Escalation of Attacks by the Israeli Navy on the CPS Gaza Boat‬‏

‪Escalation of Attacks by the Israeli Navy on the CPS Gaza Boat‬‏:

"cpsgaza on Jul 23, 2011

Footage of the second water-cannon attack by the Israeli navy against
the Civil Peace Service Gaza boat 'Oliva' on Thursday, July 14, 2011.
The camera used was lost in the sea when the crew evacuated the
'Oliva,' recovered in a fishing net, and returned on Wednesday, July
20. http://cpsgaza.org http://cpsgaza.org http://facebook.com/cpsgaza http://twitter.com/cpsgaza



Israeli navy attacks “Oliva” boat
[ 20/07/2011 - 11:04 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli navy forces attacked the international boat, Oliva, run by human rights activists to monitor Israeli violations against Palestinian fishermen, on Wednesday inflicting damage to it.

Sources in the marine police told the PIC reporter that the Israeli navy chased the boat then attacked it, adding that several international activists were onboard.

The navy used water cannons against the boat causing damage to its engine, they said, adding that the activists boarded a fishing boat to return to Gaza while Oliva was towed to shore by another boat.

The boat started to accompany Palestinian fishing boats and fishermen, subject to constant violations and attacks by the Israeli navy, several weeks ago to protect Palestinian fishermen and monitor Israeli violations against them.


Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (14– 20 July 2011)
Thursday, 21 July 2011 00:00
Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

· A Palestinian worker was killed when Israeli warplanes bombarded a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.

· 9 Palestinians, including 6 civilians, were wounded by IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

· Israeli warplanes attacked a number of civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip.

- 3 training sites and a number of tunnels were destroyed.

· IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.

- A Palestinian civilian was wounded.

- Dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

· Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in the Gaza Strip.

· IOF conducted 32 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and two limited ones into the Gaza Strip.

- IOF arrested 13 Palestinian civilians, including a child.

- Golden jewels were stolen from a house in Tallouza village near Nablus.

· Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

- IOF arrested one Palestinian civilian at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

- IOF confiscated more irrigation networks in al-Baq’a area near Hebron.

- 3,000 olive trees were burnt in Bourin village, south of Nablus.

- Israeli settlers attacked 3 Palestinian shepherds and injured two of them.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (14 – 20 July 2011):

Shooting:

During the reporting period, IOF killed a Palestinian worker in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. They also wounded 10 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

On 14 July 2011, Israeli warplanes fired a missile at a tunnel on the Egyptian border near Saladin Gate in the south of Rafah. The tunnel was destroyed and a worker was missing. Palestinian medical crews were able to find his body at approximately on 16 July 2011. Additionally, 5 Palestinians were wounded.

On 16 July 2011, an activist of al-Qauds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) was wounded when an Israeli drone fired a missile at him in the northern Gaza Strip.

On 18 July 2011, two activists of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) were wounded when an Israeli drone fired a missile at them in the southern Gaza Strip.

During the reporting period, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in the Gaza Strip in two separate incidents. In one of these attacks, on 14 July 2011, Israeli gunboats attacked Palestinian fishing boats and an international boat, Oliva, which monitors Israeli attacked against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip. Three fishing boats and Oliva were damaged.

During the reporting period, Israeli warplanes attacked a number of targets throughout the Gaza Strip. As a result of these attacks, 3 training sites of resistance groups and a number of tunnels on the Egyptian border were destroyed.

In the West Bank, during the reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. As a result, a Palestinian civilian was wounded and dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation. IOF also arrested two Palestinian civilians and an Israeli human rights defender.

On 18 July 2011, a Palestinian civilian was wounded in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, when IOF fired at Palestinian civilians who were participating in a funeral procession of a dead Palestinian.

Incursions:

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 32 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 13 Palestinian civilians, including a child. They also stolen golden jewels, whose value is estimated at US$ 7,000 from a house in Tallouza village near Nablus.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted two limited incursion into the southern and central Gaza Strip, during which they leveled areas of Palestinian land.

Restrictions on Movement:

Israel had continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza Strip

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

· IOF have tightened the closure of the Gaza Strip and practically made Karm Abu Salem crossing as the sole commercial crossing of the Gaza Strip although it is not proper for commercial purposes in terms of its distance and operational capacity.

· IOF have continued to apply their policy aimed at tightening the strangulation of the commercial movement in the Gaza Strip, including imposing total control over the flow of imports and exports.

· The total closure of al-Mentar "Karni" crossing on 02 March 2011 has created a bitter situation that has seriously affected the Gaza Strip. Following this closure, all the economic and commercial establishments in Gaza Commercial Zone were shut off. It should be noted that al-Mentar crossing is the biggest crossing in the Gaza Strip in terms of its operational capacity to absorb the flow of imports and exports. The decision of al-Mentar crossing was the culmination of a series of decisions to totally close Soafa crossing, east of the Gaza Strip, in the beginning of 2009, and Nahal Oz crossing, east of Gaza City, which was dedicated for the delivery of fuel and cooking gas to the Gaza Strip, in the beginning of 2010.

· These statistics which were made available to PCHR by the Border and Crossings Department indicate a continued drop in the number of truckloads of Gaza imports and exports.

· IOF have continued to impose total ban on the delivery of raw materials to the Gaza Stri, except for very limited items and quantities. The limited quantities of raw materials allowed into Gaza do not meet the minimal needs of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.

· The cooking gas crisis which has erupted last November has continued to affect the Gaza Strip. This crisis was created when the Israeli occupation authorities totally closed, on 04 January 2010, Nahal Oz crossing, which used to be dedicated for the delivery of fuel and cooking gas supplies to Gaza, and shifted fuel and cooking gas supplies to Karm Abu Salem crossing which is not technically equipped to receive Gaza's needs of fuel. Karm Abu Salem crossing, with its maximum absorptive capacity, can receive only 200 tons of cooking gas per day.

· Approximately 80% of Gaza civilians have continued to depend on alimentary aid provided by UNRWA and other relief agencies, rates of families who are living below poverty line have continued to be on the rise and approximately 40% of Gaza's manpower has continued to suffer from permanent unemployment as a result of shutting down the majority of Gaza's economic establishments.

· IOF have continued to impose a total ban on the exportation of Gaza's products, especially industrial products, leading to undermining any real chances to rerun economic establishments. The situation has been aggravated especially after making Karm Abu Salem crossing as Gaza sole commercial crossing and the repeated closure of this crossing which negatively affected the quantity of Gazan products which were allowed to be exported during last April.

· IOF have continued to prolong the implementation of their decision to allow 60 cars into Gaza weekly although more than 11 months have passed since they announced this decision after three years of ban imposed on the delivery of cars to Gaza. As a result, the prices of cars in Gaza have been on the rise and local markets experience serious shortage in spare parts.

· For approximately four consecutive years, IOF have continued to ban the delivery of construction materials to Gaza. During the reporting period, IOF approved the delivery of limited quantities of construction materials for a number of international organizations.

· Israel has continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian civilians from the Gaza Strip. IOF only allow the movement of limited groups amidst severe restrictions, including long hours of waiting in the majority of cases. IOF have also continued to adopt a policy aimed at reducing the number of Palestinian patients allowed to move via Beit Hanoun crossing to receive medical treatment in hospitals in Israel or in the West Bank and Jerusalem. IOF denied new categories of Gazan patient permission to have access to hospitals via the crossing.

· Israel has imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip.

· For approximately 47 months, IOF have continued to deny approximately 710 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza detained in Israeli jails their visitation rights without providing any justification to this measure, which violates the rules of the international humanitarian law.

West Bank

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

· IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying in the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

· There are approximately 585 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank.

· When complete, the illegal annexation wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, confiscating more Palestinian land.

· At least 65% of the main roads that lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF.

· There are approximately 500 kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without permits issued by IOF. Such permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

· IOF continue to harass and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the annexation wall.

· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.

Settlement Activities:

Israel has continued its settlement activities in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law, and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

On 15 July 2011, at least 10 Israeli settlers from “Yits’har” settlement, south of Nablus, set fire to olive trees in al-Khirnaqa area in the south of Bourin village. Palestinian fire fighters were able to extinguish fire, but after at least 3,000 olives trees had been burnt.

On 17 July 2011, bulldozers belonging to Israeli settlers razed large areas of Palestinian land in the east of Sa’ir village, northeast of Hebron, for the purpose of expanding “Asfar” settlement to the east of the village. These areas of land belong to the Shalalda family. When owners of the land attempted to stop such attacks on their lands, armed Israeli settlers stopped them and called Israeli soldiers who expelled them from their lands. On Monday and Tuesday, the bulldozers, continued to raze areas of land. The bulldozers razed at least 5 dunums[1] of Palestinian land.

On 18 July 2011, a number of Israeli settlers from “Maghroun” settlement, southeast of Ramallah, attacked 3 Palestinian shepherds from Mikhmas village. The settlers used stones and sharp tools in their attack. As a result, two shepherds were injured.

On 19 July 2011, IOF moved into al-Baq’a area, east of Hebron. They dismantled irrigation network from Palestinian agricultural plots and confiscated them. According to various sources, IOF dismantled irrigation networks that covered a 25-donum area of agricultural land planted with grapes and vegetables belonging to the al-Rajabi family. This operation has been the fourth of its kind since the beginning of this year in this area, which is located near bypass road #60. (read more here)


- Sent using Google Toolbar"

The views expressed by the authors and/or contributors on this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of Palestine Video or the other contributors thereof.

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog. Activist and Other Videos on Palestine