A Special Issue on the 7th Anniversary of the al-Aqsa Intifada

[sister herb]

The Intifada Enters Its Eighth Year and Criminals Remain Free of Punishment
by PCHR​

This report coincides with the 7th anniversary of the eruption of the al-Aqsa Intifada, which broke out following the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s provocative visit to al-Aqsa Mosque (the Holy Sanctuary) in occupied Jerusalem. Over the last 7 years, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have perpetrated grave breaches of international law, including war crimes, against Palestinian civilians, in a manner unprecedented since 1967. The international community has remained silent and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 failed to meet their obligations to ensure respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and provide protection for Palestinian civilians. The international silence has served to encourage the Israeli government and its occupation forces to perpetrate more war crimes with impunity against Palestinian civilians.

Over the past 7 years, IOF have employed its full-fledged arsenal against Palestinian civilians and property in the OPT. IOF have also attacked medical crews and journalists and killed and wounded a number of them. PCHR believes that the international failure to punish Israeli war criminals to apply the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949 in the OPT is a form of permission for more killings.

The 7th year of the Intifada has been the worst for the Gaza Strip. IOF hand continued to impose a total siege on the Gaza Strip, isolating it from the outside world, and forcing nearly 1.5 million Palestinians to live in a big jail under severe humanitarian conditions. IOF closed all border crossing of the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip on 14 June 2007. Israeli policy peaked with declaring the Gaza Strip as “an enemy entity.” Although such declaration does not bring any new, as IOF have effectively dealt with the Gaza Strip as an enemy entity, it implies more sanctions against the Palestinian civilian population. IOF have allowed the entry of limited food and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip. The total siege imposed on the Gaza Strip has impacted all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip and has violated Palestinian economic and social rights. Moreover, IOF have continued to prevent Palestinians from the Gaza Strip from travelling to religious sites in Jerusalem. They have only allowed a few number of Christians to travel to the West Bank during Christian occasions.

In the West Bank, IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in violation of international law and humanitarian law and the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on 9 July 2004, which considers the Wall illegal.

In the 7th year of the Intifadah, IOF have continued to move into Palestinian communities and kill and arrest Palestinian civilians. IOF have also continued to impose severe restrictions on internal movement inside the West Bank. They have divided the West Bank into 5 separate partitions through a network of checkpoints and barriers. They are currently at least 40 permanent checkpoints and at least 15 temporary ones in the West Bank. These figures do not include checkpoints erected along the border between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. IOF have also closed scores of roads with barriers, including sand hills, cement blocks, iron gates and trenches. By the end of 7th year of the Intifada, the number of checkpoints in the West Bank has been 546.

IOF have maintained policies aimed at the Judaization of Jerusalem. They have continued to construct the Annexation Wall around the city and take a series of measures against its Palestinian population. They have cut off the city from its Palestinian surroundings and expanded settlements around the town.

In the 7th year of the Intifada, 470 Palestinians, including 344 civilians (73%) have been killed by IOF. The number of civilian victims includes 81 children (23%) and 14 women (3.5%). In the Gaza Strip alone, 365 Palestinians, including 262 civilians, have been killed by IOF. According to PCHR's documentation, 83 Palestinians have been extra-judicially executed by IOF (34.5% of the total number of civilian victims). This number includes 72 targeted persons and 11 civilian bystanders. Also during the 7th year of the Intifada, IOF killed 2 medical personnel and a journalist. In addition, a Palestinian civilian was killed by an Israeli settler.

By the end of the 6th year of the al-Aqsa Intifada, 4,329 Palestinians, including 3,413 civilians (79%), have been killed. These figures include 724 children (22%) and 119 women (3.5%). In the Gaza Strip alone, 2,502 Palestinians, including 1,779 civilians, have been killed by IOF. According to PCHR's documentation, 668 Palestinians have been extra-judicially executed by IOF (19.6% of the total number of civilian victims). This number includes 448 targeted persons and 220 civilian bystanders, including 73 children.


A tables showing those killed during the al-Aqsa Intifada from
29 September 2000 to 28 September 2007
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2007/04-10-2007.html

 

[sister herb]

The seven years of the al-Aqsa Intifada have been characterized by the following Israeli military attacks:

· Prolonged Incursions and redeployment into Palestinian Authority controlled areas.

· Massive killings and destruction of houses and civilian property.

· Extra-judicial executions against Palestinian activists and political leaders, the most significant of which targeted Abu Ali Mustafa, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and leader of Hamas; and his successor, Dr. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz al-Rantissi.

· Destruction of the Palestinian economy and the structure of the Palestinian Authority through the destruction of civil and security facilities.

· Using Palestinian civilians as human shields during military operations in the OPT.

· Closing Rafah International Crossing Point and other border crossings of the Gaza Strip.

· Chasing fishermen and depriving them of their sources of income.

· Storming Jericho Prison and arresting senior political leaders.

· Humiliation of Palestinian at military checkpoints.

· Deaths of dozens of people due to the obstruction of their access to hospitals.

· Deportation of a number of Palestinian activists.

· Continued construction of the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank territory, in a challenge for the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, which considered the construction of the wall illegal.

· Wilful killing of Palestinian civilians.

· Indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian civilian residential areas using various forms of weaponry, including warplanes, tanks and machine guns.

· Collective punishment of Palestinian civilians, denying them their basic human rights, including the rights of health, education, freedom of movement and work, through imposing a tightened siege on the OPT.

· Transformation of Erez crossing into an international border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

· Transformation of Qalandya checkpoint into an international border crossing between the West Bank and Israel.

· Arbitrary arrests and placing Palestinians in administrative detention.

· Closure of a number of charitable societies in the West Bank.

· Systematic attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians.

 

[al-fajr]

:salam2:

sister harb - your posts serve as a constant reminder for me.

 

[justoneofmillion]

Jazakillahu alf khair for keeping us informed sister Harb

Assalam,thank you sister harb and may Allah swt reward you for your commitment to this cause this is our cause all together keep them coming mashallah , and inschallah one day our brothers and sisters will be freed from those zionist regime traitors,and their criminal pimps elsewhere

Wassalam

Jameel

 

[Aapa]

Salaam,

What could I possibly write. May Allah subhana talla give us strenght to assist our innocent brothers and sisters. In the end they are the truly blessed ones. They hold the faith and remind us of that every second of the constancy of thier faith.
Sister, you keep telling us what to do to help. I will write and write and write. You give us the names of the organizations which you feel we need to address. May Allah subhana talla reward your efforts.