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by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) issued its weekly reports on Israeli violations in the occupied territories for the period between January 30 to February 5, 2014.

The PCHR stated that the army carried out more than 72 invasions into Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, and kidnapped 58 Palestinians, including three children and one woman.

The Center said Israeli soldiers and settlers have continued their crimes and escalations against the Palestinian people, their lands and holy sites, while Israeli officials continued their incitement against the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian Authority.

“Such incitement encourages the settlers to escalate their assaults; numerous attacks have been carried out by extremist settlers, and the soldiers protected them instead of removing them”, the PCHR said. “Israel is ignoring complaints filed by the Palestinians against fanatic settlers, who commit crimes, while Arab countries, and the international community, remain idle, an issue that encourages Israel to continue to act as a state that is above the law”.

The PCHR stated that eight Palestinians, including three women and two children, were injured in two Israeli Air Strikes targeting Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The strikes caused excessive property damage to several homes and structures in the area.

The PCHR said a resistance center was bombarded, and partial damages were reported in four homes, a school, and a maintenance workshop, in the first air strike.

While a well, a home and five hothouses were destroyed, in addition to partial damage in another home and eleven hothouses, in the second strike.

Furthermore, seven Palestinian civilians were shot and wounded after Israeli soldiers, stationed across the border, opened fire at them while working in Palestinian lands close to border areas.

In the West Bank, the PCHR has reported that the army continued the use of excessive force against Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists protesting the illegitimate apartheid wall, and settlements.

Soldiers shot and injured two Palestinian civilians after attacking the weekly nonviolent protest in Kufr Qaddoum, northeast of Qalqilia, in the northern part of the West Bank.

The army violently attacked nonviolent protesters against the Wall and settlements in Bil’in village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Israeli and international peace activists participated in the weekly protest, and marched against the Wall and settlements, and against the killing of Mohammad Mubarak, who was shot and killed by the army on January 29, 2014.

As the protesters reached Palestinian orchards close to the Wall, soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, gas bombs, concussion grenades, and sprayed the protesters with sewage water mixed with chemicals.

Several protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, while many protesters suffered cuts and bruises after being violently assaulted by the soldiers.

The army also attacked nonviolent protesters in Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah, and prevented the residents, Israeli and international peace activists from reaching Palestinian orchards isolated behind the wall.

They fired gas bombs, concussion grenades, and rubber-coated metal bullets, and sprayed the protesters with waste-water mixed with chemicals. Several Palestinians were injured.

In addition, soldiers attacked dozens of Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists, conducting the weekly nonviolent protest in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah.

Soldiers isolated the village, and attacked the nonviolent protesters with rounds of live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, and gas bombs, and also used waste-water mixed with chemical against them.

Several protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, while many suffered cuts and bruises after being attacked and beaten by the soldiers.

The army also attacked the weekly protest in Kufur Qaddoum, near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia.

Soldiers surrounded the area, and violently assaulted the protesters after firing rounds of live ammunition, gas bombs, and concussion grenades at them, wounding at least two Palestinians.

Soldiers also attacked nonviolent protests in the al-Ma’sara village, near Bethlehem, violently attacked and beat them, causing several injuries.

Nineteen Palestinians, including two children, were also injured when the soldiers assaulted protesters at the entrance of the al-Jalazoun refugee camp, and Silwad, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

One of the wounded Palestinians, 17 years of age, suffered a serious injury after being shot by three rounds of live ammunition to the left side of his throat, his right thigh, and left knee.

After surgery at the Palestine Medical Center in Ramallah, the Palestinian was moved to the Intensive Care Unit.

On the same day, dozens of Palestinian youth gathered at the western entrance of Silwad, and hurled stones at Israeli soldiers and settlers driving on Road #60.

The soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets and gas bombs. One Palestinian was shot by a live round to the leg, while several Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.

The soldiers also set off explosives in a home in the al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas, in the central West Bank, after invading it.

The PCHR stated that the army bulldozed and removed 14 tents used by local Bedouins, 10 tents used as sheds for sheep, three barns, and 6 kitchens, in the Jordan Valley.

The attacks led to the displacement of 52 Palestinians in the area.

Furthermore, soldiers installed various roadblocks in the occupied West Bank, and kidnapped at least six Palestinian civilians.

As for illegitimate settlement activities and attacks carried out by Israeli settlers, the PCHR said that extremist settlers continued their assaults and violations against the residents and their property.

It said the settlers uprooted 1745 olive saplings and 20 almond trees, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Area C in the occupied West Bank, under Israeli security and military control, is still under constant attacks aiming at constructing and expanding Israel’s settlements, and removing the Palestinians from their homes and lands, mainly in occupied East Jerusalem, and its suburbs.

In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Navy continued to target the Palestinian fishermen, and carried out four attacks against fishing boats, causing damage but no casualties.

The PCHR said that Israel continued its illegitimate siege on the coastal area, adding that the siege, imposed more than seven years ago, is an act of collective punishment in direct violation of International Law, and all related human rights treaties.

It stated that the army continued to prevent the import of construction supplies and materials into Gaza for the sixth year, while two years ago, Israel allowed the entry of limited supplies to be used by international organizations operating in Gaza, and conducting some reconstruction of homes and property.

Starting on September 17, 2013, Israel allowed the entry of limited construction materials for the use of the private sector, and denied import of such materials on October 13, 2013; nearly a month ago, it allowed the entry of supplies to be used by the UNRWA and the UNDP.

Restrictions on exports from Gaza are still in place, affecting the impoverished Palestinians in the coastal region; only the export of berries, spices and flowers was allowed.

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