In recent months, B’Tselem has collected many testimonies from Palestinians in the West Bank about abuse by soldiers. A significant number of the testimonies dealt with events that took place in the area referred to as the Ramin Plain. The area has a dirt road that Palestinians use to avoid the checkpoint near the Einav settlement. Recently, the IDF imposed harsh restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the northwest part of the West Bank. In their testimonies to B’Tselem, the Palestinians described how the soldiers ambushed them on the dirt road along the Ramin Plain, beat and abused them for hours, and damaged their vehicles. Read more about Beatings and abuse on the Ramin Plain, Summer 2006 

Today, the Judge Advocate General’s Office filed an indictment against two soldiers from the Haruv Battalion who had abused Palestinians in Nablus District last month. The soldiers were charged with assault in aggravated circumstances and unbecoming conduct. Recently, B’Tselem uncovered that, in August, a group of soldiers from the battalion had maltreated two Palestinians near a-Naqora, a village in Nablus District. The two filed complaints and turned to B’Tselem. B’Tselem wrote to the Judge Advocate General’s Office and demanded that the matter be investigated. Read more about B'Tselem's investigation leads to indictment of soldiers who abused Palestinians 

In a new piracy crime perpetrated by a state army under orders from the highest levels of a state government, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) raided financial institutions in the cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarm, and Jenin. IOF raided the National Jordanian Bank in Nablus and 11 money exchanges in the four cities. The raiding forces confiscated the property of the raided sites, and detained 7 of their owners. In addition, IOF confiscated 6 million New Israeli Shekels (NIS) (approximately 1.336 million dollars) claiming that the confiscation was based on information that the money exchanges funnel cash to be used in operations against Israeli targets. Read more about IOF Confiscate 6 Million Shekels in Raids on One Bank and 11 Money Exchanges in the West Bank 

In the West Bank, IOF killed 4 Palestinians, including a child. Three of the victims, including two civilian bystanders, were extra-judicially executed by IOF in Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. IOF killed two of these victims after having wounded and captured them. The fourth victim, who was child, was shot dead by IOF in Bethlehem on 12 September 2006. In addition, 22 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and 5 women, were wounded by IOF gunfire. One of them was pronounced clinically dead. In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian civilians was killed by IOF shelling in Rafah on 10 September 2006. Read more about Weekly report of human rights violations 

PCHR’s preliminary investigation and eyewitness accounts indicate that at approximately 13:30 on Friday, 15 September 2006, General El-Tayeh and his four bodyguards were traveling in a grey Audi on Sea Street, near the house of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya in Beach Camp. Gunmen traveling in a green Mitsubishi Magnum intercepted the General’s car and fired heavily at its occupants. Eyewitnesses indicate that the General’s driver lost control of the car, which then swerved to the right and hit the sidewalk. Three masked gunmen got out of the Mitsubishi Magnum and fired heavily at General El-Tayeh and his bodyguards from a distance of one meter, killing them all. Read more about Intelligence general and bodyguards killed in Gaza internal violence 

PCHR strongly condemns the series of attacks launched on a number of churches in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), following a statement by Pope Benedic XVI lately reported by the media. This statement has been met by criticism all over the Islamic World. PCHR believes that such attacks on churches is an extension of the state if security chaos in the OPT, which requires the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to intervene to stop them. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, six churches have been attacked by unknown persons in the past two days in Gaza City, Nablus, Tulkarm and Tubas. Read more about PCHR Condemns Attacks on Palestinian Churches 

Israeli security forces launched attacks that harmed Palestinian medical emergency personnel and damaged ambulances on at least six different occasions in the Gaza Strip between May 30 and July 20, Human Rights Watch said today. Five of the incidents occurred during Israel’s military operations in Gaza that began on June 28, and three of them during the IDF military operation around the Maghazi Refugee Camp that began on July 18. In all of the incidents, the emergency medical personnel said they were responding to Palestinian casualties caused by earlier military activity but had waited for IDF shooting or shelling to stop before attempting to recover casualties. Read more about Human Rights Watch: Don't Fire on Gaza Medics 

Amid widespread sectarian violence in Iraq, Palestinian refugees in Iraq face particularly grave security threats, including targeted killings by mostly Shi’a militant groups and harassment by the Iraqi government, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Countries in the region such as Jordan and Syria must open their borders to Iraqi Palestinians at risk, and the international community must urgently respond to their plight by providing financial assistance to the host countries and third-country resettlement opportunities on a humanitarian basis. Read more about Palestinians in Iraq under attack, but unable to flee