroyed 3 houses as a means of collective punishment against families of Palestinians involved in resistance activities. In addition, they raided offices of a number of civil societies and confiscated some of their contents.

Israeli troops have continued to construct the annexation wall inside the West Bank territory, especially around East Jerusalem. They have continued to build cement walls near al-Quds University in Abu Dis village, east of the city. On 28 November 2004, Israeli military bulldozers razed more areas of Palestinian agricultural land in Deir al-'Asal village, southwest of Hebron. On 25 November 2004, Israeli occupation authorities issued a military order, prohibiting the use of the land located in an area that extends up to 200-300 meters on both sides of the wall in Jenin in the north of the West Bank.

Israeli troops have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

Israeli troops have continued to impose a tightened siege on the Gaza Strip. They have imposed severe restrictions on internal movement. They have continued to isolate some areas since the beginning of the current Intifada, which has caused extreme suffering for the Palestinian civilian population. They have also continued to close all border crossings of the Gaza Strip either partially or completely. These measures violate the Palestinian economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.

In the West Bank, despite Israeli claims that Israeli troops would ease the siege imposed on Palestinian communities to facilitate the Palestinian presidential election, Israeli troops imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They stopped, checked and humiliated Palestinian civilians while crossing military checkpoints throughout the West Bank, while this week witnessed a cold weather.

The full report is available online at:

http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2004/02-12-2004.htm