81 British Members of Parliament representing all the major parties have supported an Early Day Motion expressing grave human rights concerns with Israel’s possible decision to renew Israel’s Citizenship and Family Unification Law. The British MP’s wrote “That this House expresses grave concerns that the Israeli Government is due to renew the Citizenship and Family Unification Law in July; notes that the law clearly discriminates against Israeli citizens of Palestinian origin and their spouses by denying Israeli citizenship or residency status to spouses of Israeli citizens who are residents of the West Bank or Gaza”. Read more about 81 British Members of Parliament Expresss Human Rights Concerns With Israel's Citizenship and Family Unification Law
A Christian Aid delegation has been fired upon by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip. The fact-finding team was visiting Rafah in the south to see the extent of the destruction from last month’s military incursions. The fact-finding team was visiting Rafah in the south to see the extent of the destruction from last month’s military incursions. Sarah Malian, communications officer for the Middle East, says she saw the impact of bullets three meters from where she was standing. ‘We were all very shaken,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe they fired at us. We were clearly civilians. We were surrounded by children at the time.’ Read more about Israeli soldiers shoot at Christian Aid observers
Arriving in al-Bea’neh the next day, I saw the old man whose home had been torn down beginning to replant new olive trees. Despite the beatings, there was this sense of optimism, regeneration and a sense of the community coming together to respond in a productive way. In the village council office, they discussed the brutal Israeli policy of home demolitions over Arabic coffee and Gauloise cigarettes before setting off on a 2,000 person demonstration with the residents. On the table were tear gas canisters used by the police the day before which were clearly marked that they had been manufactured in the United States. Read more about Anatomy of a Home Demolition
On Monday evening, 28 June 2004, the Israeli High Court issued a temporary injunction stopping seizure of large areas of Palestinian land near a settler road in al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis, leading to Kissufim crossing on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. According to preliminary PCHR’s investigations, on 16 and 17 June 2004, a number of Palestinians living on the northern and southern sides of the aforementioned road received notices that their lands would be seized for military purposes according to a military order issued by the Israeli military commander in the Gaza Strip. These notices gave these Palestinians 7 days to appeal against the order. Read more about PCHR gets Temporary Injunction Stopping Seizure of Land in al-Qarara
17-23 June 2004. This week 4 Palestinian civilians were killed by Israeli troops, one of the victims was killed in an extra-judicial assassination. Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. At least 400 donums[1] of agricultural land were razed and 3 houses were destroyed in the Gaza Strip. Two houses were destroyed in Khan Yunis by Israeli troops in the context of retaliatory measures against families of Palestinian activists. Israeli troops used a child as a human shield during a military operation in the OPTs. Israeli forces continued to shell Palestinian residential areas injuring a number of Palestinian civilians. Construction of the “Annexation wall” in the West Bank has continued and more areas of Palestinian land were seized. Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a total siege on the OPTs. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
On Monday, 22 June 2004, PCHR received Professor John Dugard, UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). In his visit to PCHR, Mr. Dugard was accompanied by his aide Ms Darka Tubali, and Dr. Othman Hassan, Director of the Office of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights to the Palestinain Authority. Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, and other members of the Board of Administration met with the visitors. This visit comes in the context of a mission by Mr. Dugard to investigate Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPTs, especially following the latest Israeli offensive on Rafah. Read more about PCHR Receives UN Special Rapporteur for the OPTs
PCHR is gravely concerned at the deaths of a number of Palestinians in Nablus. According to preliminary investigations carried out by PCHR an IOF incursion began on Thursday the 24th of June. A military siege was imposed on the city. All access to the old city was cut off through the use of temporary roadblocks built with sand, concrete rubble and barbed wire. Israeli troops threw handheld explosive devices in the direction of a small room inside a house. The explosion killed six people who were in a tunnel under the room. They six were identified as being members of the Fatah movement, Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Read more about 6 Palestinians Extrajudicially Executed in Nablus
Israeli occupying forces escalated attacks on the Gaza Strip in the last 12 hours., This follows from an attack carried out by Palestinian militants on an Israeli military post north of Khan Yunis. IOF killed 3 Palestinians, including an 11-year-old child, and wounded 7 others, including another child, in Khan Yunis. Israeli helicopter gunships also attacked and destroyed 2 civilian facilities in Gaza City. In the meantime, Israeli troops are destroying houses and razing areas of agricultural land near the Israeli military post that had been attacked. PCHR is deeply concerned at this continued policy of collective punishment by Israeli troops against Palestinian civilians and their properties. Read more about 3 Palestinians Killed and a Number of Houses and Civilian Facilities Destroyed
Israeli public pressure on Sharon’s militarised regime to withdraw from Gaza and the occupied territories is growing. This comes not only from civilians and organisations active in the peace movement, but — to the great alarm of an Israeli government with deep military links — also from the country’s military and security forces. Reservists and soldiers are not prepared to die for the settlers in Gaza. Adri Nieuwhof and Jeff Handmaker say Sharon would be foolish not to heed the similar experiences of other leaders who faced growing resentment from their army and police commanders as their militarised policies failed. Read more about Sharon shows no respect for democratic principles
This week Israeli forces killed 8 Palestinians, including a child. Four Palestinians were killed in two extra-judicial assassinations. Israeli forces invaded Palestinian areas, razed agricultural lands and demolished twelve homes in the Gaza Strip. In Bethlehem Israeli forces demolished two homes. Israeli forces continue to shell Palestinian residential areas. This week a number of Palestinians were injured in such shelling. Israel continues to construct its Apartheid Wall on occupied Palestinian territory and continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
