International Reports

  Amnesty International highlights harrowing accounts of Israeli soldiers killing and wounding Palestinian civilians. Jerusalem – The first bullet struck 16-year-old Samir Awad in his left leg. He staggered away as fast as he could, but was too slow. A second round slammed into his left shoulder, exiting from the right side of his chest. Then, moments later, a third bullet penetrated the back of his skull and exited from his forehead. The live rounds were fired by a group of Israeli soldiers guarding a section of Israel’s separation barrier built on the lands of Samir’s village in the occupied West…

One of the key obstacles to permanent Israeli control of the West Bank is the presence of Palestinians in it. Unable to physically move them or have them leave voluntarily, Israel has over the years deployed an administrative process that is called “transfer.” The basic foundation of this racist policy is to have administrative policies that “encourage” Palestinians to voluntarily leave and make it very difficult for them to return. Until the Palestinian National Authority was established in 1993, Israelis used a permit system to carry out this policy. When one left for work or school, a time-based permit was…

After the 1967 occupation, Israel enabled Palestinians to travel relatively freely between the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Israel. Residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip who married Israeli citizens or Israeli residents (i.e., East Jerusalem Palestinians with Israeli ID cards) could receive permanent residential status in Israel through the family unification process. This policy facilitated the renewal of family ties and the creation of new ties of marriage, work, etc. However, once the first intifada began in late 1987, Israel started imposing restrictions on the freedom of movement of West Bank and Gaza Palestinians. At present,…

Israeli forces killed at least 15 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, most in circumstances that suggest the killings were unlawful. Israeli authorities destroyed homes and other property under discriminatory practices, forcibly displacing hundreds of Palestinian residents in West Bank areas under Israeli control, as well as hundreds of Bedouin citizens of Israel.  In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities took inadequate action against Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinians and damaged their property in 361 incidents as of October 31, the United Nations reported. Israel imposed severe restrictions on Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement, continued to build…

Israeli forces continued to open fire at border areas in the Gaza Strip. 16 civilians were wounded in separate shooting incidents. The wounded included 2 children, 2 journalists and a member of the Interior Ministry. Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protesters in the West Bank. 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded in Bil’in protest. 8 civilians were wounded in other protests in the West Bank, including 2 children, a journalist and a human rights activist.  Israeli forces conducted 59 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 3 civilians were wounded.  41 civilians, including 6 children were…

A new report funded and supported by the UK government that accuses Israel of violating international law with its treatment of Palestinian child detainees was launched in London by a high-profile group of human rights lawyers on Tuesday. The report says Israel is in violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on at least six counts and of the Fourth Geneva Conventionon at least two counts. It lays bare the system of legal apartheid Israel maintains in Palestine. But there is pessimism in some quarters that the report’s recommendations will be implemented. The document has been…

Around 80,000 Palestinians in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) have been without water for more than three days, a report says. According to the report by the Middle East Monitor publication on Saturday, the Israeli water company Gihon made the announcement on Friday. “About 80,000 Palestinians in four Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem and its outskirts have been suffering from complete loss of water for three days,” the Israeli firm’s statement read. The company said the reason for the cut in water supplies is the water infrastructure in the neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the inhabitants at the Palestinian refugee camps of Su’fat, Ras Khamis and…

This report documents the impact of the ongoing Israel-imposed siege on Palestinian civilians, which affects their economic and social conditions.  This report also reveals the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, including the shortages of most commodities due to the decrease of imports to the Gaza Strip through the tunnels on the Palestinian-Egyptian border.  Thus, this report exposes the real conditions of the Gaza population and the Israeli closure imposed on all Gaza’s crossings for 7 years.  It refutes Israel’s claims that it has eased the closure of the Gaza Strip. The following are the most significant…

Key issues ● At least 180 Palestinian-owned trees vandalized by Israeli settlers. ● 23 Palestinian-owned structures demolished in area C and east Jerusalem due to lack of permits, displacing around 30 people, including 18 children. ● Rafah Crossing between Gaza and egypt re-opens for two days for limited cases; thousands on waiting lists to leave. During the reporting period, 42 Palestinians, including 11 children, were injured by Israeli forces in multiple clashes that took place across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Among those injured; 18 were shot with rubber-coated metal bullets, 14 were treated for tear gas inhalation, six…

The outgoing Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard A. Falk, submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 5/1 his last report on the dire conditions under which the Palestinian people have to live.  Falk’s final presentation addresses Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the wall in the eyes of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, and considers Israel’s policies and practices in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) in light of the prohibition on segregation and apartheid. It also addresses concern in relation to…