Tag Archives: occupied palestinian territory

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Celebrating Palestinian Child Day 2011

 

Palestinian Child Day falls annually on April 5th. This is an annual event for the Palestinian community to celebrate their children and to call for action on issues and concerns affecting them.

Watch a TV spot made to mark this year’s Palestinian Child Day:

- There are 2,150,000 children in the occupied Palestinian territory.
- Every year approximately 700 Palestinian children from the West Bank are prosecuted in Israeli military courts after being arrested, interrogated and detained by the Israeli army.
- There are about 800,000 children in Gaza; the majority of them have never traveled outside of Gaza.
- The Separation Wall dividing the West Bank from Jerusalem denies thousands of Palestinian children the right to the city.

Arabic version

Findings:

- Results of a baseline survey conducted by Save the Children Sweden and East Jerusalem-YMCA indicated that all adult ex-detainees and 90.6% of child ex-detainees suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Moreover, ex-detainee children in general were at higher risk, in comparison with a standardized sample, for all symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, including introversive and thought problems, anxiety/depression, and withdrawal, while adult ex detaineeswere at high risk of mental disorders in comparison with a non patient sample.

- Results indicated that 65.2% of younger ex-detainees suffer from severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms.

- Younger child ex-detainees (15 years of age) suffer from more severe trauma due to their separation from their families at such a critical age. Results indicate that intervention was very much affective in reducing the PTSD symptoms of beneficiaries.

- The majority of ex-detainee children and adults mentioned face family, social, financial and emotional difficulties after their release. Family dynamics worsen after the child’s release, parents become more overprotective and authoritarian, and children become less communicative, more nervous and unable to stand by their family limits. Parents were bothered by their children’s mood and behaviour and mostly bothered by the child’s performance at school/work. Interestingly, social behaviour was the most satisfying area, which may indicate a better social functioning than other demanding functioning areas. In general, the data indicates high parenting stress due to the parents’ preoccupation with their own life issues, like health, work, and mood problems.

The Post–trauma rehabilitation of ex-detainee children programme aims at facilitating the re-integration process of child ex-detainees into their community through enhancing their educational and vocational lives through providing educational vocational support.

 

From Save The Children Sweden website

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Israel’s Third Periodic Report to the UN

Stephen Lendman

Stephen Lendman

On October 18, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights offered an “Alternative Report” response to Israel’s submission, sent to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR).

Submitting to the UN, Aharon Leshno Yaar, Israel’s Permanent Representative to Geneva said “Israel was proud of its long-lasting recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family,” omitting to explain he means only Jews, no others, especially Muslims. State belligerence for over six decades proves it. PCHR reviewed recent facts, documenting them in its report. Previous articles discussed them it detail, but they bear repeating. By so doing, peace and self-determination for a beleaguered people may come sooner.

PCHR addressed each article, detailing Israel’s noncompliance, presenting indisputable, convincing evidence. In its July 9, 2004 “Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that:

“In the exercise of the powers available to it on this basis, Israel is bound by (ICESCR provisions).” Throughout its history, however, Israel has grievously violated all international laws, committing crimes of war and against humanity repeatedly, the latter virtually daily in the Territories.

After its 2005 disengagement, Israel claims Gaza was no longer occupied. Therefore, it no longer had ICESCR or other treaty obligations. False on both counts, the ICJ stating that: “the State’s obligations under the Covenant apply to all territories and populations under its effective control.”

Israel has controlled Gaza since 1967, today under a medieval siege, little changed after Israel’s bogus June easing. The UN Security Council, General Assembly, Special Rapporteur (for Palestine), and the ICRC all said Israel has control. Therefore, it’s bound by all international law provisions.

ICEESC’s Article 1: Right to Self-Determination

“All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.”

Israel, however, denies Palestinians that fundamental human right, what the ICJ calls “one of the essential principles of international law.”

The Court also stated:

“The principle of self-determinatin of peoples has been enshrined in the United Nations Charter and reaffirmed by the General Assembly in resolution 2625 (XXV)” under which “Every State has the duty to refrain from any forcible action which deprives peoples….of their right to self-determination.”

PCHR’s report “show(ed) through an article-by-article analysis of the ICESCR that Israel’s longstanding belligerent occupation of (Palestine) prevents (its people) from freely determining their political status or pursuing their economic, social and cultural development.”

According to international law and numerous UN resolutions, Israel’s occupation is illegal, especially with regard to self-determination.

ICESCR’s Article 6: Right to Work

“States recognize the right to work, which includes the right of everyone to the opportunity to gain his living by work which he freely chooses or accepts, and will take appropriate steps to safeguard this right.”

Occupation and closure restrict this right. Palestine’s economy depends heavily on Israel for jobs, now largely restricted or denied. Gaza’s siege and West Bank/East Jerusalem free movement restrictions also greatly impede it. As a result, unemployment and poverty are high.

In 1992, 30% of Palestinians worked in Israel. In 1996, it was 7% while unemployment rose to 32.6%. In 2003, it was 41.3%. In December 1998, about 23% of Palestinians lived in poverty, defined as having incomes of $650 or less annually, starvation wages by any standard. Before the second Intifada and 2007 closure, Gaza depended more heavily than the West Bank on Israel for employment. In December 1995, 36% of Gazans were impoverished. By end of 2003, it was 64%.

West Bank/East Jerusalem Palestinians are also impeded by free movement restrictions. More on that below. Moreover, by controlling borders, Israel can decide what gets in or out, including people, goods and services.

Under siege, Gaza’s economy was devastated. Unemployment rose dramatically. From 2007 – 2009, OCHA reported the loss of 120,000 jobs, amounting to 55% of the workforce. Moreover, 95% of Gaza’s industry closed or suspended work. The other 5% operates at from 20 – 50% of capacity. Poverty thus rose to 65%, but under the annual $650 guideline, it’s much higher.

All areas of Gaza’s economy have been affected, including agriculture and fishing, both decimated under Israeli restrictions.

Besides other sectors, Gaza’s textile industry was destroyed. At least 40% of furniture products, 70% of clothes and textile items, and 20% of food sector items were sold outside Gaza before closure. Over 45,000 workers lost employment in these sectors alone.

Moreover, construction is at a complete standstill because basic materials are banned, including cement, iron, paint, and all others. In addition, for lack of fuel, factories producing construction related items have closed. Included are 13 floor tile facilities, 30 for concrete, 145 for marble, and 250 for bricks. Thousands more workers were affected.

Under ICESCR provisions, however, Israel is obligated to let Palestinians seek employment freely. Closure and movement restrictions impede or prevent it.

Article 10: Right to Family

“The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that:

1. The widest possible protection and assistance should be accorded to the family, which is the natural and fundamental group unit of society, particularly for its establishment and while it is responsible for the care and education of dependent children.”

However, Israel restricts or denies family reunifications. In May 2002, Government Decision No. 1803 temporarily suspended residency rights through reunifications. In 2003, the Knesset enacted the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order No. 5763), limiting residency or Israeli citizenship rights. It denies Occupied Territory (OT) Palestinians who marry citizens or permanent residents legal authorization to live in Israel with their spouse. Israel’s High Court upheld the law, dismissing a collective NGO 2006 challenge.

“Significantly, the law only applies to Palestinians,” not Israeli Jews who marry foreigners who aren’t Muslims. For their part, Palestinians have few options, one is to break the law and live in fear of being arrested, detained or deported.

Residency rights of East Jerusalemites have also weakened, PCHR believing it’s to force them out to let Israel Judaize the entire city. Yet in 1967, East Jerusalem Palestinians got permanent residency status as opposed to citizenship. In 1974, the law was amended, letting the Interior Ministery revoke it from Palestinians with Jerusalem ID cards under certain circumstances. For example, if they lived outside the city for over seven years; if they got residency rights or citizenship elsewhere, or if they were called a danger to Israeli security, a broad classification endangering anyone for any reason or none at all.

In 1995, the Interior Ministry introduced a new “center of life” policy whereby East Jerusalemites must prove residency constantly or be forced out. It must come through rental agreements, home ownership documents, tax receipts, school registration, receipts of medical treatment, or other means. Implemented without notice, Palestinians living outside the city temporarily lost residency. As a result, since 1995, revocations have increased significantly.

The Separation Wall is another means by stealing Palestinian land, in some cases destroying entire neighborhoods or communities. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been affected. Once construction is completed, so will many more.

Family reunification in the West Bank and Gaza are also impeded, despite the Oslo Accords transferring control of a Palestinian population registry to the PA. Under its terms, Israel must be informed of all registry changes to update its records. However, since 2000, it’s failed to do so. As a result, families incorrectly listed are infiltrators, subject to deportation, fines, or imprisonment. As of 2007, 120,000 family reunification requests remained pending, all vulnerable to expulsion or worse.

In April 2010, Israel passed Military Orders 1649 and 1650.

MO 1649 expanded the definition of infiltrators and increased penalties for those convicted. MO 1650 requires all West Bank residents to have Israeli issued permits. Otherwise, they’re infiltrators, subject to prosecution under the new orders. Yet, they’re hard to observe since Israel hasn’t updated its registry. As a result, potentially thousands of West Bank residents face immediate deportation or worse, forcing them to live in fear.

Under ICESCR provisions, they’re also prevented from enjoying “the natural and fundamental group unit of society.” Israel’s policy, in fact, denies them the rights to both family and self-determination, gross violations of international law.

Article 11: Right to an Adequate Standard of Living

“The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions.”

Israeli policies violate this provision grievously. Expropriating land is one of many ways. Since 1967, over half of Palestinian land was stolen – more than 73% in the West Bank. In multiple ways, the right to adequate housing is also violated – through demolitions and dispossessions, besides land theft and conflict-related destruction.

Cast Lead alone destroyed 2,114 houses, comprising 2,864 housing units, affecting 3,314 families and 19,592 individuals. Another 3,242 houses with 5,014 units were partially destroyed or made uninhabitable. Affected were 5,470 families and 32,250 individuals. In addition, 16,000 houses were moderately damaged, affecting thousands more people.

Under siege, reconstruction is hampered or impossible. As a result, thousands must live in tents, in rented apartments or with relatives. Post-conflict, an estimated 86,000 new homes are needed, unattainable under Israel’s blockade.

Home demolitions also continue relentlessly so Jews can seize Palestinian land and property. Since 1967, about 25,000 structures have been affected, denying Palestinians their right to housing and their rightful land ownership.

West Bank and East Jerusalem demolitions are, in fact, increasing, hundreds since 2009 as well as pending orders for more. Currently, Palestinians comprise 30% of East Jerusalem’s population, forced to live on 7% of city land in highly concentrated neighborhoods. Even in areas where building is technically allowed, virtually no permits are issued, including to make repairs, enlarge existing properties, or facilitate a growing population. Violating the law results in demolitions and/or fines.

West Bank confiscated land is used for settlements, their infrastructure, commercial development, open spaces, or military use. In East Jerusalem, it’s for settlers. In recent years, encroachment has increased dramatically, on 121 settlements and another 99 outposts. Moreover, despite a so-called moratorium, construction continued unimpeded. Now it’s proceeding faster, Israel hell-bent to grow its settler population (now around 500,000 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem) at the expense of dispossessed Palestinians, losing out without redress.

Thousands of new units are approved, many slated for immediate construction. Under Israel’s 2000 Master Plan for Jerusalem, settlement expansion and other land expropriation will continue toward full Judaization of the city.

Add to this violations of the right to food. In the West Bank, restricted access to range land and water have made 80% of communities in Israeli-controlled Area C (about 60% of the West Bank) food insecure, compared to 25% in the West Bank overall. In Gaza, however, it’s much worse, affecting about 75% of the population. Everything is in short supply, including the most basic items like wheat, flour, rice, oil, fruits, vegetables, fish, and much more. As a result, prices have risen sharply, exacerbating an already dire situation, Israel having declared economic war on Palestine, in Gaza most of all.

Water denial is also grievous throughout the Territories even though “International cooperation requires States parties to refrain from actions that interfere, directly or indirectly, with the enjoyment of the right to water in other countries. Any activities undertaken should not deprive another country of the ability to realize the right to water for persons in its jurisdiction.” In Occupied Palestine, the problem gets worse, not better, Israel flaunting its obligation.

In the West Bank, Israel uses 73% of aquifer water, all belonging to Palestinians, denied access to what’s theirs. It’s led to a sharp decline in living conditions. In Israeli-controlled areas, obtaining permits to repair or upgrade infrastructure face lengthy delays or denials. As a result, farmers can’t water their fields, have it available for animals, or have access to it for their families. In Area C especially, water insecurity prevails.

Overall, tens of thousands of Palestinians in dozens of communities have no water network connection. Many others get inadequate supplies, and pay four to ten times the average cost for water supply service. Israel’s Separation Wall exacerbates the problem, its construction having destroyed dozens of wells and hundreds of cisterns, as well as 35,000 meters of water pipes. Moreover, Israel will have full control of the richest, most important Western Aquifer, along the Green Line inside the West Bank, when construction is completed.

During Cast Lead, Israel destroyed water installations, the construction ban preventing vital repairs or rebuilding. Inadequate fuel for electricity hampers facilities needing it, including wastewater treatment ones. Unable to run regular cycles, an average of 20,000 cubic meters of raw sewage is dumped into the Mediterranean daily. In some areas, it’s 70,000 – 80,000 cm at times, as well as other disposal in cities like Rafah, Beit Lahia and Khan Younis. Water contamination is thus a major problem. About 90% of Gaza’s from its coastal aquifer is polluted under siege, unfit to drink or use for agriculture. “This is very clearly a criminal policy….violat(ing) ICESCR but also constitutes collective punishment.”

Article 12: Right to Health

“The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”

From conflict and under siege, they’ve declined markedly for Gazans, both access and quality. The war damaged 15 of 27 hospitals, 43 of 110 health care centers, and 29 of 148 ambulances. Nothing can be rebuilt or properly repaired. In addition, Israel prohibits medicines, medical equipment, and spare parts, including what’s vital to save lives.

Around 110 medicines and 123 types of medical equipment are unavailable for import. In coming months, supplies of 76 other medicines will run out. As a result, acute shortages exist, Gazans denied their right to proper care. Moreover, electricity shortages cause regular blackouts, and without spare parts, Gaza Power Plant repairs aren’t possible. As a result, patients face grave risks because vital services aren’t available or may have to shut down at critical times.

In addition, under siege, free movement in and out is prevented, including for medical personnel and patients needing critical care Gaza facilities can’t provide. Patients have, in fact, died waiting for permission to use Egyptian, Israeli, or better West Bank or East Jerusalem facilities.

Besides life threatening and other illnesses, chronic or acute, the UN Special Rapporteur reported that “96% of the population of Gaza suffers from depression and that such mental deterioration is itself an indication of a failure by the Occupying Power to discharge its basic duty to safeguard the health of civilians living under the occupation.”

Article 13: Right to Education

“The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to education. They agree that education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity, and shall strengthen the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They further agree that education shall enable all persons to participate in a free society.”

For most other rights, realizing them depends on education. It’s “the primary vehicle by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and obtain the means to participate fully in their communities.”

Israel, however, impedes or denies it through various means, including movement restrictions, a classroom shortage, and relentless persecution, arresting over 6,000 children since 2000 and intimidating the entire Palestinian population.

Moreover, especially in Gaza, shortages of books and basic supplies exist. Foreign travel is also restricted or denied. In addition, military operations and displacements take their toll, including raids on hundreds of schools and eight or more universities, arresting students, teachers, professors, and/or other staff. Further, destroyed or damaged Gaza schools haven’t been rebuilt or repaired.

A Final Comment

PCHR concluded saying its report isn’t exhaustive, “but provides an overview of some of the grave human rights abuses suffered by Palestinians….” It urges CESCR to take “appropriate steps toward ending Israel’s repeated violations of the economic, cultural and social rights in” Palestine. It also calls for ending Gaza’s siege, and for international support to demand it, so far not forthcoming.

Moreover, Israel is seriously and repeatedly in breach of all the above enumerated rights, basic ones under ICESCR and other international laws. It puts a lie to saying it’s “proud of its longstanding recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.”

It’s one of many brazen Israeli lies. Only other offenders and uninformed people can accept them. For the truth, ask Palestinians, especially Gazans, suffocating under Israeli harshness, slow-motion genocide by any standard.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

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A Statement to the Palestinian People

Photo courtesy of Palestine Solidarity Project

In the interest of resisting external pressure aimed at imposing direct negotiations under Israeli conditions
Editor Palestine Monitor
16 August 2010

To our Palestinian People:

We have followed with great concern the increasing external pressure, especially from the U.S. and Israel, on the PLO leadership to shift from indirect negotiations (which have not resulted in any progress) to direct negotiations without clear and binding terms of reference regarding a complete halt of all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory – including in Jerusalem. The terms of reference should be based on international law and UN resolutions and to include a predetermined timetable to reach a final status agreement. The agreement will necessarily include ending the Israeli occupation of all territories occupied in 1967 and enabling the Palestinians to exercise the Right of Return, right to self-determination, and the right to an independent and sovereign state in the territory occupied in 1967 – with Jerusalem as its capital.

We, the signatories of this statement, proceed through our belief that a just peace cannot be achieved by negotiations in unjust conditions and, therefore, refuse to engage in direct negotiations or in any other channels that could coerce the PLO into direct negotiations without clear terms of reference, a timetable, a binding mechanism for implementation, an active role from the international community, American or other international guarantees, and a firm Israeli commitment to international law and UN resolutions.

We call for steadfastness in the face of this external pressure and for a commitment to reject any coercion regardless of the threats and consequences.

Submitting to unjust external pressure will lead to engagement in negotiations that will be framed in accordance with Israeli conditions. Such a process will not contribute to achieving our people’s goals but, on the contrary, will cause serious damage and may lead to an even larger failure than that of the Camp David negotiations.

Moreover, Israel will use any negotiations under current conditions to cover for its efforts to “Judaize” and consolidate its illegal annexation of East Jerusalem, including increasing settlement activities, expanding its apartheid policy of separation, completing the Apartheid Wall, and continuing the hermetic siege on the Gaza Strip. Compromised negotiations would also mask Israel’s aggressive schemes against others in the region and shelter Israel from the international condemnation and boycott campaigns which are rapidly growing amongst international solidarity movements.

Standing up to external pressure requires the mobilization of energies, efforts and skills of the Palestinian people in order to maintain our national program, end the division, and achieve national reconciliation. These are necessary and indubitable conditions for resisting the external pressures and all challenges facing the Palestinian cause.

The achievement of national reconciliation will strengthen the internal Palestinian front to withstand Israel’s occupation and resist its colonial, expansionist and racist policies. Reconciliation will exponentially strengthen the Palestinian capacity to accomplish our national objectives of freedom, return and independence, and attract Arab and international support in favor of the Palestinian cause. Taking full advantage of global solidarity with the Palestinian people based on our moral high ground and the use of international resolutions and reports that advocate for Palestinian rights – especially the legal opinion of the ICJ at The Hague, the Goldstone Report, and the repercussions of the massacre on the Freedom Fleet, which provide a valuable opportunity to prosecute Israel for its ongoing occupation and war crimes.

We issue this statement, directed to Palestinian people everywhere, confident that we will adhere with all means possible to our immutable national rights and shall impose our independent national will. We consider this statement the first of a series of popular peaceful efforts and activities to protect our cause and maintain our Palestinian position in the face of unjust external pressure.

August 4, 2010 Signatories

If you would like to sign this statement, please feel free to contact: mustafaunity@gmail.com

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PCHR Response to Publication of New Israeli List of Items Banned from Entry to Gaza

PCHR

Palestine Center for Human Rights, 7 July 2010

On Sunday, 4 July 2010 the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs published two lists, detailing items not permitted to enter the Gaza Strip and those used for construction, which may only be imported and utilized under the supervision of the United Nations.

The response from the international community and diplomatic representatives, including the Quartet’s Envoy to the Middle East, Tony Blair, to the Israeli decision has been overwhelmingly positive. The Israeli government’s switch from a list detailing only the items that are allowed for import to the Gaza Strip to a list of items that are not permitted has been perceived as a positive step, the assumption being that all items not on the list will be allowed to enter Gaza. In this context, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) wishes to reaffirm its position on the illegal Israeli-imposed blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Israel has subjected the occupied Palestinian territory, including the Gaza Strip, to strict closures for more than two decades. Israel has continuously tightened the closure on the Gaza Strip following the Hamas takeover of the Strip in June 2007. For more than three years now Israel has applied the most extreme form of closure to the Gaza Strip, declaring its territory to be a “hostile entity”, effectively cutting off the 1.5 million inhabitants of Gaza from the outside world. Palestinian civilians are deliberately and systematically denied access to the most basic needs, such as food, medicine, electricity and other necessary commodities. Palestinians are not allowed to leave Gaza, and only a miniscule number of foreigners is permitted to visit Gaza. Goods are not allowed to be exported, and imports have been reduced to a very limited number of items, entirely incapable of fulfilling the population’s needs. Palestinian civilians in Gaza are deliberately deprived of their fundamental human rights, such as the freedom of movement and the right to health, education, and access to work.

The recent decision to “ease” the closure by permitting more commercial and humanitarian goods to enter the Gaza Strip — a decision which was only taken in response to increased international pressure — does not in any way alter the basic situation. Palestinians in Gaza are denied numerous fundamental human rights, including the right to life, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to freedom of movement of persons and goods, the right to adequate shelter. At the most basic level, the closure continues to violate the right of the people of Gaza to live in human dignity.

The recently published lists, which have been effectively sanctioned by the international community through statements welcoming the Israeli decision, represent and institutionalization of the siege of Gaza, which is a form of collective punishment, a policy illegal under international law, as recently reaffirmed by the ICRC. PCHR is gravely concerned that Israeli policy concerning Gaza is simply shifting to another form of illegal blockade, one that may become internationally accepted and institutionalized, as Palestinians in Gaza may no longer suffer from the same shortage of goods, but will remain economically dependent and unable to care for their own population as well as socially, culturally and academically isolated from the rest of the world.

Recommendations

PCHR calls for an immediate end to the illegal closure imposed on the Gaza Strip, by way of opening unconditionally all border crossings of the Gaza Strip, to ensure the freedom of movement of all Palestinians. This opening must also apply to the import of goods necessary for restarting the economy and the export of goods. In order to achieve this, the International Community must act decisively to ensure the full lifting of the illegal closure. As High Contracting Parties to the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949, individual States are under an obligation to ‘ensure respect’ for the Geneva Conventions ‘in all circumstances’. The closure policy itself is illegal: any proposal must be based solely on the requirements of international law.

The root cause of Israel’s illegal closure is the impunity that it has been granted by the International Community. Israel cannot continue to be allowed to act as a state above the law. All those responsible for the commission of international crimes must be held accountable. In this regard it is essential that the recommendations contained in the Report of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (the Goldstone Report) are implemented; they offer a concrete procedure through which the rule of law can be restored.

Please find PCHR’s Position Paper on the Easing of the Closure here.

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Occupied Palestine: Good News and Bad

United Nations Building hit with white phosphors during Gaza war (Sameh Habeeb, 2009)

Stephen Lendman, 25 June 2010

First the good.

On June 22, the International Middle East Media Center reported that the UN Human Rights Council (that established the Goldstone Commission) approved “forming an international committee to probe the deadly Israeli” Flotilla attack, massacring and injuring dozens of nonviolent activists on board. Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to shelve it, saying:

“We expressed our view that for the time being, as long as….new flotillas are in the preparation, it’s probably better to leave (an investigation) on the shelf for a certain time” – in other words, postpone it long enough to forget, letting Israel’s self-examination whitewash top officials’ culpability, a vain hope given world outrage, mushrooming toward universally branding Israel a pariah rogue state.

The Human Rights Council (HRC) said committee officials will include lawyers and international law and human rights experts, the body to present its findings in September.

The European Campaign Against the Siege said the International Committee will contact Israel, Greece, Turkey, and the Freedom Flotilla coalition. It will also visit Gaza and urge Tel Aviv’s cooperation, what wasn’t given the Goldstone Commission, nor will be this time. However, with or without it, the investigation will proceed, exposing Israel’s culpability.

On June 1, the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RTP) responded to the Flotilla massacre headlining, “All States and the international community must urgently take measures against Israel’s violations of international law,” explaining that:

Throughout its history, Israel has willfully, arrogantly, and repeatedly violated core international law principles without accountability. “These violations….involve Israel’s international responsibility, its obligation to make reparations for the damage resulting from these violations and the obligation of all States to prosecute and punish those responsible for these violations when they concern crimes against international law,” especially ones against peace – the supreme international crime.

RTP “insists” on the immediate and unconditional:

– “lifting of the blockade by Israel of humanitarian aid,” what Fourth Geneva and other international laws prohibit;

– ending the Gaza siege, also lawless and prohibited;

– “full and independent inquiry into the” Flotilla attack;

– “suspend(ing) of the EU/Israel Association Agreement in accordance with” its provisions; and

– implementation of the Goldstone Commission conclusions and recommendations.

Global human rights organizations agree, including BRussells Tribunal Executive Committee member, Dr. Ian Douglas, saying:

“Israel simply cannot face up to its own bloody origin. It is a settler state, founded in violence by individuals who came from outside Arab countries,” under rogue governments that support and instigate “terrorism.” The solution:

“The international community must cut all economic ties, all defense coordination and contracts, and all diplomatic, intellectual and cultural links with Israel until Zionism is recognized as racism. Until this happens, Israel continues to be the single biggest threat to world peace. The possibility of a better society will keep being suffocated by the black hole of Israel’s insistence on perpetuating injustice against the Palestinians,” – partnered with Washington, “indistinguishable from Tel Aviv, or vice versa. Obama is either unwilling (or) unable….to break from that….Palestinians have no hope in (him). He won’t help them, and never intended to.”

More good news – a first in America against Israel.

On June 20 in Oakland, CA, over 800 longshoremen pickets blocked the unloading of an Israeli ship, the ZIM Shenhen, chanting:

“Free, free Palestine. Don’t cross the picket line. An injury to one is an injury to all – the Israeli apartheid wall will fall.”

An ad hoc Labor/Community Committee in Solidarity with the People of Palestine organized the action. Allied groups included the Transport Workers Solidarity Committee, several Palestinian solidarity groups, the Bay Area ANSWER Coalition, and local labor activists.

Their boycott followed the earlier June International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 motion condemning the Flotilla massacre, “call(ing) for unions to protest (by) any action they choose to take.”

Organizations supporting the boycott included the Oakland Educational Association, San Francisco Labor Council, Alameda County Labor Council, Cuban Labor Federation, Labor for Palestine, the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, and numerous other groups – in solidarity with Occupied Palestinians.

Good news from Sweden – another boycott

On June 23, the Swedish Dock Workers Union announced a weeklong nationwide blockade in all unionized ports, refusing to handle goods from or to Israel until June 29, and demanding more, including lifting the Gaza siege and allowing an independent international investigation of the Flotilla massacre.

Still more – cancellation of Turkey’s water sales to Israel.

On June 20, Israel National News.com’s Maayana Miskin reported that Turkey “cancelled the planned sale of 1.75 billion cubic feet of water per year to Israel,” a 20-year agreement abandoned over the Flotilla massacre, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Taner Yildiz, saying sales have been halted unless Israel “apologizes and expresses its regret.”

Turkey also recalled its ambassador and froze a plan to supply Israel with Russian natural gas through an underwater pipeline.

Now the bad – a litany of Israeli crimes, some recent ones explained below.

On June 10, Palestine Think Tank.com contributor Kawther Salam headlined, “107 Israeli Crimes Against Palestinian Journalists,” saying:

Since January 2010, Israeli attacks included beatings, “breaking their cameras, preventing them from covering events, shooting at them deliberately, arresting and jailing them, fabricating serious charges, fining them, imposing high financial fines before releasing them from detention,” denying them access to East Jerusalem and other areas, and let “dozens of armed extremist settlers assault them and damage their cameras.”

This is how a police state operates when not waging all out war.

More bad news.

On June 22, the Palestine Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) headlined, “Continued Ethnic Cleansing and Measures Aimed at Creating Jewish Majority in Occupied Jerusalem,” in fact, an agenda to make all Jerusalem exclusively Jewish, dispossessing all non-Jews living there.

PCHR responded saying:

It “strongly condemns aggressive (Israeli) measures in East Jerusalem, which are part of a series of (others) aimed at ethnic cleansing,” and have included:

– bulldozing Palestinian houses on lands between Pisgat Ze’ev and Neve Ya’kov settlements to build 600 new units – approved a year earlier to link the two communities;

– the June 21 implemented “Israeli Municipality in Jerusalem decision to demolish 22 houses in al-Bustan neighborhood in Salwan village (to) establish ‘King David’s Garden’ ” on expropriated Palestinian land; on June 23, Haaretz writer Nir Hassan reported that East Jerusalem settlers “threatened to (hire private security firms to) forcibly evict four Palestinian families they claim are living on” Jewish Silwan property; East Jerusalem, in fact, is Occupied Palestinian territory, not belonging to invaders who have no business being there or legal right to the land;

– the June 20 Israeli High Court ruling, affirming the deportation of PLC member, Mohammed Abu Tir, a member of the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform Bloc;

– the June 20 closing of the Ilaf Association for Education Support in Jerusalem, using falsified documents to claim Hamas held meetings there; and

– Israel’s ongoing lawlessness in violation of international law, including expropriating Palestinian land, what, so far, the international community won’t stop.

More bad.

On June 20, the US State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs warned Americans against traveling to Gaza, stopping short of saying those doing it will be prosecuted, but calling it “infiltrating” by flotillas or other means.

The warning “applies to all US citizens, including journalists and aid workers,” with no mention of the illegal siege, the Flotilla massacre, or repeated attacks against defenseless civilians. A week earlier, Britain issued a similar alert, suggesting UK citizens doing it wouldn’t be welcomed back home. Israel endorsed both statements from its closest allies, together comprising the real axis of evil.

Still more.

On June 20, Haaretz writer Barak Ravid exposed Netanyahu’s bogus siege easing, headlining “Netanyahu: Security blockade on Gaza will get stronger,” quoting him saying that despite letting in more “civilian” goods:

The “security closure will be tightened from now on (to) keep (weapons and “dual use” goods) out of Gaza,” claiming “Our friends around the world are getting behind our decision and giving international legitimacy to the security blockade on Hamas.”

So though designated foods, housewares, writing implements, mattresses and toys can enter, cement and shoes (among hundreds of other non-military items) remain banned, Israel bogusly calling them “dual use,” meaning materials potentially for violence and conflict.

On June 24, Gaza Gateway.org reported “no significant change in the volume of trucks entering Gaza,” despite the supposed easing – last week, 654, fewer than before the Flotilla massacre when 662 entered; this week through four of five allowed crossing days, 567, “consistent with the (imposed) policy since June 2007.”

Gaza Gateway said only one crossing operates at near capacity of about 110 trucks a day, five days a week permitted – Kerem Shalom (Kerem Abu Salam). Karni Crossing, Gaza’s commercial lifeline, able to handle 1,000 trucks per day, remains closed.

The Obama administration and virtually all members of Congress support the most lawless Israeli policies, including the siege, subsidizing them with billions of dollars annually, the latest weapons and technology, and virtually any special requests – to wage war, commit violence, maintain an illegal occupation against Palestinian civilians and the legitimate Hamas government, bogusly called terrorist.

Confirmation of PA/Israeli/Washington Complicity

According to a June 22 Asa Winstanley Electronic Intifada (EI) article headlined, “Exclusive: Leaked documents show PA undermined Turkey’s push for UN flotilla probe:”

“A document sent to Ibrahim Khraishi, (PA UN) representative in Geneva,” shows its officials tried but failed to “neutralize a (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution condemning” the Flotilla massacre, by preventing an independent investigation and endorsing an Israeli one – a thinly veiled scheme to whitewash premeditated murder and absolve high-level culpability. Turkey rejected it out of hand. HRC approved an independent committee proceed and report back by September.

EI’s article and one document can be accessed through the following link:

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11350.shtml

Last year, Fatah officials tried to undermine the Goldstone Commission’s findings, proving they ally with Israel against their own people.

Last October, however, when the Commission’s findings were adopted, Mahmound Abbas “was forced into a humiliating U-turn after an outpouring of disgust and protest from Palestinians around the world,” not diminishing his contempt for his own people. Perhaps theirs now for him enough to elect a new president serving them, not their oppressive occupier in league with its Washington paymaster/partner.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/

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Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

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PCHR, No. 24/2010, 10- 16 June 2010

  • IOF willfully killed 1 Palestinian civilian and wounded 1 child in Jerusalem.

  • IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

-          Dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation in the West Bank and 1 sustained a fracture in the Gaza Strip.

-          IOF arrested 7 civilians, including 3 journalists and 2 human rights defenders.

  • IOF continued to fire at Palestinian farmers and workers in border areas of the Gaza Strip.

-   4 workers were wounded while working in the border area.

  • IOF conducted 24 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 1 limited incursion into the Gaza Strip.

-          IOF arrested 29 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children.

-          IOF continued to raid houses of activists of protests against the annexation wall and settlement activities.

-          IOF summoned a 7-year-old child for interrogation.

  • Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

-          Israeli troops stationed at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 2 Palestinian civilian.

-          Israeli troops continued to harass Palestinian civilians at military checkpoints.

  • Israel has continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem.

-          The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem approved the construction of 1,600 settlement housing units.

-          IOF demolished a number of stores in Jerusalem.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (10 – 16 June 2010):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 1 Palestinian civilian and wounded 1 Palestinian child in the West Bank.  They also wounded 4 Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, on 11 June 2010, IOF killed 1 Palestinian civilian in Wad al-Jouz neighborhood in East Jerusalem, and wounded 1 Palestinian child.  IOF claimed that the victim was driving a car, did not obey orders to stop at a checkpoint in Wad al-Jouz and attempted to run down 2 soldiers, who were injured.  Investigations conducted by PCHR refute this claim and confirm that the civilians was willfully killed. Another child was also wounded by the gunfire.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF fired at Palestinian workers who were collecting construction materials.  As a result, 4 workers were wounded in 4 separate incidents.

On 14 June 2010, Israeli troops that moved into al-Qarara and ‘Abassan villages, east of Khan Yunis, fired 5 artillery shells at the area; no casualties were reported.

On the same day, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in the northern Gaza Strip; no casualties were reported.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 24 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 29 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children.  They also arrested 3 journalists, 3 human rights defender and a university student during the dispersion of peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to settlement activities and the construction of the Annexation Wall.

IOF also stormed the house of Ahmed Khalil Abu Hashem, 43, Secretary of the National Committee against Settlement Activities and the Wall in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 2 limited incursions into Palestinian areas, during which they leveled areas of previously razed land.

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.

Gaza Strip

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed 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.

  • · On Friday, 01 January 2010, IOF decided to close Nahal Ouz crossing permanently and to divert the entry of fuels through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, southeast of Rafah, citing security reasons.

  • · 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement and the right to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

  • · The principle concern of the population of the Gaza Strip is to obtain basic necessities: food, medicine, water and electricity supplies.

  • · Israel has continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than 2 and a half years.

  • · Israel has not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip since 10 December 2008, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas and energy fuel for Gaza Power Plant.

  • · The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened on only a few days for a number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

  • · Israel had continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.

  • · Israel has imposed additional restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. Israel has prevented representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

  • · Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated as levels of poverty and unemployment have mounted sharply.

  • · At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than two and a half years.

  • · IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the coast of the Gaza Strip.

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 al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

  • · There are approximately 630 permanent 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 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

  • · At least 65% of the main roads that lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

  • · There are around 500 kilometers 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.

Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem: IOF have continued to take measures at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.

On 16 June 2010, IOF, accompanied by a bulldozer, moved into al-’Abasiya quarter in Silwan village. There they demolished two 18-square-meter stores belonging to Maher Na’im Siam, claiming that they were built without a license.  IOF also confiscated an 18-square-meter container and demolished a 100-sqiuare-meter barrack belonging to the family. On the same day, IOF moved into al-Thawri neighborhood in Jerusalem.  Without warning, they demolished a 30-square-meter garage belonging to Kamal Ibrahim al-Shoubaki.

On 14 June 2010, the Planning and Construction Committee of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem, approved the construction of 1,600 housing units in “Ramat Shlomo” settlement in Jerusalem.  Israeli postponed the approval of the construction to this week to avoid any crisis with the United States.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (10 – 16 June 2010)

The full report is available online at:

http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6761:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-10-16-june-2010-&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183

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

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No. 23/2010 03- 09 June 2010

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

  • 1 Palestinian civilian and 5 resistance activists were killed by IOF.

  • 2 Palestinian civilians and 1 resistance activist were wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.

  • IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.

-          4 demonstrators, including a child, were wounded and 4 journalists sustained bruises.

  • IOF continued to fire at Palestinian farmers and workers in border areas of the Gaza Strip.

  • IOF conducted 11 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 1 limited incursion into the Gaza Strip.

-          IOF arrested 22 civilians, including 4 children.

-          Among the detainees were 6 human rights defenders, including 3 Israeli ones.

  • Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

-          Israeli troops stationed at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 1 Palestinian civilian.

  • Israel has continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem.

-          IOF cancelled permanent residences of 4 Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Jerusalem.

-          IOF stormed and searched Beit Hanina Club.

-          IOF closed Wad Hilwa road in Silwan village.

  • IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

-          2 Palestinian children were wounded by an Israeli settler in Hebron.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (03 – 09 June 2010):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 1 Palestinian civilian and 5 activists of the Palestinian resistance and wounded 2 civilians and 1 resistance activist in the Gaza Strip.  In the West Bank, 4 Palestinian civilians were wounded by IOF and 2 children were wounded by an Israeli settler.  4 journalists also sustained bruises when they were beaten by IOF.

In the Gaza Strip, on 07 June 2010, 1 Palestinian civilian and 5 activists of the Palestinian resistance were wounded by IOF in the sea off the coast of the al-Zahraa’ beach, southwest of Gaza City.

On the same day, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a Palestinian resistance activist in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding him with shrapnel.

Also on June 7th, a Palestinian civilian was wounded when Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at workers who were collecting construction aggregate.

In the West Bank, on 03 June 2010, 2 Palestinian children were wounded by an Israeli settler at the entrance of al-’Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron.

During the reporting period, IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest of the construction of the Annexation Wall and settlement activities.  At least 4 civilians, including a child, were wounded. 4 journalists sustained bruises and others suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 11 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 16 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children.  They also arrested 6 human rights defenders, including 3 Israeli ones.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 1 limited incursion into Palestinian areas, during which they leveled previously razed areas of land.

Restrictions on Movement: Israel had continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza Strip

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed 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.

  • · On Friday, 01 January 2010, IOF decided to close Nahal Ouz crossing permanently and to allow the entry of fuels through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, southeast of Rafah, citing security reasons.

  • · 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement and the right to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

  • · The principle concern of the population of the Gaza Strip is to obtain basic necessities: food, medicine, water and electricity supplies.

  • · Israel has continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than 2 and a half years.

  • · Israel has not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip since 10 December 2008, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas and energy fuel for Gaza Power Plant.

  • · The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened on only a few days for a number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

  • · Israel had continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.

  • · Israel has imposed additional restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. Israel has prevented representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

  • · Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated as levels of poverty and unemployment have mounted sharply.

  • · At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than 2 and a half years.

  • · IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the coast of the Gaza Strip.

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 al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

  • · There are approximately 630 permanent 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 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

  • · At least 65% of the main roads that lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

  • · There are around 500 kilometers 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.

Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem: IOF have continued to take measures at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.

During the reporting period, IOF canceled the permanent residence in occupied Jerusalem of 4 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), from the Change and Reform Bloc affiliated to Hamas, and expelled them from the city to the West Bank. The 4 PLC Members are: Mohammed Abu Tair; Ahmed ‘Atwan; Mohammed Toutah; and Eng. Khaled Abu ‘Arafa. All 4 became PLC Members following the January 2006 Palestinian legislative elections; they were arrested by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) following the capture of an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in the Gaza Strip in 2006. The 4 PLC members were released after serving their prison sentences. The cancellation of their permanent residence was based on a decision by former Israeli Interior Minister, Ron Bar’oun, under allegations of “breaking loyalty to the state” and participating in the Palestinian legislative elections.

On 06 June 2010, IOF closed Wad Hilwa Street in Silwan village to the south of the old city of Jerusalem for vehicles.  Israeli bulldozers conducted work on the road, which caused cracks and collapses.  An Israeli plan for Silwan village includes the establishment of a network of tunnels under the village.

On 03 June 2010, IOF stormed Beit Hanina Club, searching it without a judicial warrant.  It should be noted that IOF had repeatedly attempted to close the Club, claiming that it hosted organizational meetings to plan activities sponsored by the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (03 – 09 June 2010)

The full report is available online at:

http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6748:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-03-09-june-2010&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183

Public Document

For further information please visit our website (http://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.