Hawzah News Agency (Occupied Palestine) - Summary of Israeli violations of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory (07 – 13 May 2020)
Israeli forces continued to violate Palestinians’ human rights and commit crimes against civilians and their properties, conducting raids into Palestinian cities without regard to the state of emergency declared across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) since 06 March 2020, in the efforts put forward to combat the spread of coronavirus. Military raids are conducted without proper attention to prevention and safety standards to mitigate the risk of transmitting coronavirus to Palestinian territory, as the virus is widespread throughout Israel. PCHR’s concerns over Israeli raids still stand, as those raids undermine preventive measures adopted by the government.
Meanwhile, settlers backed up by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued to seize more civilian property and attack civilians and their property. This week, Israeli forces launched an arrest campaign against prominent Palestinian figures who work for the Palestinian Authority (PA), in a continuation of Israeli systematic efforts to combat the presence and work of the PA in occupied East Jerusalem. PCHR reiterates its concern over the Israeli occupation’s policy of banning any preventive measures by the Palestinian Authority in occupied East Jerusalem, especially that Israel has adopted lenient measures in the city despite its responsibility for it under international law as an occupying power.
This week, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) documented 168 violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law (IHL) by IOF and settlers in the oPt. The restrictions imposed under the state of emergency have hindered our fieldwork team’s ability to cover all incidents in the oPt and were forced to collect information via phone from trusted local sources. As such, this report is an in-comprehensive record of Israeli violations of human rights against Palestinians in the oPt, as IOF continues its attacks against civilians despite the exceptional circumstances that have overcome the whole world in the face of a life-threatening viral pandemic.
IOF shooting and violation of right to bodily integrity: IOF killed Zaid Qaisiya (16) early on Wednesday, 13 May 2020; and wounded 24 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, in excessive use of force in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The child was killed after he was shot with a live bullet in the head while on the rooftop of his 4-storey home; as a result, he fell to the ground. Additionally, 7 injuries were documented including 4 children, one of whom was arrested, in two raids into al-Fawar refugee camp in Al - Khalil.
In Kufur Qaddoum, IOF suppressed a protest and wounded 6 civilians. One Palestinian was shot and wounded in occupied al – Quds (East Jerusalem) as IOF alleged he attempted a stabbing attack. In the Gaza Strip, 4 fishermen were shot and wounded with rubber bullets in two separate incidents in the northern Gaza sea.
Dozens of civilians suffocated due to inhalation of tear-gas fired by IOF during its raids into Palestinian cities. IOF committed 4 shootings against agricultural lands eastern Gaza Strip, and 6 shootings were reported against Palestinian fishing boats off the western Gaza Strip shore.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians: IOF carried out 72 incursions into the West Bank. Those incursions included raids of civilian houses and shootings, inciting fear among civilians, and attacking many of them. During this week’s incursions, 89 Palestinians were arrested, including 19 children, 3 women and a journalist.
The largest number of attacks and arrests were at Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin, as up to the writing of this report, IOF continue to raid the village since Tuesday, 12 May 2020, after IOF announced that one of its soldiers were killed after being hit with a stone from one of the rooftops. IOF have since conducted raids, and a large arrest campaign involving entire families, abused the civilian population, closed streets and fired heavy live fire in measures that align with Israel’s collective punishment policy. PCHR documented 34 arrests, including 2 women and 6 children.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted two incursions into eastern Khan Younis and Central Gaza; and arrested 2 fishermen at northern Gaza sea.
Restrictions on Journalistic Work
Israeli Intelligence Services handed Palestine TV correspondent in Jerusalem, Christeen Khaled al-Rinawi (31), a decision signed by the Israeli Public Security Minister, Gilad Erden, extending the closure of Palestine TV’s office in al - Quds, and ban its activities in Jerusalem and Israel for six additional months.
Collective Punishment Policy
As part of the collective punishment policy adopted by the Israeli forces against the families of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against Israeli soldiers or/and settlers, IOF demolished Palestinian detainee’s, Qassam Abdul Karim al-Barghouthi family home in Kobar village, north of Ramallah, at dawn on Monday, 11 May 2020.
On Friday, 01 May 2020, IOF Mohamed ‘Alaa Jameel Risha’s (19) family a demolition notice. Risha was arrested and wounded after carrying out a stabbing attack on 28 April 2020 in Kafar Saba city in Israel.
Settlement expansion activities and settlers’ attacks: IOF continued its settlement expansion operations in the West Bank. PCHR documented 6 violations, including: 5 demolition notices of a house, 3 barracks and a yard in Nablus; 8 notices to halt construction of 8 houses, a park, walls and electric poles in Nahalin village, west of Bethlehem; iron bridges and digging equipment confiscated in Al - Khalil; and a decision to confiscate Ibrahim Mosque lands in Al - Khalil for a project intended to create Jewish majority in the city, by building an elevator, cafeterias and special route to facilitate raids by Jewish persons to the mosque. Additionally, the foundation of an under-construction house was razed in Jericho.
PCHR also documented 5 settler attacks: a raid into al-Gabt area, 30 olive trees destroyed; anti-Arab vandalism in Ramallah; assault on a Palestinian in occupied East Jerusalem; and houses attacked and vandalized, assault on a civilian a theft of his sheep in Nablus; 24 olive trees sabotaged in Qalqilia.
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 or goods, humanitarian conditions and bearing catastrophic consequences on all aspects of life. Furthermore, IOF uses Erez Crossing that is designated for movement of individuals as an ambush to arrest Palestinians who obtain permits to exit via Israel.
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.