The United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine this morning heard a number of panellists discuss the responsibility of governments and intergovernmental organizations in upholding international law in relation to the implementation of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the construction of a wall in the occupied Palestinian territory. Georges Abi-Saab, Honorary Professor of International Law at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, said States had an obligation to do something to deter a violation such as the building of the wall by cutting off the funds used for that construction. Read more about UN Meeting on Question of Palestine discusses responsibility of governments in upholding international law
This week Israeli forces killed 3 Palestinian civilians, including two children. Israel has continued the construction of the Wall in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces confiscated more Palestinian land for this purpose. Israel isolates Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. Israeli forces conducted a number of military operations in Palestinian areas. Israeli forces raided homes and arrested at least 40 Palestinian civilians. Israeli forces continued to shell residential areas, seriously wounding a child in Rafah. Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank. In the meantime, Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied territories. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
Michael F. Brown, Ali Abunimah and Nigel Parry1 March 2005
The population of Palestinians living in Israel, the Occupied Gaza Strip, Occupied East Jerusalem and rest of the Occupied West Bank combined now exceeds the number of Israeli Jews, a U.S. government report has revealed. The Palestinian population stands at more than 5.3 million while the Jewish population stands at 5.2 million. The figures come from the U.S. State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004. The report provided population figures for each of these territorial units separately but failed to connect all the dots to arrive at the explosive new demographic reality. Read more about EI EXCLUSIVE: Palestinian population exceeds Jewish population says U.S. government
A Palestinian civilian died from a previous injury he had sustained by IOF; Continued shelling of residential areas in the Gaza Strip; 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were seriously injured; Construction of the “annexation wall” in the West Bank has continued and more areas of Palestinian land were confiscated for this purpose; IOF conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas; Houses were raided and a number of Palestinian civilians were arrested; Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank; IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have continued to close a number of roads since the beginning of the current Intifada, IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions at Rafah International Crossing Point, and IOF positioned at checkpoints arrested a number of Palestinian civilians. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) welcomes the decision of the Israeli Army to halt its policy of demolishing Palestinian houses either as punishment for acts of violence or as a deterrent measure. This policy constituted a clear violation of international law, both because it by-passed due process of law in cases where perpetrators were punished before being tried and because it constitutes collective punishment against the families of perpetrators who are innocent of any crime. Read more about A small but welcome step
4 Palestinians, including 2 children, were killed by IOF; IOF conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas; Houses were raided and at least 10 Palestinian civilians were arrested; Continued shelling of residential areas, and a Palestinian child was injured in Khan Yunis; Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank; Construction of the “annexation wall” in the West Bank has continued and more areas of Palestinian land were confiscated for this purpose in Jerusalem and Jenin; IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have continued to close a number of roads since the beginning of the current Intifada and Palestinians aged 16-35 have been prevented from traveling through Rafah International Crossing Point, and a number of Palestinian civilians were arrested at checkpoints. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
Despite ongoing understandings between the Israeli and Palestinian sides on a ceasefire, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have launched more attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). This week, 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed by IOF. Human rights violations perpetrated by IOF included incursions into Palestinian areas, indiscriminate shelling and total closure imposed on Palestinian communities. IOF have also continued to construct the annexation wall inside the West Bank territory. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
According to the International Red Cross (ICRC), approximately 8,500 inhabitants of the occupied Palestinian territories — among them more than a hundred women and almost 500 children — sit for “security reasons” in Israeli jails. ICRC found in a 1999 survey that almost half of all men below 40 years have been in Israeli prisons, many of them several times. Prison experience is no exception out here, it’s the norm. In the following interview, a recently released prisoner from Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus — the largest camp in the occupied West Bank — talks about his experiences and the difficulties that one faces during and after imprisonment. Read more about Prison experience as a normal part of life
This week, Israeli forces killed 8 Palestinians, including 3 children and two mentally handicapped. One of the victim was killed when the tent where he was detained in an Israeli prison burnt. Israeli forces conducted a number of incursions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Houses were raided and dozens of Palestinian civilians were arrested. Israel continued shelling of residential areas, which killed a child when she was at school. Israel continued the construction of the Wall in the West Bank. Israeli forces continued to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. They have continued to close the Karni crossing to the east of Gaza for the third week. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
Ten-year-old Nuran Iyad Dib went to school as ecstatic as any schoolgirl should be. But this crisp winter day was special: she would receive her bi-annual report card. As it turned out, she passed with flying colors, which meant a gift from her parents, who had been saving up their dwindling funds for this occasion. The teacher’s comment on top of her report read: We predict a very bright future for Nuran. But Nuran would have no such future, and her gift lies abandoned in a corner of her family’s grieving home. On the afternoon of 31 January 2005, Israeli sniper fire ripped through her face as she stood in her school’s courtyard, lining up for afternoon assembly. Read more about Killing of Palestinian girl shatters family
