Protection of Civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories

by Middle East & Europe - Global Ministries | published on Dec 4, 2015

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories produces a weekly report called the Protection of Civilians report. The current edition covers the period between November 24 – 30, 2015. To view the complete version of the report, including a series of charts with the main indicators, please click here.

Latest Developments (outside of the reporting period)

In two separate incidents on 1 December, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian boy and a Palestinian woman following alleged stabbing attempts at the Gush Etzion junction (Bethlehem) and Enav checkpoint (Tulkarem).
On 2 and 3 December, in the Shu’fat Refugee Camp (East Jerusalem) and Nablus city, the Israeli authorities demolished the family homes of two Palestinian suspected perpetrators of attacks against Israelis in 2014 and 2015.

Highlights:

The wave of violence across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) continued during the reporting period (24 to 30November) resulting in eight Palestinian fatalities, in addition to a Palestinian child who died of injuries sustained previously, and another 929 Palestinian and 13 Israeli injuries. Between 1 October and 30 November, 103 Palestinians, including 23 children, and 17 Israelis were killed, and 11,299 Palestinians and at least 182 Israelis were injured in the oPt and Israel.[1]
Five Palestinians were killed and one injured by Israeli forces, and a foreign national and 12 members of Israeli forces were injured by Palestinians in six separate Palestinian attacks and alleged attacks.The incidents included three stabbings and three ramming incidents in the West Bank and in West Jerusalem. None of the perpetrators and alleged perpetrators reportedly belonged to any faction or armed group. Another Palestinian man was stabbed and injured by an Israeli civilian in Bet Shemesh town in Israel.
Three Palestinians, including a child, were shot with live ammunition and killed by Israeli forces during three separate clashes in Al ‘Aroub Refugee Camp (Hebron); at the recently established checkpoint in East Jerusalem; and during a search and arrest operation in Qattanna village (Jerusalem). Another 886 Palestinians (number of children unconfirmed), were injured during these and other clashes, mainly in the context of protests, including 41 near the fence surrounding Gaza and the rest across the West Bank. The Qalqiliya governorate continued to account for the largest number of injuries (359), mainly around Al Jaljuliya checkpoint, which controls the only access route into Qalqiliya city. At least 13 per cent of all injuries resulted from live ammunition.
A 16-year-old Palestinian boy died of injuries sustained earlier this month when he was shot with live ammunition by Israeli forces during clashes near the Ramallah-DCO checkpoint.
Five Israeli settler attacks leading to injury or damage to property were recorded during the week,including the injury of a 60-year-old woman as a result of stone-throwing in Jit village (Qalqiliya); the physical assault of a Palestinian man at the entrance to Yatma (Nablus); vandalism to olive trees and attempted arson near Yitzhar settlement; ramming and killing a sheep and attacking the 14-year-old herder near Ein al Hilweh (Tubas); and anti-Arab graffiti and vandalism of a vehicle in KhaletZakariya (Bethlehem). Additional incidents of intimidation by Israeli settlers were reported.
In addition to the aforementioned Palestinian attacks, an Israeli vehicle was set on fire and damaged in the H2 area of Hebron city.
On 30 November, an Israeli court convicted two Israeli minors for the abduction, burning and murder of a 16-year-old Palestinian boy from East Jerusalem on 2 July 2014. The verdict on the main perpetrator, an Israeli settler adult, was delayed after his lawyer submitted a legal opinion about his sanity.
Israeli forces confiscated ten tents provided as humanitarian assistance in response to the demolition of 14 residential tents and animal shelters on 26 November in the Area C herding community of Al Hadidiya (northern Jordan Valley) on grounds of lack of Israeli-issued building permits. Four of the tents were already erected and sheltered the 15 Palestinians, including four children, who were displaced as a result of the demolitions. Half of the demolished homes were originally provided through humanitarian assistance in response to previous demolitions. Additionally, part of the donor-funded community road which services around 100 people, had been demolished on 25 November. Five Palestinians were otherwise affected, including a pregnant woman who was physically assaulted and injured by an Israeli soldier while she was trying to gather belongings prior to the demolition.
On similar grounds, the Israeli authorities demolished another three structuresin Halhul (Hebron), Husan (Bethlehem), and the Beit Hanina area of East Jerusalem, and forced a family to self-demolish an extension to their house in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israeli forces also confiscated three containers in Husan during the demolition there.
During the week, Israeli forces carried out at least five confiscations of vehicles and equipment in the West Bank, including: eight public transport busses in Nablus city (Nablus) citing their use to transport “people involved in riots”; a privately-owned truck loaded with natural fertilizers on its way to Tammun (Tubas), for “carry out materials for illegal works”; a privately-owned bulldozer for carrying out “unauthorised works in Area C” in Beit Dajan (Nablus); and four water pumps in Ad Deir herding community in the northern Jordan Valley. Also on 28 November, Israeli forces raided a radio station in Hebron City, confiscated equipment therein and delivered a military order to close it for six months, alleging incitement against Israelis.
For the fourth time since the beginning of November, 13 Palestinian families living in the Humsa al Buqai’a herding community (Tubas), including 46 children, were displaced from their homes for six hours to make way for Israeli military training. Humsa al Buqai’a is one of 38 Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities located in areas designated by the Israeli authorities as a closed zone for military training (“firing zone”).
Israeli forces intensified movement restrictions and searching procedures across many West Bank areas, resulting in long delays and disrupting the access of large parts of the population to services and livelihoods. In the Hebron governorate, all routes (including dirt roads) leading to the main traffic arteries (Roads 60, 356, 35 and 317) were either blocked by cement blocks, dirt mounds and metal gates, or controlled by flying checkpoints. In the Nablus governorate, the entrances to Nablus city, Huwwara, DeirSharaf, BeitFurik, Asira ash Shamaliya and Sarra were blocked or controlled by checkpoints, including. Entrances to Far’un (Tulkarem) village, and to its agricultural area behind the Barrier, were also blocked. In the Ramallah governorate, Israeli forces closed with cement blocks the main entrance to Sinjil and Al Mughayir; and intermittently blocked the entrances to Deir Nidham and Ni’lin villages; and the road between Bir Nabala and Ramallah; the entrance to . In the Jerusalem governorate, Israeli forces blocked all entrances to Hizma village for a day and, in East Jerusalem, as of 30 November, 14 closures were in place, including eight checkpoints and partial checkpoints.
The Egyptian-controlled Rafah Crossing was closed in both directions during the reporting period. The Crossing has been closed, including for humanitarian assistance, since 24 October 2014, except for 37 days of partial openings. Authorities in Gaza indicate that over 25,000 people with urgent needs, including around 3,500 medical cases, are registered and waiting to cross. According to the World Health Organization, on 25 November, Israeli authorities announced raising the minimum age of patient companions eligible to apply for a permit to cross via Erez crossing, en route to hospitals in the West Bank and Israel, to 55 years.