Updates

Economic & Social Rights

New report: Made in Israel: Exploiting Palestinian Land for Treatment of Israeli Waste

A new B’Tselem report, Made in Israel, reveals how Israel exploits the West Bank to treat waste – including hazardous waste – generated in Israel. In so doing, Israel abuses its power as an occupying power. It exposes the Palestinian residents – who are excluded from the decision-making process – to environmental and health hazards. This reality is simply one more facet of the exploitative policy Israel has practiced consistently for fifty years now, using Palestinian space and people to further its own interests, as if the West Bank were its sovereign territory.

5 December 2017

Hebron City Center

Occupation routine in Hebron: Soldiers harass teachers and children at school

In October and November 2017, B'Tselem documented four instances in which Israeli soldiers harassed Palestinian students and teachers crossing through a gate installed between their school and the road leading to the settlement of Kiryat Arba. These restrictions compound the constant harassment of Palestinian residents by security forces and settlers in Hebron. This intolerable reality has driven many Palestinians out of central Hebron and caused a economic collapse of the city center – effectively a form of silent transfer.

3 December 2017

The Gaza Strip

Untreated – Israel denies critically-ill patients from exiting Gaza for medical treatment

Faten Ahmad, 26, from Gaza, died of cancer in August. As the treatment she needed was unavailable in Gaza, she asked to receive it in East Jerusalem. Only one of her nine applications for a permit to leave Gaza was accepted. Every year, thousands apply to receive critical medical treatment in Israel or the West Bank. Last year, about half were not answered or were refused. Responsibility for conditions in Gaza, including the level of healthcare there, lies with Israel. Approving these requests is not an act of grace but a legal and moral duty.

3 December 2017

East Jerusalem

Israeli police violently arrest dozens of Palestinians, including minors, at al-Aqsa Mosque

After two weeks of restrictions on access to al-Aqsa Mosque following the killing of Israeli police officers there, about 120 Palestinians planned to stay in the mosque overnight on 27 July 2017, fearing they would not be allowed in for Friday prayers the next day. The police raided the mosque and arrested all present. The treatment reported by several arrested minors is consistent with Israel’s well-documented policy of systemically violating the rights of hundreds of Palestinian teens a year, under a formalistic guise of legality.

29 November 2017

Communities Facing Expulsion

Israeli military imposes severe travel restrictions on 4 Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta

Since 9 Nov. 2017, the military has restricted movement in four communities in the Masafer Yatta region of the South Hebron Hills, which are home to some 600 people. The roads connecting the communities and leading to the main road have been blocked off, forcing residents to walk a fair distance to the main road. These communities have been suffering incessant harassment for decades: Israel will not allow them to connect to infrastructure and repeatedly demolishes their homes, in an attempt to drive them out of the area.

27 November 2017

Hebron City Center

Hebron routine: minors arrested in city center after clashes with soldiers

On Friday afternoon, 13 Oct. 2017, youths threw stones at soldiers in the Bab a-Zawiya area in the center of Hebron. The soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets and stun grenades and violently detained 18 youths, most of them minors. Soldiers routinely enter Hebron, disrupting residents’ lives and arresting youths. No-one explained what was happening to the youths or allowed them to call their families, and they were interrogated without an attorney or family member. This reality forms part of the daily routine of occupation.

24 November 2017

Communities Facing Expulsion

Israel is so confident of its ability to expel Palestinian communities that it no longer even bothers to create the illusion of legal proceeding

Over the past month, the state has informed three Palestinian communities that it intends to expel them from their homes and land. The notification was made by leaving orders on the roadside. Whatever the proceedings used by the state in its attempt to expel Palestinian residents from their homes, the crime is the same: the forcible transfer of a protected population, which amounts to a war crime. This is the case whether the violence used is direct or indirect, physical or administrative. Whether the expulsion is undertaken by force or by creating an intolerable reality that forces the residents to leave their homes and land – the essence is the same.

22 November 2017

Minors

The a-Sheikh Jarah neighborhood of East Jerusalem: Police arrest two brothers, 13 and 15, and assault their mother

On 8 Sept. 2017, during a demonstration in the a-Sheikh Jarah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, police officers arrested ‘A.H., 15, assaulted his mother, and released him an hour later. They also arrested his brother M.H., 13, interrogated him, and obtained his signature on a statement written in Hebrew. He was released on bail at about 10:30 PM and spent five days under house arrest. This conduct is consistent with Israel’s policy on the detention of minors in East Jerusalem, which entails the systematic violation of their rights.

20 November 2017

A Routine Founded on Violence

The occupation routine in Balata Refugee Camp near Nablus: Army regularly accompanies hundreds of Jewish worshippers to “Joseph’s Tomb,” imposing draconian restrictions on the residents

During August-October 2017, B'Tselem documented incidents in which soldiers accompanied Jewish worshippers on visits to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus, imposing sweeping restrictions on the movement of Palestinian residents. The army uses tear gas against youth who confront it and sometimes shoots them. Israel consistently places the interests of the worshippers over those of Palestinian residents, as part of the violent daily routine it has maintained in the Territories for fifty years.

19 November 2017

Settler Violence = State Violence

Route 60: Settlers attack family with stones, injuring girl aged 5 in the head

On 5 Oct. 2017, members of the Jabber family from al-Baq’ah near Hebron were returning home from a family visit. Near the access road to their village they encountered settlers, one of whom threw a rock at their car. Two of the passengers were injured and required treatment. Yafa Jabber, 5, was injured in the head, and her aunt, Shirin Jabber, was injured in the elbow. This is the latest in a series of violent attacks by settlers along Route 60 and elsewhere in the West Bank.

14 November 2017

A Routine Founded on Violence

Beit Ummar: Soldiers arrest boy aged 13

On 16 Oct. 2017, Khaled Bahar, aged 13, and his cousin ‘Abed Bahar., 12, were chatting with other youths from the area. Soldiers approached, seized Khaled Bahar by the arm and took him to the nearby settlement of Carmei Tzur. He was handcuffed and blindfolded for hours and interrogated for approximately four hours before being released at 2:00 AM. This incident is not unusual: soldiers routinely enter Beit Ummar, disrupting the residents’ lives, arresting youths, and searching homes. This conduct forms part of the daily implementation of the occupation regime.

8 November 2017

A Routine Founded on Violence

Police officers assault girl aged 15 in her home and take her for interrogation

On 22 Aug. 2017 police officers came to a family home in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem. They put a gun to the head of the father, locked the rest of the family in the kitchen, and searched the house. They then assaulted the mother and her daughter, aged 15, shackled the daughter, and took her away for interrogation. The daughter was released after interrogation. Such behavior forms part of official Israeli policy in East Jerusalem that entails the systemic violation of the rights of minors during detention.

7 November 2017

Settler Violence = State Violence

Route 60: Settlers throw stones at three Palestinians, injuring one seriously in the head

On the night of 5 Oct. 2017 settlers threw stones at a car carrying three Palestinians close to the settlement of Shilo on Route 60. Muhammad Jarar’ah, 29, was struck in the head and injured seriously, requiring surgery. Although a complaint was submitted the next day, the police have not collected statements from the victims. This conduct is consistent with experience, which shows that it is extremely unlikely that the police will investigate attacks on Palestinians by settlers. As a result, such attacks will continue undisturbed.

26 October 2017

Medical treatment

Soldiers shoot Raed Salhi in a-Duheisheh Refugee Camp without any justification during detention operation; Raed died of his injuries one month later

On 9 Aug. 2017 soldiers shot Raed Salhi, 21, as he attempted to flee during a detention operation in Duheisheh Refugee Camp. The soldiers later shot at his brother when he came to help Raed, who was only evacuated to hospital in Israel after 40 minutes. The medical team prevented Raed’s parents from visiting him and failed to update them on his condition and treatment. His brother was detained without trial and his mother was prohibited from entering Israel. Once again, no-one will be held responsible for the lethal and illegal shooting.

26 October 2017

Beating and Abuse

New report: Unprotected - The Detention of Palestinian Teenagers in East Jerusalem

A new report published today by human rights NGOs HaMoked and B’Tselem reveals broad, systemic abuse by Israeli authorities of the human rights of hundreds of Palestinian teenagers arrested every year in East Jerusalem. Affidavits were collected from 60 such boys: they described being pulled out of bed in the middle of the night, handcuffed, interrogated in violation of their rights, then kept in custody under harsh conditions, sometimes for extended periods of time. These practices are part of Israeli policy, which considers the Palestinians living in East Jerusalem unwanted residents.

24 October 2017

Area C

Israeli CA demolishes the homes of two families in Masafer Yatta

This morning, 19 October 2017, at 10:30 AM, Civil Administration officials together with a military detail, arrived at the community of Khirbet al-Halawah, in the Masafer Yatta region in the south Hebron Hills. The forces demolished the homes of two families, leaving 18 people, including eight minors, homeless. The demolition was captured on video by B’Tselem field-researcher Nasser Nawaj'ah. Residents in the area have been victims of repeated harassment by the Israeli authorities, who declared a large part of the area as a firing zone in the late 70s, and have been working to expel residents ever since.

19 October 2017

Area C

16-year-old Palestinian killed by unexploded ammunition left behind after Israeli military trains on pastureland

On 22 July 2017, three residents of Khirbet Ibziq in the northern Jordan Valley were grazing their flocks on nearby pastureland when a dud - unexploded munitions - went off, killing ‘Udai Nawaj’ah, 16. At least two other Palestinians have been killed in the Jordan Valley in similar circumstances since 2014. The military trains close to Palestinian communities as part of a policy aimed at taking over the area, and does not make sure to remove unexploded ammunition. This illegal practice violates the residents’ rights and endangers their lives.

17 October 2017

Area C

Civil Administration demolished the homes of four families in Jabal al-Baba

This morning, at around 7:00 AM, Civil Administration officials, together with security forces and four bulldozers arrived at the Jabal al-Baba community near ‘Eizariyah, northeast of Jerusalem. The forces destroyed three pre-fab homes that housed four families, leaving 27 people, including 18 children and youths, homeless. The forces also demolished two bathroom stalls donated by a humanitarian aid organization. The most recent abuse the community was subjected to by the authorities was on 11 September 2017 when forces confiscated equipment used to repair the community’s access road.

16 October 2017

Harassment

Israeli military disrupts life of ~6,500 Palestinians in Kafr a-Dik for 40 days

For 40 days, as of 11 August 2017, the military closed off the main entrance by car to Kafr a-Dik, a village west of Salfit, on the grounds that local youths had thrown suspect objects and Molotov cocktails at Route 446, which is used by settlers. For over a month, the military casually disrupted the lives of some 6,500 Palestinians who were not suspected of any wrongdoing. There can be no moral or legal justification for this cynical abuse of military power.

3 October 2017

Economic & Social Rights

Maryam Abu Yusef from a-Nuseirat R.C. describes coping with power and water shortages in Gaza

Maryam Abu Yusef, 67, a mother of five from a-Nuseirat R.C in Gaza, has to plan her life around the limited hours when her home receives electricity and water. Both vital services are provided only once every few days, and not always together. The family does not receive enough water, and what they do get is unfit for drinking. This forces them pay large sums of money to purchase additional water privately.

3 October 2017

The Gaza Strip

Najah al-Katnani, 55, a mother of nine from Gaza City, describes being cut off from her family in the West Bank

Najah al-Katnani was born in al-Jalazun refugee camp in the West Bank. In 1975 she married and moved to Gaza City with her husband. At the time, she and her family could travel freely between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. After the first intifada, Israel imposed restrictions on such passage. The restrictions were tightened after the second intifada, and Israel now permits passage only in “humanitarian cases.” Gaza residents are prevented from visiting their relatives in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.

3 October 2017

Planning Policy in the West Bank

40,000 Palestinians Collectively Punished after Har Adar Attack

On Tuesday, 26 September, Nimer Mahmoud Jamal, 37, from Beit Surik carried out an attack in the settlement of Har Adar, killing a Border Police officer and two settlement security guards: Sgt. Solomon Gavryia, 20, Yusef Othman, 25 and Or Arish, 25. Border Police officers and the settlement security coordinator – who himself had been moderately hurt during the incident according to the police – shot and killed Jamal. Immediately following the attack, the military implemented punitive measures against the residents of nine villages in the area of Beit Surik, northwest of Jerusalem, totaling about 40,000 people. The military’s actions included raids on villages and homes, damaging property in some cases, scores of arrests, as well as movement restrictions.

28 September 2017

Area C

B’Tselem: Israel is asking the High Court’s permission to commit war crime

B'Tselem Executive Director, Hagai El-Ad said, following the State's response submitted earlier today to the High Court of Justice, that the state was asking the court to authorize a war crime: "No sanctimonious language about a ‘planning, proprietary and realistic’ alternate, or ‘time to prepare’ can erase the disgrace or hide the facts: the destruction of Khan al-Ahmar means the forcible transfer of protected persons, and forcible transfer is a war crime. Those responsible for it will bear personal criminal liability – exactly as B’Tselem stated two weeks ago, in a letter addressed to the prime minister, defense minister, justice minister, chief of staff and the head of the Civil Administration."

24 September 2017