GAZA, November 20, 2008 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) called, Thursday, upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure Israel's respect for the Convention in the Palestinian Territory. PCHR believes that the international community’s silence has encouraged Israel to act as if it is above the law and encourages Israel continue to violate international human rights and humanitarian law.
In their weekly report on the Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Palestinian Territory in the period between November 13-19, 2008 published, Thursday, PCHR said that Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Six Palestinians, including a child, were wounded by the IOF gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In the reporting period, Israeli troops launched mock air raids against the Gaza Strip and conducted 30 military operations into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and one into the Gaza Strip, in which they arrested 44 Palestinians, including 2 children, in the West Bank, 4 of whom including one child were arrested at Israeli military checkpoints. In addition 15 Palestinian fishermen and 3 international solidarity activists were arrested while sailing in Palestinian waters opposite to the Gaza Strip.
IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the Palestinian Territory and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world. The tightened siege since two weeks, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip; 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education. The Gaza Strip is currently suffering from a serious humanitarian crisis.
Israeli troops have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Palestinians are frequently prevented from praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
IOF has recently escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian citizens in East Jerusalem to force them out of the city. In the past two weeks, Israeli troops threatened to demolish more houses in East Jerusalem. They also continued to expel Palestinians from their houses in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Two houses were demolished and a mobile home was seized in Jerusalem.
Israeli Occupation Authorities seized 22 dunums of agricultural land south of Hebron to construct the Israeli Apartheid Wall.
IOF have continued illegal colonization activities and Jewish colonizers living in the Palestinian Territory in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian citizens and property. During the reporting period, dozens of Jewish colonizers who had already seized Al-Rajabi building in Hebron attacked a Palestinian house located near the building close to 'Kiryat Arba' colony. Dozens of Israeli colonizers from 'Yits'har' colony, south of Nablus, closed the bypass road located to the south of the city and threw stones at Palestinian civilian vehicles. Moreover, dozens of Israeli colonizers closed the main road near Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, and threw stones at Palestinian civilian vehicles.
