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by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), based in Gaza, issued its weekly report (May 10 - 16) on Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, revealing that Israeli soldiers shot and wounded 46 Palestinians, including children and reporters, and carried out more than 41 invasions. The army continued to use excessive force against nonviolent protesters.

sraeli soldiers carried out 41 invasions into Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, and kidnapped thirteen Palestinians, including three children.

The PCHR stated that Israeli soldiers continued to use excessive force against nonviolent protesters marching against Israel’s illegal settlement construction and expansion, Israel’s illegal Annexation Wall, and in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners. Dozens of civilians suffered from the effects of tear gas inhalation.

The army’s attacks against nonviolent protesters, marching in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners, led to the injury of 16 Palestinians, including 3 journalists.

Soldiers also shot and injured 30 Palestinians, including 3 journalists during protests marking the 64th anniversary of the Nakba day (May 15) – the uprooting of the Palestinian people from their lands in 1948.

The army used excessive force against the nonviolent protesters and injured 30 civilians, including four children.

On the same day, soldiers attacked dozens of peace Palestinian and international peace activists marking the Nakba day close to the Ni’lin roadblock, near Ramallah.
The army closed the roadblock, and kidnapped three protesters, including a woman, and a Polish human.

The Palestinian woman and the police activist were released later on, but the kidnapped Palestinian, Naji Tamimi, 50, was not released.

The army also attacked protesters, including international peace activists, near the Qalandia refugee camp, south of Ramallah, and opened fire at them wounding four, including one child.

Another peaceful protest, also carried out on Tuesday near the Ofer Israeli detention center, near Ramallah, was attacked by the soldiers when the protesters moved close to the gate of the prison; 26 protesters, including three children, were injured.

Furthermore, soldiers kidnapped two Palestinians at roadblocks installed in different parts of the West Bank.

Israel’s illegal settlement construction and expansion activities continued in the west Bank, while fundamentalist settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

The settlers from Eli’azer settlement uprooted 150 grape saplings and illegally occupied six Dunams of Palestinian farmlands that belong to residents of Al-Khader city, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The settlers forced the resident out of his land.

“In a similar attack, settler from Karmi Tsur settlement, south of Bethlehem, attacked a Palestinian farmer when he was on his land. The settlers ordered the farmer to leave his land, and when he refused, they threw stones at him and beat him.

The settlers also threw stones also at a bulldozer that was working on the land. Soon, the army arrived at the area and attacked the farmer before destroying the windows of his car and of the windows of a bulldozer”, the PCHR reported.

Settlers of Beit Ayin settlement, north of Beit Ummar, near the southern West bank city of Hebron, uprooted 14 Palestinian trees.

Israeli attacks and violations in the Gaza Strip continued while the army also attacked Palestinian fishermen, kidnapped two and confiscated their boat while in Palestinian waters. The two fishermen were released later on, but the army kept the Palestinian boats.

“The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. The illegal closure has caused not only a humanitarian crisis but a crisis of human rights and human dignity for the population of the Gaza Strip”, the PCHR added.

This is happening despite recent measures declared by Israel allegedly meant to “ease the blockade”, measures that fell short from ending the illegal siege, travel ban into and out of Gaza, and the ban on exports.
Israel’s restrictions in the West Bank also continued, and the army continued to deny the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from entering occupied East Jerusalem.

For Full PCHR report, please click the PCHR News Source Link