Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
07 – 13 January 2021
IOF excessive use of force in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem: 14 Palestinians wounded, including a person with disability
13 IOF shootings reported at Palestinians and agricultural lands, and 5 times at fishing boats eastern and western Gaza Strip
In 139 IOF incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem: 127 civilians arrested, including 7 children
Limited incursion into eastern Khan Younis; pamphlets left demanding farmers harvest their crops
4 tractors confiscated, lands razed, and greenhouse dismantled; one house was served a demolition notice in the West Bank
Occupied East Jerusalem: one house self-demolished; and a land vacated for the establishment of a settlement project
received evacuation order; 6 walls, a water well and a barracks demolished
Settler-attacks in the West Bank: 5 Palestinian civilians wounded; 340 seedlings uprooted; civilians’ vehicles assaulted
IOF established 75 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank and arrested 12 Palestinian civilians on said checkpoints
Summary
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued to commit crimes and multi-layered violations against Palestinian civilians and their properties, including raids into Palestinian cities that are characterized with excessive use of force, assault, abuse and attacks on civilians that are mostly conducted after midnight and in the early morning hours. This week witnessed an escalation in shootings at workers near the Annexation Wall in the West Bank, as 7 workers were shot and wounded in Tulkarm. Settlers’ attacks, mainly stone throwing at civilian houses and vehicles in the West Bank, were also reported. Additionally, IOF demolitions of Palestinian homes and properties continued as part of Israel’s de facto annexation and under various pretexts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
This week, PCHR documented 225 violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law (IHL) by IOF and settlers in the oPt. It should be noted that the limitations due to the corona virus pandemic, has limited PCHR’s fieldworkers mobility and ability to conduct field documentation; therefore, the information contained in this report are only part of the continued IOF violations.
IOF shooting and violation of right to bodily integrity:
IOF wounded 14 Palestinians, including person with speech impairment, in excessive use of force against civilians in the West Bank: 7 were wounded near the Annexation Wall in Tulkarm; 2 in IOF attack on Kafr Qaddum weekly protest in Qalqilya; a speech-impaired Palestinian was shot and wounded near a checkpoint in Jericho. Also, one Palestinian was arrested after he was shot near a checkpoint set by the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in an alleged attempt to conduct a stab attack. The remaining injuries were recorded in Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin and Ramallah. Also, a child sustained wounds in Hebron while playing with items left by IOF.
In the Gaza Strip, 13 IOF shootings were reported at agricultural lands, and five times at fishing boats eastern and western Gaza Strip.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians: IOF carried out 139 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids of civilian houses and shootings, enticing fear among civilians, and attacking many of them. During this week’s incursions, 127 Palestinians were arrested, including 7 children.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted a limited incursion into eastern Khan Younis where soldiers left pamphlets demanding farmers harvest their crops and the area was razed. Additionally, IOF arrested a Palestinian while attempting to cross the border area in eastern Central Gaza. He was released later.
Demolitions:
PCHR documented 10 incidents, including:
- Jenin: house evacuated (its contents were damaged and confiscated).
- Ramallah: tractor confiscated
- Nablus: wheel loader and tractor confiscated
- Occupied East Jerusalem: house self-demolished in Ras al-Amud neighborhood; lands vacated in Wadi a-Rababeh neighborhood; a wall demolished in Anata.
- Tubas: truck confiscated; demolition notice served to a house in the northern Jordan valleys.
- Bethlehem: greenhouse dismantled.
- Hebron: 8 dunums razed.
Settler-attacks: PCHR fieldworkers reported and documented 11 settler-violence incidents:
- Ramallah: assaults on farmers, 3 were wounded, in Kafr Malik; assault on several vehicles near the Turmus Ayya intersection
- Nablus: 9 settler attacks, including stone-throwing at intersections and vehicles; 190 olive tree seedlings uprooted and confiscated in Qusra village; 150 seedlings uprooted in Jalud; land confiscated in Aqraba and two Palestinian civilians sustained wounds after being assaulted in Khirbet Minim.
- Hebron: settler attacks and stone-throwing on Jerusalem-Hebron road.
Israeli closure policy and restrictions on freedom of movement:
The Gaza Strip still suffers the worst closure in the history of the Israeli occupation of the oPt as it has entered the 14th consecutive year, without any improvement to the movement of persons and goods, humanitarian conditions and bearing catastrophic consequences on all aspects of life.
Meanwhile, IOF continued to divide the West Bank into separate cantons with key roads blocked by the Israeli occupation since the Second Intifada and with temporary and permanent checkpoints, where civilian movement is restricted, and they are subject to arrest.
The full report is available online at:
https://www.pchrgaza.org/en/weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-07-13-january-2021/
