The Israeli Attacks on Palestinians has escalated in 2012

June 1, 2012

the Israeli Occupation aggressions all around Palestine, whether lands occupied in 1948, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, or Gaza Strip continue unabated; the Palestinians were subjected to house demolitions, forced demolitions, demolition threats, evictions, and seizures in addition to attacks against Palestinian lands using the worst and most inhuman of methods; all that to serve the Israeli purpose of cleansing the lands and expand standing colonies.

Since the beginning of the year 2012, the Israeli policy towards Palestinian property has been applied; the following is a summary of the Israeli aggressions since the beginning of 2012, based on the field research and observations conducted by the monitoring Israeli violations of human rights team of LRC:

The right to residency: several violations of the right to residency took place in various ways, including:

Demolishing 78 residences, rendering 545 including 323 children homeless. 219 other structures, benefiting 1476 people including 914 children were also demolished.

Threatening 368 residences of demolition or eviction or ordering the immediate stoppage of any construction; the residences are inhabited by a total of 3199 people including 1977 children; on the other hand, 190 other structures, benefiting 1676 people including 946 children, received similar threats.

Seizing 5 Palestinian residences, 3 in the Occupied City of Jerusalem and 2 in Hebron in addition to confiscating 17 residential tents in Tubas

House demolitions is a breach of all the humanitarian laws and conventions including Article 53 of the Geneva Fourth Convention stating: ‘Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.’

Aggressions on Palestinian Lands:

8300 dunums of agricultural lands were targeted, 332 dunums for colonization purposes, 1431 dunums for the construction of the segregation wall, 6404 dunums subjected to eviction according to military orders issued upon the claim that the lands are ‘state property’. In addition, Israeli colonists attempted to lay their control over 4600 dunums by planting them, fencing them, etc.

Ravaging 4482 trees by torching, uprooting, cutting, toxicating, or soaking with sewage of which most are olive trees; 3435 trees were fully damaged.

Confiscating machineries and equipment including 10 water tankers, 7 tractors, 2 dozers, 1 jackhammer, 4 cases of tools theft, 10,000 of irrigation pipelines, and 50 iron corners.

380 dunums were damaged, 150 dunums used were used as military training ground; in addition to leveling 100 dunums of grain fields and using 50 dunums as herding areas for colonists cattle as well as soaking 70 dunums with sewage and setting ten dunums of grain fields ablaze.

Land confiscation is a breach of article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stating: ‘(1) everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.’

Movement restrictions: The Israeli Occupation Authorities are strangling the Occupied City of Jerusalem by wrapping it with the segregation wall; people living in the West bank and Gaza strip are prohibited from entering the City.

Random checkpoints are being placed in random area around the West Bank on daily basis with the purpose of arrests, maltreatment of Palestinians, and /or obstructing their movement; however, Israeli measures are stricter on the permanent checkpoints placed on the entrances of Palestinian towns, cities, and villages. on the other hand, 15 entrances to Palestinian residential areas were blocked with earth mounds or cement blocks while only one block was removed.

Movement restrictions of any type areas a breach of article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stating:

(1) everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.’

it is also a breach of article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights stating: ‘1. Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence.

2. Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own.’